The path from the Servant Quarters to the Outer Court was known as the "Ascension Staircase." It was a thousand steps carved directly into the mountain face, winding up through the mist like the spine of a dragon.
For a normal servant, climbing it was a pilgrimage of exhaustion. For Li Ye, it was a test drive.
He took the stairs two at a time. His new body, tempered by the Ice Empress's Yin Qi and the life force of the thugs he had butchered, felt weightless. The air grew thinner and colder as he ascended, the smell of rot fading, replaced by the crisp, sterile scent of ozone and high-altitude pine.
When he reached the top, the world changed.
Gone were the wooden shacks and mud paths. The Outer Court was a sprawling complex of white stone pavilions, courtyards paved with green jade, and training grounds where the sounds of clashing steel rang out like music.
Disciples in white and azure robes walked with their heads high. They radiated health and arrogance. To them, the servants below were a different species.
Li Ye walked onto the main plaza. His navy-blue robes (stolen from Zhao Hu) were of decent quality, but they lacked the sect insignia, marking him as an outsider or a rogue. Eyes turned to him. Whispers started.
"Who is that?" "I don't recognize him. Is he a new recruit?" "He has blood on his boots."
Li Ye ignored them. His eyes were fixed on the massive, three-story building at the north end of the plaza: The Hall of Judgement.
This was where the sect's administration lived. Where missions were assigned, resources distributed, and—most importantly—where ranks were recorded.
He needed the identity token of an Outer Disciple. Without it, he was just a trespasser waiting to be executed. With it, he was protected by Sect Law—at least, ostensibly.
He walked up the marble steps of the Hall. Two guards stood at the entrance, leaning on spears. They were Body Tempering Layer 4 cultivators.
They moved to cross their spears, blocking him. "Halt. Identify your—"
Li Ye didn't stop. He didn't even slow down. He simply released a sliver of his killing intent—the cold, metallic aura he had cultivated in his past life as a liquidator, now amplified by his cultivation.
The guards froze. Their instincts screamed predator. By the time they blinked, Li Ye had walked past them, the heavy bronze doors groaning as he pushed them open.
Inside, the Hall of Judgement was cool and dim. Rows of counters lined the walls, staffed by bored-looking scribes. The air smelled of ink, old paper, and incense.
Li Ye scanned the room. He bypassed the crowded lines for mission turn-ins and headed straight for the "Assessment and Promotion" counter at the far end.
It was empty, save for the person sitting behind the high mahogany desk.
Li Ye approached. He stopped in front of the desk and looked down.
The person in charge of promotions was not an old man with a white beard. It was a woman. And she was a stark contrast to the icy, ethereal purity of Han Ruoxue.
[SYSTEM ALERT] [TARGET DETECTED: SU HONG] [IDENTITY: OUTER SECT DEACON] [CULTIVATION: QI CONDENSATION LAYER 2] [ATTRIBUTE: FIRE] [THREAT LEVEL: MODERATE]
Deacon Su Hong was a woman in her early thirties, a ripe, mature fruit compared to the green buds of the disciples. She was slumped in her chair, filing her nails with a piece of rough spirit stone, looking utterly bored with existence.
She wore the crimson robes of a Deacon, but she wore them with a scandalous looseness. The fabric was heavy silk, meant to convey authority, but she had unfastened the top three clasps to combat the heat of her own Fire-attribute cultivation.
The result was a deep, plunging neckline that exposed a vast expanse of creamy, flushed skin and the deep, shadowed valley between her breasts. Her chest was heavy, full, and soft, resting on the edge of the desk as she leaned forward. Every time she moved the file, the crimson silk shifted, threatening to reveal the dark areolas barely hidden by the fabric.
She didn't look up as Li Ye approached.
"Name. ID number. Reason for disturbance," she droned, her voice husky and lazy.
"Li Ye. Servant ID 9527. Promotion to Outer Disciple," Li Ye said. His voice was calm, cutting through the ambient noise of the hall.
Su Hong's hand paused. She slowly looked up.
Her face was sultry, with heavy-lidded eyes framed by thick lashes and full, painted red lips that looked perpetually ready to sneer or kiss. She had a mole under her right eye, adding to her charm.
She looked Li Ye up and down, her gaze lingering on his broad shoulders, then drifting down to the sword on his back.
"Li Ye?" She raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "The 'Waste' Li Ye? The one who died in the woodshed yesterday?"
"Rumors of my death were exaggerated," Li Ye said. "And the title 'Waste' is outdated."
Su Hong chuckled. It was a throaty, vibrant sound that made her heavy chest shake. "Is that so? A servant thinks that just because he survived a beating, he can climb the ladder?"
She leaned back, crossing her arms under her breasts, pushing them up further. "To become an Outer Disciple, you need to be at Body Tempering Layer 3. The last time I checked your file, you were stuck at Layer 1 for five years. Unless you found a miracle pill in the latrine, you're wasting my time."
"Test me," Li Ye said.
He placed his hand on the assessment crystal—a large, fist-sized orb of clear quartz sitting on the desk.
Su Hong smirked. "Fine. Humiliate yourself. If the crystal doesn't glow past the third mark, I'll have the guards break your legs for wasting sect resources."
Li Ye wrapped his fingers around the cool stone.
He didn't just pour Qi into it. He shoved it.
He engaged the Ice Empress's energy stored in his dantian.
HUMMM.
The crystal didn't just glow; it screamed. A blinding white light erupted from the core, shooting up the internal gauge.
Mark 1... Mark 2... Mark 3...
It didn't stop.
Mark 4... Mark 5.
The light stabilized at the peak of the fifth mark, radiating a cold, blue hue that caused frost to form on the mahogany desk.
Su Hong's smirk vanished. Her eyes went wide, the boredom instantly replaced by shock. She sat up straight, the motion causing her crimson robes to slip further down her shoulder.
"Layer... Layer 5?" She whispered. She looked from the crystal to Li Ye's face. "Impossible. You were a cripple yesterday."
"I had an epiphany," Li Ye said, releasing the crystal. The frost on the desk began to melt. "Is this sufficient, Deacon Su?"
Su Hong stared at him. She was a woman who appreciated power. In the sect, power was the only currency that mattered. And this boy... this man... had transformed overnight.
Her gaze changed. It was no longer dismissive. It was hungry. She licked her red lips, her eyes tracing the line of his jaw.
"Layer 5 is... more than sufficient," she purred, her voice dropping an octave. "It puts you in the top 30% of the Outer Court instantly."
She reached into a drawer and pulled out a jade token and a set of white robes. But she didn't hand them over. She placed her hand on top of them, her red fingernails tapping against the jade.
"However," she said, leaning forward again, giving him a deliberate view of her cleavage. "The paperwork for a posthumous revival and promotion is... complicated. It requires a lot of stamps. A lot of effort on my part."
She looked him in the eye, a sultry smile playing on her lips. "How do you intend to compensate me for my trouble, Junior Brother Li?"
It was a shake-down. Typical sect corruption. But with Su Hong, the currency wasn't just spirit stones.
Li Ye leaned in, matching her posture. He placed his hands on the desk, looming over her. He could smell her—heavy orchid perfume and the musk of a mature woman.
"I intend to be a very active disciple, Deacon Su," Li Ye said, his voice low. "I will be completing many missions. Bringing in many spoils. A smart investor buys stock early, before the price rises."
Su Hong's eyes sparkled. She liked his boldness. Most disciples stuttered in front of her.
"A smart investor also likes to verify the goods," she murmured.
Before she could release the token, a voice boomed from the entrance of the hall.
"STOP!"
The shout echoed through the chamber. The disciples in the hall fell silent.
Li Ye didn't turn around. He didn't need to. He recognized the voice from the memories.
It was Zhang Fei, the captain of the Hall Guards. And more importantly, Wang Teng's sworn brother.
Heavy footsteps approached. Zhang Fei was a bear of a man, clad in iron armor, holding a heavy glaive. He marched up to the desk, followed by four armed guards.
"Deacon Su!" Zhang Fei barked, ignoring Li Ye. "You cannot register this man!"
Su Hong frowned, annoyed at the interruption. "Captain Zhang. You are shouting in my ear. Why can I not register him?"
"He is a murderer!" Zhang Fei pointed a thick finger at Li Ye's back. "We just found the bodies in the Servant Quarters. Zhao Hu and two others. Brutally slaughtered. Their essence... drained."
The crowd gasped. "Drained? Demonic arts?"
Zhang Fei grinned savagely. "Li Ye! By the order of Senior Brother Wang Teng, I arrest you for the murder of fellow disciples and the practice of forbidden arts! Surrender and cripple your cultivation, and we might leave your corpse intact!"
Li Ye slowly turned around. He looked at Zhang Fei, then at the four guards.
"Zhao Hu attacked me," Li Ye said calmly. "I defended myself. Sect Law, Section 4, Paragraph 2: 'Disputes between servants are not subject to tribunal unless property is damaged.' Zhao Hu was a servant. I was a servant. He died because he was weak."
"You dare quote laws to me?" Zhang Fei roared. "You used demonic arts! Look at you! Layer 5 in one night? You are a monster!"
Zhang Fei swung his glaive. "Seize him! Take him to the dungeon!"
The four guards rushed forward.
Su Hong watched, her eyes narrowing. She didn't intervene. She wanted to see. Was he truly a dragon, or just a lucky snake?
Li Ye sighed. "I hate interruptions."
He moved.
He didn't draw the sword on his back. He didn't need it for trash like this.
As the first guard lunged with a spear, Li Ye sidestepped. He grabbed the spear shaft, twisted his hips, and used the guard's own momentum to hurl him into the second guard.
CRASH.
Armor crunched against armor.
The third guard swung a sword. Li Ye caught the wrist mid-swing. His grip was like a hydraulic press.
SNAP.
"ARGH!" The guard screamed as his wrist shattered. Li Ye spun him around and kicked him in the spine, sending him flying into the fourth guard.
It took three seconds. Four guards were on the floor, groaning.
Zhang Fei stood alone, his mouth slightly open. He was a Layer 6 Body Tempering cultivator. He was strong. But he had never seen such fluid, ruthless efficiency.
"You..." Zhang Fei growled. His face turned purple. "Die!"
He charged. The heavy glaive whistled through the air, aiming to cleave Li Ye in half.
Li Ye's eyes flashed cold.
[SYSTEM ACTIVATED] [ANALYSIS: OPPONENT IS OPEN. HE RELIES ON BRUTE STRENGTH.] [RECOMMENDATION: DISMANTLE.]
Li Ye stepped inside the range of the glaive. It was a risky move, inches from death. The blade passed by his ear, slicing a few strands of hair.
He slammed his shoulder into Zhang Fei's chest.
THUD.
The impact was like a battering ram. Zhang Fei stumbled back, the wind knocked out of him.
Li Ye didn't let up. He swept Zhang Fei's legs, bringing the giant crashing down to the marble floor. Before Zhang Fei could rise, Li Ye stepped on his chest.
He looked down at the Captain.
"Wang Teng sent you?" Li Ye asked softly.
"You're dead!" Zhang Fei spat, blood bubbling on his lips. "Brother Wang will skin you alive!"
"Good," Li Ye said. "Tell him I'm looking forward to it."
He raised his foot and stomped down.
CRACK.
"AAAAHHH!"
Li Ye crushed Zhang Fei's right shoulder. The armor caved in, and the bone beneath shattered. It was a calculated injury—painful, debilitating, but not immediately fatal.
Li Ye stepped off the screaming captain and turned back to the desk. The entire hall was deathly silent.
He looked at Su Hong.
The Deacon was staring at him, her chest heaving. Her face was flushed. The violence, the dominance, the sheer disregard for authority... it had clearly affected her. Her eyes were dark, dilated. She wet her lips.
"He attacked me," Li Ye said, dusting off his robes. "Self-defense."
Su Hong let out a shaky breath. She looked at the carnage on the floor, then back at Li Ye. A slow, knowing smile spread across her face.
"Of course," she whispered. "Self-defense."
She slid the jade token and the white robes across the desk. Her fingers lingered on the token, ensuring their hands touched when he took it. Her skin was hot.
"Welcome to the Outer Sect, Junior Brother Li," she purred. "I expect you to visit me later. To... discuss the rules."
She winked.
Li Ye took the token. [Li Ye - Outer Disciple].
"I'll be sure to stop by," Li Ye said, holding her gaze. "Wash up before I do."
He turned and walked out of the Hall of Judgement, leaving a room full of stunned disciples, a floor covered in groaning guards, and a Deacon who was furiously fanning herself with a file folder.
[SYSTEM NOTICE] [QUEST COMPLETE: PROMOTION] [REWARD: 100 SYSTEM POINTS] [REPUTATION: 'RUTHLESS MADMAN' ESTABLISHED] [NEW UNLOCK: SYSTEM SHOP (TIER 1)]
Li Ye stepped into the sunlight. He had the rank. He had the attention. Now, he needed a weapon that didn't break, and a technique that could kill from a distance.
He checked the newly unlocked System Shop.
[AVAILABLE ITEMS:] 1. PHANTOM STEP (MOVEMENT TECHNIQUE) - 100 PTS 2. YANG RESTORATION PILL - 50 PTS 3. CONCEALMENT TALISMAN - 30 PTS 4. APHRODISIAC DUST (HIGH GRADE) - 20 PTS
Li Ye smirked. "Phantom Step. Purchase."
Knowledge flooded his mind. His legs tingled.
The game was escalating.