There was a moment, just after dawn, where the world felt quiet enough to be kind.
The trees outside Lin Tian's hut rustled in a breeze that didn't yet stink of alchemical runoff. The sky above the sect was pale and cloudless. Even the chickens weren't screaming.
Chen Mu floated in the ring, basking in the rare stillness.
Then the bell tolled.
Three short chimes — low, sharp, and unmissable.
Lin Tian opened his eyes mid-breath. "That's the outer court summons."
"You get summoned often?"
"No. Only when someone needs something unpleasant done quickly."
Chen Mu groaned.
Lin Tian rose, tied his robe with practiced ease, and slid the ring onto his finger. "At least I managed to hold the Qi longer this morning."
"You're stabilizing. Still not Mid-stage, but your flow doesn't wobble like a newborn goat anymore."
[+1 BP for metaphorical cultivation commentary.]
As they left the hut, two familiar figures were already waiting near the outer path — Guo, arms crossed, and one of his usual tagalongs, the silent one with a scar over his brow.
"You're late," Guo said, even though Lin Tian wasn't.
"I came as fast as the bell allowed, Senior Brother."
Guo tossed him a scroll. "Congratulations. Elder Hu has personally selected you for inventory duty in the high storage vaults. You must be moving up in the world."
Chen Mu immediately narrowed his focus. "That doesn't sound like a compliment."
Lin Tian opened the scroll as they walked. The assignment was sparse on detail, as always: catalog broken or expired talismans, clean and discard corrupted ones, report items of unusual activity.
The last line was underlined twice: Do not open sealed scrolls.
"Sounds… tolerable," Lin Tian muttered.
Guo laughed. "Oh, it is. Assuming you don't breathe too deeply. Most of the expired talismans leak Qi residue. Makes you twitchy. But hey—who needs steady hands in cultivation?"
The walk to the vaults took nearly half an hour. They passed other outer sect disciples dragging sacks of spirit grain, replacing ward chalk, even one hauling a bucket of teeth. The sect was always busy.
Always grinding someone down.
The vault sat beneath the western wall of the outer court — a squat building of black stone half-sunk into the hill. Lin Tian had never been inside. A guard at the door waved him in with a grunt and a bored warning.
"Don't die in there. We don't clean up."
Inside, the air was thick with age. Rows of shelves loomed overhead, packed with talismans, scrolls, boxes, and jars sealed with ancient wax. The lighting came from dim spirit lamps that flickered whenever anyone breathed too hard.
Lin Tian got to work.
He moved carefully, using gloves provided by the guard. Most items were harmless. Some were clearly junk — faded beast repellent charms, cracked water storage slips, minor warding glyphs.
But a few were worse.
One scroll radiated heat even through the shelf. Another buzzed when he passed. A red-paper talisman turned to ash the moment he touched it and released a puff of pale blue smoke that made his fingers go numb.
Chen Mu flared with alertness. "Don't touch that again. That's soul-damaging Qi. It lingers."
Lin Tian shook his hand out and moved on.
Hours passed.
Sweat pooled under his collar. The vault was quiet, but it pressed on him like a wet blanket. Every breath felt thick. Every shelf loomed closer.
Eventually, he reached the back wall — a crooked section where damaged scrolls had been dumped in a pile.
And there, in the corner, he found something strange.
A scroll that didn't belong.
It wasn't labeled. Its case was clean. It didn't buzz or hiss or radiate. But something about it felt wrong.
"Don't open that," Chen Mu said instantly.
Lin Tian paused, hand inches from the scroll.
"I wasn't going to."
"Yes you were. Don't."
He pulled his hand back.
Instead, he logged the item in the inventory slip and moved on. But the unease didn't leave. Not even when he exited the vault two hours later, hands shaking, robes damp with sweat.
Outside, Guo was waiting.
He leaned casually against the doorframe, chewing a dried root.
"Fun day?"
"No fatalities," Lin Tian said.
Guo grinned. "Shame. Maybe next time."
He pushed off the wall and walked away without another word.
That night, Lin Tian didn't cultivate.
He sat on the floor, arms wrapped around his knees, staring at the tiny ember flickering in his spirit sea.
"I'm not sure I can keep this up," he whispered.
"You're not weak," Chen Mu said.
"I'm not strong either. I'm not gifted. I'm not lucky. And no one in this sect wants me here."
"That last part's true."
Lin Tian gave a bitter laugh.
Chen Mu hovered in silence for a moment, then spoke carefully.
"I've been watching. Not just you. Them. This sect. These people. The structure."
He pulsed slightly brighter.
"It's rotting from the inside. The rules don't help the weak rise — they just protect the powerful from being challenged."
Lin Tian didn't speak.
Chen Mu continued. "Guo's not strong. He's mediocre. But he has a bloodline connection to an inner elder. That's all he needs. You? You're alone. You're expendable. The more progress you show, the more of a threat you become. You're not welcome here because your success makes them uncomfortable."
Lin Tian closed his eyes.
"I know."
Chen Mu waited. Let the words sit.
Then: "We don't need them. Not forever. You're building something real. You've got Qi flow, technique, control. When the time's right… we walk."
Lin Tian opened his eyes again.
Not defiant. Not inspired. Just quietly tired.
"I'm not ready to leave yet."
"I know."
"But when I am… we go."
[+2 BP for acknowledging future rebellion.]
[System Alert: Disposition Toward Sect – Critical]
[Path Forward Flagged: Exit Option – Pending Conditions]
Chen Mu opened his panel.
[System Status Panel – Chen Mu (Ring State)]
Bluff Points: 42
Soul Strength: 7
Current Vessel: Jade Ring (Damaged, Dusty, Slightly Sticky)
Abilities: Voice of Authority Lv.1, Soul Tap (1/day)
Manual Access: Beginner Cultivation Manual (Simulated)
Current Objective: Guide disciple through Qi Initiation Realm
Disciple Status: Qi Initiation – Early Stage (Stable)
He closed it with a faint pulse.
"We'll get there."
The room was quiet again.
But it wasn't peaceful. Not anymore.