Cloudmist Sect was vast, but whispers traveled faster than sword light.
By dusk, almost every hall, peak, and training ground had heard of the newcomer — a man with no known cultivation, no sect background, but with a Shadowfang Panther following him like a house cat.
> "His name is Kang Woo."
"He entered with a boy named Hajin Wu."
"No clan name, no spiritual aura... yet that beast obeys him."
The news eventually reached Elder Hui Shunya, master of Hua Mountain Peak — famed for his elegance, spiritual arts, and obsession with poetry and rare talent.
And Kang Woo?
He sounded like both.
---
That evening, at the guest house Kang Woo and Hajin were staying in, a knock came. Then the door slid open without permission.
A tall man stepped in — robed in layered silver silks, a fan in one hand, and presence sharper than any sword.
"Elder Hui!" Hajin stood instantly.
Kang Woo looked up from the floor, raising an eyebrow.
The elder's eyes moved straight to Kang Woo. "You. Outsider. The one who tamed the Shadowfang."
Kang Woo blinked. "Still don't like that word. I didn't tame anything."
The elder ignored it. "Do you wish to join Cloudmist Sect as a disciple?"
Kang Woo leaned back. "No."
The room went silent.
Elder Hui tilted his head slightly. "Not interested in cultivation?"
Kang Woo shrugged. "I've already lived a life. I've fought, bled, loved, and… lost. I'm not looking to start over as someone's junior. I just want to survive."
The elder stared for a long moment. Then smiled.
"Very well," he said, tapping his fan once. "Then let's make it interesting."
He turned to Hajin.
"You, boy. You wish to become a disciple, yes?"
Hajin bowed. "Yes, Elder. I've been accepted as an outer disciple."
"Hmm." Hui tapped his fan again. "Then I'll make you a deal. Your hyung here refuses to join as a disciple — fine. Let him become an instructor. He'll gain access to our archives, training fields, and be free to come and go."
"But—" Kang Woo started.
"On one condition," Hui interrupted. "A poetry challenge. If he wins, he enters as an instructor. If he loses, he walks away and never enters my Hua Peak again."
"And what about Hajin?" Kang Woo asked sharply.
Hui's smile widened.
"If you win, I'll personally make Hajin Wu an inner disciple under Hua Peak — and a registered scholar. He'll be taught alongside our top students."
Hajin's jaw dropped. "E-Elder?! But I'm— I'm just—"
"Still waters hold deep ink," Hui replied. "Now. You both will write."
---
Moments later, both Kang Woo and Hajin sat before scrolls, ink, and brush.
Hajin hesitated. Then remembered all the verses he'd written in silence during his years in the slums. He bit his lip, then dipped his brush.
Kang Woo, meanwhile, stared at the scroll for a long time.
He wasn't a poet.
He wasn't a cultivator.
But he remembered sitting beside his wife on the balcony.
He remembered holding his sleeping son after a long shift.
He remembered birthdays he missed. The meals they had in silence. The small moments.
His hand began to move.
---
Hajin's Poem:
"Ink flows like rain,
but I had no paper.
Words came like breath,
but no one to listen.
Today I write,
so the world may know
I survived."
---
Kang Woo's Poem (titled: "Still Waiting"):
"In another world, my chair is empty.
My son asks why the rice is cold.
My wife smiles at ghosts only she can feel.
Tell them—
I'm just lost,
Not gone."
---
The room was quiet.
Elder Hui read them both twice. Then a third time.
"…Excellent," he said, voice soft. "Beyond excellent."
He stood slowly.
"Hajin Wu — you are no longer outer disciple. From this moment on, you are Inner Disciple of Hua Peak. A scholar. A poet. One of my own."
Hajin's eyes filled with tears. "Th-Thank you, Elder…"
"And Kang Woo," Hui said, turning, "you are a cultivator of spirit — not in root, but in soul. As promised, you are now a guest instructor of Hua Peak. You may enter our library, participate in classes, and train as you wish."
Kang Woo said nothing. He simply bowed.
As the elder left, he added without turning back, "Prepare yourselves. The Root Awakening Ceremony is tomorrow. Let's see what the heavens say about you."
After the elder departed, the room fell silent once more. Hajin clutched his promotion token like it was a piece of heaven itself. He hadn't spoken in full sentences since Elder Hui left.
Kang Woo, on the other hand, sat quietly — his hand resting over the poem he had written.
A knock came again. This time, it was softer.
A young female disciple in sky-blue robes entered and bowed.
"Honored Instructor Kang Woo, Elder Hui has requested that you attend a practical session tomorrow morning at Beast Hall — as a temporary guest instructor for taming studies."
Kang Woo blinked. "Come again?"
The girl looked up shyly. "The elder believes… your 'interaction' with the Shadowfang qualifies as 'unconventional high-level taming.' He wishes for disciples to learn from you."
Kang Woo sighed. "It was just one beast."
"Yes, sir. But… it was a Shadowfang Panther."
"…Right."
The girl handed him a wooden badge, inscribed with the Cloudmist insignia and the characters for Guest Instructor.
"You'll be introduced before the disciples and given control of the taming ground for half a day. Elder Hui says… teach whatever you like. Or don't. Either way, they'll learn something."
Kang Woo pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I didn't sign up to become a teacher."
Behind him, Hajin chuckled for the first time in hours. "But you are now."
Kang Woo grumbled. "He's turning me into a zoo keeper."
Hajin grinned. "A high-paid one with library access, lodging, food, and status."
Kang Woo rolled his eyes and looked out the window. The Shadowfang Panther was curled up by the stable, chewing a tree.
> "This world just keeps getting weirder…"