After breakfast, I made my way back to my room, hoping to avoid any more drama.
That hope lasted exactly twelve minutes.
[ALERT: HOSTILE ENTITY APPROACHING]
[IDENTITY: ELDER HU - OUTER SECT DISCIPLINARIAN]
[THREAT LEVEL: EXTREME]
[RECOMMENDATION: GROVEL IMMEDIATELY]
"Wait, what—"
"LIN TIAN!"
The voice boomed across the courtyard like thunder, and I felt the pressure of someone's cultivation aura slam into me like a physical wall. My knees almost buckled. This wasn't like Zhang Wei's pathetic attempt at intimidation, this was the real deal.
I turned to see a man in dark blue robes striding toward me. Elder Hu was middle-aged, with a stern face, graying hair tied in a topknot, and the kind of expression that suggested he'd never smiled in his life. His cultivation aura radiated at what had to be... Core Formation Realm? Maybe higher?
[CULTIVATION: CORE FORMATION REALM - STAGE 7]
[POWER COMPARISON: HE COULD SNEEZE YOU TO DEATH]
[SERIOUSLY, BOSS. BE POLITE.]
I immediately clasped my hands and bowed. "Elder Hu."
The memories from the original Lin Tian were fuzzy, but I knew enough: Elder Hu was responsible for maintaining discipline among outer sect disciples. He was also notorious for being harsh, unforgiving, and really, *really* not someone you wanted to piss off.
"You disrupted the morning meal," Elder Hu said coldly, stopping a few feet away from me. "Caused a scene. Released your cultivation aura in a non-combat zone."
Oh, come on.
"Elder Hu, I was provoked—"
"Silence." His voice dropped several degrees. "I don't care about your excuses. The outer sect has rules. You will follow them, or you will be punished. Am I understood?"
I gritted my teeth. "Yes, Elder."
[DETECTING: RESENTMENT, SUPPRESSED ANGER, DESIRE TO ARGUE]
[PLEASE DON'T. HE CAN LITERALLY KILL YOU AND NOBODY WOULD CARE.]
Elder Hu's eyes narrowed as he studied me. "Stage 3. How curious. You've been stuck at Stage 1 for months, and suddenly you break through twice in one night?"
My stomach dropped. "I... worked hard, Elder."
"Worked hard," he repeated, his tone dripping with skepticism. "Or perhaps you found some... external assistance? A pill? A treasure? Stole from the sect's resources?"
"No! I would never—"
"Then explain how a talentless waste suddenly gains two stages overnight."
The words hit harder than I expected. Talentless waste. Is that really what everyone thought of the original Lin Tian?
[YES. SORRY, BOSS. YOUR PREDECESSOR HAD LITERALLY THE WORST REPUTATION POSSIBLE.]
[HE WAS BASICALLY THE TUTORIAL ENEMY OF THIS WORLD.]
I took a breath, forcing myself to stay calm. "Elder Hu, I simply... had a breakthrough. Sometimes these things happen naturally when—"
"Natural breakthroughs don't work that way," Elder Hu interrupted. "I've cultivated for seventy years. I know what's possible and what isn't." He stepped closer, and I felt his spiritual sense wash over me, an intrusive, uncomfortable sensation like someone rifling through your pockets.
[WARNING: SPIRITUAL SENSE SCAN DETECTED]
[DEPLOYING COUNTERMEASURES...]
**[YOUR INFINITE QI SIGNATURE IS NOW MASKED AS 'SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE']**
[HE'LL JUST THINK YOU GOT LUCKY]
Elder Hu's frown deepened, but after a moment, he withdrew his spiritual sense. "Hmm. Your foundation is... surprisingly solid. Still, I'll be watching you, Lin Tian. If I discover you've broken sect rules, the consequences will be severe."
"I understand, Elder."
He stared at me for another long moment, then turned and walked away, his robes billowing dramatically.
I waited until he was completely out of sight before letting out the breath I'd been holding.
"That was way too close," I muttered.
[AGREED. ELDER HU IS SUSPICIOUS.]
*
[ADDITIONAL PROBLEM: HE'S PLACED A TRACKING TALISMAN ON YOUR ROBES.]
"HE DID WHAT?!"
[SMALL PAPER TAG ON YOUR LEFT SHOULDER. SEE IT?]
I craned my neck and spotted it, a tiny slip of paper with a glowing formation, barely visible unless you knew to look for it.
[IT'LL MONITOR YOUR LOCATION AND QI FLUCTUATIONS FOR THE NEXT 48 HOURS.]
[BASICALLY, HE'S MAKING SURE YOU DON'T DO ANYTHING SUSPICIOUS.]
"Can you disable it?"
[YES, BUT THAT WOULD BE SUSPICIOUS.]
[BETTER PLAN: JUST ACT NORMAL FOR TWO DAYS.]
"Normal," I repeated flatly. "Right. Because everything about my situation is so normal."
[LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE—AT LEAST NOBODY'S TRIED TO KILL YOU YET!]
"Yet," I emphasized. "The keyword is 'yet.'"
---
The rest of the day was thankfully uneventful. I spent most of it in my room, pretending to meditate while ACS continued its automated cultivation routine. According to the system, I was progressing steadily toward Stage 4, though it warned me that breaking through too quickly would attract even more attention.
[CURRENT CULTIVATION: QI REFINING STAGE 3 (87% PROGRESS)]
[ESTIMATED TIME TO STAGE 4: 18 HOURS]
[HOWEVER, I RECOMMEND SLOWING DOWN]
[BREAKING THROUGH AGAIN WHILE ELDER HU IS WATCHING? BAD IDEA.]
"Can you even slow down?" I asked.
[OF COURSE! I CAN OPTIMIZE FOR STEALTH INSTEAD OF SPEED.]
[YOUR CULTIVATION WILL STILL PROGRESS, JUST... LESS OBVIOUSLY.]
[THINK OF IT AS 'LOW-POWER MODE']
"Do that," I said immediately. "The last thing I need is more suspicion."
[ACKNOWLEDGED. SWITCHING TO STEALTH CULTIVATION PROTOCOL.]
[YOU'LL STILL REACH STAGE 4, JUST IN 3 DAYS INSTEAD OF 18 HOURS.]
I nodded and lay back on my terrible mattress. Three days was fine. That still gave me time before the invasion...
A knock on my door interrupted my thoughts.
I froze.
[DETECTING: FEMALE, AGE 17, CULTIVATION STAGE 4]
[IDENTITY: UNKNOWN]
[THREAT LEVEL: UNCLEAR]
[SHE'S... JUST STANDING THERE? NERVOUSLY?]
Cautiously, I opened the door.
Standing outside was a girl about my age, with delicate features, long black hair tied in a simple ponytail, and warm brown eyes that looked concerned. She wore the same gray outer sect robes as me, though hers were much cleaner and better maintained.
"Lin Tian?" she said softly.
"Uh... yes?"
[ANALYZING FACIAL EXPRESSIONS...]
[CONCLUSION: SHE'S WORRIED ABOUT YOU]
[ALSO, SHE'S PRETTY. JUST SAYING.]
'Not now, System.'
"I'm Yun Xia," she said, bowing slightly. "I heard what happened at breakfast. I wanted to check if you were okay."
I blinked. Someone was... concerned about me? That was new.
"I'm fine," I said, caught off guard. "Just, you know, the usual outer sect politics."
She bit her lip, hesitating. "It's just... Zhang Wei can be vindictive. And after you embarrassed him in front of everyone, he's probably going to retaliate. I thought you should know to be careful."
Oh. She was warning me.
[MEMORY ACCESSED: YUN XIA]
[SHE'S ONE OF THE FEW DISCIPLES WHO NEVER BULLIED YOUR PREDECESSOR]
[MOSTLY KEPT TO HERSELF, BUT OCCASIONALLY SHOWED BASIC HUMAN DECENCY]
[IN YOUR PREDECESSOR'S MEMORIES, SHE ONCE SHARED HER LUNCH WITH HIM]
[CONCLUSION: GENUINELY NICE PERSON. RARE IN THIS WORLD.]
"Thank you," I said, meaning it. "I appreciate the warning."
Yun Xia smiled, small but genuine. "Just... be safe, okay? I know we don't know each other well, but I don't want to see anyone get hurt."
She turned to leave, then paused. "Also, congratulations on reaching Stage 3. That's really impressive."
Before I could respond, she hurried away, her footsteps echoing down the corridor.
I closed the door and leaned against it.
[WELL, WELL, WELL.]
[LOOKS LIKE YOU'VE GOT YOUR FIRST POTENTIAL HEROINE!]
"Don't start."
[I'M JUST SAYING, SHE'S NICE, SHE'S CUTE, AND SHE DOESN'T THINK YOU'RE TRASH.]
[THAT'S LIKE, THREE GREEN FLAGS RIGHT THERE.]
"I have bigger problems than romance," I said. "Like surviving the next six days."
[ROMANCE CAN BE A SURVIVAL STRATEGY!]
[HAVING ALLIES INCREASES YOUR SURVIVAL PROBABILITY BY 34%!]
I rubbed my temples. "You know what? I'm going to sleep. Wake me if anything important happens."
[ALREADY ON IT, BOSS!]
[AUTO-CULTIVATION: ACTIVE]
[STEALTH MODE: ENGAGED]
[SWEET DREAMS~]
I collapsed onto the bed and closed my eyes.
As consciousness faded, I couldn't help but think about Yun Xia's warning. Zhang Wei was going to retaliate. Elder Hu was suspicious. The invasion was in six days.
And I was still just a Stage 3 cultivator pretending to know what I was doing.
'This is fine,' I told myself. 'Everything is fine.'
[NARRATOR: EVERYTHING WAS NOT FINE.]
"Did you just narrate my thoughts?!"
[SLEEP, BOSS. YOU'RE GETTING DELIRIOUS.]
---
[NIGHTTIME AUTO-CULTIVATION ACTIVE]
[PROGRESS TO STAGE 4: 87% → 91%]
[BODY TEMPERING: 15% → 22%]
[DREAMS DETECTED: VENDING MACHINES, SUSPICIOUS SYSTEMS, AND A GIRL WITH BROWN EYES]
[CONCLUSION: YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS IS A MESS]
[TIME UNTIL INVASION: 5 DAYS, 18 HOURS, 32 MINUTES]
---
Somewhere in the depths of the Azure Peak Sect, in a darkened chamber lit only by crimson candles, a figure in black robes stood before a crystal ball.
"The preparation proceeds as planned?" a voice hissed from the shadows.
"Yes, Lord," the robed figure replied. "The sect remains unaware. In six days, the Azure Peak will fall."
"Good. And the outer sect disciples?"
"Expendable. As always."
In the crystal ball, the image of a certain gray-robed boy flickered briefly, Lin Tian, sleeping peacefully while his cultivation advanced.
"Hmm," the voice murmured. "That one... mark him. I sense something unusual."
"As you command."
The crystal ball went dark.
---
[BOSS, WAKE UP.]
[WE HAVE A PROBLEM.]
I jolted awake to find morning sunlight streaming through my window.
"What? What's wrong?"
[REMEMBER HOW I SAID NOBODY HAD TRIED TO KILL YOU YET?]
[YEAH, ABOUT THAT...]
"System, what did you do?"
[ME? NOTHING! THIS IS ALL YOU, BUDDY.]
[ZHANG WEI JUST CHALLENGED YOU TO A FORMAL DUEL.]
[IT'S HAPPENING IN THREE HOURS.]
[AND IT'S TO THE DEATH.]
I stared at the notification in horror.
"To the WHAT?!"