["They buried it because it embarrassed them. That's exactly why I'll master it." – Wu Feng]
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Silence.
Not the peace of still water—but the heavy, waiting stillness of stone walls built to keep out everything that doesn't belong.
Which, of course, made it perfect for Wu Feng.
He stood inside the Inner Vault—a sacred cave chamber cut into the heart of Broken Root Mountain, carved by qi-fueled hands and consecrated by generations of legacy cultivators. The others in the Inner Trial were still fighting illusion beasts, spiritual guardians, or each other in the outer zones.
Wu?
He walked in unchallenged, unwelcomed, and entirely unfazed.
The vault was arranged like a half-forgotten shrine. Dozens of shelves formed a square grid, each stacked with scrolls bound in gold-thread silk or jade casings. The most visible ones radiated light—aura-enhanced scrolls gleaming with fire, wind, metal, and lightning scripts.
But Wu Feng didn't look at them.
He didn't need brute force. He needed tools.
He needed something no one else would want—but he could make terrifying.
He moved row by row, calmly, eyes scanning the side-scroll labels.
Seven-Hold Thunderstep – Too flashy. Everyone could trace that.Bloodfire Fang Method – Poison-based. High consumption. Inefficient.Searing Lotus Palm – Literally explodes your hand mid-cultivation. Next.
After ten minutes of scanning, he found it. A scroll half-fallen from its shelf, covered in dust. No glow. No defense formation. No attention.
Silent Wind Movement Art (Supplemental Style)Rank: Unclassified – Not for Trial Ranking UseAnnotation: Deprecated. Failed line. Do not cultivate.
Wu Feng paused.
Then smiled.
He unrolled it slowly.
No gilded edges. No elegance. Just faded ink, smooth and deliberate—like it had been written in defiance.
The art described a strange movement style: no explosive speed, no shocking displacement. Instead, it reduced one's presence to non-threat levels, making one unseen not by illusions, but by spiritual logic.
"Presence dampening," Wu muttered. "They didn't abandon this because it failed. They abandoned it because it offended their hierarchy."
No sect wanted a disciple who could walk into their treasure hall and go unnoticed—especially one not from a proper bloodline.
Wu rolled the scroll tighter, like storing away a quiet secret.
"Perfect."
[+15 PP – Rejected Legacy Claimed][Item Acquired: Silent Wind Movement Scroll (Hidden Tier)][Hidden Effect Unlocked: Perception Drift – Lv. 1]When used in motion, cultivators within one realm above may fail to recognize your presence if not directly focused on you.
New Technique Line Identified: Ghost Step DiscipleYou are the first person in 300 years to accept this technique. All future upgrades are now bound to your system.
Quest Unlocked: Complete 3 missions using Silent Wind without being noticed.
Wu smirked.
"I cultivate in plain sight… and still disappear."
As He Left he placed a single illusion-dust seal on the vault's entrance before exiting. A harmless trick.
Anyone who entered after him would think the scroll had never been touched.
Let the inner disciples waste time fighting over spirit-burning fists and flashy talismans.
He already had the best weapon:
Irrelevance.
Outside the Vault – Later That Night
The trial was over.
Dozens of disciples limped back, injured, furious, victorious, or disappointed.
Elder Han stood beside the Sect Appraisal Stone, recording scroll choices. Fang Muchen's cousin, Fang Kai, stood proudly with a Flame-Focused Technique Pill, clearly expecting praise.
When Wu Feng walked up, empty-handed, wearing the same plain robes, several disciples laughed.
"Trash must've failed," someone muttered.
"He probably never made it to the vault."
Elder Han barely glanced at him.
"You're still alive?"
Wu gave a polite bow. "Didn't want to overachieve."
[+5 PP – Understatement Bluff (While Outranking 22 Participants)]
"Your selection?" Han asked dully.
"I chose not to choose."
A half-lie. Technically.
Han grunted. "As expected."
He marked Wu Feng as [Participant – No Result].
[+5 PP – Hidden Advancement (With Public Humility Penalty)]
Wu's Quarters – Nightfall
He unrolled the scroll again.
No aura burst. No fanfare. No obvious danger.
He studied the three basic forms.
Wind Dissolves Form.Foot Shadow Echo.Drifting Edge Slide.
Each moved through expectation, not against it. You step in the direction a person isn't watching. You breathe so subtly, your presence aligns with background noise.
You become forgettable.
Not invisible—forgettable.
"They called this useless," Wu whispered.
He practiced until sunrise.
By dawn, he moved from wall to door to roof—and no passing outer disciple looked up once.
[Quest Progress: 1/3 – Mission completed without notice][+20 PP – Full Technique Cycle Learned (Without Instructor)]
System Update
Petty Points: 320New Unlocks Available:
Silent Wind Integration: Blend with Light Lv. 1
Meme Cult Infiltration Protocols – Now viable with stealth route unlocked
Petty Shop: Forge-Free Seal Maker (Can replicate sect seals after observation)
Wu leaned against the wooden beam of his room and exhaled slowly.
"I just passed the trial. Got a hidden technique. Avoided detection. Ruined a ranked disciple's career. And still got marked as a failure."
He smiled.
"This is going perfectly."
Across the Sect
The Meme Cult rumors were growing again.
Not because Wu wanted them to—but because no one could explain what was happening.
A scroll vanished from the vault and left no record.
A ranked disciple had been sabotaged days before the trial.
The seal used in the forged invitation had no match in sect archives.
Someone swore they saw a figure vanish between trees, just… fade.
Elder Ming began requesting internal audits.
Elder Han demanded a crackdown on unknown movement arts.
Li Qingyu said nothing—but added Wu Feng's name to her private scroll of "anomalies worth observing."
Wu Feng stood on the outer wall of the Broken Root Sect compound, cloak wrapped around him.
Below, a group of inner sect disciples sparred with talismans and glowing weapons. They were loud, proud, and watched.
He stepped along the edge, moving behind them.
None of them turned.
Not one.
He sat on a spirit lantern post, legs dangling.
"One day," he said quietly, "this world will bow to a name it can't confirm exists."
He pulled out a second scroll from his sleeve—blank.
With careful strokes, he began to write:
"Silent Wind Codex, Vol. 1 – as transcribed by No One."