The path leading to the Cloud Mist Sect wound like a silver ribbon through the mountains. Mist clung to every stone, blurring reality, and the faint hum of spiritual energy made the world feel half-awake, half-dream.
Lian Zhen walked calmly. Each step was silent, yet the System within him recorded every detail — terrain density, qi flow concentration, even the minute rhythm of his heartbeat.
> [Mission Timer: 6 Days, 22 Hours]
Objective: Enter Cloud Mist Sect — Awaken Spiritual Root.
Ahead, at the mountain gate, disciples in white stood guard. Their robes bore the insignia of drifting clouds, elegant yet sharp.
One of them frowned as Lian approached. "You there, traveler! This path leads to Cloud Mist Sect. State your purpose."
Lian's eyes lifted slightly, calm and unreadable. "Outer disciple assessment," he said softly.
His tone was light but carried a firmness that silenced the laughter of the others nearby. The guards exchanged glances, sensing something unusual in his presence. His aura was faint, barely at the level of a mortal — yet there was something about the way he stood, like a drawn blade hidden in a sheath.
"Assessment begins tomorrow," one disciple said after a pause. "Stay in the lower quarters until then."
Lian nodded once and passed through. He never wasted words.
The lower quarters were crowded with hopefuls — mortals, wandering cultivators, and those who dreamed of immortality. Tents dotted the open ground, and faint fires flickered in the dusk.
Lian found a quiet corner near the cliff's edge and sat cross-legged. The view below was vast — clouds rolling over valleys and rivers like waves of silver mist.
He closed his eyes.
> [System Function Unlocked: Basic Qi Absorption Protocols]
[Initiating…]
Warmth spread through his body, then pain — sharp and relentless. His mortal veins strained as the first thread of qi forced its way through. Sweat beaded his forehead, but his expression didn't change.
Hours passed. The stars turned.
When the first ray of dawn pierced the fog, Lian opened his eyes. A faint glimmer of light flickered in his pupils — the mark of awakening.
> [Qi Presence Detected — Rank: Mortal Initiate]
[Bonus Reward: Partial System Function Unlock — Temporal Awareness Lv.1]
He exhaled softly. The world slowed, the air thickened — and for a single second, time itself seemed to hesitate.
A voice behind him broke the stillness.
"Hey, you! The exam's starting soon! Don't fall asleep out here."
Lian turned. A young woman in dark green robes stood there, arms crossed, a mocking smile on her face.
"You're new, huh? You look too calm for someone about to fail the entry test."
He didn't respond. His gaze lingered on her briefly — calm, analytical, detached — before he stood and walked past her toward the mountain plaza.
The girl blinked. "…What's his problem?"
The morning mist thickened again, swallowing the sound of footsteps.
And as the bells of Cloud Mist Sect rang, signaling the start of the disciple trials, Lian Zhen walked into the crowd — silent, unreadable, yet already one step ahead.
> [Hidden Quest Activated: "Prove the Strength of Silence."]
[Reward: System Function Expansion — ???]