The inner sect dormitory was nicer than the outer sect cells. That wasn't saying much.
Kai's new room had an actual bed instead of straw on stone. A small cultivation mat sat in the corner. There was a wooden chest for belongings and a window overlooking the valley where disciples flew on swords and practiced techniques that made the air shimmer.
"Home sweet home," he muttered, closing the door.
[New Environment Detected: Inner Sect Dormitory]
[Safe Zone: Yes]
[Cultivation Speed Bonus: +10%]
[System Shop now available]
Kai collapsed onto the bed. Every muscle screamed. The healing pills from the ceremony had closed his wounds, but exhaustion? That was still there.
"System, show me my status."
[Host: Kai Zhang]
[Age: 17]
[Cultivation: Body Tempering Realm - Level 3]
[Level: 3]
[EXP: 200/500]
[HP: 100/100]
[Qi: 50/50]
[Strength: 9]
[Agility: 7]
[Vitality: 10]
[Intelligence: 20 (+5 from Pacifist Title)]
[Luck: 13 (+10 from Pacifist Title)]
[Skills: Basic Fist Technique (Beginner), Demonic Qi Circulation (Beginner), Shadow Step (Common)]
[Titles: Pacifist]
[System Points: 100]
[Debt: 750 System Points]
His Luck had jumped to 13. That was actually decent. And his Intelligence was now 20, which was above average. The Pacifist title was paying off.
"I still owe 750 points?"
[Correct]
[Emergency Starter Package must be paid in full]
[Failure to pay within 30 days will result in: Stat reduction, skill lock, or forced labor missions]
"Forced labor? What kind of loan shark system is this?"
[A system that kept you alive]
[You're welcome]
Fair point.
A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. Kai tensed. Who would visit him already?
"Come in?"
The door opened. A girl stepped inside—one of the other survivors from the ceremony. She had short black hair and sharp eyes that missed nothing. During the fight, Kai remembered her hiding near the eastern wall.
"You're Kai Zhang, right?" Her voice was cold and efficient.
"Yeah. You are?"
"Mei Lin." She closed the door behind her. "I want to talk to you."
[Warning: Potential hostile interaction]
[Recommended action: Stay alert]
Kai sat up slowly, keeping his hands visible. "About what?"
"About surviving." Mei Lin crossed her arms. "The ceremony was just the beginning. You know that, right?"
Kai nodded carefully. "I figured as much."
"You're smarter than you look." She pulled up a chair and sat down. "The inner sect is worse than the outer sect. Much worse. They pit disciples against each other constantly. Missions, tournaments, resource competitions."
"And what do you want, exactly?"
"An alliance." Mei Lin's expression was serious. "I've been watching people who might be useful. You survived the ceremony without killing anyone. That takes incredible skill."
She leaned forward. "Tomorrow, they're assigning us our first inner sect mission. It'll be dangerous. Probably designed to kill off at least half of us. I've seen this pattern before—my older brother went through it three years ago."
[New Information Acquired: Inner Sect Mission System]
[Survival difficulty increased]
"Your brother survived?"
Her face darkened as she shook her head. And said, "he was killed during a sect war mission."
"But that's not important. The first mission is a test, and they want to see who is trash and who has potential."
"And you think we should team up?"
"I think we have a better chance together than alone." She pulled out a small jade slip. "I paid 20 contribution points for information from an outer sect informant. Tomorrow's mission involves the Shadow Forest. Demonic beasts, dangerous terrain, and a high casualty rate."
Kai studied her. She was calculating and prepared. But was she trustworthy?
[Analyzing Mei Lin...]
[Threat Level: Low]
[Sincerity: 87%]
[Hidden Agenda: None detected]
[Recommendation: Alliance beneficial]
"Alright," Kai said. "I'm in. But I want to bring in the other survivors too. More people mean better chances."
Mei Lin considered this. "Two of them might work. Hong Wei—the guy with the scar—seems capable. And Yun Xia, the quiet girl, has some kind of earth technique that could be useful."
"What about the fifth one?"
"Bai Chen? He's arrogant and stupid. He refused to even talk to me." Mei Lin stood up. "We'll approach Hong Wei and Yun Xia tonight. If they agree, we have a team. If not, it's just you and me."
She headed for the door, then paused. "One more thing. Don't trust anyone except your allies. This sect? It's called the Blood Demonic Sect for a reason. Everyone here has blood on their hands."
After she left, Kai lay back down and stared at the ceiling.
"System, what are my chances now?"
[Calculating with new variables...]
[Survival Probability: 8.3%]
Better than 2%, but still terrible.
"And if I work with Mei Lin and the others?"
[Survival Probability: 15.7%]
[Additional allies would increase chances further]
"Any advice?"
[Yes]
[Get stronger]
[Get smarter]
[Get ruthless]
[The Blood Demonic Sect doesn't reward mercy]
Kai closed his eyes.
The system was right. He'd survived the ceremony by being smart and lucky.
He needed to become someone who didn't need luck.
[New Quest Available: Begin Cultivation]
[Objective: Study the Basic Demonic Cultivation Manual and cultivate for 2 hours]
[Reward: +50 EXP, +1 Vitality]
[Time Limit: Tonight]
Kai sat up and pulled the cultivation manual from his chest. The book was old, bound in black leather with red runes on the cover. When he opened it, the characters seemed to writhe on the page.
"Let's see what demonic cultivation is all about."
[Warning: Demonic cultivation techniques can corrupt the mind]
[Prolonged use may result in personality changes]
[Proceed with caution]
"Of course there's a catch," Kai muttered.
But what choice did he have? Staying weak meant death. Getting stronger meant risking corruption.
He'd take corruption over death any day.
Kai sat cross-legged on the cultivation mat and began to read. The manual described a technique called "Blood Qi Circulation"—a method of absorbing qi from the environment and refining it through the body's meridians.
The demonic part came from the source. Instead of drawing qi from nature like orthodox cultivators, demonic cultivators could also absorb qi from blood, death, and negative emotions.
"That's disturbing."
[Demonic cultivation is 3x faster than orthodox cultivation]
[But it comes with risks]
[Choose wisely]
Kai thought about the forty-five disciples who had died in the arena. Their blood had fed the Bloodstone. Their deaths had empowered the sect.
This place was sick.
But if he wanted to escape, he needed power.
"I'll use the technique, but only absorb qi from the environment. No blood, no death qi."
[Acceptable compromise]
[Cultivation speed will be slower, but corruption risk reduced]
Kai closed his eyes and began following the manual's instructions. He focused on his breathing, feeling for the qi in the air around him. At first, there was nothing. Just darkness and silence.
Then he felt it.
A tingling sensation, like static electricity on his skin. Energy flowing around him, through him. He guided it according to the manual, drawing it into his body through his meridians.
[Cultivation Started]
[Current Progress: 0%]
The qi moved slowly at first, like trying to push water through a clogged pipe. His meridians were weak, underdeveloped from years of neglect in the outer sect.
But gradually, it got easier.
The qi began to flow more smoothly. He could feel it circulating through his body, strengthening his muscles, bones, and organs. It was working.
[Cultivation Progress: 25%]
Time passed. Kai lost himself in the rhythm of cultivation. Breathe in, draw qi. Breathe out, circulate qi. Again and again.
[Cultivation Progress: 50%]
His body was heating up. Sweat dripped down his face. The qi was building up in his dantian, the core energy center in his lower abdomen.
[Cultivation Progress: 75%]
Almost there. Just a little more.
[Cultivation Progress: 100%]
[Quest Complete: Begin Cultivation]
[Rewards: +50 EXP, +1 Vitality]
[Level Up!]
[You are now Level 4]
[Vitality increased to 11]
[New stat points available: 2]
Kai opened his eyes, gasping. His entire body was drenched in sweat, but he felt... different. Stronger.
"That was intense."
[First cultivation session complete]
[Recommendation: Cultivate daily for maximum growth]
[Warning: Tomorrow's mission will be difficult]
[Current survival probability: 16.2%]
Still terrible odds, but at least they were improving.
Kai stood up and looked out the window. The moon was high in the sky now, bathing the valley in silver light. Somewhere out there, other disciples were plotting, training, and preparing.
And tomorrow, his real test would begin.
"Alright," Kai said to himself. "Let's see what this sect throws at me next."
[System Advice: Sleep recommended]
[HP and Qi regeneration increased during rest]