The first thing Li Shen noticed was the silence.
It wasn't the peaceful kind that followed sleep, but a hollow stillness — as if the world itself had stopped breathing.
He opened his eyes to find himself standing on a cobblestone path that stretched endlessly through the night. Above him hung a sea of stars so vast and close that he could almost touch them.
Yet… there was no sun, no moon — only an eternal twilight.
"Am I… dead?"
His voice sounded small against the cosmic vastness. The last thing he remembered was blood — his own — and the burning ache of betrayal.
He'd been a disciple of the Azure Peak Sect, a nameless one among thousands. When his senior brother framed him for theft, he'd been beaten, crippled, and thrown off the mountain. His last sight had been the sect's banners fluttering in the wind — beautiful and cruel.
Now, he stood here. Alive. Whole. And utterly alone.
At the end of the path stood a building.
It was old but not decayed, its wood glowing faintly with silver light. Lanterns hung from its eaves, swaying though there was no wind. Above the door, a sign shimmered into existence — golden script written in ancient runes.
The Midnight Lodge
As he approached, the door creaked open on its own. A whisper echoed through the air, neither male nor female, but ancient — a voice that seemed to vibrate through his very soul.
[System Activation Complete.]
[Welcome, Keeper.]
[Initializing Ownership Protocols…]
Li Shen froze. "System?"
[You have been chosen as the Keeper of the Midnight Lodge.]
[Bound Soul Detected: Mortal Ascendant — Li Shen.]
[Beginning Synchronization.]
A flood of information poured into his mind — visions of countless guests: cultivators with golden eyes, beasts that walked as men, celestial maidens whose laughter could shatter stars. All of them stepping through the lodge's doors under the same eternal sky.
He gasped, clutching his head as the flood of knowledge subsided.
[Keeper Synchronization: 7%… 28%… 100%.]
[The Lodge recognizes your soul.]
Light erupted from the floor, coalescing into intricate sigils beneath his feet. When it faded, Li Shen found himself standing inside the lodge.
The interior was breathtaking — marble floors with flowing star-patterns, walls lined with lanterns that glowed like captured moons, and a massive counter of celestial wood that seemed to hum faintly. Behind it, an old brass bell gleamed softly.
[Tutorial Initiated.]
[Objective: Serve your first guest.]
"Serve?" Li Shen murmured. "But there's no one here."
Before he could finish the thought, the bell chimed on its own.
Ding.
The air shimmered, and a figure stepped out of the darkness — cloaked in mist, barefoot, with silver hair that rippled like flowing light. When the figure spoke, its voice carried both warmth and sorrow.
"You must be the new Keeper."
Li Shen's instincts screamed danger, yet his body couldn't move. The figure's presence wasn't hostile, merely… vast. As if he stood before a mountain pretending to be human.
"Who are you?" Li Shen whispered.
The stranger smiled faintly. "A traveler who has walked too long. Tonight, I seek rest — and perhaps, a memory forgotten."
[Guest Detected: Rank — Immortal Soul Stage.]
[Warning: Guest's cultivation vastly exceeds Keeper's current level.]
[System Advice: Do not provoke the guest.]
Li Shen swallowed hard. "R-right. Welcome to the Midnight Lodge…"
The immortal's smile deepened. "Then pour me a drink, Keeper. Let us see if your hands can still serve the heavens."
[Quest Activated: "First Service"]
Reward: ???
As Li Shen reached for the cup, the System's voice whispered again — quieter, almost reverent.
[Remember, Keeper — every guest carries a story.]
[And some stories… reshape worlds.]
Outside, the stars flickered.
The endless night deepened.
And somewhere far beyond the sky, something ancient stirred — watching.