The sun had not yet risen.
A pale gray light draped itself over the peaks surrounding the Heavenly Radiance Sect, the morning mist thick and quiet, the world not yet awake.
Lin Chen stood barefoot on a narrow stone pillar behind the Fourth Elder's residence.
His eyes were closed and hs breathing… nonexistent.
It was completely gone...
If a cultivator were to pass by, they would sense nothing.
No Qi circulation...
No spiritual fluctuation...
No warmth of presence...
Just a boy standing there like a forgotten statue.
All of a sudden, his eyes opened and a strange clarity stirred within them.
He was only sixteen years in this world but a far older being dwelled behind the gaze.
---
He had once lived in a world where mana flowed through the air like invisible tides.
A world of spellcasters, enchanted blades, cursed forests, floating citadels...
And in that world... he had been an S-Tier Assassin.
There existed an underground network known simply as The Veil — an organization that evaluated assassins by confirmed kills, difficulty of contract, escape success, and psychological destabilization ability.
S-Tier meant one thing: Unreachable.
Lin Chen—back then known by another name long discarded—had been a phantom.
Kings died in locked chambers...
Archmages perished mid-incantation...
Dukes were found lifeless at banquets without a drop of poison detected.
He had mastered concealment magic to the point where even detection spells failed to register him.
He could manipulate ambient mana to distort perception.
He could silence footsteps across marble halls...
He studied anatomy, nervous systems, breathing rhythms, fear responses.
But more than anything... he studied people.
He understood that the greatest weapon was not a blade...
It was the mind.
In some cases, he flirted before killing...
Smiled before striking...
Teased his targets...
Some thought him insane.
He thought it efficient because destabilized prey died faster.
Nothing caught him... no one cornered him... nothing could ever reach him...
Until death did.
He had been in his thirties... at his peak.
And yet even the greatest assassin could not assassinate death...
He remembered lying alone with no lover or family...
Thinking—
So this is how it ends.
When darkness enveloped him, he woke up basked in warmth and tears as a woman's voice drifted into his ears.
He had been reborn... in this strange world... a world where mana didn't exist... but qi did.
---
Sixteen years later, he still had not cultivated... not because he couldn't but because he refused to do it imperfectly.
This world offered a whole new trove of possibilities... possibilities that existed not in his world... and he intended to make perfect use of all his knowledge from his old world and incorporate it into this one.
He stepped down from the stone pillar and began moving.
Push-ups on fingertips...
Knuckle balances...
Explosive leaps between narrow pillars without sound...
He punched a hanging sandbag.
Again...
And
Again...
And
Again...
His muscles were lean, not bulky... optimized for control.
He rolled his shoulders, then stilled again, listening.
Birds...
Wind...
Footsteps three courtyards away...
He exhaled softly.
From infancy, instead of opening his meridians like every disciple was taught, he had done something different.
He strengthened the vessel first... reinforced his dantian walls through compression exercises...
Conditioned his nervous system...
Practiced micro-muscle control...
Trained breath suppression...
Refined perception...
He memorized manuals meant for body tempering...
Then memorized the ones beyond them.
He studied low-tier martial arts for regular mortals.
Then studied advanced combat theory meant for inner disciples...
He understood things his peers—who were already at early Qi Condensation—didn't grasp.
Flow disruption...
Balance manipulation...
Energy redirection...
He just hadn't taken the final step to absorb and circulate qi...
To "officially" step onto the path.
And so, he remained at the lowest disciple level.
The level meant for children aged eleven to thirteen.
The level of pre-cultivation training.
The level everyone mocked.
"Qi-less."
"Lazy."
"Spoiled brat."
"Lecherous pest."
They were not entirely wrong.
He was lecherous and he did enjoy spying on senior sisters...
He did sneak into private areas...
What they didn't understand was how someone with no cultivation could vade detection from disciples who had already stepped into Qi Condensation?
How could he remain hidden for extended periods without being sensed?
How could he appear behind people without warning?
It shouldn't be possible and yet, it kept happening.
Because what they sensed wasn't just Qi, it was presence.
And Lin Chen had learned to erase his.
He blended with the environment like mana distortion in his previous world, but done purely through body control.
That was the foundation he was building...
Assassin roots...
Something cultivation had never seen.
He needed to successfully create seven roots before he finally stepped into the world of cultivation so as to maximise his boons.
---
After finishing his morning training, Lin Chen dusted off his sleeves.
The sun had risen fully now and one could hear the sect coming alive with voices resounding in the distance.
He stretched lazily.
"Mm. That should be enough self-improvement for today."
His stomach growled.
"And enough seriousness."
A grin spread across his face as he slipped out of the Fourth Elder's abode, moving casually down stone paths.
Meanwhile—
On another path leading toward the outer training grounds, three outer disciples walked together.
They were in early Qi Condensation with neat robes and swords at waist.
They voiced in excited tones as they moved.
"Did you hear? The Sun Yin Festival is next week."
"Of course I heard. It only happens once every hundred years!"
"I heard important guests are coming from outside the city."
"Even the Imperial envoy."
"And—"
One of them lowered his voice dramatically.
"A princess beauty will be present."
The other two inhaled sharply.
"A princess?"
"Yes! They say she's stunning. Like a celestial maiden descended."
"Why would royalty attend a sect festival?"
"Because of the Purifying Stone, obviously. During Sun Yin alignment, its effects amplify."
They nodded knowingly.
The Purifying Stone was the pride of the sect.
Their conversation continued until a voice drifted from directly behind them.
"Tell me more about this festival."
All three froze.
Their Qi flared instantly as they spun with hands on thejr sword hilts and widened eyes.
Behind them stood Lin Chen with his arms folded casually, smiling pleasantly.
"Lin Chen?!"
"Where the hell did you come from?!"
Their hearts were still pounding because they had sensed nothing.
No footsteps...
No approach...
It was like he had materialized out of thin air.
Lin Chen tilted his head.
"I walked."
"Don't lie!"
"We didn't sense you at all!"
He blinked innocently.
"Should you have?"
They stiffened.
All three were at early Qi Condensation.
They could sense fluctuations within several meters.
It should be impossible for someone without Qi to sneak up on them.
And yet, he did.
To make matters worse, this wasn't the first time...
Each time they convinced themselves they were distracted.
Each time it felt wrong.
One disciple narrowed his eyes.
"You're hiding something."
Lin Chen gasped dramatically.
"My good looks?"
The other groaned.
"Stop joking!"
Lin Chen leaned closer conspiratorially.
"So. Princess beauty?"
Their expressions shifted instantly.
"You're not going near her."
"Absolutely not."
"If you cause trouble during the Sun Yin Festival—"
"I would never," Lin Chen said solemnly.
Then added thoughtfully, "Unless she's truly beautiful."
One disciple covered his face.
"You're hopeless."
Lin Chen smiled wider.
"Perhaps... now tell me more about the festival..."