The first light of dawn had barely touched the Heaven's Gate Sect when a silent shadow approached Su Chen's quarters.
It wasn't a knock that woke him—it was a slip of paper slid beneath his door, glowing faintly with ink that shimmered like starfire.
He rose from his cultivation pose, eyes narrowing.
On the parchment were only four words:
"Come to the Shadow Hall."
No name. No seal. No explanation.
That alone said everything.
The Shadow Hall was different from the main sect structures. Hidden beneath the western cliffs, it was rarely spoken of by disciples. Some believed it was a myth—others whispered that it handled the sect's dirty work.
Su Chen knew better. In his past life, he'd worked with their agents. Once.
Only once.
It hadn't ended well.
But now, with a System Fragment in his possession and Elder Li already circling like a vulture, Su Chen knew he couldn't afford to ignore an invitation—especially one that came without force. That meant whoever sent it expected him to come voluntarily.
Which made it even more dangerous.
He arrived at the entrance just after sunrise.
Two guards in black robes stood motionless beside the jagged stone archway. Their faces were masked, but their presence screamed danger—both were peak Foundation Establishment, minimum.
They didn't speak. One simply raised a hand and the stone doors opened.
Cold air spilled out, laced with a strange scent—like old parchment and fresh blood.
Su Chen stepped inside.
The interior was vast, dimly lit, and filled with rows of black lanterns that flickered with violet flame. Murals lined the walls, depicting scenes of war, betrayal, and shadowy figures walking among gods.
He followed the corridor until he reached a chamber carved into a dome of obsidian.
There, seated alone in a circle of silent bells, was a woman in deep violetrobes. Her face was veiled, but her aura coiled like a serpent, smooth and deadly.
"Su Chen," she said without turning. Her voice was calm, melodic, and terrifyingly neutral. "You're earlier than expected."
"Better to meet fate on your feet than wait for it lying down," Su Chen replied.
She chuckled softly. "A poetic way to say you don't trust me. Good. You shouldn't."
She turned then, lowering her veil slightly. Her face was pale, but ageless—beauty carved by frost and fire.
"I am Shadow Elder Yue," she said. "And you've drawn our attention."
Su Chen didn't flinch. "Because of Huo Lin?"
She waved a hand. "Children's scuffles don't concern me. No—it's what you found beneath the stone."
His fingers twitched.
She noticed.
"You didn't trigger that vault alone," she said, leaning forward. "It's been locked for over three hundred years. And now it opens? Days after you arrive? Either you're very lucky…"
"Or very cursed," Su Chen finished.
Her lips curled. "Both, perhaps."
She stood and approached, holding out a jadeslip.
"A mission," she said. "Officially, it's a reconnaissance request from an outer-rank elder. A beast has emerged from the Ruin Marshes—far too early. Killing it would be troublesome. But studying it? That might yield answers."
"And unofficially?"
"The beast may carry remnants of spatial collapse qi. The same signature we've only ever seen near… System Fragments."
That word again.
Su Chen took the jade slip. "Why me?"
"Because most disciples would die. You, at least, might return."
Her eyes gleamed through her veil.
"Unless you don't want to."
Su Chen gave her a long look.
"Let me guess. If I survive… another mission will follow?"
"Not if," she replied. "When."
That afternoon, Su Chen stood at the edge of the teleportation platform near the Ruin Marshes. The sky there was gray and thick with clouds, the land beyond it a twisted expanse of sinking soil, jagged reeds, and echoes of ancient battles.
> [Mission Tracker Activated: Shadow Hall - Task 1]
Objective: Locate the Spatial Aberration Beast. Do not kill unless necessary. Analyze, absorb or extract fragment energy.
He drew his cloak tighter and stepped forward.
The marsh was worse than expected.
Each step sank into slime that clung like glue. The qi here was distorted, as if the world itself had been broken and stitched back together by a blind god.
After an hour of travel, Su Chen found signs.
A tree split vertically—no cuts, just separation at the cellular level.
A patch of reeds that floated five feet above the ground.
Time warps.
Spatial ruptures.
Then, finally, the beast.
It wasn't large—barely the size of a lion. But it had no eyes, no legs, just a slithering mass of gray flesh pulsing with spatial ripples. It didn't growl. It hummed.
And when it turned to him, Su Chen felt the pull of another world.
> [Warning: Spatial Pull Detected. Origin Fragment Signature Confirmed.]
He lunged—not to kill, but to bind.
Starfire Qi surged as he formed a suppression rune midair, slamming it onto the beast's forehead. The creature shrieked in a dozen voices—and exploded.
But Su Chen was ready.
A black shard, no larger than a fingernail, drifted down into his hand.
> [Origin Fragment Acquired – 2/7]
[New Skill Unlocked: Spatial Rend (Minor)]
As the wind quieted and the marsh began to still, Su Chen stood alone, breathless.
Only five fragments remained.
And the Shadow Hall would not stop until they knew everything.