The first rays of dawn painted the Azure Cloud Sect's courtyards in pale gold, but Li Wang felt none of its warmth. He stood at the edge of the eastern grove, the weight of Sung Ji-Yeon's words still hanging in the air like unsheathed steel. The bells tolled their final peal, calling disciples to assembly, yet his mind raced ahead to the inquisitor's arrival. Whispers of it had spread like mist through the sect overnight—some high-ranking enforcer from the central alliance, come to root out anomalies amid the rising beast tides and rift disturbances. And Li Wang, with his glitchy suite humming warnings in the back of his skull, knew he was the prime target.
He rubbed his temples, the faint ache from yesterday's Dao backlash lingering like a bad hangover. Revealing his origins to Ji-Yeon? Not yet. Trust was a fragile thing in this world, and one slip could turn allies into inquisitors themselves. Better to play it close, let actions speak while he probed the suite for edges.
As he made his way to the main hall, the sect buzzed with uneasy energy. Outer disciples clustered in groups, murmuring about the tide's aftermath and the rumors of corrupted beasts slinking closer to the borders. Zhao Feng caught his eye from across the yard, giving a subtle nod before melting into the crowd. Tao Ren was there too, his spirit fox perched on his shoulder, ears twitching at the tension. Even Sung Ji-Yeon had slipped back into the throng, her expression a mask of calm that didn't quite reach her eyes.
Elder Huo Feng's voice boomed from the hall's steps, cutting through the chatter. "Form ranks! The inquisitor's escort will arrive within the hour. Any who falter in discipline will answer to me personally."
Li Wang fell into line with the outer disciples, his Qi Gathering aura blending seamlessly with the others. No one spared him a second glance—except Kang Wei, the rival who'd been nursing a grudge since the herb fields. The bully shot him a smirk from two rows over, mouthing something about "fraud" that drew snickers from his cronies. Li Wang ignored it, focusing inward. [Alert: Anomalous Qi signature detected in vicinity. Query Dao Core?]
The suite's interface flickered in his mind, unbidden. He pushed it down. Not here, not now. Querying the core could reveal too much, especially with eyes everywhere.
The assembly dragged on, Elder Huo Feng droning about vigilance and the sect's duty to the realm. But Li Wang's attention snagged on a ripple in the air near the gates—a subtle distortion, like heat haze over a flame. The rift energies from the Wilds? Or something worse? Before he could scan it, horns blared from the outer path, announcing arrivals.
A procession crested the hill: three cultivators in crisp enforcer robes, flanked by armored guards on spirit steeds. At their center rode a woman whose presence silenced the yard. Tall and severe, with hair bound in a tight coil and eyes like polished obsidian, she dismounted with the grace of a predator. Her cultivation pulsed at Core Formation mid-stage, steady and unyielding, marking her as Inquisitor Lan Xiu from the Celestial Harmony Alliance.
Elder Huo Feng bowed deeply. "Inquisitor Lan, the Azure Cloud Sect welcomes you. We stand ready to aid your inquiry."
Lan Xiu's gaze swept the ranks, lingering on the elders before settling on the disciples. "The rifts grow bolder, Elder Huo. Beasts corrupted by void Qi threaten the eastern borders. I've come for truths, not pleasantries. Summon the volunteers from the Wilds expedition. I will speak with them first."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Li Wang's stomach tightened. Of course. The tide, the Sovereign—they'd report it all, and his "contributions" would stand out like a glitch in the code.
As the group was called forward—Tao Ren, Sung Ji-Yeon, Zhao Feng, and himself—Kang Wei's laughter carried from the ranks. "See? The fraud leads them to disaster. Probably summoned the beasts himself."
"Silence!" Elder Huo Feng snapped, but the damage was done. Heads turned, and Li Wang felt the weight of suspicion settle heavier.
They were led to a side chamber off the main hall, a stark room with stone walls etched in warding runes. Inquisitor Lan took the head seat, her escorts flanking her like shadows. Elder Mei Ling arrived moments later, her calm demeanor a quiet counterpoint to the tension. She nodded subtly to Li Wang, a flicker of reassurance in her eyes.
"Speak," Lan Xiu said, her voice even but commanding. "The reports from your sect mention a Tide Sovereign. An entity not born of natural Qi. How did outer disciples such as yourselves fell it?"
Tao Ren stepped forward first, his voice steady. "It was a pack effort, Inquisitor. The corruption twisted the beasts, but we struck true. My fox scouted their weaknesses, and we coordinated strikes."
Zhao Feng chimed in with his easy charm. "Bandits complicated things earlier, but we handled them. The Sovereign went down hard—lightning from the hawks redirected right into its core."
Lan Xiu's eyes narrowed. "Redirected? By whose art?"
Sung Ji-Yeon met her gaze without flinching. "The storm's fury, harnessed by the group. No single hand claimed it."
Li Wang stayed silent, letting their words weave the tale. But when eyes turned to him, he shrugged lightly. "I froze a few advances, bought time. Nothing more."
The inquisitor leaned forward, her Qi probing subtly—like invisible threads testing for lies. "Froze? Elaborate, disciple Li Wang. Your records show rapid progress for one at Qi Gathering. Anomalies follow you: rifts in the caves, echoes in the Wilds."
Elder Mei Ling interjected smoothly. "The boy has talent, Inquisitor. Unpolished, but potent. I've taken him under guidance to refine it."
Lan Xiu wasn't swayed. "Talent or tampering? The alliance tracks void incursions tied to... irregularities. One such irregularity manifests here." Her gaze pinned Li Wang. "Stand and demonstrate this 'freezing'."
The room grew still. Li Wang's mind raced. Demonstrate? His suite wasn't a parlor trick; it was a hack, raw and risky. But refusal would damn him faster.
He rose, extending a hand toward a flickering candle on the table. Focus sharpened, and he initiated the command. [Freeze Value: Flame Intensity. Duration: 10 seconds.]
The flame halted mid-dance, suspended in perfect stillness. Gasps echoed softly. Ji-Yeon's eyes widened fractionally, while Tao Ren's fox yipped in curiosity.
"Impressive," Lan Xiu murmured, though her tone held steel. "A meridian art? Or something forbidden?"
"Merely a trick from the fields," Li Wang said, releasing the freeze as the flame sputtered back to life. "Helps with pests."
She studied him a beat longer, then waved him down. "The alliance will verify. For now, you all assist in sealing a minor rift reported near the herb gardens. Elder Huo will oversee. Any further anomalies, and I question you alone."
Dismissed, they filed out, the air thick with unspoken fears. Outside, Zhao Feng clapped Li Wang on the shoulder. "Smooth as silk, friend. But she's got your scent now."
Tao Ren frowned, stroking his fox. "The rifts... they're not random. That Sovereign felt engineered, like a program gone wild."
Ji-Yeon pulled Li Wang aside as the group dispersed toward the gardens. "Engineered? Like your 'old life' tricks?" Her voice was low, urgent. "You can't hide forever. That freeze—it's not Qi. It's something else."
Li Wang glanced around, ensuring privacy. "Not here. After the rift."
She nodded reluctantly, but the distrust lingered in her posture.
The herb gardens lay on the sect's eastern fringe, a terraced sprawl of glowing flora under perpetual mist. Elder Huo Feng waited there, arms crossed, his Core Formation presence a brooding storm. "No heroics, disciples. Seal the rift per protocol: array stones and circulate Qi to bind it. Li Wang, you stay back. Your... methods invite trouble."
Kang Wei and his pack had tagged along, ostensibly as "support," but their grins promised otherwise. As the group approached the anomaly—a shimmering tear in the air about the size of a doorway, leaking wisps of void Qi—Huo Feng directed the array setup.
Li Wang hung at the rear, scanning with the suite. [Scan: Rift Parameters. Core Function: Void Ingress. Exploit Opportunity: Modify Anchor Point.]
Promising. If he could tweak the rift's anchor, it might close without fanfare. But as he probed, a surge hit him—void tendrils lashing out, drawn to his anomaly like moths to flame.
"Watch out!" Zhao Feng yelled, shoving Tao Ren aside as a tendril whipped toward them.
Chaos erupted. Corrupted vines from the garden twisted to life, animated by the rift's influence, ensnaring Ji-Yeon's legs. She slashed free with her sword, Qi flaring, but more sprang up. Kang Wei laughed at first, then yelped as one coiled around his ankle.
Elder Huo Feng unleashed a palm strike, shattering vines, but the rift widened, birthing a swarm of shadowy imps—pinpricks of void that nipped at Qi flows.
"Form the array!" Huo bellowed.
Li Wang dodged an imp, his suite alerting frantically. [Backlash Imminent: Qi Instability Rising.]
He couldn't stand idle. Ducking behind a spirit herb bush, he initiated. [Edit Value: Vine Growth Rate = 0. Freeze: Imp Movement.]
The vines halted mid-lunge, brittle as glass. Imps froze in the air, helpless. Ji-Yeon capitalized, her blade carving through them in arcs of silver light. Tao Ren's fox spat ethereal flames, igniting the paused threats.
Kang Wei gaped, freed but stumbling. "What sorcery? It's him—the fraud!"
Huo Feng's eyes locked on Li Wang, suspicion hardening. "Explain. Now."
Before Li Wang could respond, the rift pulsed violently, spitting a larger form: a void serpent, scales rippling with stolen Qi, its maw unhinging toward the group. The array stones glowed half-formed, not enough to bind it yet.
[Alert: Entity Lock-On. Target: Anomaly Host.]
The serpent's eyes fixed on him. Li Wang's heart pounded. Time to hack deeper.
He delved into the suite, targeting the beast's core function. [Analyze: Regeneration Loop. Modify: Redirect to Self-Destruction.]
Code-like strings unfurled in his mind—meridians as variables, Qi as data streams. He twisted a thread, inverting the loop. The serpent thrashed, its body convulsing as void energy turned inward, scales cracking.
It exploded in a harmless burst of mist, the rift snapping shut behind it.
Silence fell, broken only by ragged breaths. Elder Huo Feng rounded on Li Wang, Qi coiling like a whip. "You did that. Not the array. What are you?"
Ji-Yeon stepped between them, sword half-drawn. "He saved us, Elder. Question his methods later."
Kang Wei spat. "Saved? He's a demon! The inquisitor will hear of this."
Huo Feng's face twisted in conflict. "Inquisitor Lan will decide. Li Wang, you are confined to quarters until her judgment. The rest—speak of this to no one."
As guards escorted Li Wang away, the suite pinged a new warning. [Incoming Query: Alliance Dao Probe. Exposure Risk: 87%.]
Worse, in the distance, another ripple stirred—not a rift, but something colder. A figure watching from the peaks, cloaked in shadow. Elder Mei Ling? Or the real threat closing in?
Confinement wouldn't hold the answers he needed. And with the inquisitor's probe incoming, Li Wang's secrets teetered on the edge of unraveling. But what if the alliance wasn't hunting anomalies... what if they were creating them?