The infirmary of the Heavenly Pattern Academy was hushed, the air thick with the scent of crushed medicinal herbs and the hum of high-tier healing arrays. Zhao Chen lay motionless on a bed of Spirit-Soothing Jade, his skin pale and his breathing shallow. To the medical disciples attending him, he was a hero on the verge of spiritual collapse—a boy who had traded his very foundation to achieve a momentary miracle.
Deep within his spiritual sea, however, the reality was a silent storm of evolution.
[Ding! Objective 'The Tournament of Tides' — REWARDS DISTRIBUTED.]
[Reward 1: 1,000 System Points. (Current Balance: 1,050)]
[Reward 2: 'Spiritual Masking' Upgrade to Level 3.]
[Reward 3: Hidden Attribute 'Thermal Absorption' (Derived from Solar Flare essence).]
[Ding! Cultivation Level-Up!]
[Level 16... Level 17!]
[Status: Soul Apprentice (92% to Level 18)]
Zhao Chen felt the Level 3 Spiritual Masking settle over his soul like a shroud of absolute void. If Level 2 was a physical film, Level 3 was a conceptual erasure. His soul power no longer just looked "shallow"; it felt like stagnant, lukewarm water that had no potential for growth. Even a Soul Sovereign would now likely overlook him as a "burnt-out talent" whose potential was exhausted during the final match.
"System," Zhao Chen called out mentally, relishing the newfound density of his meridians. "Analyze the Solar Flare essence. What did the Hydra take from Lu Tian?"
[Analysis: The Hydra has consumed the 'Solar Core' of the Solar Flare Hawk. You have gained a sub-attribute: Solar-Negative Venom. Your 'Life-Seizing Bloom' can now inflict internal soul-burns that are invisible to the naked eye.]
Suddenly, the heavy doors of the infirmary creaked open. Zhao Chen immediately adjusted his heartbeat to a ragged, uneven rhythm.
Proctor Meng entered, followed by a woman whose presence made the healing arrays flicker—the Head of the Medical Pavilion, a Level 64 Soul Emperor.
"Is he stable?" Meng asked, his voice uncharacteristically low.
The Soul Emperor placed a hand over Zhao Chen's chest. He felt a cool, clinical probe of soul power drift through his body. Thanks to Level 3 Masking, the probe slid off his "void" meridians like rain off a glass pane.
"He is lucky to be alive," the woman sighed. "His meridians are hollow, and his Thorny Vine spirit is nearly transparent. It seems the recoil from Lu Tian's Solar Flare caused a total spiritual drain. He won the match, but he may never reach the Soul Master stage at this rate."
Proctor Meng's face hardened. "What a waste. To possess such capacity and stability, only to break himself in a freshman tournament. The Lu family is already demanding an investigation into the 'recoil', but it's clear Lu Tian simply couldn't handle his own power."
"Leave him," the woman said. "He needs rest, though I fear he will wake up to find himself a commoner in all but name."
As they exited, Zhao Chen opened one eye, the amber glow of the Abyssal Eye flickering for a split second.
"Burnt out? A commoner?" Zhao Chen mentally chuckled. "Perfect. That is the best armor I could have asked for."
[Ding! New Objective: 'The Silent Advancement.']
[Task: Reach Level 21 (Soul Master) within 30 days while maintaining the 'Burnt-Out' facade.]
[Reward: Awakening of the Hydra's Second Head (The Shadow-Gorgon).]
Zhao Chen sat up slowly, the Spirit-Soothing Jade beneath him cracking slightly from the raw density of his Level 17 soul power that he briefly let loose. He reached into his storage ring and pulled out the notes Xiao Lan had given him—the ones regarding the Western Hunting Grounds.
The Academy would now ignore him. The Silver and Gold classes would treat him with pity or mockery. No one would follow a "broken" student into the woods.
"Lu Tian was just the appetizer," Zhao Chen whispered, his gaze turning toward the window where the moon hung high over the Capital. "Now, I need a 1,000-year soul ring to officially enter the Soul Master stage. And I know exactly where to find it."
He vanished from the bed, leaving behind a simple 'Mirror Image'—a low-cost illusion provided by the System—to hold his place in the infirmary. The merchant's son was going hunting, and this time, he wouldn't need to trip to win.
****
The "Mirror Image" left in the infirmary bed was a masterpiece of the System's deception—a flickering, low-power construct that radiated the exact frequency of a shattered, recovering Level 17 soul. Meanwhile, the real Zhao Chen was a ghost in the moonlight, moving through the dense foliage of the Western Hunting Grounds with a speed that defied his "injured" status.
With Spiritual Masking Level 3 active, Zhao Chen didn't just hide his presence; he seemed to vanish from the world's causality. The nocturnal birds didn't stop chirping as he passed, and the predatory beasts didn't catch a scent. To the environment, he was as significant as a breeze.
[Ding! Scanning Western Hunting Grounds: Zone 4 (High Danger).]
[Identified Lifeforms: Obsidian Boars (500-year), Silver-Winged Bats (700-year).]
[Warning: Deep-forest resonance detected. A 1,200-year Abyssal Shadow-Leopard is active in the vicinity.]
"A 1,200-year beast," Zhao Chen murmured, his feet barely touching the mossy ground. "A purple ring is required to break into the Soul Master Stage (Level 21). The Abyssal Shadow-Leopard matches the Hydra's second head perfectly."
He reached the coordinates Xiao Lan had marked in her notes. The area was a natural bowl formed by ancient, twisted Spirit-Oaks. The air here was heavy with a purple mist—miasma produced by the Shadow-Leopard to disorient its prey.
Zhao Chen didn't use his Thorny Crawling Vine yet. Instead, he channeled the Solar-Negative Venom he had stolen from Lu Tian into his fingertips. The cold, dark heat acted as a natural repellent to the leopard's miasma.
Suddenly, the shadows beneath a Spirit-Oak detached themselves.
The Abyssal Shadow-Leopard didn't roar. It was a creature of silence, a mass of sleek, violet-black fur and eyes that glowed like dying embers. It recognized an intruder, but its predatory instincts were confused—Zhao Chen looked like a weakling, yet he stood in the center of its territory without a hint of fear.
[Ding! Combat Analysis initiated.]
[Target: Abyssal Shadow-Leopard (1,200 Years).]
[Probability of detection if Hydra is summoned: 0.01% (Within Masking Zone).]
[Recommendation: Use the 'Gaze of the Abyssal Eye' to paralyze the target's shadow.]
"No more tripping," Zhao Chen whispered. "No more accidents."
He raised his hand. For the first time since entering the Academy, he allowed the Nine-Headed Hydra to manifest partially. A single, colossal head—not the first one he used for the Pit Viper, but the Second Head, the one with the Shadow-Gorgon attributes—flickered into existence behind him.
The Shadow-Leopard froze. The 1,200-year-old predator, which usually hunted Soul Grandmasters for sport, felt a primal terror it couldn't comprehend. It tried to retreat into the shadows, but the shadows were no longer its allies.
"Gaze of the Abyssal Eye: Absolute Stillness," Zhao Chen commanded.
The Hydra's second head opened its eyes. A wave of dark energy washed over the clearing. The leopard's shadow was pinned to the ground by invisible stakes of soul power. The beast let out a strangled whimper as its internal soul power began to implode under the Hydra's superior pressure.
Zhao Chen stepped forward, his Thorny Crawling Vine emerging—not as a sickly gray weed, but as a vibrant, black-marbled weapon of execution. The vines didn't just entangle; they pierced the leopard's vital points, the Life-Seizing Bloom working at a rate 500% faster than during the tournament.
[Ding! Extraction Complete.]
[1,200-year Abyssal Shadow-Leopard defeated.]
[Processing Soul Essence...]
[Level 17... Level 18... Level 19!]
A rich, vibrant Purple Soul Ring began to condense over the leopard's carcass. It pulsed with a terrifying intensity, far beyond what any Soul Apprentice should be able to absorb.
[Warning: Absorbing a 1,200-year Purple Ring at Level 19 is dangerous for 99.9% of cultivators. The 'Soul Stability' requirement is 450 units. Your current stability: 510 units.] [System Note: Because the Hydra has already 'broken' the beast's spirit, the absorption will be 100% efficient.]
Zhao Chen sat cross-legged in the center of the purple mist, the ring descending toward him. As it touched his skin, the Hydra's second head let out a silent roar of triumph, its scales turning from phantom-gray to a solid, obsidian purple.
[Ding! Absorption Sequence Initiated.]
[Estimated Time to Level 21 (Soul Master): 72 Hours.]
[Status: Evolving.]
Back at the Academy, the "Mirror Image" in the infirmary bed let out a soft, pained groan, perfectly mimicking a patient in a deep, dreamless sleep. No one noticed that the air in the room had grown a fraction colder, or that the "broken" hero was currently becoming the most dangerous man in the Empire.
****
The forest clearing was a vortex of violet light and suffocating pressure. The 1,200-year Purple Soul Ring constricted around Zhao Chen, its energy lashing out like a trapped storm. Normally, a Level 19 Soul Apprentice attempting to absorb a millennium-grade ring would face instant spiritual implosion. The "Soul Stability" required was far beyond the limits of a human at this stage.
But Zhao Chen was not merely human; he was the vessel for a God-Tier catastrophe.
[Ding! Soul Ring Integration: 45%... 68%... 85%.]
[System Note: The Hydra's second head is actively reshaping your meridians to accommodate the 'Abyssal Shadow-Leopard' essence.]
Inside his spiritual sea, the second head of the Nine-Headed Hydra fully solidified. It was sleek, covered in obsidian scales that seemed to absorb the light around them. Its eyes were not like the burning amber of the first head; they were twin voids of swirling purple mist.
[Ding! Level 19... Level 20... Level 21!]
[Breakthrough Successful: Soul Master Stage reached.]
As the final wisps of the purple ring vanished into his chest, a shockwave of pure soul power erupted from Zhao Chen. The Spirit-Oaks in the clearing groaned, their leaves turning black and crumbling. The "Shadow-Gorgon" had awakened.
[Ding! Objective 'The Silent Advancement' — COMPLETED.]
[Reward: Awakening of the Hydra's Second Head (The Shadow-Gorgon).]
[New Skills Unlocked:]
Hydra Skill: Gorgon's Gaze. A mental-type suppression that turns an opponent's soul power into "stone," temporarily paralyzing their ability to use martial spirits.
Vine Skill: Umbral Constriction. The Thorny Crawling Vine can now detach from the host and travel through shadows, striking from an enemy's own silhouette.
Zhao Chen stood up. He felt... immense. His Soul Capacity had tripled, and his Soul Stability had stabilized at a staggering 600 units. He looked at his hand; a flick of his wrist caused the air to ripple with dark, liquid-like energy.
"Level 21," he whispered. "The threshold of a true master."
[Ding! Warning: You have 12 hours before the 'Mirror Image' in the infirmary expires. Return is advised to maintain the 'Burnt-Out' status.]
"System, use 200 points to upgrade the Mirror Image's durability for another 24 hours," Zhao Chen commanded. "I'm not going back yet. If I've reached the Soul Master stage, I need to test the limit of 'Spiritual Masking' Level 3."
[Ding! 200 System Points deducted. (Current Balance: 850)] [Mirror Image extended.]
Zhao Chen turned toward the deeper parts of the Western Hunting Grounds—the Forbidden Zone, where 5,000-year beasts were rumored to roam. He wanted to see if the "Gorgon's Gaze" could suppress a beast twice his current level.
As he moved, he didn't run; he stepped into a shadow and reappeared twenty meters away. This was the passive mobility of the Shadow-Gorgon.
He didn't notice, however, that a single silver crane feather was floating high above the canopy.
In the Heavenly Pattern Academy – Observation Tower
Senior Sister Liu gasped, her hand flying to her chest as her Moonveil Crane spirit let out a sharp, distressed cry.
"What is it?" Proctor Meng asked, looking up from a report on the tournament damages.
"My Crane... it felt a 'Void' in the Western Wilds," Liu said, her face pale. "Not a presence, Proctor. An absence. As if a piece of the forest was simply... erased."
Meng frowned. "The 1,200-year Leopard is in that sector. Perhaps it is evolving."
"No," Liu whispered, her thoughts flying to the infirmary where Zhao Chen lay "broken." "It felt like the boy's eyes. That same cold, logical abyss."
She turned and sprinted toward the medical wing. She didn't believe in miracles, and she certainly didn't believe in "burnt-out" geniuses who recovered in a single night.
Inside the infirmary, the "Mirror Image" of Zhao Chen lay sleeping, its chest rising and falling in perfect rhythm. Liu burst into the room, her Moonveil Crane manifesting in a burst of silver light. She sent a sharp needle of soul power toward the boy's arm.
The needle passed through the skin. No blood. No flinch.
The image flickered for a millisecond before the System's 200-point upgrade stabilized it.
Liu froze. "An illusion... a Soul Master level illusion." Her heart hammered against her ribs. "Zhao Chen... who exactly are you?"
[Ding! Critical Warning: Senior Sister Liu has discovered the 'Mirror Image'.]
[Probability of Host's Identity Exposure: 40%.]
[Recommendation: Immediate return and 'Active Neutralization' of the witness.]
Deep in the forest, Zhao Chen's amber eyes snapped open. The "Gaze of the Abyssal Eye" had picked up the resonance of his Mirror Image being attacked.
"She found out sooner than I expected," Zhao Chen said, his voice dropping into a chilling register. "I suppose I'll have to show the Senior Sister what happens when you look too closely into the Hydra's nest."
He stepped into the shadow of a tree, his silhouette stretching out toward the Academy like a reaching claw. The hunt wasn't just for beasts anymore—it was for the silence of his secrets.