By IMERPUS RELUR
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The following day, the courtyard lay quiet.
Blood stained the stone where the beast had been wounded. The fog had lifted, but a faint spiritual residue lingered—darker than qi, twisted at its edge.
Liang Chen stood in front of the cracked Sect Archive Door—its fractured symbol glowing faintly, still sealed. His body was sore, but the memory of combat lit something in him.
Something alive.
He crouched before the base of the stele and began digging again, stone by stone.
Hours passed.
Then his fingers scraped something smooth.
He pulled it out.
A Low-Grade Spirit Stone, faintly glowing—just enough light to pulse against his palm.
> [Spirit Stone Detected – Qi Purity: 39%]
Valid Resource: Yes
Function Available – Unlock Archive Access? [Cost: 1 Spirit Stone]
He didn't hesitate.
> Yes.
The stone cracked in half as its energy flowed into the archive door.
Runes across the stonework ignited.
The door didn't open gently—it breathed.
A soft exhale of ancient dust and half-dead air escaped.
Liang Chen stepped inside.
It was a chamber filled with broken scrolls, shattered jade slips, and collapsed statues. But at the center, surrounded by a faint protective ward, stood a black stone monolith inscribed in golden, forgotten script.
The system translated it for him.
> [Ash-Sleeping Sect: Founded 2,917 Years Ago – By Lord Ebonflame, Master of the Silent Bone Dao]
Sect Rank (at peak): Lower Heaven-Tier
Core Dao: Stillness, Endurance, Flame Within Ash
Legacy Techniques: Sealed – Insufficient Authority
Liang Chen stepped closer, heart pounding.
The system responded again.
> [Sect Name Unlocked: Ash-Sleeping Sect]
Title Upgraded: Interim Custodian → Provisional Successor (1%)
Next Milestone: Unlock Legacy Technique Vault – Cost: 3 Spirit Stones]
He touched the monolith.
It was cold.
And yet… beneath it, something responded.
> "I'm not of your bloodline," he whispered, "but I'm here. Let that be enough."