A Delicate Negotiation
Karma stood in front of Su Liana, unsure how to begin. His heart pounded as he weighed every word, every gesture. He knew one wrong word could decide whether he walked out of this chamber alive—or never at all.
He'd read enough stories to know how not to act. He wasn't going to spit curses or vow vengeance. This wasn't Earth, where his temper might earn him sympathy. Here, arrogance would be suicide. He wasn't arrogant enough to think he could survive on his own—not in a land where even the guards outside the prison radiated a presence that made his bones tighten. A single wrong word, he knew, and he would never see his sister again.
Gathering his courage, he bowed lightly, keeping his voice steady. "Hello, beautiful lady. My name is Karma Hi. May I know yours?"
The maids exchanged puzzled glances as his words were foreign to them. Su Liana herself tilted her head, phoenix eyes unreadable. She didn't understand his words fully; the effects of the comprehension pills she and her entourage had used on Earth had already faded. But she understood his intent. He wanted to converse, to reach across the gulf between them.
Without speaking, she drew something from her space ring: a grape-sized fruit glowing faintly with spiritual light. Karma froze. She had pulled it from thin air. Storage treasure, his mind screamed. He'd read about them in novels, but to see one so casually used…
When she gestured for him to eat it, his stomach twisted. He'd read about this kind of test. Was it a poison that would slowly kill him, a control pill to enslave his will? He froze, hesitating.
"Mira," he whispered inside his mind, "can you deal with it if it's bad?"
Her childish voice came back quick and sharp. "Don't worry, Master. If it harms you, I'll isolate it. Do not worry."
With a steadying breath, Karma accepted the fruit and popped it into his mouth. It burst sweetly, like honeyed grapes, dissolving before he could chew. Warmth spread through his tongue, then his ears, then his head. The faint whispers of the maids suddenly sharpened into clarity.
"What is the Young Lady doing?" one murmured. "Why give such a treasure to a mortal?" another hissed. "Could she be charmed by him?" "Ridiculous! He's nothing! We must protect her!"
The chatter buzzed at the edges of his awareness, but before he could process it, Su Liana's voice cut cleanly through the noise.
"It seems now you can understand our language," she said evenly. "That was a rare spiritual fruit. Beasts with sentience use it to speak with humans. Know this, mortal—you must repay me for it."
Karma straightened, stunned. He had understood her perfectly.
Su Liana lifted her chin. "I am Su Liana, eldest daughter of the Su Family Patriarch, and a Core Disciple of the Azure Edge Pavilion."
Her title rang with weight. Even without understanding the full depth of what it meant, Karma felt the authority laced into those words. Core disciple. The novels he read had taught him enough to know that meant power, prestige, resources beyond imagination.
He hesitated, then asked the question clawing at his heart. "If you don't mind me asking, Lady Su… is there any way for you to send me back to my world?"
Her answer was blunt, without hesitation. "No."
The word landed like a stone, but Karma didn't flinch. He exhaled slowly, as though he had already known. "I figured as much." He bowed low, voice trembling but steady. "In that case, I have only one request. I have a little sister back in that world. With me missing, there will be no one to take care of her. Please, use your influence to ensure she has a comfortable life. If you grant me this, I will be forever grateful."
The hall went silent. Even the maids stopped whispering.
Su Liana blinked, caught off guard. She had braced herself for curses, accusations, even a complete breakdown. She expected him to rage, to throw himself against her in despair. Instead, this mortal spoke not of himself, but of his sister. A man abandoned in a strange world—and his first thought was for another.
Her chest tightened. He reminds me of myself… of how I search endlessly for my little brother. He values her life more than his own.
Her thoughts churned. Strange… she thought. Even many cultivators collapse when denied. Yet he stands. And his concern is not survival, but his sister. Such loyalty… rare among mortals. Rare even among us. For the first time, she truly studied him—not as a mistake, not as a burden, but as a man. His back straight, his words carrying weight far beyond his station.
Something shifted within her. She had brought him here by mistake, yet fate seemed to test her through him. Was this truly a mistake? Or a hidden chance? Perhaps this was not chance at all. Perhaps fate had thrown him into her path.
A New Path
Her lips curved slightly. "You are not without courage, Karma Hi. Very well. If you are willing, I can promise two things. First: I will ensure your sister is looked after. My word as a Core Disciple of Azure Edge Pavilion is not given lightly. Second: you may join me. If you become one of my people, I will provide you cultivation resources, techniques, and protection. In return, you will serve me."
The maids gasped. None of them had expected such an offer.
Karma froze. His thoughts tumbled. On the surface, it was exactly what he needed: safety, resources, guidance. To reject her would be to invite danger, even death. To accept… it would tether him to her, bind him to her clan.
He clenched his fists. If I stay near her, I live. I learn. I grow. Mira will help me, and once I am strong enough, I can break free. I don't need to serve forever. Just long enough to build wings.
In the quiet of his mind, Mira giggled. "Ohhh, Master… scheming already? I like this side of you."
Karma exhaled slowly, then knelt on one knee. "Lady Su, I accept."
Su Liana's eyes softened, though her tone stayed regal. "Then rise. From this moment, you are under my protection. Do not squander it." She turned to her maids. "Escort him to one of the guest palaces. See that he is washed, fed, and rested."
The maids bowed hurriedly, still wide-eyed with disbelief.
When Karma stepped out of the prison, the world hit him like a storm.
The air hit him first: crisp, fragrant, filled with the hum of unseen power. His skin tingled as invisible currents brushed him.
A surge of warmth swept through his body. His veins thrummed, his heart raced, and suddenly he felt himself step past a threshold. The energy inside him, once wild and unfocused, settled into rhythm. His half-step foundation solidified into the Body Refinement Realm.
Mountains crowned with jade palaces pierced the clouds. Rivers of light spilled down cliffs into glowing lakes. Bridges arched across waterfalls that seemed woven of starlight. Guards in polished armor stood like statues, each radiating a strength that dwarfed his own.
It was too much. Too vast. Too beautiful.
As he marveled, Mira's melodious voice chimed in his mind:
[Quest Completed: Survive One Night in the Sage Suppression Prison.] [Reward Granted: Hidden Status Function, Basic Cultivation Concealment.]
No one around him noticed. Mira's reward cloaked the shift, hiding his realm from prying eyes.
"Congratulations, Master," Mira said sweetly. "You've officially entered the path of cultivation. Not bad for a mortal."
Karma's lips twitched. He wanted to laugh, to shout, to cry. Instead, he kept his face composed, letting the maids lead him across the bridges toward a gleaming guest palace.
Then, a sudden pressure behind his eyes. Translucent characters shimmered into view, forming a menu only he could see, a vivid reminder of the game-like system in his mind. He recognized the words from the novels, but to see them shimmering into reality, glowing with a soft, ethereal light—it was both terrifying and exhilarating.
Status Screen
Name: Karma Hi
Realm: Body Refinement – Early Stage (Concealed)
Talent: Average (Upgradable)
Comprehension: Budding (Enlightenment: Devour – Minor Attainment)
Quest Completed: Survive One Night in the Sage Suppression Prison.
Hidden Quest Completed: Establish a Backer (Su Liana).
Karma blinked at the screen, heart hammering. This… this is real. He clenched his fists. He had taken his first step.
For now, he would walk behind Su Liana. For now, he would serve. But in his heart, one truth blazed clear: this was only the beginning.