The letter on my pillow felt heavy, like a subpoena disguised as stationery.
"System," I whispered, sitting cross-legged in the darkest corner of Room 47. "Why the red alert? It's just tea. Background characters drink tea. It's a staple of the genre."
The blue holographic text flickered in my vision, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air.
[WARNING: Individual "Liu Mei" displays interest levels exceeding safe parameters. Social entanglement probability: 94%.]
"Entanglement?" I scoffed. "She's an overworked administrator who likes gardening. We bonded over soil pH balance. It's platonic. Professional. Boring."
[Your definition of 'boring' is currently recalibrating.]
"You're paranoid," I muttered, tucking the letter into my robe. "Paranoia is good for survival, but not when it stops you from networking. Even NPCs need allies."
I closed my eyes, deciding to ignore the ominous blue box. It was time to grind.
"Let's review the documentation," I thought, pulling up my memories of Heavenly Dao's Chosen.
I had read sixty percent of the novel before the heart attack. Forty chapters.
Fact 1: The protagonist, Chen Tian, starts at a 'mid-tier sect in the East'.Fact 2: There is a 'Corrupt Sect Master' destined to be a mid-game villain.Fact 3: The Empress of the Xiao Dynasty is an antagonist.Fact 4: A Demon Queen eventually wakes up.
"Azure Peak is a mid-tier sect," I reasoned internally. "But the geography is vague. 'East' covers half the continent. And Liu Mei? She's an outer disciple. The Corrupt Sect Master wouldn't be pulling weeds in the rain."
Conclusion: I am likely in a side-sect. The plot is happening somewhere else. I am safe.
"HAAAAAA!"
A guttural roar shattered my train of thought.
In the center of the room, Wang Jun was vibrating. Literally. His muscles spasmed, sweat flew from his forehead, and veins bulged in his neck like angry worms.
"I FEEL IT!" Wang Jun screamed, veins popping. " THE TIGER ROARS IN MY BLOOD! BURN, COSMOS! BURN!"
I stared at him.
"Is he... okay?" I whispered.
Chen Hao, sitting on his mat with a book, didn't even blink. "He's trying to force a breakthrough to Layer 5. He calls it the 'Screaming Tiger Technique'."
"Sounds inefficient," I noted.
"He says the loudness attracts the Dao," Chen Hao turned a page.
I shook my head and closed my eyes again.
Okay. Background Character Cultivation. Activate.
I didn't scream. I didn't burn.
I thought about tax returns.
Form 1040. Line 7b. Adjusted Gross Income.
I visualized a beige office with gray carpet. I imagined the sound of a printer jamming in the distance. I focused on the feeling of waiting on hold with an insurance company.
I am nothing. I am the hold music. I am the terms and conditions nobody reads.
[Stealth Cultivation Active.][Qi Absorption Efficiency: +210%]
The energy didn't roar. It didn't burn. It slid into my meridians like a spreadsheet updating automatically. Smooth. Cold. Efficient.
While Wang Jun was popping blood vessels trying to kick down the door to Layer 5, I was sliding through the ventilation shaft.
[System Notification][Hidden Influence Factor: 1.2x]
I cracked one eye open. "Hidden Influence? Define."
[Formula: Cultivation Speed = Base Rate × (1 + Hidden Influence Factor).]
[Definition: Hidden Influence is the impact you have on the world that goes unrecognized.]
[You improved the Herb Garden yield by 20% yesterday. The Sect elders are confused. No one knows it was you.]
[The gap between your Impact and your Reputation creates a vacuum. The universe fills that vacuum with Qi.]
I nearly broke my meditation pose.
"Wait," I thought, excitement bubbling in my chest. "So the more I help people secretly, the faster I level up?"
[Correct. If you save the world and take credit, you get fame. If you save the world and stay anonymous, you get power.]
"That..." A grin spread across my face. "That is the best mechanic design I have ever seen."
In my old life, I was the guy who stayed late to fix the server crash so the company could open Monday morning. The CEO got the bonus. I got a 'good job' email.
Here? That same dynamic made me a god.
"System," I projected my thought. "How fast until Layer 5?"
[At current efficiency: Two weeks.]
"Two weeks?!" I nearly shouted aloud. "Wang Jun has been stuck at Layer 4 for six months!"
[Wang Jun screams at the universe. You are politely emailing it.]
"I love this System," I whispered.
The Outer Disciple Cafeteria smelled of boiled cabbage and despair.
It was a cavernous hall filled with long wooden tables, echoing with the clatter of cheap porcelain bowls. I grabbed a bowl of spiritual rice—bland, white, rubbery—and scanned the room.
F-Pattern scan. Find the dead zone.
I spotted a table in the back corner, near the dishwashing station. The lighting was bad there. The steam from the kitchen obscured it.
Perfect.
I sat down, my back to the wall. This was my throne.
Two tables away, a group of inner disciples were causing a scene. Of course they were.
"My 'Thunder Palm' is invincible!" a tall disciple shouted, slamming his hand on the table. A bowl jumped.
"Garbage!" another retorted. "My 'Mountain Crushing Fist' breaks thunder!"
They stood up, chests puffing out, spiritual pressure leaking just enough to make the nearby outer disciples shiver.
Classic, I thought, chewing my rubbery rice. Dick-measuring contest disguised as Dao discussion. In Chapter 5, the protagonist usually beats both of them up to prove a point.
I looked around. No protagonist. Just scared extras.
"You're doing it again," a voice said across from me.
I jumped. Chen Hao was sitting there, eating quietly. I hadn't even heard him sit down.
"Doing what?" I asked, keeping my voice low.
"Disappearing," Chen Hao said. He didn't look at me; he looked at his rice. "You sit in the one spot where the shadows cut the line of sight from the entrance. You hunch your shoulders exactly enough to look like part of the scenery."
I froze. "I have bad posture."
"No," Chen Hao glanced up, his eyes sharp. "You have calculated posture. It's impressive. Most people want to be seen. You work very hard to be erased."
I tightened my grip on my chopsticks. He's observant. Too observant.
"Survival strategy," I admitted. "The tall tree catches the wind."
"The tall tree also gets the sunlight," Chen Hao countered. He gestured to the shouting inner disciples. "They are idiots, but they are strong. They get the resources. We get..." He poked his rubbery rice. "...boiled shoe leather."
"Strength doesn't require noise," I said.
Chen Hao paused. He looked at me for a long beat. "Maybe. But in this sect, silence is usually mistaken for weakness."
"Let them mistake it," I said, taking a sip of water. "I prefer being underestimated. It pays better."
Chen Hao smiled—a rare, small thing. "You're a strange one, Lian Feng. Room 47 has a screamer and a ghost."
"I prefer 'Strategic Consultant'," I quipped.
[Meme Line Detect: "Room 47 has a screamer and a ghost."][Reputation Update: Chen Hao considers you 'Interesting'.][Background Status: Slight instability.]
I sighed internally. Even talking to my roommate is risky.
Evening fell over Azure Peak like a heavy purple curtain.
I stood in front of the cracked copper mirror in our room, adjusting my robe. It was the least patched one I owned.
"Going somewhere?" Wang Jun grunted from the floor, where he was doing one-fingered pushups.
"Walk," I lied. "Clear my head."
"Don't get eaten," he laughed. "Or do. Less snoring in the room."
"Thanks for the support," I deadpanned.
I slipped out into the cool night air. The path to the Herb Garden was quiet. Fireflies danced in the tall grass, their lights pulsing in rhythm with the sect's defensive formation.
"System," I whispered as I walked. "Final check."
[Cultivation: Qi Condensation Layer 4 (Peak).][Hidden Influence: 1.25x.][Threat Assessment: Meeting Individual 'Liu Mei'.]
"Stop calling it a threat," I hissed. "She's a nice lady who invited me for tea. I'm going to go, drink the tea, talk about the weather, and leave. Zero plot impact."
[Host is advised to maintain distance.]
"Why? Because she's interested?"
[Because Individual 'Liu Mei' is not what she appears.]
I stopped walking. The wind rustled the bamboo grove next to me.
"Not what she appears," I repeated. "What does that mean? Is she a spy? A demon in disguise?"
[I process data you have observed. You have observed her bearing. Her knowledge. Her lack of fear.]
I thought back to the garden. The way she held herself. The way she didn't flinch when I mentioned the Elders might be wrong.
"She's definitely high-born," I reasoned. "Maybe a fallen noble house? Or the illegitimate daughter of an Elder? That fits the 'arrogant but hidden' trope."
[Hypothesis noted. Probability of accuracy: 0.00%.]
"You're mocking me."
[I am incapable of mockery. I merely present the vast chasm between your confidence and reality.]
"Whatever," I started walking again, spotting the warm glow of the pavilion lanterns ahead. "I'll be careful. I'll use the 'Boring Conversation' technique. No politics. No cultivation theory. Just... small talk."
[Good luck, Host. You will need it.]
I stepped into the clearing.
The pavilion was beautiful. Wooden pillars wrapped in jasmine vines. Soft paper lanterns casting an amber glow. And there she was.
Liu Mei sat at the stone table, pouring tea. The steam curled up around her face, softening her features. She looked up as I approached, and her smile was... genuine.
It wasn't the polite smile of a coworker. It was the smile of someone who had been waiting.
"Lian Feng," she said softly.
My chest tightened. Danger, the System screamed. Connection, my heart whispered.
I took a breath. I adjusted my 'background character' mask.
"Senior Sister," I said, stepping into the light. "I hope I'm not disturbing your peace."
She gestured to the seat across from her. "You are the peace, Junior Brother."
Oh boy, I thought, sitting down. I am in so much trouble.