🏯 Ashen Root Sect – Outer Courtyard Grounds
The air buzzed with tension.
Posters flapped on walls, announcing it:
> Inner Court Selection – Seven Days from Now
"Only those with real strength shall rise."
Young cultivators gathered in whispers, flexing their Qi. New disciples strutted about, radiating pride, speaking of sword strokes and breakthroughs.
But in a shaded corner, Shěn Nìchén leaned silently against a stone wall.
Unmoving. Unnoticed.
His eyes were closed.
His breath slower than a mortal's.
His heartbeat? Stilled by Void Cultivation.
To everyone else, he was just another average outer disciple.
But in his mind…
> 🔔 [System Notification]
🎯 New Passive Mission Activated:
"Observe Inner Court Dynamics"
✅ Progress: 12%
🎁 Completion Reward: Heaven's Mirror Eyes (Fragmented)
Grants insight into lies, illusions, and mental attacks.
> Hidden Bonus: Undisclosed
---
🧊 Cold Observation
Shěn Nìchén opened his eyes.
Calm. Sharp. Empty.
He watched a talented disciple slash apart three opponents with flaming sword aura.
> "Core Formation, peak. A gifted one."
But his gaze didn't waver. He simply turned away.
> "Too noisy. Too visible. True strength walks in silence."
---
🗡️ The Sword Artifact Awakens
That night, in his hidden caveabode…
Shěn unsheathed the simple black-wrapped sword.
In the eyes of the world, it was ordinary. Unranked. A plain blade with no aura.
But in his hands…
> 🔔 [Artifact Awakening – Phase II Initiated]
🎁 Bound Artifact: Unnamed Void Blade
– Concealment Level: Supreme
– Aura Suppression: Absolute
– Material: [Voidsteel Tempered with Eternal Star Core]
He slashed once through the darkness.
A single arc split through rock, space… and light itself.
The slash healed instantly behind him. Even space obeyed silence before this weapon.
---
🌀 A Quiet Encounter
On his return, he passed through a corridor where a confrontation brewed.
A proud inner court disciple was mocking an outer disciple for entering the selection.
> "You? With that weak Qi? You don't belong."
The outer disciple trembled. He backed away, clutching his wooden training sword.
Just as the inner disciple raised his palm—
Shěn walked between them.
Not a word. No glare. Just a shadow passing through.
The inner disciple paused.
> "Who the hell was that?"
The outer disciple blinked.
He hadn't seen Shěn arrive… or leave.
> "A shadow…?"
---
🌑 System Notification
> 🔔 [Passive Influence Achieved]
– Target intimidated by untraceable pressure
– Reputation: 0 (Unknown Threat)
– Hidden System Evaluation: The World Has Yet to Understand You
---
That night, under the moon…
Shěn Nìchén sat at the edge of a cliff near the Ashen Root outer sect. The stars reflected in his black eyes, distant and sharp.
He held his sword in silence.
> "Even as I walk beside them… I am not one of them."
> "The selection is meaningless. But I must enter... to blend in."
---
> 🔔 [System Notification – New Mission: Enter Inner Court without revealing cultivation]
🎁 Reward: Silent Sword Pulse – Passive Ki Echo Canceller
– Makes all techniques soundless and formless upon release.
🧩 Hidden Bonus: ???
🎯 Progress: 0%
---
📜 End of Chapter 13