By the next morning, Lin Wei's decision was already made.
He would leave the village.
Not today, not dramatically—but soon. Carefully. Quietly.
Just as his cultivation had been.
He didn't know when the next Mu Qingfan would arrive—or if the next one would offer warnings instead of chains. But the floating lanterns were still fresh in his mind. Dozens of tiny lights drifting away into the night.
That would be him soon.
Just another lantern leaving the village sky.
For now, he returned to routine.
He swept his hut. Fed the chickens. Drew water from the well. All the while, the System chimed on quietly in the background.
> Ding!
> [Daily Rhythm Detected: +2 Stability]
> [Consistent Actions Enhance Trait: "Tranquil Ascender" – Passive Boost 5% → 7%]
But this time, Lin Wei noticed something new in the corner of his vision:
[New Interface Unlocked]
Awareness Threat Meter (ATM):
Evaluates current suspicion and potential danger based on external eyes and energy fluctuations.
Current Risk Level: Low
Recent Alert: 1 Cultivator Interaction (Mu Qingfan)
Recommendation: Relocation within 7–10 days for optimal secrecy.
"System…" Lin Wei muttered. "You really think like a ghost."
> Ding!
> [Comment Registered: +1 Humor]
> [Talking to Yourself: +1 Sanity Preservation]
He snorted. At least it's got a personality.
By afternoon, Lin Wei had wandered into the forest trail behind the village. Not far—just far enough to gather herbs for Mei Lan and avoid unnecessary attention.
Or so he thought.
Because as he reached a grove of silent white grass, something shifted in the wind.
The leaves stopped rustling.
The birds stopped singing.
The silence was... wrong.
> Ding!
> [Spiritual Disturbance Detected]
> [Unknown entity within 100 meters]
> [Threat Level: Minor → Escalating]
He ducked instinctively behind a thick root. His breath shallow. Calm.
Then came the low, guttural growl.
Emerging from the misted trees, half-crawling and half-floating, was a twisted beast—part wolf, part fog, with no eyes and jagged stone claws for paws.
It wasn't natural. And worse...
> Ding!
> [Corrupted Spirit Beast Detected – "Gravel Shadehound"]
> [Cultivation Level: Body Tempering (Peak)]
> [Behavior: Drawn to passive cultivation energy]
It was looking for him.
Lin Wei didn't move.
His body was calm, still, practiced from years of silence. And the system
> Ding!
> [Suppressing Presence – 85% Success Rate]
> [Tranquil Ascender Boost Active]
> [You have learned new Passive Skill: Aura Veil]
He felt it.
A subtle cooling in his core. A slow, sinking effect that made his very existence quieter. Duller. Hidden.
The beast sniffed the air once.
Twice.
Then it turned and vanished into the mist.
Lin Wei didn't exhale until it was long gone.
> Ding!
> [Calm Under Threat: +3 Willpower]
> [Passive Skill "Aura Veil" – Level 1 → 2]
> [Note: Enemies may begin to sense you indirectly through karmic ripples.]
Karmic… ripples?
That was new.
He stood slowly, heart pounding now that it was safe. The world had shifted again.
He no longer just needed to worry about people.
He needed to worry about things that could smell power without even understanding it.
He returned to the village before sunset, carrying a basket of herbs and a still mind.
But on the way back, he passed the village shrine—and saw three elder villagers kneeling at the base, murmuring in urgent tones.
He paused just long enough to catch a word "seal weakening."
A chill ran through him.
> Ding!
> [Spiritual Disruption Near Shrine]
> [Connected Event Triggered: Seal → Local Domain Stability Threaded to Karmic Flow]
> [Progress Updated: Hidden Event "Bound Beneath the Shrine" – 2%]
What the hell is going on beneath this village…? Lin Wei thought.
He had lived here his entire life.
How many times had he passed that shrine and never noticed?
And now—of course—just as his system awakened, strange cultivators and spirit beasts and hidden shrines all started whispering to each other.
That night, Lin Wei packed his first departure kit.
He didn't need much: a few coins, two herbal detox balls, some dried rice cakes, and a spare robe with mud-dulling dye stitched into the hem.
Just enough to walk out like a traveler, not a suspect.
> Ding!
> [You have begun Departure Protocol: Passive Escape Planning Engaged]
> [Estimated Time of Safe Exit: 6 Days]
> [Host will receive enhanced intuition in route planning and interaction discretion.]
For the first time in a while, Lin Wei smiled again.
Even leaving would give him power now.
At dawn, he woke not to a rooster—but to silence again.
Not like yesterday. This time it was peaceful. Purposeful.
He rose and stepped outside just as the sun began to rise over the mountains.
> Ding!
> [Day 4 Complete. Passive Growth Recorded.]
> [Level 5 → 6 | Trait Progress "Tranquil Ascender": 42%]
> [Aura Veil: Level 2 → 3]
> [System Forecast: If uninterrupted, Host will surpass Foundation Establishment in 3 months without active cultivation.]
Three months.
To reach a realm that many spent decades to touch.
Lin Wei stared at the horizon.
And whispered to no one:
"Then let's not get interrupted."