The rift pulsed like a wound in the fabric of the world, edges fraying with threads of inky darkness that bled into the moonlight. Li Wang's heart hammered as the air grew heavy, laced with a pressure that squeezed his meridians like a vice. Whatever was coming through wasn't some stray spirit beast or opportunistic bandit. This felt older, angrier, like the realm itself was coughing up a grudge.
Sung Ji-Yeon tensed beside him, her hand drifting to the slender sword at her hip. Her eyes, sharp as polished jade, flicked between Li Wang and the tear. "Stay back," she whispered, her voice steady despite the flicker of uncertainty in her stance. "It's a void wraith. Drawn by anomalies in the Qi flow. Yours, I suspect."
Li Wang didn't have time to process her words. The suite in his mind ignited, a cascade of data flooding his vision.
[Anomaly Manifest: Void Wraith - Level: Equivalent to Foundation Establishment Early Stage. Core Function: Qi Devour. Threat: High. Backlash Risk: Elevated due to prior edits.]
He swallowed hard, his Qi Gathering cultivation feeling woefully thin against something that could swallow foundations whole. Back on Earth, he'd hacked bosses in raids, but this wasn't pixels and scripts. This was real, and one wrong edit could unravel him.
The wraith slithered out, a mass of writhing shadows coalescing into a vaguely humanoid form, taller than a man, with limbs like smoke tendrils ending in claws that scraped the earth. Its "face" was a void, eyeless but somehow staring, hungry. A low hiss emanated from it, vibrating through the grove and stirring the leaves into a frantic dance.
Ji-Yeon's sword cleared its sheath in a silver arc. "We run or we fight. Your call, outsider."
Fight? With what? His body was still adjusting to this world's rules, his meridians barely threaded with Qi. But running meant exposing his back to that thing, and the suite was already scanning, probing for weaknesses. He needed time. "Freeze it," he muttered under his breath, focusing his will on the suite's interface.
[Search Values: Target - Void Wraith Mobility Function. Querying... Found: Shadow Drift Speed = 45 units/second. Attempting Freeze... Success. Duration: 30 seconds. Warning: Qi Drain Initiated.]
The wraith lunged, but mid-stride, it stuttered. Its form blurred, then locked, tendrils hovering inches from Ji-Yeon's shoulder. She spun, eyes widening as she slashed at the frozen mass. Her blade bit into the shadows, eliciting a screech that wasn't sound but a ripple in the air, like tearing silk.
"Nice trick," she said, not looking at him. "But it won't hold forever. Hit it harder."
Li Wang nodded, scrambling back a step to buy distance. His mind raced through the suite's options. Devour function—that sounded like its power source. If he could edit that... But the backlash from earlier manipulations still hummed in his veins, a faint tremor warning of instability. Reckless changes invited tribulation, and he wasn't ready to dodge lightning bolts.
The freeze ticked down. [28 seconds.] He searched again, fingers twitching as if typing invisible code. [Value Found: Qi Devour Efficiency = 80%. Editing... Reduce to 5%? Confirm.]
Confirm. The wraith shuddered even in its stasis, shadows thinning as if starved. Ji-Yeon pressed the attack, her sword weaving a pattern of strikes that glowed with infused Qi. Sparks of light erupted where blade met darkness, and the creature's form frayed at the edges.
[Backlash Detected: Minor Qi Turbulence. Personal Stability -2%.]
The pain hit like a needle in his dantian, but he gritted his teeth. The freeze broke with a snap, the wraith recoiling as its tendrils lashed wildly, slower now, less voracious. It swiped at Ji-Yeon, who dodged with the grace of someone who'd danced with death before. Her footwork was precise, a noble's training shining through the exile's rags.
"You're weakening it," she called, circling. "Keep it up!"
Li Wang's breath came in short bursts. The grove wasn't empty anymore—rustles from the underbrush suggested sect patrols or curious disciples drawn by the disturbance. If Elder Huo Feng showed up, questions would fly. And what about Elder Mei Ling? She'd summoned him earlier, probing his "gifts." This would only confirm her suspicions.
The wraith howled, a sound that clawed at his soul, and lunged again. Li Wang dodged clumsily, his low cultivation making him feel like a novice in a storm. A tendril grazed his arm, cold fire searing through his sleeve. He hit the ground rolling, the suite blaring warnings.
[Health Value: -15%. Anomaly Pursuit Intensified.]
Ji-Yeon intercepted, her blade singing through the air. "Focus! Whatever you're doing, make it count."
He pushed to his feet, sweat beading on his brow. Time for something riskier. The suite delved deeper, into functions. [Analyze Core: Void Wraith Summon Protocol. Modifying... Introduce Loop Error? Risk: Reality Glitch.]
It was a hail mary, like injecting a virus into a game's core engine. If it worked, the wraith might unravel itself. If not... well, the Dao didn't forgive bugs.
[Modification Applied. Execution in 3... 2... 1.]
The wraith paused, its form glitching—shadows flickering like a bad render, tendrils looping back on themselves. It clawed at the air, devouring its own essence, the hiss turning to a gurgle. Ji-Yeon struck the final blow, her sword plunging into the core void. The creature shattered into wisps, dissipating like mist under the sun.
Silence fell, broken only by their ragged breaths. The rift sealed with a pop, leaving scorched earth in its wake.
Ji-Yeon sheathed her sword, turning to him with an appraising look. "That wasn't normal cultivation. You... edited it. Like rewriting the heavens." Her voice held no accusation, just a weary curiosity. "Who are you, really, Li Wang?"
He wiped blood from his lip, the backlash throbbing in his core. "Someone who doesn't belong. And apparently, a beacon for trouble."
She glanced at the shadows, as if expecting more rifts. "The void wraiths are guardians of the Dao's balance. They hunt anomalies—disruptions in the natural order. Your power reeks of it. I've seen echoes of it before, in forbidden texts from my clan's library. Artifacts from shattered realms, or souls pulled from other worlds."
Transmigration. She knew. Or suspected enough. Li Wang's mind whirled. Zhao Feng had been his first ally, opportunistic but loyal. This woman? She carried the weight of loss, her eyes shadowed by vengeance. Could he trust her?
Before he could respond, footsteps crunched from the path. A patrol of outer disciples emerged, lanterns bobbing, led by a familiar stern face—Elder Huo Feng. His Core Formation aura washed over the grove like a wave, probing.
"What disturbance is this?" the elder demanded, eyes narrowing on the scorched ground and Li Wang's disheveled form. "Outer disciple Li Wang. And you—Sung Ji-Yeon? Explain yourselves."
Ji-Yeon stepped forward smoothly. "A spirit beast skirmish, Elder. Nothing more. We handled it."
Huo Feng's gaze lingered on Li Wang, as if sensing the lingering Qi turbulence. "Handled it, or caused it? The sect's wards flickered. Report to the outer hall at dawn. Both of you."
As the elder turned away, barking orders to his disciples, Li Wang caught Ji-Yeon's eye. She mouthed, "Later," before slipping into the shadows.
Li Wang trudged back to his sparse quarters in the outer disciple barracks, the night's events replaying in his mind. The suite hummed softly, compiling a log.
[Anomaly Incident Resolved. Backlash Accumulated: 12%. Recommendation: Stabilize Core Before Next Edit.]
Sleep came fitfully, haunted by shadows and rifts. Dawn broke too soon, the sect's bells tolling like a summons to judgment.
The outer hall was a cavernous space of polished stone and hanging scrolls, where outer disciples gathered for assignments. Li Wang arrived early, nursing a bruise from the wraith's graze. Zhao Feng was already there, lounging against a pillar with his usual roguish grin.
"Looking rough, brother," Zhao said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Heard rumors of a fight in the grove. You tangle with beasts already?"
"Something like that," Li Wang replied, forcing a chuckle. His traits—funny, cunning, smart—kicked in, masking the tension. "Just testing my luck. You know how it is."
Before Zhao could press, Sung Ji-Yeon entered, her cloak drawn tight. She nodded subtly to Li Wang, taking a seat across the hall. The air between them crackled with unspoken words.
Elder Huo Feng strode in, flanked by two enforcers, one of whom Li Wang recognized as Captain Ren Hao, the patrol leader with his unyielding gaze. The elder's presence silenced the murmurs.
"Disciples," Huo Feng began, his voice echoing like thunder in a bottle. "The sect faces unrest. Bandits stir in the outer hills, and whispers of void anomalies plague the borders. You outer lot will prove your worth. Assignments: Herb gathering in the mist valleys for the alchemists. Patrol the eastern roads. And Li Wang—"
All eyes turned to him. He kept his expression neutral, but inside, the suite scanned the room, noting elevated Qi signatures.
"You and Sung Ji-Yeon will accompany Alchemist Zhao Lin on an ingredient hunt. Elder Mei Ling insists. She claims it will 'temper your anomalies.'" Huo Feng's eyes bored into Li Wang. "Do not disappoint."
Murmurs rippled. Anomalies? The elder knew something, or suspected. Ji-Yeon shot Li Wang a glance—warning or invitation?
As the assembly dispersed, Zhao Feng sidled up. "Ingredient hunt? Sounds like a stroll, but with Zhao Lin? That old pill-popper's hunts end in explosions half the time. Watch your back."
Li Wang nodded, his mind already plotting. The suite pinged a new alert.
[Dao Backlash Rising: 15%. External Observer Detected - Elder Mei Ling.]
Great. The reclusive alchemist was pulling strings. And with Ji-Yeon tagging along, secrets would spill one way or another.
They set out at midday, the sun high over Azure City's sprawl. Alchemist Zhao Lin waited at the gates, a wiry man with a beard like tangled roots and a satchel bulging with vials. His Foundation Establishment aura buzzed with eccentric energy.
"Ah, the anomaly boy and the noble shadow," he cackled, eyes twinkling. "Elder Mei Ling sends her regards. We seek Moonshade Lotus in the Whispering Caves—rare, volatile. Touch it wrong, and poof! Your Qi goes night-night."
Ji-Yeon walked in silence, her poise unbroken, but Li Wang caught the tension in her shoulders. Zhao Lin chattered on about elixir recipes, oblivious or uncaring of the undercurrents.
The path wound into mist-shrouded hills, where the air thickened with ambient Qi. Li Wang's suite scanned constantly, mapping densities. [Qi Density: High. Opportunity: Minor Edit for Personal Gain?]
He resisted. Stability first.
As they delved into the caves, the light faded, crystals glowing faintly on the walls. Zhao Lin led, muttering about purities, while Ji-Yeon scouted ahead. Li Wang hung back, probing the suite for more on the wraith.
[Incident Analysis: Void Wraith Summoned by Edit Backlash. Pattern: Increasing Frequency. Projected Next Manifest: 72 hours.]
Seventy-two hours. He had time, but not much.
A whisper echoed from the depths—not wind, but words. Ji-Yeon froze, hand on her sword. "We're not alone."
Zhao Lin sniffed the air. "Spirit guardians? Or worse?"
From the gloom, shapes stirred. Not wraiths this time, but cultivators—three figures in ragged robes, auras at Qi Condensation Mid Stage. Bandits, by the look of their scarred faces and greedy eyes. One bore the mark of Luo Fang's crew, the bandit chief from Li Wang's arrival.
"Hand over the satchel, alchemist," the leader growled, a curved blade gleaming. "And the pretty ones come with us."
Zhao Lin laughed, pulling a gourd from his belt. "Fools. You interrupt genius at work."
But Li Wang saw the odds. Three on three, but Zhao Lin was no fighter, and Ji-Yeon's power matched one, maybe two. His turn to shine—or hack.
As the bandits charged, he focused. [Search: Enemy Coordination Function. Freeze Group Momentum.]
The lead bandit's step faltered, then the others, as if wading through honey. Ji-Yeon moved like lightning, her sword flashing. Zhao Lin hurled a vial that exploded in binding vines, tangling the frozen foes.
It was over in moments, the bandits bound and groaning. Ji-Yeon wiped her blade, eyeing Li Wang. "Again. That freeze—it's your gift."
Zhao Lin clapped. "Marvelous! You'll make a fine test subject for my next brew."
They pressed on, the tension coiling tighter. Deep in the caves, the Moonshade Lotus bloomed, petals shimmering like captured stars. But as Li Wang reached for it, the suite screamed.
[Anomaly Spike: Rift Imminent. Incoming Entity - Enhanced.]
The ground trembled. Not bandits this time. Something bigger, drawn by the concentrated Qi—or his presence.
Ji-Yeon's face paled. "It's coming. And it's stronger."
From the cave's heart, the air split anew, birthing a colossal shadow that dwarfed the wraith from before. This one pulsed with stolen Qi, eyes like burning coals fixing on Li Wang.
The hunt had turned into a trap, and the Dao's wrath was just warming up.