The Outer Sect lecture hall was heavy with incense. Disciples sat cross-legged on stone tiles, their backs stiff as they chanted after Elder Han. Scrolls lined the walls, showing meridians glowing with streams of Qi. Candles threw long shadows across the room.
"To cultivate is to feel the essence of heaven and earth! To carry fire in your heart, to carry passion in your blood!" Elder Han's voice thundered. "Only those who burn with desire may ascend!"
The young disciples echoed in unison, their voices swelling with false determination.
All except one.
At the far back sat Shen Yuan, his posture impeccable. His hands were folded neatly, his black eyes fixed ahead. But his face was blank. No spark. No hunger. No irritation at the whispers that followed him like gnats.
"That's him," one boy muttered, just low enough. "The Hollow."
"Three years in the sect, and he hasn't even broken into Qi Condensation."
"Does he even feel anything? A puppet dressed as a disciple."
The words carried weight for most. For Shen Yuan, they were predictable patterns of noise. He did not rise. He did not defend himself. He did not even blink. He stored them away, sorted them, and discarded them as irrelevant.
The lecture ended. Disciples scattered, rushing to training grounds, hungry to prove themselves. Shen Yuan rose slowly, his movements precise, as though every gesture had been measured before execution.
It was then that the voice came.
Designation: Hollow Sovereign
Directive: Absolute Control
Initialization Complete
Shen Yuan's head lowered slightly. Not in awe. Not in joy. Recognition.
Acquire First Pawn
Bind one disciple to your will through manipulation or coercion.
+1 Strength
+1 Speed
+1 Reflex
Technique: Silent Veins (Low-Tier Qi Absorption)
• Strength +1 → Equal to one year of martial training.
• Speed +1 → Equal to six months of advanced footwork.
• Reflex +1 → Equal to three years of combat sparring.
• Silent Veins → Concealed cultivation method. Allows Qi absorption without visible aura or sound. Value: priceless for secrecy.
Shen Yuan's lips curved faintly. Not a smile. Not amusement. A shadow of acknowledgment.
The sect worshiped fire, will, passion. They believed emotions were fuel. Anger birthed power. Joy bred inspiration. Faith carried breakthroughs.
But emotions were chains.
And he was empty.
Emptiness made him free.
---
NIGHT – THE BARRACKS
The barracks smelled of sweat and old porridge. Rows of wooden bunks creaked under exhausted bodies. Moonlight pooled through a crack in the roof, silvering the floor.
Li Wei sat alone on his bunk, dabbing at bruises on his thin arms. The senior disciples had beaten him again, and the boy's shoulders curled like a beaten dog's.
A shadow stretched across him.
He jerked his head up. "Wh-what do you want?"
Shen Yuan sat opposite him, folding his hands in his lap. His voice was calm, low, stripped of any inflection.
"You hate them."
Li Wei blinked. "What?"
"The ones who hit you. You hate them. But you are too weak to strike back."
Li Wei's lips trembled. His eyes dropped. "…Of course I hate them. But hate doesn't matter. If I fight, I die."
"Correct." Shen Yuan's eyes were unreadable. "Alone, you are nothing. Under me, your hate has value."
Li Wei swallowed. "Why me?"
"Because you are desperate." Shen Yuan leaned forward, his gaze steady. "Desperate men do not question. Desperate men obey."
Li Wei tried to laugh, but the sound died in his throat. "…And if I don't?"
A flick of Shen Yuan's wrist. Something thudded to the floor between them.
Li Wei's breath caught. A courtyard guard dog, its throat cut cleanly, lay in the moonlight. Its fur was still warm. He hadn't heard a sound.
Shen Yuan's voice was softer than the wind. "If you refuse, you will not hear yourself die either."
The boy stared at the corpse, chest heaving. Seconds passed. His hands shook. Finally, slowly, he lowered his head.
"…I'll obey."
First Pawn Acquired
Pawn: Li Wei – Loyalty 72%
Potential: Low
For the first time, Shen Yuan allowed a faint curve of his lips. Not triumph. Not joy. Just inevitability.
---
FIRST TASK
"You will act weak," Shen Yuan said, his voice even. "When they strike you, you will not resist. You will not even defend yourself."
Li Wei looked confused. "But… why?"
"Because weakness is bait. They will return to feed. And when they return, I will use them."
The next day, Li Wei obeyed. He staggered under fists and kicks, letting the bullies sneer and jeer. They laughed at his trembling limbs and broken dignity. None noticed Shen Yuan watching from the shade of the training hall.
That night, he sat cross-legged in the courtyard, Li Wei before him.
"Now," Shen Yuan murmured. His palm pressed against Li Wei's chest. A pale glow stirred, threads of energy siphoning from Li Wei into Shen Yuan.
Li Wei gasped. "You're—taking—"
"You have little Qi to spare. And yet, you live." Shen Yuan's tone never shifted. "Do you see? Even your suffering is useful to me."
Silent Veins Technique Activated
Current Progress: Qi Absorption – 3%
Shen Yuan inhaled slowly. For the first time, faint currents of Qi stirred in his meridians. Quiet. Hidden. Unseen by any elder.
---
REWARDS
Acquire First Pawn
• Strength +1 (Applied)
• Speed +1 (Applied)
• Reflex +1 (Applied)
• Technique Acquired: Silent Veins
Shen Yuan rose, flexing his hands. His muscles responded with subtle precision, strength coiled beneath calm skin. His steps across the stone floor whispered faster, lighter, sharper.
Li Wei watched, awe widening his eyes.
Shen Yuan turned. "Remember this: you are not my friend. You are not my brother. You are my pawn. Pawns that serve are preserved. Pawns that resist are sacrificed."
Li Wei swallowed hard and nodded. "…Yes, Master."
The title was unplanned, but Shen Yuan allowed it. Words, once spoken, shaped obedience.
---
FORESHADOW
Later, alone beneath the moon, Shen Yuan traced the flow of his new technique, feeling the hidden currents of Qi weaving silently through his body.
The sect worshiped passion, flame, thunder. They would never notice the shadow moving beneath them.
He looked out at the sleeping barracks, then beyond, to the glowing towers of the Inner Sect.
"First pawn," he murmured to no one. His tone was flat, but each syllable was a verdict. "One becomes ten. Ten become a hundred. A hundred become a sect. A sect becomes the world."
Shen Yuan's eyes closed. To the world, he remained the Hollow. Emotionless. Empty. Forgotten.
But the system had given him the first stone.
And with it, he would build an empire of pawns.
The training courtyard was loud with laughter.
Li Wei staggered under the fists of three senior disciples, his cheek split, his breath shallow. They jeered, circling him like wolves.
"You'll never cultivate past trash," one sneered, driving a knee into his stomach. "Better to crawl back to the kitchens!"
Another added, "Or maybe we should send you home in a coffin."
Li Wei gagged, but through swollen lips he forced himself not to cry out. Shen Yuan's words echoed in his skull: *Weakness is bait.*
From the shade of the wall, Shen Yuan stepped forward. His shadow cut across the courtyard stones like a blade.
The bullies glanced at him and smirked. "Ah, the Hollow. Here to watch your dog get kicked?"
Shen Yuan's expression did not shift. He raised one hand, calm, deliberate.
"Li Wei." His tone was flat. "Stand."
The battered boy groaned but obeyed, dragging himself upright.
The seniors barked laughter. "So the puppet gives orders to his broken toy?"
Shen Yuan's gaze fixed on Li Wei. His words slid out, soft, precise. "Obey me. Strike them. Do not fear death. Your pain belongs to me now."
Li Wei's body shook—but his eyes locked on Shen Yuan's blank face. Something in that emptiness anchored him. His fists tightened. He screamed hoarsely and lunged at the nearest bully.
The courtyard roared with laughter again. Until the first punch landed.
Li Wei's strike should have been weak. But it cracked bone. The senior staggered back, gasping, his nose bleeding.
The others froze.
Pawn Empowered: Li Wei
Temporary Buff Applied – Strength +1 (Linked from Master)
Duration: 10 minutes
Li Wei gasped at his own power, then swung again, driving the second bully to the ground. Blood sprayed across the stones.
The last senior's smirk faltered. He drew his sword with a hiss of steel. "You dare—"
Shen Yuan moved.
One step, silent as a falling leaf. His hand snapped forward. Fingers closed around the boy's wrist before the blade could descend.
A twist.
A crack.
The sword clattered to the ground, its owner screaming, clutching his broken arm. Shen Yuan's eyes remained still, empty of satisfaction.
"You mock weakness," he said softly. "But weakness in my hands becomes a weapon sharper than your sword."
The boy fell to his knees, whimpering. Li Wei loomed behind, chest heaving, drunk on borrowed strength.
Mission Branch Complete – Subjugate Bullies
Reward: Control over Pawn increased (+10% Loyalty)
Additional Reward: 5 Low-Grade Spirit Stones
Shen Yuan released the broken wrist, letting the boy collapse. His gaze swept over the three, now sprawled in blood and dust.
"Remember this," he said, voice as flat as stone. "You are insects. And insects are crushed when I decide."
None dared answer.
He turned, placing a hand on Li Wei's shoulder. The pawn trembled under his touch—not in fear, but in submission.
The courtyard was silent, except for the ragged breathing of the fallen.
Shen Yuan's mind ticked forward, already ten steps ahead. This was not a victory. It was a demonstration. And demonstrations were seeds. Seeds that would grow into whispers. Whispers into fear. Fear into obedience.
He released Li Wei, voice calm. "Tonight, you rest. Tomorrow, you bait them again. Our web is only beginning."
Li Wei bowed low. "…Yes, Master."
Next Mission Pending…