The rumors did not disappear.
They softened.
Like mist thinning under sunlight, they spread wider while becoming harder to grasp. No one spoke loudly about stolen spirit stones anymore, but conversations would pause when seniors passed by. Laughter ended too quickly. Eyes flicked toward storage halls, toward cultivation rooms, toward anyone who seemed even slightly out of place.
Li Chen felt it all.
He did nothing.
At the Western Storage Hall, work continued as usual. Boxes were moved. Records were updated. Deliveries arrived and left. On the surface, the hall functioned perfectly.
Underneath, invisible lines had been drawn.
Li Chen learned where they were by watching who crossed them and who didn't.
Senior Liu Shan no longer corrected mistakes openly. When something was wrong, he would simply call a disciple aside and speak in a low voice. Those disciples returned pale and silent, more careful than before.
Li Chen was never called.
That was not comfort.
That was warning.
[System Notice]
[Current Status: Observed but Unrestricted]
[Interpretation: Value Undetermined]
Li Chen understood the meaning.
As long as his value remained unclear, he was neither protected nor eliminated.
The worst position.
One afternoon, Li Chen was assigned to assist with a delivery from the inner sect.
This was rare.
Two inner sect disciples arrived shortly before noon. Their robes were a deeper shade of blue, their belts marked with faint silver thread. Their auras were restrained, but even so, the pressure they carried was unmistakable.
Foundation Establishment.
The storage hall grew silent.
Even Liu Shan straightened his posture.
"This delivery contains talismans and refinement materials," one of the inner sect disciples said calmly. "Handle them carefully."
"Yes," Liu Shan replied immediately.
Li Chen lowered his head and followed instructions.
As he carried a sealed wooden box, he felt it.
A faint pull.
Not from the box itself.
From the qi around him.
The inner sect disciples glanced at him briefly.
Just once.
Li Chen's back tensed.
[System Alert]
[High-Grade Perception Detected]
[Recommendation: Suppress Qi Activity]
Li Chen obeyed instantly.
He slowed his breathing, letting his qi sink deeper, dulling its presence until it was nearly indistinguishable from his body.
The pressure passed.
The inner sect disciples finished their inspection and left without comment.
Only when they were gone did the storage hall breathe again.
Liu Shan exhaled slowly.
"Be more careful next time," he said, though his gaze was not directed at anyone in particular.
Li Chen returned to work as if nothing had happened.
But inside, he was alert.
That glance had not been casual.
They had sensed something.
Not his strength.
His stability.
That night, Li Chen did not cultivate.
He sat by the window of the quarters, watching lantern light sway outside.
The system panel hovered faintly in his awareness.
[Host :- Li Chen]
[Qi Stability: 28%]
[Visibility Risk: Increasing]
Visibility.
He had known this would happen.
Stability attracted attention just as much as raw power, sometimes more.
He needed to adjust.
The next day, Li Chen deliberately made himself slower.
Not careless.
Just… average.
He allowed minor inefficiencies in his movements. He asked unnecessary questions about procedures he already knew. He followed others instead of acting first.
It worked.
Attention drifted away.
[System Notice]
[Visibility Risk: Reduced]
Two days later, Zhang Wei found him.
They had not spoken much since their assignments changed, but Zhang Wei's voice was as familiar as ever.
"You look thinner," Zhang Wei said, eyeing him suspiciously.
Li Chen smiled faintly. "Work."
Zhang Wei leaned closer. "People are saying strange things. About storage hall. About inner sect inspections."
Li Chen shrugged. "Rumors."
Zhang Wei hesitated. "And about you."
Li Chen met his gaze.
"What about me?"
Zhang Wei scratched his head. "They say you're lucky. That seniors like you."
Li Chen chuckled softly. "If seniors liked me, I wouldn't still be here."
Zhang Wei laughed, relieved. "True."
They walked together for a while in silence.
Before leaving, Zhang Wei said quietly, "Be careful."
Li Chen nodded.
He always was.
That evening, Li Chen returned to the cliff.
The wind was calm. The moon hung low, pale and distant.
He cultivated.
Slowly.
Carefully.
The qi moved like a restrained current, never surging, never stagnating.
[Qi Stability: 29%]
One percent.
That was enough.
He stopped.
As he opened his eyes, he felt it again.
That subtle concealment.
Closer than before.
Someone stood not far away, suppressing their aura almost perfectly.
Li Chen did not turn.
He did not react.
He simply continued breathing.
After a long moment, the presence withdrew.
[System Alert]
[Observer Disengaged]
[Threat Level: Unknown]
Li Chen exhaled quietly.
So the watching had become direct.
Not hostile.
Not friendly.
Testing.
Back in the quarters, Li Chen lay on his mat, eyes open.
He thought about the inner sect disciples. About Liu Shan's warnings. About the system's repeated emphasis on balance.
He understood now.
Breaking through to Foundation Establishment would not be an escape.
It would be an announcement.
An announcement he could not yet afford.
The next morning, a notice spread through the outer sect.
Outer disciples would be selected to assist in a minor sect mission.
No danger.
No glory.
Just labor.
Names would be chosen soon.
Li Chen read the notice once and turned away.
[System Notice]
[Upcoming Event Detected]
[Potential Role Shift: High]
He closed his eyes briefly.
So the next boundary was forming.
Not a realm.
Not a test.
But a choice.
Remain hidden.
Or step forward, just enough to be seen.
Li Chen opened his eyes.
For now, he would wait.
Because in Qingyun Sect, those who moved too early were crushed.
And those who waited too long were forgotten.
He intended to be neither.
As the morning bell rang and disciples began moving along the paths, Li Chen joined them, head lowered, pace unhurried.
A quiet outer disciple.
Walking precisely along the thin line that kept him alive.