The forest slept under a blanket of silver moonlight. Trees swayed gently as the nighttime wind rustled their leaves, and somewhere distant, the soft howls of nocturnal beasts echoed through the dark.
A crackling campfire cast dancing shadows across the clearing.
Ash sat by the fire, leaning back on a rock, his robes still slightly blood-stained from the earlier battle. His eyes were half-closed, face unreadable—more stone than flesh.
Rin sat opposite him, arms crossed over her knees, gaze fixed on him… not with irritation anymore, but with something closer to calculation.
Her lips twitched thoughtfully. She had planned to provoke him again tonight—just for amusement. But the image of him obliterating a Tier 3 beast earlier played again in her mind like a haunting song.
> He didn't just fight it. He dominated it. No hesitation, no fear.
She stole a longer glance at him from across the firelight. His silence, his calm, his strength—it wasn't normal. It wasn't even noble.
It was dangerous.
Her brows furrowed, and her mind—sharpened by royal upbringing—started clicking.
> My eldest brother has three high clans backing him, and an entire sect on his side.
Second brother is no less. Trained by throne-touching elders, destined to inherit something great.
What do I have? Just my pride and my name.
She looked again at Ash. His clothes were plain. His expression empty. He held no fancy blade or glowing spirit artifact on display. And yet…
He radiated potential.
The kind of potential that made her instincts whisper: ally… or die later.
Her lips parted as she spoke softly, testing the waters.
> "You're not like the others in your sect."
Ash didn't respond immediately. He threw a twig into the fire.
> "I don't care to be like them."
His voice was cool. Not cold—but distant.
Rin leaned forward, eyes gleaming in the firelight.
> "You fight like someone who's been tempered. Your strength… it's beyond what a core vein cultivator should have."
Ash's fingers twitched. Just a little. But he said nothing.
Rin took it as confirmation.
She smiled faintly and tilted her head.
> "I want to be the next ruler of my kingdom. But the truth is… I'm far behind. Everyone expects me to lose. To vanish into royal marriage or become a decorative general."
She paused. Her voice lowered.
> "But I'm not the type to lose. I need power. And more importantly—I need a teacher."
Now Ash looked at her. Not in surprise, but mild interest.
> "A teacher?"
> "Someone who can make me a warrior feared across realms. I don't care about traditions or titles. I want to reach throne manifestation, and beyond."
She leaned closer. Her voice dropped to a whisper.
> "And I think you know how to get there."
---
Silence Fell
The fire cracked between them. Ash stared into it, deep in thought. Rin's heart beat fast. She'd never offered submission to anyone—not even in words.
But what she said next stunned even her.
> "If you train me… I'll swear my sword to your future."
Her hand went to her waist, gripping her short ceremonial blade. She didn't unsheathe it, but it trembled under her fingers.
Ash's expression was unreadable, but somewhere in his chest, Shen Mu stirred.
> Interesting, the old spirit chuckled. Even royalty bows when they smell true power.
Ash finally responded.
> "Words are cheap, Princess."
Rin smiled.
> "So are robes and bloodlines."