Morning came quietly.
Mist hung low over Yunhe Village, clinging to the fields and rooftops as if reluctant to leave. The air smelled damp, mixed with soil and crushed leaves. What remained of the corrupted beast had already been sealed inside a talisman by Sun Hao before dawn, its corpse reduced to a faint stain in the earth.
The villagers moved carefully.
They spoke in hushed voices, glancing toward the fields again and again, as if afraid something else might crawl out if they looked away for too long.
Li Chen stood at the edge of the slope, watching the ground.
The fissure where the beast emerged had closed overnight, but not completely. A thin dark line remained, winding through the soil like a scar.
[System Analysis]
[Residual Corruption Detected]
[Source: Deeper Spirit Vein Distortion]
So it wasn't over.
Sun Hao gathered the disciples shortly after sunrise.
"We'll inspect the spirit channels today," he said. "The beast was only a symptom. If we don't fix the source, more will appear."
No one argued.
They split into small groups, following the faint flow of qi through the land. Some used talismans. Others relied on cultivation senses.
Li Chen was paired with a quiet disciple named Chen Yu.
They walked slowly uphill, following the thin current beneath the soil.
"You handled yourself well last night," Chen Yu said after a while.
Li Chen glanced at him. "You too."
Chen Yu smiled awkwardly. "I froze for a moment."
"That happens," Li Chen replied.
Chen Yu hesitated. "You weren't afraid?"
Li Chen considered the question.
"I was," he said. "Just not surprised."
Chen Yu didn't quite understand, but he nodded anyway.
The qi flow grew more erratic as they climbed. At one point, the ground felt brittle underfoot, as if it might crack with a wrong step.
Li Chen crouched and pressed his fingers into the soil.
It was dry.
Too dry.
Spirit veins were meant to nourish the land, not drain it.
[System Notice]
[Qi Flow Direction: Reversed]
[Possible Cause: Artificial Anchor]
"Something's buried here," Li Chen said quietly.
Chen Yu swallowed. "Should we call Senior Sun?"
Li Chen shook his head. "Let's confirm first."
They dug carefully, using tools rather than qi.
Less than a foot down, metal scraped against stone.
Chen Yu froze.
Li Chen brushed away the dirt.
A small black spike was embedded in the ground, covered in faint runes, its surface cold despite the morning sun.
A suppression anchor.
Illegal.
Li Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.
[System Alert]
[Object Identified: Low-Grade Spirit Vein Anchor]
[Function: Forced Qi Extraction]
[Risk: High if Removed Incorrectly]
Chen Yu backed away. "That… that shouldn't be here."
"No," Li Chen agreed. "It shouldn't."
They reported back immediately.
Sun Hao arrived with two others.
His expression darkened when he saw the anchor.
"This wasn't placed by accident," he said. "Someone is siphoning qi from the vein."
One disciple cursed under his breath. "A rogue cultivator?"
"Or worse," Sun Hao replied. "Someone who knows sect methods."
He looked at Li Chen. "You sensed this first again."
Li Chen lowered his head slightly. "Only noticed something was wrong."
Sun Hao studied him, then turned back to the anchor.
"We'll neutralize it. Carefully."
The process took most of the afternoon.
Talismans were placed. Formation lines drawn. Qi was redirected slowly, like easing pressure from a wound.
When the anchor was finally removed, the land shuddered faintly.
Li Chen felt it clearly.
The spirit vein breathed.
[System Update]
[Environmental Qi Stabilizing]
[Host Compatibility: Improved]
The crops around them wilted slightly, then steadied, their unnatural gloss fading into something more alive.
The villagers wept openly when Sun Hao explained it was over.
That night, the disciples rested near the village again.
But the mood had changed.
This was no longer a simple task.
Someone had interfered deliberately.
Sun Hao spoke quietly with the others, keeping his voice low.
Li Chen sat apart, sharpening a borrowed blade he hadn't needed to use yet.
He felt eyes on him.
Not hostile.
Assessing.
[System Notice]
[Attention Level: Elevated]
He ignored it.
Later, as the village slept, Li Chen walked alone to the edge of the fields.
The fissure scar was almost gone.
He knelt and touched the soil one last time.
The qi here felt calmer.
Healthier.
Yet beneath it, something lingered.
Not corruption.
Intent.
Someone had placed that anchor knowing a beast might form.
Knowing villagers might suffer.
Knowing Qingyun Sect would eventually notice.
A test.
Or a provocation.
[System Analysis]
[Conclusion: External Actor Likely Monitoring Outcome]
Li Chen stood.
So the world beyond the mountain was already moving.
Slowly.
Carefully.
He returned to camp without another glance.
Tomorrow, they would report back to the sect.
And somewhere else, the one who placed the anchor would learn that the vein had been freed.
Li Chen lay down, eyes open, listening to the quiet breathing around him.
This mission had shown him something important.
Crossing realms was not always about strength.
Sometimes it was about stepping into a place where rules were thinner.
And surviving long enough to understand who wrote them.
Above Yunhe Village, the mist finally lifted.
The land rested.
But Li Chen knew.
This was only the first crack.