Two days had passed since Lin Yuan's one-move victory against Zhang Tao. The outer sect buzzed with rumor and suspicion.
"Lin Yuan? That cripple?"
"He's different now. Did you see the Qi around him? It's unnatural."
"Maybe a hidden expert possessed him."
Lin Yuan ignored the whispers.
He hadn't come to be understood.
---
Southern Archives – Midnight
The air was musty with age, and the only light came from flickering spirit lanterns. The Outer Disciple Archive was nearly abandoned—no glory to be found here. Just forgotten knowledge.
But it was perfect.
The Origin Devouring Orb pulsed in Lin Yuan's soul-sea as he drifted through the stone halls. His fingers trailed across dusty jade slips until one thrummed with faint red light.
He drew it from the shelf.
[Whispering Flame Scripture – Incomplete]
Fire Element | Earth-Tier (Damaged)
Fragmented technique of the fallen Fire Whisper Sect.
The Orb stirred. Hungry.
He activated the slip.
Power rushed in—fiery meridian diagrams, chants sung in dead tongues, the structure of flame Qi. To another disciple, it would take weeks to decipher.
To Lin Yuan, it was done in seconds.
Absorbed: Whispering Flame Scripture (43% recovered)
Fire Affinity +7%
Technique Acquired: Flame Condensation
In his dantian, a flicker sparked—gentle, yet alive. Fire. Elemental Qi, raw and volatile.
He closed his eyes and inhaled slowly.
That's when he felt it.
A gaze.
---
Above the Archives – Hidden Pavilion
Xia Zhi stood beneath the moonlit arch of the inner sanctum's observation tower. Her expression was unreadable, pale features calm, silver-white hair drifting in the night breeze. The scrying orb before her pulsed with Lin Yuan's silhouette.
She watched as he absorbed the jade slip. Saw the unnatural ease with which he summoned fire. No hesitation. No trial and error.
"You're watching him again," Elder Qian said from the shadows.
"He's dangerous," she murmured. "No one should be able to cultivate that fast. Especially not him."
"True. But sometimes… danger flowers into greatness."
Xia Zhi said nothing. But she didn't look away.
Something about Lin Yuan unsettled her. Not just the power or the mystery. It was the quietness in his eyes. As if nothing in this world could truly touch him.
She had seen pride, cruelty, even madness in many cultivators. But not… that kind of silence.
"You think he's a threat?" Qian asked.
She hesitated. Then: "No. I think he's alone."
That admission surprised even her.
"Then watch him. Guide him, if needed. Kill him, if it comes to that," the elder said. "But remember, Xia Zhi—your heart is a weapon. Never soften it."
She nodded, but her gaze lingered on the fading scrying mist.
Lin Yuan... what exactly are you?