Li Tian had reached an important conclusion.
Ancient spirit beasts were unreliable.
Ancient formations were dangerous.
Mysterious strangers were annoying.
And the system inside his mind had an unfortunate habit of revealing information only after it became a problem.
Most importantly, sleeping on the floor was terrible for his back.
“Bao Bao,” he said, sitting cross-legged beside his broken bed, “I have decided to make a change in my life.”
The white fox opened one eye.
“Excellent. Sell your belongings, buy me a mountain of spiritual fruit, and retire somewhere peaceful.”
“I was thinking of becoming stronger.”
Bao Bao closed his eye again.
“Disappointing.”
Li Tian ignored him and opened the system interface.
[Hidden Cultivation System]
Host: Li Tian
Public Cultivation: Qi Refinement Layer 1
Stored Cultivation: 1,155 years
Passive Abilities: Hidden Aura, Formation Affinity, Danger Detection
Memory Recovery: 0.03%
Current Warning: External observers remain active.
Li Tian studied the stored cultivation figure.
More than a thousand years of cultivation energy sat inside him, yet his public aura remained at the first layer of Qi Refinement. He could release some of that energy to improve his strength, but doing so near the ancient seal might trigger another dangerous reaction.
He needed a safer way to train.
“Can I use the stored cultivation to improve my control without releasing my aura?” he asked.
[System Response]
Controlled internal circulation is possible.
Warning: Excessive circulation may trigger dormant memories.
Li Tian sighed.
“Everything triggers dormant memories.”
Bao Bao lifted his head.
“That's because your memories are apparently more troublesome than you are.”
“Do you know a safe training method?”
The fox considered this.
“Of course.”
Li Tian waited.
Bao Bao stretched.
“First, acquire a comfortable bed.”
Li Tian threw a pillow at him.
The fox dodged it with insulting ease.
“Your temper will destroy your Dao heart,” Bao Bao declared.
“My Dao heart is fine. My patience is dying.”
Before Bao Bao could respond, someone knocked on the door.
Three sharp knocks.
Li Tian opened it.
Elder Zhao stood outside.
Behind him were two inner disciples dressed in dark blue robes.
“Li Tian,” the elder said. “Come with me.”
Li Tian glanced at the broken bed.
“May I ask where we're going?”
“To the inner sect.”
Li Tian blinked.
“Did I do something wrong?”
Elder Zhao gave him a long look.
“That depends on what you consider wrong.”
Bao Bao immediately climbed onto Li Tian's shoulder.
“I am coming too.”
“No,” Elder Zhao said.
Bao Bao stared at him.
“You dare separate a master and his disciple?”
“Li Tian is not your disciple.”
“Then why does he feed me?”
Elder Zhao's expression became exhausted.
“Bring the fox if you must. Just make sure it doesn't eat anything important.”
Bao Bao raised his chin.
“I make no promises.”
The inner sect occupied the eastern side of Heavenly Cloud Mountain, separated from the outer disciple quarters by a broad stone bridge.
The buildings here were larger, the spiritual energy denser, and the courtyards considerably cleaner. Disciples in blue robes practiced sword techniques beneath ancient pines, while others meditated beside clear streams.
Li Tian walked behind Elder Zhao, trying not to look too interested.
He had spent three years among outer disciples. Although he had never particularly desired fame, he couldn't deny that the inner sect offered better cultivation resources.
A peaceful courtyard, a decent bed, and a library with fewer restrictions sounded appealing.
Unfortunately, he suspected Elder Zhao hadn't brought him here to admire the scenery.
“Why am I visiting the inner sect?” Li Tian asked.
“The sect master has ordered an investigation into the formation that appeared in your room.”
“That seems reasonable.”
“You also demonstrated an unusual understanding of ancient formations.”
“I touched a needle.”
“And the entire array collapsed.”
“It was poorly constructed.”
Elder Zhao stopped walking.
Li Tian stopped too.
The elder studied him with narrowed eyes.
“Do you understand why I find your explanations difficult to believe?”
“Because you're an elder and I'm an outer disciple?”
“Because every time something impossible happens around you, you look as though you're explaining a minor inconvenience.”
Li Tian thought about that.
“Would you prefer that I panic?”
“No.”
“Then I'm doing well.”
Elder Zhao stared at him for another moment before continuing down the path.
Bao Bao whispered into Li Tian's ear.
“I like this elder. He has the patience of a man who has already accepted his suffering.”
“I can hear you,” Elder Zhao said.
The fox immediately looked innocent.
“I was praising your wisdom.”
“You were not.”
“Your wisdom includes excellent hearing.”
Elder Zhao decided not to respond.
It was becoming increasingly clear that some battles were not worth fighting.
They arrived at a secluded courtyard near the inner sect's eastern wall.
A young man stood beneath a pine tree, dressed in black cultivation robes with silver trim. He appeared to be around twenty years old, with sharp features and a sword hanging at his waist.
His posture was relaxed, but his spiritual aura was tightly controlled.
Li Tian sensed that the man was far stronger than an ordinary outer disciple.
Elder Zhao introduced him.
“This is Han Feng, an inner disciple. He specializes in sword techniques and formation analysis.”
Han Feng inclined his head.
“Elder Zhao.”
Then his eyes settled on Li Tian.
“This is the outer disciple who collapsed the Void Court formation?”
Li Tian immediately shook his head.
“No. That sounds like someone much more capable than me.”
Han Feng raised an eyebrow.
“Did the formation collapse by itself?”
“Perhaps it was tired.”
Bao Bao snorted.
Han Feng looked at the fox.
“Your spirit beast has an unusual aura.”
“He eats too much,” Li Tian replied. “That may be related.”
“Rude!” Bao Bao protested.
Han Feng's expression barely changed, but a hint of amusement entered his eyes.
Elder Zhao gestured toward the center of the courtyard.
“Han Feng has been examining the remaining formation fragments. He believes the intruder's technique resembles a method used by the Void Court several centuries ago.”
Han Feng took a small black object from his sleeve.
It was a fragment of one of the needles recovered from Li Tian's room.
“This material absorbs spiritual energy rather than conducting it. Ordinary formations would use it to suppress an opponent's cultivation or disrupt a defensive barrier.”
He placed the fragment on a stone table.
“But the intruder used it to construct a spatial extraction formation. That requires an advanced understanding of both space and spiritual flow.”
Li Tian studied the fragment.
Its surface was covered with tiny marks.
At first glance, the marks seemed random. But after a few seconds, he noticed that they repeated at regular intervals.
The fragment wasn't simply absorbing energy.
It was storing the pattern of energy passing through it.
A thought came to him.
“Could it be recording the formation it touches?”
Han Feng's expression changed.
Elder Zhao leaned closer.
“What makes you think that?”
Li Tian pointed to the marks.
“These lines repeat, but not perfectly. If they were decorative, they would be consistent. They look more like traces left behind by different energy flows.”
Han Feng picked up the fragment and examined it more carefully.
After a long pause, he looked at Li Tian.
“You may be right.”
Li Tian felt a faint sense of relief.
Good. I have contributed something normal for once.
Then Han Feng added, “If this is correct, the intruder could have used the fragment to study the sect's defensive network.”
Li Tian's relief vanished.
“That seems less good.”
“It is considerably less good,” Elder Zhao agreed.
Han Feng turned the fragment over.
“There's something else. This material is old, but the formation marks are recent. Someone has been using ancient Void Court techniques to map the sect's defenses.”
“Why?” Li Tian asked.
Neither elder answered immediately.
Finally, Han Feng spoke.
“Because the sect is protecting something.”
Li Tian looked toward the western mountain.
The ancient chamber.
The nine rings.
The voice that called him its child.
He kept his expression neutral.
“Perhaps the sect has many valuable treasures.”
Han Feng's gaze sharpened.
“Perhaps.”
For a moment, the two young men studied each other.
Li Tian sensed that Han Feng was not an ordinary inner disciple. His cultivation was strong, but there was something unusual about his aura. It seemed restrained, as though he were deliberately keeping part of his strength hidden.
That made two of them.
Three, if Bao Bao counted.
And perhaps the entire sect was full of people pretending to be weaker than they were.
Li Tian decided he preferred farming.
Han Feng placed the black fragment inside a small wooden box.
“Elder Zhao, I believe the formation can be traced to a source within the sect.”
“You suspect an insider?”
“The intruder knew where to place the needles. He knew which defensive points would connect to the ancient chamber. That information is difficult to obtain from outside.”
“Who has access to the old records?”
“Several elders. A few formation instructors. And certain inner disciples assigned to inspect the defensive network.”
Li Tian glanced at the young man.
“Does that mean one of them is a traitor?”
“Not necessarily,” Han Feng replied. “Someone could have stolen the records, copied them, or been manipulated.”
He paused.
“But I have already found an inconsistency.”
Han Feng drew a folded sheet of paper from his sleeve. It contained a rough map of the western forest.
Several red marks had been placed along the perimeter.
“These locations correspond to damaged boundary stones. According to the official records, the stones were inspected six months ago.”
Elder Zhao frowned.
“That is correct.”
“Then explain this.”
Han Feng pointed to a mark near the eastern slope.
“This stone was replaced only three days ago. The replacement is recorded in the maintenance ledger, but the person who signed the entry does not exist in the sect's current or former personnel records.”
Li Tian leaned closer.
“What name was written?”
Han Feng unfolded the lower portion of the paper.
Qiu Ming.
Bao Bao suddenly stopped licking his paw.
Li Tian noticed.
“Do you know that name?” he whispered.
The fox did not answer.
Han Feng continued speaking.
“I searched the archives. There is no Qiu Ming listed among the sect's elders, disciples, servants, or formation specialists. Someone used a false identity to gain access to the defensive network.”
Elder Zhao's expression grew grim.
“Bring the maintenance ledger to the sect master. Quietly. We cannot allow the traitor to discover that we are investigating.”
Han Feng nodded.
Then he turned to Li Tian.
“I would like you to assist me.”
Li Tian stared at him.
“Me?”
“You noticed the formation flaw. You may notice something we have overlooked.”
“Wouldn't another experienced formation specialist be more appropriate?”
“You have already demonstrated that experience is not the only useful quality.”
Li Tian opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Then tried another approach.
“I'm an outer disciple. I have chores, cultivation practice, and a broken bed to replace.”
Han Feng looked genuinely confused.
“A broken bed?”
Bao Bao nodded solemnly.
“It was a tragedy.”
Elder Zhao rubbed his forehead.
“Li Tian, you will assist Han Feng for one day. This is an order.”
Li Tian lowered his head.
“Understood, Elder.”
Inside, he sighed.
My peaceful life has officially ended.
Their first destination was the archive annex near the eastern wall.
Unlike the main library, the annex contained maintenance records, formation diagrams, and old reports that few disciples ever read.
Han Feng unlocked the door.
Dust floated through the sunlight.
Rows of wooden shelves stretched into the room, filled with scrolls and ledgers.
Li Tian looked around.
“This place is larger than I expected.”
“Most disciples find records boring,” Han Feng said. “They prefer sword manuals and cultivation techniques.”
“That sounds understandable.”
“Do you?”
“Do I what?”
“Prefer sword manuals?”
Li Tian considered his answer.
“I prefer manuals that teach me how to avoid being stabbed.”
Han Feng gave a short laugh.
“I may have one for you.”
They began searching the maintenance records.
For nearly an hour, they found nothing useful.
Li Tian examined several diagrams, looking for the unusual redirection pattern he had seen in the western forest. Han Feng checked the signatures on the inspection reports.
Then Li Tian found a page that made him stop.
The diagram showed a formation surrounding the western mountain. Most of the lines were drawn in dark ink, but a thin section near the bottom had been added in red.
Someone had altered the original design.
The change was subtle.
A single line had been reversed, redirecting spiritual energy toward a point beneath the mountain rather than away from it.
Li Tian's pulse quickened.
“Han Feng.”
The inner disciple came over.
“What did you find?”
“This line. Was it part of the original formation?”
Han Feng studied the diagram.
“No. The original version is stored in the restricted archive. The energy should flow in the opposite direction.”
“Then someone altered it.”
“Yes.”
Han Feng examined the margin.
There was a tiny inscription written in faded ink.
For the day the Silent One returns.
Neither of them spoke.
The words seemed to absorb the light around them.
Li Tian felt a faint vibration beneath his feet.
The system appeared.
[Ancient memory resonance detected.]
[Formation Affinity activated.]
[Warning: The altered design is connected to the Ninth Seal.]
[Additional information restricted.]
Han Feng noticed Li Tian's expression.
“What is it?”
Li Tian forced himself to look away from the inscription.
“Nothing. I was thinking about the wording.”
Han Feng's eyes narrowed.
“You recognize it?”
“No.”
The lie came too quickly.
Han Feng noticed that too.
Before he could ask another question, footsteps sounded in the corridor.
Someone was approaching the archive annex.
Han Feng folded the diagram and slipped it inside his robe.
A young disciple appeared at the doorway.
He wore the black robes of an inner disciple, with a silver badge attached to his chest.
His face was pale, and a thin scar crossed his left cheek.
“Senior Han,” he said. “Elder Zhao requests your presence in the main hall.”
Han Feng frowned.
“Did he say why?”
“No. He only said it was urgent.”
Han Feng turned toward Li Tian.
“Wait here. Do not touch anything until I return.”
Li Tian nodded.
“Of course.”
Han Feng left with the messenger.
The moment they disappeared around the corner, Bao Bao emerged from Li Tian's sleeve.
“That disciple is lying.”
Li Tian looked at him.
“How do you know?”
“Because he smells like the black mist from last night.”
Li Tian's expression changed.
“Are you certain?”
“Not entirely. But I'm rarely wrong about dangerous things.”
“You were wrong about the poisonous fruit yesterday.”
“That fruit was dangerous to my dignity.”
Li Tian quietly moved toward the doorway.
The corridor was empty.
Han Feng and the messenger were nowhere to be seen.
A faint spiritual fluctuation drifted from the opposite end of the annex, leading toward the rear courtyard.
Li Tian hesitated.
Elder Zhao had ordered him to stay.
Following a suspicious messenger was exactly the sort of action that got people involved in dangerous situations.
He should return to his quarters.
He should find another bed.
He should cultivate quietly and pretend none of this had anything to do with him.
Then he remembered Han Feng's warning.
Someone inside the sect is helping the Void Court.
If the messenger was a traitor, Han Feng could be walking into a trap.
Li Tian sighed.
“Just once,” he muttered, “I'd like trouble to happen to someone else.”
Bao Bao hopped onto his shoulder.
“Then stop following it.”
Li Tian looked at the empty corridor.
“But Han Feng might be in danger.”
The fox clicked his tongue.
“Your kindness is going to ruin both of us.”
“Probably.”
They followed the fading spiritual trace.
The trail led to an abandoned courtyard behind the archive annex.
Li Tian stopped behind a stone pillar.
Han Feng stood in the center of the courtyard, facing the scarred disciple.
The young messenger's black robes had changed. Dark symbols crawled across the fabric, and a thin veil of black mist surrounded his body.
Han Feng had drawn his sword.
“You are not the disciple who came to the archive.”
The stranger smiled.
“Very observant.”
“Where is he?”
“Alive, for now.”
Han Feng's grip tightened.
“Who are you?”
The stranger tilted his head.
“You have the wrong question, Sword Disciple.”
Black energy gathered around his fingers.
“The question is why the sect's elders have hidden the truth from you.”
Han Feng's expression remained steady.
“I don't care about your stories.”
The stranger's eyes shifted toward the western mountain.
“Because when the Ninth Seal breaks, your sect master will sacrifice every disciple in this mountain to keep the world alive.”
For the first time, Han Feng hesitated.
The stranger noticed.
“You see? Even you have doubts.”
Han Feng raised his sword.
“Enough.”
He lunged.
His blade flashed through the courtyard, releasing a blue arc of sword energy. The stranger leaned aside, allowing the attack to pass within an inch of his shoulder.
Then he struck Han Feng's chest with two fingers.
A black symbol appeared on the inner disciple's robe.
Han Feng staggered.
His sword fell from his hand.
Li Tian's eyes narrowed.
The symbol was not a killing technique.
It was a suppression mark.
The stranger was attempting to seal Han Feng's cultivation.
Bao Bao whispered, “We should leave.”
Li Tian glanced at him.
“You just told me Han Feng was in danger.”
“He is.”
“Then we should help him.”
“Those two statements are not contradictory.”
The stranger raised his hand again.
Han Feng dropped to one knee.
Li Tian looked at the courtyard's stone floor.
A formation was carved beneath the moss, nearly invisible to ordinary perception. Its lines connected to three old pillars.
The same redirection pattern.
The same reversed line.
Whoever had designed this trap had used the ancient formation as a foundation.
Li Tian took a slow breath.
He could not afford to release his stored cultivation.
But he might not need to.
He picked up a small pebble.
Bao Bao stared at him.
“Please tell me you have a plan.”
“I do.”
“What is it?”
Li Tian flicked the pebble.
It struck the base of the western pillar.
A tiny sound echoed through the courtyard.
The formation activated.
The black suppression mark on Han Feng's chest flickered, and the energy flowing toward it suddenly reversed direction.
The stranger's smile vanished.
“What?”
Han Feng felt the pressure on his body weaken. He seized his sword and rolled away from the next attack.
Li Tian threw a second pebble at the northern pillar.
The formation's lines flashed.
A surge of spiritual energy erupted from the ground, throwing the stranger backward.
Han Feng rose to his feet.
“Who did that?”
Li Tian ducked behind the pillar.
Bao Bao stared at him.
“You are going to get us killed.”
“Not if nobody sees us.”
The stranger regained his footing.
Its hood slipped slightly, revealing a pale face marked with black veins.
It looked toward the pillar where Li Tian was hiding.
“I can smell you, Silent One.”
Li Tian went still.
The stranger lifted one hand.
The courtyard darkened.
“Come out.”
Li Tian's system flashed.
[Danger Detection: Severe.]
[Host identity exposure risk: High.]
[Recommended action: Withdraw immediately.]
For once, Li Tian agreed completely.
He grabbed Bao Bao and prepared to retreat.
Then Han Feng stepped between the stranger and the pillar.
“You will face me.”
The stranger laughed.
“You still believe you can win?”
“No,” Han Feng said.
He raised his sword.
“But I can make you stay.”
His spiritual aura surged.
The blue sword light illuminated the courtyard.
The stranger's expression hardened.
“Then die.”
Black energy erupted.
The courtyard shook.
And just as the two forces collided, a voice rang out from the archive entrance.
“That is enough.”
Elder Zhao stood beneath the archway.
Behind him was Sect Master Yun Dao.
But it was not the sect master's arrival that made Li Tian freeze.
It was the figure standing beside him.
An old man in a faded gray robe, holding a wooden walking stick, with a long white beard and eyes that looked far too amused for the situation.
Li Tian recognized him immediately.
Old Ghost Qiu.
The strange old man he had occasionally seen wandering near the outer sect's abandoned gardens.
The same old man who had once spent an entire afternoon arguing with a broom.
Old Ghost Qiu looked at the black-masked stranger.
Then at Han Feng.
Then at the stone pillar hiding Li Tian.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Finally, he smiled.
“Well, well.”
He tapped his walking stick against the ground.
The entire courtyard went silent.
Every trace of black energy vanished.
The stranger stumbled backward, suddenly unable to move.
Old Ghost Qiu chuckled.
“Someone has been playing with my formations.”
He leaned on his walking stick and sighed.
“Children these days have no respect for their elders.”
The stranger's face turned white.
“You…”
Old Ghost Qiu smiled more broadly.
“You should run.”
The stranger tried to move.
Nothing happened.
The old man tapped his stick again.
The stranger vanished in a burst of black smoke, leaving behind a single dark token.
Old Ghost Qiu picked it up between two fingers.
His smile disappeared.
For the first time, the old man's eyes revealed something other than amusement.
Fear.
He looked toward the western mountain.
Then he whispered a name so quietly that only Li Tian, hidden behind the pillar, could hear it.
“Qiu Ming.”
Bao Bao's fur stood on end.
Li Tian stared at the old man.
The name from the false maintenance record.
The name that had no place in the sect's archives.
Old Ghost Qiu closed his fist around the token.
“It's begun again.”
Then he turned toward the pillar.
His gaze landed directly on Li Tian.
“Come out, little disciple.”
Li Tian did not move.
The old man sighed.
“I know you're there.”
Bao Bao whispered, “Perhaps if we remain very quiet, he will forget us.”
Old Ghost Qiu raised his walking stick.
The pillar gently lifted into the air and floated aside.
Li Tian found himself standing in full view of the sect master, Elder Zhao, Han Feng, and the mysterious old man.
Everyone looked at him.
Li Tian gave a small, awkward bow.
“Good evening.”
Old Ghost Qiu studied him for several seconds.
Then he smiled.
“So you're the one the coffin has been calling.”
Li Tian's stomach sank.
The old man leaned closer.
“Tell me, little disciple…”
His voice became serious.
“Have you started dreaming about the stars that died?”
Li Tian's expression changed.
Because before he could answer, the system displayed a message that made his blood run cold.
[Ancient Memory Fragment Recovered: 0.04%.]
[Warning: The individual known as Qiu Ming has been identified.]
[Classification: Former Guardian of the Ninth Seal.]
[Current status: Unknown.]
Old Ghost Qiu's smile vanished.
From beneath the western mountain came a sound like a giant chain breaking.
One of the nine ancient rings had cracked again.
And this time, the sound was followed by a voice that everyone in the courtyard could hear.
“Qiu Ming.”
A pause.
“You have kept my child waiting long enough.”
Old Ghost Qiu closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, the old man's playful expression had disappeared completely.
“Everyone,” he said quietly, “prepare for the worst.”
He looked directly at Li Tian.
“Because the thing beneath this mountain has finally remembered who betrayed it.”
To be continued…