Days passed.
The rebel camp hidden within the Scorched Frontier began to change.
What was once a scattered band of exiles was now transforming—training in the night, fortifying defenses, forging crude weapons. And at the center of it all… was Lin Xian.
Not as a sect disciple.
Not as a castaway.
But as a leader.
[Faction Morale: +20% | Loyalty: +34%]
[New Structure Unlocked: Dragonfire Forge – Boosts Weapon Output +12%]
But peace is always short-lived.
That night, as Lin Xian meditated beside the flame altar, a dark mist curled around his thoughts—no heat, no sound, just a whisper.
"Child of flame… Do you think the System was a gift?"
His eyes snapped open.
Standing across from him was not a human. Cloaked in smoke, skin like obsidian glass, and glowing blue eyes without pupils—it wasn't real, but it wasn't a dream either.
"Who are you?" Lin Xian asked sharply.
"A Watcher," the being replied, voice like wind scraping stone. "We are remnants of the Unseen Empire—creators of the System. You've begun to rewrite it."
"Rewrite it?" Lin Xian frowned. "You mean… I'm not just a user?"
"No," the Watcher said. "You are a threat. A variable. The Dragonblood variant has never merged with the System before. That makes you dangerous."
A moment of silence stretched between them. Then:
[System Override – New Path Unlocked]
[Forbidden Trait: "Godless Architect" – Status: Dormant]
[Warning: You are now being monitored by the System's Root Protocols]
"Others will come," the Watcher said as it began to fade. "Not to guide you. To erase you."
The vision shattered.
Lin Xian gasped, drenched in sweat. But something had changed. A new mark now glowed beneath his wrist—an ancient sigil shaped like a shattered crown.
And behind the clouds that covered the sky, something vast had begun to stir.
The world was watching.