The rumble grew louder, a thunderous cascade that shook the leaves from the overhanging branches. Li Wang's hand instinctively went to the pouch at his waist, where the looted spirit stones clinked softly. Zhao Feng had already drawn his short sword, his eyes narrowing toward the treeline.
"Bandit stragglers," Zhao Feng muttered, his voice low and edged with caution. "Luo Fang's men don't give up easy. We move, now."
Ren Hao, the patrol captain, turned at the noise, his armored shoulders squaring as he barked to his men. Two guards in sect-embroidered tunics fanned out, spears at the ready. The gates, massive slabs of reinforced spirit wood etched with warding runes, hung half-open like a hesitant invitation. Beyond them, the sprawl of Azure City beckoned—rooftops tiled in jade-green, streets alive with the murmur of merchants and the faint scent of incense carried on the breeze.
Li Wang's vision flickered again. [Dao Anomaly: Backlash Intensity Rising. Estimated Impact: Qi Disruption, 30% Chance of External Pursuit.]
"Perfect," he whispered to himself, forcing a grin to mask the knot in his gut. Back in the game, a glitch like this meant logging out. Here? It meant rewriting his own escape code on the fly.
Ren Hao's gaze swept over them, sharp as a blade. "You two. State your business. And explain the commotion."
Zhao Feng stepped forward, all easy charm. "Captain Ren, good to see you holding the line. I'm Zhao Feng, from the outer districts. This here's Li Wang, fresh from the wilds. We're just seekers, looking for work in the city. That noise? Probably echo from the beast paths. Nothing to trouble your patrol."
The captain's eyes lingered on Li Wang, who kept his posture loose, hands visible. No need to flash his meager cultivation aura—not yet. Ren Hao grunted, waving a hand. "In you go, then. But if you're carrying contraband from those woods, it'll be my spear finding it first. Curfew's at dusk; stick to the main avenues."
They slipped through the gates just as the first shouts erupted from the forest. Hoofbeats thundered closer—definitely riders, maybe a dozen. Zhao Feng quickened his pace, pulling Li Wang into the flow of the crowd. The city enveloped them like a living beast: stalls hawking glowing herbs and talismans, cultivators in flowing robes bartering with mortals, the air thick with the hum of Qi-infused chatter.
"Head for the Azure Cloud Sect's outer hall," Zhao Feng said, weaving through a knot of porters laden with crates. "It's the best bet for a greenhorn like you. They take in strays with a spark of talent. I know a few disciples there—owes me a favor from a smuggling run last year."
Li Wang nodded, but his mind raced. The [Dao Anomaly] alert pulsed in his periphery, a nagging overlay he couldn't dismiss. Whatever he'd done to that bandit's Qi, it had rippled outward, like a virus alerting the admin. He needed to stabilize it, or at least mask his edits before it snowballed.
As they turned onto a wider boulevard lined with sect banners—crimson phoenixes and azure dragons fluttering in the wind—the rumble from the woods faded into distant clashes. Ren Hao's patrol would handle it, or so he hoped. But the anomaly ticked up: [Backlash Imminent. Core Stability: 87%.]
"Stop," Li Wang said suddenly, grabbing Zhao Feng's arm. They ducked into an alley shadowed by overhanging eaves. "Give me a second. Something's off."
Zhao Feng raised an eyebrow but held his tongue, scanning the street. Li Wang closed his eyes, invoking his suite. [Search Values: Local Qi Flux, Anomaly Traces.]
Data flooded in, a torrent of variables scrolling like lines of code. Amid the noise of the city's ambient energy—merchants' stalls pulsing with minor enchantments, passersby's weak auras—he isolated it: a thread of disrupted Qi trailing from his earlier freeze, like a frayed wire sparking. It was drawing attention, a subtle pull on the world's natural laws.
[Edit Value: Mask Anomaly Trace. Apply Filter: Natural Decay.]
He pushed the command, feeling a familiar tug in his dantian as Qi stirred within him. The edit took hold, the alert dimming to [Backlash Stabilized: Temporary]. Sweat beaded on his forehead. Close call. Reckless changes invited tribulation, and he wasn't ready for heavenly lightning just yet.
"You good?" Zhao Feng asked, clapping his shoulder.
"Yeah. Just... city sickness. Lead on."
The Azure Cloud Sect's outer hall loomed at the boulevard's end, a sprawling compound of white stone pavilions ringed by spirit wards that shimmered like heat haze. Disciples in pale blue robes milled about, some sparring in courtyards, others meditating under ancient spirit trees. Zhao Feng approached the gates with the confidence of familiarity, nodding to a bored attendant.
"Tell Elder Huo Feng that Zhao Feng's got a prospect. Qi Gathering early stage, but sharp as a spirit blade."
The attendant, a lanky youth with a topknot, eyed Li Wang skeptically. "Another stray? Elder doesn't take just anyone. Prove your worth or buzz off."
Li Wang suppressed a smirk. Prove his worth? In the game, he'd exploited worse gatekeepers. But here, subtlety was key. He let a trickle of his enhanced Qi flow outward, just enough to register as promising without screaming "hacked stats."
The attendant's eyes widened fractionally. "Wait here."
Moments later, they were ushered into a side chamber, sparse but elegant—bamboo mats, a low table with steaming tea, and walls inscribed with flowing cultivation scripts. Elder Huo Feng entered without fanfare, a tall man in his apparent fifties, though cultivation preserved youth. His robes bore the sect's cloud emblem, and his aura pressed like a steady mountain wind—Core Formation Stage 3, solid and unyielding.
"Zhao Feng," the elder said, his voice gravelly. "You bring me scraps again? This one smells of the wilds."
Zhao Feng chuckled. "Scraps with potential, Elder. Fought off bandits on the road. Quick thinker."
Huo Feng's gaze pinned Li Wang, probing. "Name?"
"Li Wang, Elder." He bowed slightly, keeping it formal. Inside, he scanned: [Search Values: Elder Huo Feng - Disposition, Weaknesses.]
The data trickled back—loyal to the sect, stern but fair, a soft spot for underdogs who'd clawed their way up. No major exploits, but a function for "disciple evaluation" hummed in the background, like a subroutine waiting to be triggered.
"Qi Gathering First Stage," Huo Feng murmured, circling him. "Meridians clear, but foundation shaky. How'd a fledgling like you survive the outer forests?"
Li Wang met his eyes, injecting a touch of wry humor. "Luck and a bit of cheating, Elder. The Dao favors the prepared, right?"
The elder's lip twitched—amusement? Or suspicion? "Cheeky. We'll see if it holds. Outer disciple trials start at dawn. Pass the basic assessment, and you're in. Fail, and you're out on your arse."
As Huo Feng swept out, Zhao Feng let out a breath. "Not bad. He's gruff, but fair. Stick close tomorrow; the trials weed out the weak."
Li Wang nodded, but the chamber felt heavier now. The mask on his anomaly held, but he sensed eyes on him—not the elder's, but something subtler. A rival, perhaps? As they left the hall for a nearby inn, a figure detached from the shadows near the gates: a young man in disciple robes, sneering, his cultivation at Qi Condensation Mid Stage. He didn't approach, but his stare lingered.
"Friend of yours?" Li Wang asked.
Zhao Feng glanced back. "That's Kang Wei. Outer disciple, thinks he's the next prodigy. Bullies the new blood. Watch your back."
Night fell over Azure City like a velvet shroud, lanterns blooming with soft Qi glows. Li Wang lay on his thin mat in the inn's cramped room, Zhao Feng snoring across from him. Sleep evaded him; the day's edits gnawed at his thoughts. His suite had unlocked more since the forest—deeper scans, riskier mods—but each tweak felt like poking a sleeping dragon.
[Modify Function: Personal Qi Circulation - Optimize Loop.]
He tested it mentally, circulating his Qi in a tighter pattern. Energy flowed smoother, his dantian warming like an overclocked processor. But the alert flickered: [Minor Instability Detected. Tribulation Risk: 5%.]
"Easy does it," he murmured, reining it back. Tomorrow's trials would test more than his body. In a world of rigid hierarchies, a hacker like him was either a god or a glitch waiting to crash.
Dawn broke with the clamor of gongs, pulling Li Wang from a fitful doze. Zhao Feng was already up, sharpening his blade. "Trials await. Eat light; puking on the elder's boots won't win points."
The outer hall buzzed with candidates—dozens of youths, ragged wanderers and city orphans, all vying for a spot in the Azure Cloud Sect. Li Wang blended in, his simple tunic hiding the spirit stones tucked away. Kang Wei prowled the edges, flanked by two cronies, his laughter sharp as he mocked a trembling boy.
"Look at this lot," Kang Wei sneered, loud enough for all to hear. "Fresh meat for the beasts. Elder Huo must be desperate."
Li Wang ignored him, focusing on the assembly. Elder Huo Feng stood on a raised platform, flanked by assistants. "Listen well. The trials test body, mind, and spirit. First: the Stone Pillar Climb. Infuse Qi to scale the weighted slab. Second: Herb Identification under duress. Third: Sparring circle. Fail any, and you're gone."
The pillar rose like a monolith in the courtyard, etched with runes that resisted Qi. Candidates lined up, grunting as they poured energy into their palms. The first few slipped after ten feet, tumbling into the padded sands below. Li Wang watched, scanning the pillar's "code."
[Search Values: Stone Pillar - Resistance Threshold, Qi Efficiency.]
Variables lit up: base resistance at 50 units, scaling with height. Simple enough. He stepped up when his turn came, palms pressing the cool surface. Instead of brute force, he edited subtly: [Edit Value: Personal Qi Output - Boost Efficiency 20%, Temporary.]
Qi surged, not wild but precise, like streamlining a laggy script. He ascended smoothly, twenty, thirty feet, the pillar's weight yielding like butter. Gasps rippled through the crowd. At the top, he paused, taking in the view of the sect's inner peaks, then descended with controlled grace.
Elder Huo Feng's eyes narrowed approvingly. "Passable. Next."
Kang Wei went after, hauling himself up with flashy bursts of Qi, but he faltered at twenty-five feet, cursing as he dropped. His glare toward Li Wang promised trouble.
The herb trial followed in a shaded grove, where illusions of poisonous flora flickered amid real spirit plants. Under a time limit, candidates had to sort safe from deadly while dodging conjured vines. Li Wang's scan helped—[Search Functions: Illusion Parameters] revealed the fakes' weak anchors. He plucked accurately, evading the whipping tendrils with hacker's intuition.
"Too easy," he thought, pocketing a bonus leaf that caught his eye—a minor Qi booster.
By the sparring circle, sweat slicked the grounds. Paired randomly, newcomers faced off with wooden swords, no lethal arts allowed. Li Wang drew a scrawny opponent, easy enough. But as the elder called pairings, Kang Wei's voice cut in.
"Elder, may I volunteer? Show these whelps true form."
Huo Feng considered, then nodded. "Against the newcomer, Li Wang. Make it instructive."
The circle cleared, disciples forming a ring. Kang Wei twirled his sword, Qi Condensation aura flaring—stronger, faster. "I'll go easy, little stray. Wouldn't want to break you before you settle in."
Li Wang gripped his weapon, smirking inwardly. [Freeze Value: Opponent Speed - Partial, 10 Seconds.]
As Kang Wei lunged, time seemed to hitch for him, his strike slowing mid-swing. Li Wang sidestepped, countering with a precise tap to the wrist that sent the sword flying. The crowd murmured. Kang Wei recovered, fury twisting his face, but the elder called it.
"Point to Li Wang. Restraint over bravado."
Kang Wei stormed off, muttering threats, but Li Wang felt the victory's edge sour. During the freeze, his anomaly alert had spiked again: [Dao Backlash Resurfacing. Trace Detected by External Entity.]
Who? As the trials wrapped—Li Wang passing all, earning a disciple robe and a cramped dorm assignment—he spotted a cloaked figure at the hall's periphery. Not Kang Wei. Older, aura veiled, watching with intent.
Elder Huo Feng clapped his shoulder on the way out. "You've got fire, boy. But fire draws wolves. Train hard; the sect's no sanctuary."
Li Wang nodded, but unease coiled in his chest. Zhao Feng waited outside, grinning. "Disciple Li Wang. Not bad for a day's work."
"Yeah," Li Wang replied, eyes scanning the crowds. "But I think I've just pinged the wrong server."
That night, in his new bunk amid snoring outer disciples, the alert evolved: [Anomaly Pursuit: Incoming Query from Unknown Source. Response Required.]
The cloaked watcher? Or something worse, like the Dao itself knocking? Li Wang sat up, suite humming to life. Time to debug before it deleted him.
But as he delved into the code, a soft knock echoed at the dorm door. A messenger, bearing a sealed missive. "For Li Wang. From Elder Mei Ling of the Jade Mist peaks. She requests your presence at dawn."
Who the hell was Elder Mei Ling? And how did she know his name already?