Morning sunlight filtered through the clouds, casting golden spears over the Heaven's Gate Sect. Disciples bustled through the courtyards and halls, their chatter centered around one name.
Su Chen.
His crushing victory over Huo Lin had shaken the Inner Sect. Rumors clung to his name like vines—some calling him a monster, others whispering he was a hidden heir, or worse… an outsider from beyond therealms.
Su Chen, for his part, ignored the noise. He walked through the inner paths calmly, his cultivation cloak fluttering with the breeze. His destination was clear.
He had been summoned.
The Elder Pavilion stood like a sacred mountain on the eastern side of the sect. The stairway leading to it was lined with dragon-bonelanterns that glowed even in daylight.
At the entrance, a disciple in silver robes bowed. "Elder Li is waiting."
Su Chen nodded and entered.
The interior was quiet. Walls carved from black jade rose around him, etched with ancient runes of suppression. There was power here—layered, silent, and old. A trap to any fool who stepped out of line.
Elder Li sat at the far end of the chamber, behind a wide table of cloud wood. His expression was unreadable, his presence icy, as if he'd long detached from worldly emotions.
Su Chen bowed slightly. "Elder."
"Sit," Li said, motioning with two fingers.
Su Chen obeyed.
For a moment, the elder said nothing, simply sipping tea from a glass cup. Then—
"Do you know why I called you?"
Su Chen met his gaze. "Because I'm disrupting the balance?"
A flicker of amusement touched Li's eyes. "Bold. But correct. Many believe you're a destabilizing force. Uncontrolled. Dangerous."
"And you?"
"I see potential," Li said flatly. "But potential without direction is a blade without a hilt. It cuts, but it can't be wielded."
He leaned forward slightly.
"I am prepared to guide you."
Su Chen's expression didn't change. But inwardly, he was already alert. This wasn't a warning—it was a recruitment.
"What kind of guidance?" he asked slowly.
Elder Li slid a wooden token across the table.
"Access to the Inner Library. The real one. Not the one they give to core disciples, but the restricted vault."
Su Chen picked up the token. It was heavy. Cold. Marked with an ancient glyph for truth.
He raised an eyebrow. "And the price?"
"A single loyalty vow," Li said smoothly. "Temporary. Symbolic. No bindings. Just enough to show you understand your place in the sect."
Su Chen smiled faintly. "And if I refuse?"
The room chilled slightly. Li didn't move—but the air became heavier, like a winter storm creeping under the skin.
"Then your road becomes… more difficult."
Su Chen leaned back, studying the elder.
He knew this type well.
Calculated. Patient. Always planting seeds in others so they could bear fruit later. Never dirtying their own hands.
In his first life, Su Chen had seen countless men like Li. Most of them died thinking they had controlled the storm—only to be devoured by it.
"I appreciate the offer," Su Chen said finally. "But I walk my own path."
A beat of silence.
Li's eyes narrowed slightly. "You may regret this."
Su Chen stood. "Better that than shacklesdisguised as guidance."
He bowed again. Shallower this time.
"Thank you for the tea."
And he left.
Outside, the wind had picked up. Su Chen let it cool his skin. His mind raced—not with doubt, but calculation.
Elder Li was clearly tied to something deeper. The invitation wasn't just about library access. It was a test. A trap. Possibly even a way to monitor him more closely.
> [System Notification: Hidden Quest Triggered – "A Snake Offers Shelter"]
Objective: Survive the Elder's Web – Unknown Rewards
He smiled to himself.
"Let the snake coil," he murmured. "I'll just reset the world it slithers in."
Meanwhile, in a dark chamber below the Sect…
A mirror rippled with black light.
Elder Li's reflection stood before another figure—veiled, feminine, her voice soft and cold.
"He refused?"
"As expected," Li replied.
"Then proceed with Plan B," the woman said. "Have our mole in the disciple ranks monitor his movements. If he approaches the Void Scripture again…"
"We silence him?"
"No," she said, smiling faintly. "We let him dig deeper. The moment he uncovers the truth… then we take what's his."
Back in his quarters, Su Chen sat cross-legged, reviewing the System log.
> [Cultivation Progress: 68% to late Qi Manifestation]
[Starfire Rebirth: Tier I (36% Mastery)]
[New Branch Skill Detected: Voidstep – Locked]
Voidstep. A spatial movement skill, likely buried in the remains of his old path.
"Soon," he whispered. "The real climb begins."
And somewhere far beyond the sect, in the wild lands of the Eastern Wilds…
A crimson gate began to crack open.