Ren woke before dawn.
Not because of danger.
Because the echo stirred.
Soft.Careful.Aware.
He opened his eyes to a sky still heavy with night, stars fading slowly as the world prepared to breathe again. The forest around him was quiet, but not empty.
Someone was nearby.
Ren sat up without haste, slipping his boots on and rolling his shoulders once to loosen the stiffness from sleep.
"Good morning," he said calmly.
Silence answered.
Then—footsteps.
A figure emerged from the shadows between the trees, walking openly, hands visible, posture relaxed. A woman this time, dressed in pale gray robes that bore no obvious sect emblem. Her cultivation aura was… restrained.
Too restrained.
Middle realm.At least.
She stopped a respectful distance away and bowed lightly.
"Ren," she said, voice smooth and measured."You wake early."
Ren studied her.
"You know my name."
She smiled faintly.
"It travels faster than you do."
Fair.
"Who are you?" Ren asked.
"An observer," she replied."For now."
Ren didn't invite her closer.
Observers rarely came alone.
"And what are you observing?" he asked.
Her gaze flicked—briefly—to his chest.
Then back to his eyes.
"Potential."
The echo pulsed once.
Not warning.
Not fear.
Recognition.
Ren exhaled slowly.
"You're from a sect."
"Yes."
"Which one?"
She hesitated.
"That answer matters more than you think."
Ren met her eyes.
"Then I won't ask again."
She smiled more openly now.
"Ascending Ladder Sect."
Ren's pulse quickened—just slightly.
So the stone hadn't been the end of it.
"I'm not recruiting you," she said quickly, sensing the shift."Not officially."
Ren tilted his head.
"Then why are you here?"
She reached into her sleeve and withdrew a thin jade slip—unmarked, unsealed.
An invitation.
Not formal.Not binding.
Dangerous precisely because of that.
"You impressed people who don't impress easily," she said."That creates questions. Questions invite attention. Attention invites… less polite visitors."
Ren's jaw tightened.
"And you're the polite one."
She inclined her head.
"For now."
She extended the jade slip but didn't step closer.
"This is not a summons," she said."It's an option."
Ren didn't take it.
"What happens if I refuse?"
She didn't hesitate.
"Nothing."
The echo pulsed faintly—surprised.
"And if I accept?" Ren asked.
"You'll be allowed to walk a road where fewer people try to break you just to see what's inside."
Ren almost laughed.
"Allowed."
She smiled apologetically.
"That's the word the world uses."
Ren stared at the jade slip.
Not touching it.
Not yet.
"What would you want from me?" he asked.
The woman's gaze sharpened—not greedily, but intently.
"Nothing now," she said."That's the truth."
"And later?"
She shrugged lightly.
"That depends on what you become."
The echo hummed.
Interested.
Ren finally reached out and took the jade slip.
The moment his fingers touched it, the slip warmed slightly—responding, but not activating.
The woman relaxed visibly.
"You don't have to use it," she said."You don't even have to keep it."
Ren slipped it into his pack.
"But if things escalate," she continued,"if hunters start asking questions instead of elders… this will buy you time."
Ren met her eyes.
"And cost me what?"
She held his gaze.
"Eventually? Choice."
Silence settled between them.
Then she bowed again.
"I'll leave you to your road."
She turned to go.
"Wait," Ren said.
She paused.
"Why me?" he asked quietly."There are others with talent. Others with strange abilities."
She looked back at him, eyes serious.
"Because talent excites sects."
She glanced once more at his chest.
"But echoes… frighten them."
She vanished into the trees—not teleporting, not fleeing.
Simply… leaving.
Ren sat back down slowly.
He removed the jade slip from his pack and held it in his palm.
It didn't glow.
It didn't pulse.
It simply waited.
The echo pulsed faintly in response.
Ren closed his hand around the slip.
"So this is how the cage is built," he murmured.
The echo didn't answer.
But it didn't disagree either.
Above him, the sky brightened.
And somewhere, far beyond the trees, a sect elder smiled—knowing the first thread had been successfully tied.