The return journey from the Whispering Woods was a somber affair. The adrenaline had faded, leaving behind a bone-deep weariness and the phantom sensation of hot blood on his hands. The iron dagger, now cleaned but still bearing the scent of the hunt, felt heavy at his waist. He was no longer just Lin Feng, the office worker; he was Lin Feng, the one who had killed to survive.
As he approached the outer disciple quarters, he noticed a change. The dismissive glances were still there, but now they were mixed with something else—curiosity. Word traveled fast in the sect, and a Mortal Grade disciple returning unscathed from the Whispering Woods, even with a few tears in his robes and a newfound grimness in his eyes, was noteworthy.
He had just reached the door of his barracks when a voice, laced with a lazy arrogance, stopped him.
"You. The one who fell off the crane."
Lin Feng turned. Three disciples stood there, their grey robes of a slightly finer cut than his own. The one in the center, who had spoken, had a sharp, vulpine face and an air of entitlement that screamed "mid-level manager." Lin Feng's internal corporate radar pinged immediately. Trouble.
"My name is Lin Feng," he said, his voice neutral.
The fox-faced disciple smirked. "I am Zhang Li. These are my associates." He gestured to the two hulking disciples flanking him. "We heard you were brave—or foolish—enough to venture into the woods. A Raging Boar is no small feat for a... Level 1 disciple." His tone made it clear he didn't believe Lin Feng had succeeded.
[ Hostile intent detected. Zhang Li: Qi Condensation Level 4. Associates: Qi Condensation Level 3. ]
The System's warning was unnecessary. The threat was palpable.
"What do you want?" Lin Feng asked, keeping his posture relaxed, non-confrontational. He couldn't afford a fight, not against three of them.
Zhang Li's smile widened. "We are merely concerned for a fellow disciple. The woods are dangerous. A disciple with such... fragile roots... should not be taking such risks. It reflects poorly on all of us." He took a step closer. "We are here to offer our protection. In exchange for a small fee, of course. Let's say... seventy percent of whatever spirit herbs or materials you gathered out there."
It was a shakedown. A classic protection racket. Lin Feng almost laughed. The more things changed, the more they stayed the same. This was just corporate extortion with a xianxia paint job.
"I didn't gather anything," Lin Feng said truthfully. The tusks were in his inventory, invisible to them.
Zhang Li's eyes narrowed. "Don't lie to me. A disciple doesn't go into the Whispering Woods for a stroll. Empty your pouch."
Lin Feng's mind raced. He could give them his pitiful sect allocation. It might satisfy them. But it would also mark him as an easy target, someone to be bled dry. He couldn't show weakness, not here.
"I said, I have nothing for you," Lin Feng repeated, his voice hardening slightly.
One of the brutes stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. "He needs a lesson in respect, Brother Zhang."
Just as the tension was about to snap, a new voice, calm and authoritative, cut through the air.
"Is there a problem here?"
A young man approached. He wore the same grey robes, but he carried himself with a natural grace the others lacked. His features were sharp and intelligent, and his eyes held a calculating depth. The crowd of onlookers that had begun to gather subtly parted for him.
Zhang Li's smirk vanished, replaced by a mask of strained politeness. "Brother Chen! No problem at all. We were just... welcoming our new junior brother."
The newcomer, "Brother Chen," ignored Zhang Li and looked directly at Lin Feng. "I am Chen Jin. You are Lin Feng, correct? The one with the unique... resilience."
Lin Feng nodded warily. Another player. "I am."
Chen Jin's gaze swept over Zhang Li and his lackeys. "The sect rules prohibit extorting fellow disciples. I suggest you find a more productive use of your time." His voice was quiet, but it carried a finality that brooked no argument.
Zhang Li's face flushed with anger and humiliation, but he simply bowed his head. "Of course, Brother Chen. My mistake." He shot a venomous look at Lin Feng before turning and stalking away, his two thugs in tow.
The crowd dispersed, leaving Lin Feng alone with Chen Jin.
"Thank you," Lin Feng said, his guard still up. No one did anything for free.
Chen Jin offered a small, faint smile. "Do not thank me. Zhang Li is a minor nuisance, a vulture preying on the weak. His type is a drain on the sect's potential." He looked Lin Feng up and down with an appraising eye. "You, however, are interesting. A Mortal Grade root who doesn't cower. You went into the Whispering Woods and came back with your spirit unbroken. That is not nothing."
He paused, letting his words hang in the air. "The official path for outer disciples is slow. The missions from the Assignment Hall are tedious and reward few contribution points. The best resources, the real opportunities... are found elsewhere."
Lin Feng remained silent, listening. This was an offer. Or a recruitment pitch.
"There are... associations within the sect," Chen Jin continued, his voice dropping slightly. "Groups of disciples who pool their resources and knowledge, who watch each other's backs. The Azure Tiger Association is one of the more prominent. We look for talent, but more importantly, we look for potential. For those with the will to climb, regardless of their starting point."
He was offering Lin Feng a way in. A backdoor into the sect's power structure. It was tempting. Incredibly so. Protection, resources, knowledge—everything he desperately needed.
But Lin Feng's analyst mind screamed caution. This wasn't charity. Chen Jin had intervened not out of kindness, but because he had seen an "interesting" asset. He would be expected to provide value in return. He would owe favors, his actions would be tied to this association. His freedom, the very thing his System promised, would be compromised.
"I am honored by your offer, Senior Brother Chen," Lin Feng said, choosing his words with care. "But I have just arrived. I need time to find my footing on my own before I can be of any value to a prestigious association like yours."
It was a polite refusal. Chen Jin's smile didn't falter, but the warmth in his eyes cooled by a few degrees. He had expected gratitude and immediate acquiescence.
"A prudent answer," Chen Jin said smoothly. "The offer remains open. But opportunities, like spirit herbs, have a limited window for harvest. Do not wait too long, Lin Feng. The sect's gates are open to all, but the path to the peak is only wide enough for a few."
With a final, unreadable glance, Chen Jin turned and walked away, leaving Lin Feng standing alone.
The encounter had been more draining than the fight with the boar. He had navigated two different kinds of predators: the blunt thuggery of Zhang Li and the subtle, calculated ambition of Chen Jin. He had avoided immediate danger, but he had likely made a powerful, potential enemy by refusing the latter.
He entered his barren room and closed the door, leaning against it with a sigh. The Azure Cloud Sect was not just a place of cultivation; it was a snake pit of politics and power struggles. The "Open Gate" was an illusion. Once you stepped through, you were immediately sorted, judged, and pressured to pick a side.
He pulled up his System interface. The 100 points from the boar quest glowed reassuringly. He now had a total of 150 points.
[ New Quest Generated! ]
[ Quest: Securing a Foundation. ]
[ Objective: Achieve a breakthrough to Qi Condensation Level 2 within seven days. ]
[ Reward: 150 System Points, Low-Grade Spirit Stone x5. ]
This was his path. Not Zhang Li's thuggery, not Chen Jin's alliances. The System was impersonal. It gave quests and rewards. It didn't demand loyalty or political fealty. It was a pure transaction, and in this den of wolves, that purity felt like a sanctuary.
He looked at the Foundation Establishment Pill in his inventory. It was time. He couldn't afford to wait, to be prudent. He needed strength, now.
Settling onto the thin meditation cushion, he took a deep breath. The path to the peak might be narrow, but he wouldn't be climbing it using the sect's crowded, well-trodden stairs. He was going to build his own.