Chapter 2: Whisper of Power, Glimmer of Blood
Night blanketed the Zhuo estate in velvet silence, but Zhuo Fan sat cross-legged in the servant quarters, his breathing calm, deliberate. Around him, faint motes of Qi hovered in the air, reacting to a pressure unseen by ordinary eyes.
System Notification:
EXP Boost Duration Remaining: 01:57
Soul Power increased to 7.
Strength increased to 5.
✦ New Skill Unlocked: Qi Sense (Lv. 1)
Description: Allows limited detection of surrounding Qi fluctuations, spiritual nodes, and hostile intent.
Zhuo Fan opened his eyes—golden irises flashing briefly under the dim moonlight seeping through the wooden lattice.
Qi Sense, eh? That'll make it easier to find cultivation zones… or people trying to stab me in my sleep.
His hand closed into a fist. The sensation of power, however small, returning to his limbs felt like a king reacquainting himself with his throne.
Suddenly—
DING!
⚠️ Mainline Update:
New Mission Unlocked: Break the Seal (Part 1)
Objective: Infiltrate the family's forbidden scripture library.
Condition: Steal a cultivation technique to overwrite the host body's crippled meridians.
Time Limit: 3 Days
Reward: +800 EXP, +Unique Skill, +5% Seal Break Progress
Failure: System Cooldown for 7 Days
Zhuo Fan's expression remained unreadable, but deep within his gaze flickered calculation.
"The forbidden library," he murmured. "Guarded by the outer elders, locked with a formation… and entirely off-limits to trash like me."
He stood and tightened his robe. "Sounds like the perfect place to start."
Later That Night
Slipping past guards was child's play to Zhuo Fan, even with his cultivation crippled. His senses, aided by Qi Sense, danced through the night like wind in the grass. Every heartbeat, every shift of a boot in gravel, was amplified in his perception.
The library stood like a fortress at the rear cliff of the estate—built into the mountain itself, its front sealed by an aged stone door carved with runes and formation circles.
A flickering flame lantern nearby revealed two outer sect guards stationed lazily outside. They weren't paying attention—until a strange breeze passed.
One turned. "Did you hear tha—"
Crack!
A flash. Zhuo Fan struck the man in the neck, silencing him instantly. The other barely raised his voice before falling into unconsciousness from a clean blow to the jaw.
+30 EXP
+20 EXP (Stealth Takedown Bonus)
Zhuo Fan knelt before the stone seal. "System, analyze this formation."
Scanning…
Formation: Seven-Seal Memory Lock Array (Lv. 3)
Weak Point Detected: Lower right glyph — Unstable spiritual anchor.
◎ Skill Suggested: Qi Burst Palm (Lv. 1) — Effective
He raised his palm, focused his Qi, and struck the glyph cleanly.
BOOM.
The door groaned, cracked, and parted with a shuddering hiss.
Inside, the library smelled of ancient ink and dry parchment, silence hanging like judgment. Scrolls lined the walls in floating racks, and deep within, shelves twisted into shadows hiding forgotten techniques.
System Notification:
You have entered a High-Grade Cultivation Site.
Passive EXP gained: +5 EXP per minute (Duration: 30 mins)
Zhuo Fan's eyes scanned the room—until a soft hum echoed from the far end.
His feet moved instinctively toward a broken pedestal. There, half-buried under a collapsed scroll rack, pulsed a small black jade tablet inscribed with blood-red characters.
System Alert:
⚠️ Anomaly Detected.
Unknown Demonic Artifact Resonating with Host's Soul Core.
Recommendation: Touch to trigger synchronization.
He didn't hesitate.
The moment his fingers brushed the surface, darkness flooded his mind—then cleared into sharp, blinding clarity.
🔓 Soul Resonance Initiated…
Artifact: Fragment of the Nine Secrets (1/9)
☯ You have absorbed a portion of the ancient Demon Emperor's soul knowledge.
● Skill Gained: Devil Devour Scripture (Lv. 1)
● Trait Gained: Soul Memory Assimilation (Passive)
● Seal Break Progress: +5%
⚠️ Passive Mutation Detected: Spiritual Root Adapting…
New Root Affinity: Shadow-Flame Qi (Unstable)
Zhuo Fan staggered back, breath shallow. His heartbeat thundered in his ears, and the tattoo-like mark on his chest—a scar left from his betrayal lifetimes ago—glowed faintly crimson.
"I knew it…" he whispered, eyes wide. "This body… this place… this fate. It's not coincidence. Someone planned this."
Back at the Inner Courtyard…
Across the estate, Zhuo Qin sat awake, her brows furrowed.
She turned toward the horizon, unaware of what was unfolding. But in the stillness of the night, her soul stirred—for reasons she couldn't name.
Far above, a crimson star twinkled behind clouds.
Returning to the Chamber
Zhuo Fan returned just before dawn, sweat lining his forehead. The black jade had vanished into his body. The demonic script now danced in his thoughts, whispering secrets in a language no mortal tongue could utter.
System Alert:
Quest Complete: Break the Seal (Part 1)
+800 EXP
+Unique Skill: Devil Devour Scripture (Lv. 1)
+Seal Break Progress: 10%
🎉 Level Up!
New Level: 3
EXP: 480 / 800
Stat Points Gained: +2
HP Increased: +100 (Total: 300 HP)
He sat cross-legged and opened his stat screen:
Zhuo Fan – Level 3
Realm: Body Tempering (Peak)
HP: 300 / 300
Qi: 80
Strength: 5
Agility: 3
Intelligence: 5
Soul Power: 7
Luck: 1
Stat Points Available: 2
He grinned.
"Put one into Agility. One into Soul Power."
Tonight, he had stolen from under the family's nose, evaded detection, and awakened the first piece of his true power.
The seal was cracking.
His blood was changing.
The shadows whispered his name once more.
And when dawn came, the empire would still believe he was a mere servant—while he quietly became their greatest threat.
End of Chapter 2