Dawnmist Peak had not seen a visitor in days.
That alone was unusual.
But the fact that someone was climbing it on foot, without a spirit beast or flying treasure, made Luo Feng suspicious the moment he sensed the faint presence approaching from the mountain trail.
He stood outside the hut, arms folded, watching.
The figure wore the robes of an Outer Hall courier—gray, unassuming, with a scroll case at his hip and a travel pack slung over his shoulder. Young, lean, maybe seventeen or eighteen. His eyes were wide and earnest, and his steps were cautious.
Too cautious.
When he reached the peak, the boy bowed low.
"Senior Luo Feng. My name is Ming Zhi. I was sent from the Outer Hall with a message scroll and… personal admiration."
Luo Feng raised a brow.
"Ming Zhi, huh?"
"Yes, Senior." The boy stood straight, offering the scroll. "I've heard rumors about your teachings. I… well, I wanted to learn."
Luo Feng didn't take the scroll immediately.
He simply stared at the boy.
A-Yan and Bai Xueyin watched from a distance. Bai's hand hovered casually near her waist. A-Yan chewed her lip.
Something felt off.
Ding! System warning: Host is being observed by a soul-bound talisman.Hidden enchantment detected on incoming object. Possible tracking or feedback link active.Recommended action: Isolate spiritual presence. Do not open the scroll.
Luo Feng's gaze sharpened.
Still smiling, he took the scroll carefully and set it aside without unsealing it.
"You climbed all the way up this mountain to train under a disgraced elder?" he asked. "You're either brave, or stupid."
Ming Zhi flushed. "I-I heard you fought off Jiang Wei. That you're making disciples. I thought… maybe there was a place here for someone like me."
Luo Feng motioned to the edge of the courtyard. "Then let's see if you can stand."
"Pardon?"
"Stand there. In that circle." He pointed at a formation carved into the dirt—an old gravity rune he'd salvaged from a shattered training hall. "Hold a horse stance. Five minutes."
The boy hesitated.
Then stepped forward.
The moment his foot touched the circle, the rune activated.
Stone groaned. Pressure slammed downward like a silent weight. The boy's legs buckled instantly.
Ding! Host is testing a deception-based threat. Spiritual signature matches known camouflage techniques used by the Sect's Shadow Operatives.Alert: Minor curse signature detected within the visitor's qi flow.
Luo Feng's smile faded.
"Ming Zhi," he said softly, "I don't think you came here to learn."
The boy's eyes widened—just for a split second.
Then he collapsed, panting. "P-please! I just wanted to prove myself—!"
Luo Feng's hand flicked. A soft hum echoed through the air.
Bai Xueyin was beside him in an instant, ice slowly creeping along her fingertips.
A-Yan flanked the other side, silent, watching.
"Take off your robe," Luo Feng said.
The boy froze.
"I—what?"
"Strip."
"Senior, please—"
"I won't ask twice."
The weight of Luo Feng's voice made even the wind pause.
Slowly, the boy pulled off the outer robe.
Etched into his back—burned into flesh—was a sigil: a black lotus surrounded by red thorns. It pulsed faintly with spiritual heat.
A curse-brand. A soul anchor.
"Spy," Bai Xueyin said flatly.
"Worse," Luo Feng murmured. "A blade on a leash."
The boy suddenly moved.
Faster than any Outer Hall disciple had a right to. His fingers snapped toward the scroll, activating the embedded glyph.
Luo Feng moved faster.
He crossed the ground in half a step and drove his palm into the boy's chest—not lethal, but enough to shatter the flow of qi in his dantian.
The scroll exploded into flame.
A black pulse rippled out—but was absorbed instantly by a shielding talisman Luo Feng had pre-placed.
"Sloppy," he muttered. "You didn't even hide the seal properly."
The boy coughed violently, falling to his knees. "Kill me if you want. I failed."
"No," Luo Feng said, kneeling beside him. "You're going to deliver a message."
The boy blinked.
"You're going to go back to your master—whoever it is—and you're going to tell them this: I'm not the man they abandoned."
He leaned closer, his voice cold and measured.
"I'm worse."
Ding! Threat suppressed. System reward triggered: +1 Shadow Defense Talisman. Spiritual insight increased. Host intimidation aura strengthened for 48 hours.Hidden alignment update: The Inner Sect is aware of your growing influence.
Luo Feng stood and turned away.
"Leave him," he said to the girls. "Let him crawl back."
A-Yan looked uneasy. "But he tried to curse us…"
"He's not the real enemy," Luo Feng replied. "Just another piece."
Bai said nothing. Her eyes lingered on the path down the mountain, frost swirling quietly around her ankles.
That night, Luo Feng stood on the rooftop again, watching the stars.
But this time, he wasn't calm.
The game had changed.
First a challenge. Now a spy.
The Sect wasn't just testing him anymore.
They were threatened.
And they should be.
Because he was still building.
Still teaching.
And soon, he wouldn't need to defend himself anymore.
The world would do it for him.