The pond behind him stilled as Lian Xian took a step forward—one that echoed through his secret world despite there being no ground beneath him. His robes shimmered faintly, starlight woven into midnight silk, as if space itself refused to leave him untouched.
He raised a hand. With no chant, no sigil, no grand gesture, the void responded.
A tear formed in reality.
It was delicate. Almost like a silk ribbon being tugged loose from a tightly wrapped gift. Beyond the tear, the mortal world flickered into view—distant, dim, and alive.
He hadn't looked at it in centuries.
Not because he couldn't.
But because he hadn't cared.
Until now.
Initiating Remote Subordinate Link... Please select one of three prepared vessel templates, Host.
Warning: Interference cannot be reversed once linked.
Caution: Control will be indirect. Host may observe and influence, but not act directly.
Lian Xian rolled his eyes. "You always know how to kill the mood."
Correction: That is statistically inaccurate. My humor algorithms have a 63.2% approval rating.
He didn't respond. Instead, he waved his hand through the tear. A beam of spiritual essence, fine as thread, stretched from his fingertips into the world beyond.
The view sharpened.
He saw mountains—jagged, beautiful. A large sect nestled among them, cloaked in illusion and guarded by formations he'd designed eons ago. Though it was now under a different name, the foundation was unmistakable.
"Still standing," he said quietly, a hint of pride bleeding into his voice. "Good."
His focus narrowed. The system had already prepared the vessels. Three candidates, each unaware of the fate about to be woven into their lives.
"Start with the brute," Lian Xian said. "I want to see how well the body responds before anything else."
Confirmed. Vessel One—Subject: Wulian Qor. Age: 27. Origin: Exiled Prince. Current Status: Gladiator Slave.
A flicker of light. A body, beaten and bloodied, came into view—surrounded by a cheering crowd in an underground coliseum. He stood above a mangled opponent, chest heaving, blood running down his temple.
He didn't revel in victory. He looked… tired. Not from weakness, but restraint. Like a predator waiting for an excuse.
"He'll do," Lian Xian murmured.
Thread anchored. Influence initialized. Binding spiritual imprint… complete.
For the first time in centuries, Lian Xian felt something shift. Not in his own body—but in the world beyond.
It was faint. A whisper through the void. A new thread in a very old tapestry.
A grin pulled at his lips. "Let's play, then."
Location: Eastern Wastes – Iron Cage Coliseum
Wulian Qor stood over his fallen opponent, fists clenched. The crowd roared, but their voices felt distant. His breath steamed in the cold air, though sweat clung to his brow.
Another kill. Another win. Another day shackled.
He turned to leave the ring when something inside him... tugged.
A pulse.
Like a breath that wasn't his.
He stumbled slightly—just enough for the guards to think he'd been injured. They didn't notice the sudden glow in his pupils, brief and subtle as a candle flickering in a storm.
His heart beat twice—then slowed.
He straightened.
Stronger.
Calmer.
"Strange…" he muttered.
Hello, Subordinate One. I am the Overseer. Your strings now belong to a higher hand. Do not resist.
Wulian froze mid-step.
"What…?"
Do not panic. This will not hurt... probably.
Then, silence.
Wulian blinked. He felt… clearer. Stronger. A tension in his mind loosened, like he'd just awoken from a dream he hadn't realized he was in.
Far above, in the void, Lian Xian chuckled.
"I like him already."
Void Realm
Lian Xian stretched his arms above his head as if he'd just woken up from a very long nap.
"One down," he said, glancing back at the tear. "Let's see how the world responds."
Host, shall I initiate the selection of the next subordinate?
"Not yet," Lian Xian said, settling back down at the edge of the pond. "Let's watch him first. Can't rush the fun."
The koi circled once, then scattered—almost sensing something had changed. And maybe, in their little world, it had.
Lian Xian took another sip of tea.
Still cold.
This time, he didn't mind.