The rain did not fall hard, but it lingered, clinging to everything it touched.
The courtyard glistened under the faint light of lanterns, puddles pooling between the uneven stones.
Most of the outer disciples had already gone back to their dorms, but Ye Tian stood beneath the eaves, still and silent, watching Li Kang walk away into the misty drizzle.
The Origin System's voice was as calm as the rain.
[Nearby systems detected: five]
[Recommendation: Seize at least one before dawn for optimal devotion harvest]
"Devotion," Ye Tian murmured in his mind, "Explain."
[Energy gained when others witness your rise and believe in your inevitability]
[The more public your victories, the stronger your harvest]
So… admiration, fear, awe… all of it could be harvested.
It was not enough to grow strong in silence.
The world had to watch.
The world had to believe he was inevitable.
His gaze lingered on Li Kang's back.
Three days ago, in this body's first life, Chen Mu would have kept his head down, would have taken the insult and hoped to avoid another.
Now… trouble was exactly what he was hunting.
---
The rain made the stone path shine like dark glass as Ye Tian walked toward the dormitory wing.
His bare feet slapped lightly against the wet boards when he stepped inside, and the smell of damp bedding and unwashed robes rose in the close, warm air.
A handful of outer disciples lounged on their mats, dice and coins scattered between them.
They were talking too loudly for the hour, voices rich with the small arrogance that comes from knowing no one important is listening.
When they saw him, the conversation faltered.
"You're still here?" one boy asked, smirking. "I thought the Elder would have kicked you out by now."
Ye Tian's eyes moved over them.
He was not looking at their faces.
He was reading the faint, glowing words that only he could see.
[Target: Zhao Wei]
[System: Low grade Sword Comprehension]
[Function: Slightly increases sword skill learning speed]
[Integrity: 41 percent]
[Target: Meng Hui]
[System: Minor Stamina Boost]
[Function: Slows fatigue during training]
[Integrity: 56 percent]
[Target: Wen Hao]
[System: Spirit Sense Seed]
[Function: Slightly increases detection range for spiritual items]
[Integrity: 33 percent]
None of them had power that would shake the world, but power was power.
Even scraps could be forged into weapons.
---
"You," Ye Tian said, pointing at Zhao Wei.
The boy blinked, his smugness turning to surprise. "What?"
"I challenge you," Ye Tian said, his voice steady, "to a sword exchange. Three moves."
The air in the room changed.
It went still, then sharpened.
A few boys laughed uncertainly, thinking they had misheard.
Zhao Wei grinned, pushing himself to his feet and rolling his shoulders.
"You? With a sword? I will break your wrist before you finish the first swing."
Ye Tian did not answer.
He stepped into the hall, the cool rain brushing against his skin.
The others followed, drawn by the promise of a quick humiliation.
The sound of their whispers filled the narrow corridor, pressing against his back.
---
They stepped into the courtyard where the lantern light pooled in golden circles on the wet stone.
Two wooden practice swords lay nearby, their handles dark with wear.
The others spread out in a loose ring, their voices buzzing like low insects.
[Target locked: Zhao Wei]
[Seizure chance: 79 percent]
[Optimal trigger: During sword contact]
Perfect.
Ye Tian picked up a sword.
The wood felt light in his hand, almost too light, but his mind remembered weight… remembered the balance of blades that could slice through rivers and split mountains.
Zhao Wei twirled his own lazily. "Three moves, trash. Try not to cry."
The crowd chuckled. Someone called out a bet on how fast Zhao Wei would win.
---
The first strike came fast… fast for an outer disciple.
Zhao Wei lunged with a high cut meant to intimidate, his wooden blade slicing through the air toward Ye Tian's head.
Ye Tian stepped aside. The blade whistled past harmlessly.
He did not counter… not yet.
The crowd jeered, some shaking their heads at what they thought was fear.
The second strike swept low, aimed at Ye Tian's legs.
Again, he moved aside with unhurried ease, letting it pass.
His eyes were calm. He was waiting. The system's presence pressed at the edge of his thoughts, waiting too.
On the third move, Zhao Wei came for his ribs with all the strength he could muster.
Ye Tian raised his sword, meeting the blow with a sharp crack.
The moment wood struck wood, the world narrowed.
[Proceed with Seizure?]
"Yes," Ye Tian thought.
A thread of blue light leapt from Zhao Wei's chest into Ye Tian's hand.
Zhao Wei's grip faltered, his eyes widening in confusion.
[Seizure complete]
[Acquired: Low grade Sword Comprehension]
[Integrating…]
Ye Tian stepped forward, twisting his wrist.
The wooden blade spun from Zhao Wei's grasp and clattered to the ground.
The boy stumbled back into the ring of watching disciples, his face pale.
"Three moves," Ye Tian said, his tone calm and unhurried, "and you lost your sword."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Zhao Wei's humiliation was plain, his defeat undeniable.
[Devotion +4]
[Integration complete: Sword Comprehension merged with base parameters]
[Result: Moderate grade Sword Comprehension]
---
Zhao Wei bent to retrieve his weapon, his expression dark.
Ye Tian had already turned away.
The whispers followed him.
"Did you see that?"
"He is not the same Chen Mu…"
"Three moves… against Zhao Wei…"
The rain had softened to a faint drizzle.
The stones gleamed under the lantern light, and the puddles reflected the shifting faces of the onlookers.
Ye Tian walked through them without pause, the stolen system settling inside him like the weight of a new blade at his side.
The Origin System's voice returned, quiet and steady.
[New target available]
[Recommendation: Inner courtyard prey]
Ye Tian smiled faintly.
The night was still young, and dawn was far away.
There was time for another hunt.
---
Across the courtyard, Zhao Wei's friends muttered under their breath.
One of them cursed softly, another spat in the dirt, and all of them avoided meeting Ye Tian's eyes.
The seed of resentment had already been planted, and Ye Tian knew it would grow.
Enemies were inevitable.
So was his victory over them.
In the shadows beneath the eaves, two older disciples who had been watching from a distance exchanged a glance.
"He has changed," one said.
"It does not matter," the other replied, "A weed is still a weed. It will be cut before it grows too tall."
Ye Tian heard them, but he did not turn.
Their words were nothing compared to the system's quiet hum inside his mind.
[Nearby systems detected: four]
[Recommendation: Public confrontation will yield higher devotion gain]
Ye Tian stepped into the darkness beyond the courtyard.
The rain cooled his skin, and each drop felt like a reminder.
This life was not for surviving quietly.
It was for taking.
---