The list was posted at dawn.
It was not placed at the main hall, nor near the outer disciple square. Instead, it hung quietly near the task pavilion, pinned to a wooden board that had seen more seasons than most of the disciples standing before it.
Li Chen arrived when the crowd was already thick.
No shouting. No excitement.
Only low voices and the sound of breathing.
This was not a glorious mission. Everyone knew that. A minor sect assignment meant work outside the mountain, dealing with spirit fields, damaged formations, sometimes escorting supplies to affiliated villages.
But it also meant leaving Qingyun Sect.
Leaving the rules.
Leaving the balance.
Li Chen stood at the back and waited.
Names were read aloud anyway.
A senior disciple stood beside the board, his tone flat and practiced.
"Zhao Ming."
A pause.
"Sun Hao."
A ripple went through the crowd.
Sun Hao was strong. Ranked high. His presence alone shifted the weight of the mission.
"Chen Yu."
"Li Chen."
For a moment, Li Chen thought he had misheard.
Then Zhang Wei turned around sharply.
Their eyes met.
Li Chen felt a subtle tightening in his chest.
So it was him.
He stepped forward calmly, acknowledging the call with a nod.
The senior disciple continued reading.
Twelve names in total.
No explanations.
When it was over, the senior rolled the list back up and left without another word.
The crowd slowly dispersed.
Some faces carried relief. Others disappointment. A few showed thinly veiled envy.
Zhang Wei walked up to Li Chen, lowering his voice.
"You're going?"
Li Chen nodded. "Looks like it."
Zhang Wei frowned. "Be careful. People say missions like this are never just labor."
Li Chen smiled lightly. "They rarely are."
Zhang Wei hesitated, then said quietly, "Come back."
Li Chen gave a short nod.
He did not promise.
Preparation took the rest of the morning.
The selected disciples gathered near the outer gate, each receiving a simple pack. Dried rations. A water gourd. Two talismans sealed in yellow paper.
Low-grade.
Barely useful in a real fight.
An elder in pale grey robes appeared briefly.
"This mission is to inspect and restore spirit channels near Yunhe Village," he said. "No unnecessary conflict. No deviation from the route."
His gaze lingered on the group.
"Return in seven days."
Then he left.
No encouragement.
No warning.
Sun Hao naturally took the lead as they descended the mountain path. No one objected.
Li Chen walked near the back.
The path out of Qingyun Sect felt different from the ascent weeks ago. The air grew heavier as they descended. The faint warmth of spirit qi thinned, replaced by ordinary mountain wind and dust.
[System Notice]
[Environmental Qi Density: Decreasing]
[Adjustment Recommended]
Li Chen subtly altered his breathing.
By midday, the mountain was behind them.
They rested near a stream.
Sun Hao crouched by the water, washing his hands. "We'll reach Yunhe Village by nightfall if we keep pace."
A disciple asked, "Any known issues?"
Sun Hao shook his head. "Minor disruptions. Crops wilting early. Likely damaged spirit veins."
Another nodded. "Easy enough."
Li Chen said nothing.
Easy tasks rarely required inner sect oversight.
They resumed walking.
As the sun dipped lower, Li Chen felt it.
A faint distortion.
Not hostile.
But wrong.
He slowed slightly, letting the others move ahead.
[System Alert]
[Anomalous Qi Fluctuation Detected]
[Range: Medium]
Li Chen focused.
The fluctuation was uneven, like something had scraped through the land and left a wound that never healed properly.
Not natural.
They reached Yunhe Village at dusk.
Low houses clustered around terraced fields. Lanterns flickered as villagers finished their work.
An old man greeted them at the entrance, bowing deeply.
"Esteemed immortals, thank you for coming."
Sun Hao returned the gesture politely. "Show us the fields."
They followed him past the village.
The spirit fields lay along a shallow slope. At first glance, they looked healthy.
Too healthy.
The crops stood straight, leaves glossy, almost unnaturally uniform.
Li Chen's steps slowed.
[System Warning]
[Qi Pattern: Forced Circulation]
[Conclusion: External Interference]
Sun Hao knelt and pressed his palm to the soil.
His brows furrowed.
"This isn't right."
The old man wrung his hands. "The harvest improved at first. Then… the ground began to crack at night."
Crack.
Li Chen looked around.
He saw it now. Fine fissures in the soil, hidden beneath leaves.
Like veins under skin.
Sun Hao stood. "Set up perimeter. No one wanders alone."
The disciples obeyed quickly.
As night fell, the air grew cold.
Li Chen volunteered for second watch.
He sat near the edge of the fields, eyes half-lidded, senses extended.
The ground pulsed faintly.
Then it stopped.
Too suddenly.
[System Alert]
[Movement Detected Underground]
Li Chen stood slowly.
He did not call out.
He waited.
The soil split.
Not violently.
Quietly.
Something dark slid free, shaped vaguely like a centipede but far larger, its body segmented and glossy, eyes dull and numerous.
A spirit beast.
No.
A corrupted one.
Li Chen's breath steadied.
[Threat Assessment]
[Target Realm: Equivalent to Early Foundation Establishment]
[Host Realm: Late Body Refinement]
[Cross-Realm Combat: Possible with Conditions]
The beast froze.
Its many eyes fixed on Li Chen.
Then it lunged.
Li Chen moved.
Not forward.
Sideways.
He let the beast overshoot, its bulk crashing into the soil where he had been. The ground shook.
Shouts rose behind him.
Sun Hao's aura flared.
Li Chen did not wait.
He drew on everything he had built.
Not power.
Control.
He struck.
A simple punch, aimed not at the beast's body, but at the thin seam between its segments.
Qi flowed cleanly.
The impact landed.
The beast shrieked.
It recoiled, not injured badly, but startled.
Enough.
Sun Hao arrived in a blur, blade flashing.
The corrupted beast was cut down moments later.
Silence returned slowly.
Sun Hao turned to Li Chen, eyes sharp.
"You sensed it first."
Li Chen wiped dirt from his sleeve. "Luck."
Sun Hao stared at him for a long moment.
Then nodded.
"Good instincts."
[System Notice]
[Cross-Realm Engagement Successful]
[Qi Stability: Maintained]
The villagers emerged cautiously.
The old man bowed repeatedly.
"Thank you, immortals. Thank you."
Sun Hao sheathed his blade. "We'll cleanse the fields tomorrow."
That night, Li Chen sat apart from the others.
He replayed the moment in his mind.
The timing.
The control.
He had not crossed the boundary.
But he had touched it.
[Host :- Li Chen]
[Qi Stability: 30%]
[Cross-Realm Combat: Confirmed Under Controlled Conditions]
Li Chen closed his eyes.
So this was the cost of stepping outside.
The world did not wait for realms to align.
It only tested whether one could survive the mismatch.
Above Yunhe Village, clouds drifted silently.
And somewhere beneath the soil, something else stirred, deeper, slower, waiting for attention it had not yet received.