The underground levels of Blackthorn Academy were a secret to most students.
They weren't hidden. Just ignored. Buried under layers of privilege, authority, and silence.
Past the public training halls and standard dueling rings, past the clean corridors and academic labs, there were places carved not by machines—but by old cultivators, by hand, using nothing but will and qi.
There, a man stood before a glowing wall of data streams.
Tall. Clean-cut. Dressed in a high-collared coat threaded with silver and black weave. His eyes were sharp, but unreadable.
Instructor Cao Ren.
He was not a teacher students met in class. He did not give lectures. He did not answer questions.
He selected.
He tested.
He culled.
And right now, his attention was locked on a flickering projection of Lin Xuan's most recent spar.
A slow-motion playback. That step. That palm.
He watched it again. And again.
His fingers hovered over the interface, then tapped.
Subject: Shen YiStatus: ReinstatedCore Arena Entry ConfirmedRecent Change: Unnatural Meridian Recovery | Unregistered Qi Signature | Suppressed Spiritual Origin
He narrowed his eyes.
"Where did you come from?" he murmured.
The system offered no answers.
But his instincts whispered something he didn't like.
A name had been erased.
And something else had taken its place.
Meanwhile, Lin Xuan sat alone beneath the neon glow of the academy's outer courtyard.
It was late. Most students were already resting, preparing for another day of spiritual theory and martial practice.
But he wasn't like them.
He had no interest in textbooks or scanning codes into glowing walls.
He preferred the silence.
Preferred the weight of solitude.
A vending unit clicked nearby, and he heard a familiar voice.
"You like sitting in corners, don't you?"
He glanced up.
Luo Yuhan was back.
She held two bottles in one hand—clear spirit-infused water, likely from one of the meditation labs.
She tossed one to him.
He caught it without flinching.
"Thanks," he said.
"You don't talk much."
"I talk when necessary."
She sat beside him, her braid trailing over one shoulder.
For a while, neither of them said anything.
Then, finally, she spoke.
"You used something old, didn't you?"
He looked at her.
"That palm. That step. It's not in any combat archive. No motion data, no energy pattern recognition. Even the sensors couldn't categorize it. Which means it's not from this era."
He didn't answer.
"You're not a transfer student," she added. "You're not a prodigy. You were dead a week ago. Now you're fighting like someone who's been through wars."
Still no response.
"You're either a secret heir from an ancient clan…"
Pause.
"Or you're something much more dangerous."
He turned his head slightly. "Are you planning to report me?"
She smiled faintly. "If I was, you'd already be gone."
"…Then why are you still here?"
She stared out into the artificial sky above them, where the academy's city-glass canopy reflected the stars.
"Because I'm bored," she said. "And you're the most interesting thing in this academy right now."
That made him raise an eyebrow.
She didn't elaborate.
After a moment, she stood, dusted off her coat, and turned to leave.
But before she walked away, she looked back once.
"I don't know what you are," she said. "But if you plan to survive the Core Arena… don't hold back."
The next day arrived like thunder.
Blackthorn's halls buzzed with new energy.
Posters flashed on screen-walls.
Broadcasts blared highlights from previous tournaments.
The Core Arena Open Bracket was no longer just a registration list.
It was an event.
And every student, instructor, sponsor, and rival clan affiliate wanted to know who the next rising stars would be.
Lin Xuan's name was listed at the bottom of the board.
Shen Yi – Third Year, Class 3-C – Rank: Unseeded
And beside him…
Match One Opponent: Xue Jian – Third Year, Class 3-A – Rank: Seeded (Top 50)
A known quantity. Disciple of the Iceflow Pavilion. Calm, precise. Strong mid-Foundation cultivation and rumored to have reached Spirit Blade manifestation last semester.
It was a message.
Someone wanted Lin Xuan crushed early.
He didn't care.
He stood before the ranking board with arms crossed, face unreadable, as students gathered behind him and whispered.
"Shen Yi? He's in the bracket?"
"Must be a mistake."
"No mistake," someone muttered. "He beat Wei Long clean in public. One move."
"Still… Xue Jian? That's a massacre waiting to happen."
Lin Xuan ignored them.
Instead, he turned and left.
Let them talk.
Let them laugh.
When he stepped into that arena, they would remember his name for a very different reason.
Meanwhile, across the academy, Instructor Ren entered a sealed chamber where Cao Ren stood watching more footage.
"You saw the match," she said.
He nodded.
"I want him monitored."
"He's already flagged," Cao replied. "Off the record."
Ren's eyes narrowed. "Why?"
"Because someone who dies and comes back with unknown cultivation techniques and altered qi signatures is either an opportunity..."
Pause.
"...or a weapon waiting to be lit."
Ren folded her arms. "You think he's a threat?"
Cao's voice was quiet.
"I think he's a ghost."
He turned the screen toward her.
And played the recording again.
Frame by frame.
That step.
That palm.
Impossible precision. No wasted movement. The kind of execution that only came from a mind that had seen death more times than it could count.
"He's not Shen Yi anymore," Cao said.
Ren didn't argue.
But she did say one thing before leaving.
"If he survives this tournament… we may not be the only ones watching him."
Back in his room, Lin Xuan meditated.
The second and third meridians were now open. His qi pool was still shallow, but far denser than what a student should have. Each breath strengthened his internal flow, refined his movements, and sharpened his control.
The Silent Meridian Technique didn't rely on artificial boosters, pills, or spirit batteries.
It used pain. Will. Discipline.
And it would bring him back to peak form—quietly, invisibly.
He didn't need the world to see him rise.
He just needed it to see him when it was too late.
His match was in two days.
And by then, the boy they thought was Shen Yi would no longer exist.