>"I just wanted to till some soil—who the heck hid a ruin entrance underground?!"
— Lin Zhou, Ranked #1 Accidental Activator of the Empire's Ten Forbidden Zones
---
Morning light pierced through the mist.
Yawning, Lin Zhou walked into the backyard of the herb shop, still nibbling on half a red bean cake Xiao Li had secretly given him last night.
He wore the coarse uniform issued by the shop, with a fraying "Bi Qing" logo embroidered on the sleeve—looking every bit like an average laborer.
And he was loving it.
> No one bowed to him.
No one gifted him spirit pills.
No one called him "Your Excellency" every five seconds.
Perfect.
"Bro!" Xiao Li ran over, smiling brightly. "Today's job's easy—just clear out that patch of scrap soil in the corner, loosen it up a bit."
"I'm good at that," Lin Zhou rolled up his sleeves and picked up a hoe.
"It's this spot," Xiao Li pointed at a three-foot square of dirt. "New soil brought in yesterday. Smells weird—probably had old alchemy waste buried in it."
Lin Zhou nodded, took a deep breath, and swung the hoe down with force.
CLANG—!
The hoe struck something solid, ringing out like metal.
"...Huh?" Lin Zhou frowned. "Metal under the dirt?"
He pushed the soil aside, revealing a slab with ancient bronze patterns.
On it were intricate carvings, and in the center ring of symbols—one word stood out:
> "Sealed"
"Bro… did you just dig up something really bad?" Xiao Li's voice cracked.
Lin Zhou: "I was just trying to till the soil…"
---
[Herb Shop · Emergency Lockdown]
The shopkeeper alerted the authorities immediately. Within minutes, patrol enforcement squads surrounded the entire street and raised a spiritual barrier.
> "This is Forbidden Seal Site #7? Inside the city?!"
> "Lin Zhou? Wait—is that the Lin Zhou?!"
> "Everyone fall back thirty zhang! Now, move! Do not approach that soil!"
Officers saw Lin Zhou squatting beside the ruin slab, munching on his red bean cake.
Their faces went pale.
---
[Surveillance Hall · Alert Escalation]
The observation mirror shook violently. Energy waves surged beyond control.
"Report! Lin Zhou has made direct contact with the sealed ruin!"
"Fluctuation index rising to 3.9! Triggering quasi-catastrophic level alert!"
An officer spun around: "Should we dispatch Lady Li?"
---
[Nine Heavens · Star Array]
Li Xinglan slowly opened her eyes, a cold gleam flashing from her brow.
"...So, he moved after all."
She raised her hand and summoned her astral spear. With one step forward—
Space shattered like snowflakes.
> She descended… into the capital.
---
[Outside the Herb Shop · Sealing Site]
Lin Zhou sat atop the ruin slab, examining the carvings.
"'Sealed'? Is that about the red bean cake or the soil?"
His expression was serious.
The enforcers stood frozen, unsure whether to tell him to get up or just run for their lives.
Then—a flash of white light fell from the sky.
"Star Judgment Officer—Lady Li has arrived!!"
As Li Xinglan touched down, the air solidified. All cultivators present dropped to their knees, not even daring to breathe too loud.
Clad in silver-white battle robes, her black hair danced in the wind. Her gaze locked onto Lin Zhou.
"You've touched a forbidden seal."
Lin Zhou stood and patted off his pants. "No, I was just tilling the soil—"
"You triggered the leyline glyphs."
"You guys buried it too shallowly…"
"You're destabilizing the capital's spiritual energy field."
"I didn't do anything!"
Li Xinglan stared at him coldly.
> "Then explain why this Forbidden Seal Slab is reacting to you."
She gestured, and the observers levitated the stone slab. The glyphs at its center, once dormant, now shimmered faintly—on the verge of awakening.
Everyone went dead silent.
Lin Zhou: "I don't know, I just sat on it to eat my cake!"
---
[Xiao Li · Officially Pulls Aggro]
"Are you people insane?!" Xiao Li suddenly shouted. "My bro sits on a rock and you freak out like this? What'll you do when you find out he slept on a meteorite last night—blow up the Empire?!"
Li Xinglan's gaze turned icy.
Observers gasped. "He slept on meteorite iron?!"
Xiao Li shouted, "I used it as a cooking lid—what's the problem?!"
Lin Zhou tugged on him. "Stop it, bro. Their faces are twitching."
Li Xinglan calmly spoke:
> "Lin Zhou, your existence is awakening powers we were never meant to face."
"If you remain in the capital any longer, you might…"
Lin Zhou cut her off, word by word:
> "But I'm just doing my job."
Li Xinglan fell silent.
Her eyes grew conflicted. Her fingers trembled slightly.
For the first time, she faced someone… she couldn't read at all.
---
[Observation Mirror · Fresh Panic]
Suddenly, the mirror blared a new warning:
> "Three leyline sectors within the capital are resonating—all converging toward Lin Zhou's ruin site!"
> "The ancient ruin is activating on its own!!!"
> "My Lady! Do we initiate force suppression?!"
Li Xinglan lowered her gaze, her voice cold and metallic:
> "And if we can't suppress it?"
---
[Deep Within the Ruin · Light Awakens]
As everyone stood paralyzed in fear, the slab released a pale blue beam that shot skyward.
Everyone froze—unable to move.
Lin Zhou was now engulfed in the blue light, floating mid-air.
"Ahhh! I'm not trying to cultivate! Someone get me down!!"
Li Xinglan grit her teeth:
> "Activate Absolute Law Protocol! I'm sealing this entire ruin down to its roots!!"
She raised her spear. The star map ignited. The sky itself transformed into a tribunal of blue and white.
But then—
Lin Zhou dropped.
The light vanished.
The ruin… went silent.
Nothing happened.
Lin Zhou blinked, confused. "...Told you I wouldn't activate it."
Everyone: "..."
Li Xinglan sheathed her spear, jaw twitching.
For the first time ever, she wanted to curse.
---
[Chapter End · Underground Abyss]
Beneath the capital, in the deepest forgotten depths, an ancient being opened its eyes.
It sensed a familiar presence, and smiled faintly.
> "...You've finally returned."