The West Garden was dark.
The moon hid behind thick clouds, suffocating the light. The usual sounds of the night—the wind in the bamboo, the croaking of frogs—were absent.
Silence.
Not the peaceful kind. The predatory kind.
Kaelen stopped at the ruined gate. He didn't step inside.
"System," he thought. "Scan."
> **[Environmental Anomaly Detected]**
> **[Substance Analysis: Spirit Silk (Invisible).]**
> **[Threat Level: High.]**
Kaelen narrowed his eyes.
The air in front of him shimmered slightly. To the naked eye, it was empty. To his **Demon Soul**, it was a web.
Razor-sharp, invisible wires crisscrossed the entire garden. One wrong step would slice a normal man into deli meat.
"A trap," Kaelen mused. "Crude."
He reached into his spatial pouch. He pulled out the corpse of the **Venomous Cobra** from the arena fight.
He tossed the dead snake into the garden.
*Zip. Zip. Zip.*
The sound was like a zipper being pulled fast.
The snake was dissected in mid-air. It hit the ground in twelve perfectly even chunks.
"Sharp," Kaelen nodded.
From the shadows of the burnt bamboo grove, a soft clapping echoed.
"Impressive perception."
A figure stepped out. She walked on top of the wires, balancing effortlessly.
She wore a tight black bodysuit that merged with the dark. A silver mask covered her face. Her eyes were cold, amused amethysts.
**The Silver Viper.**
"Most people walk right in," she said, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. "They make such a mess when they fall apart."
Kaelen looked up at her.
"Who sent you? Thorne? The Elders?"
"Please," she scoffed. "Those idiots couldn't afford my breathing tax. I'm here for a recruitment test."
She raised a hand. Three steel needles appeared between her fingers.
"The **Shadow Pavilion** is looking for talent. Survive for three minutes, and you get an interview."
"And if I don't?"
"Then you become dog food."
She flicked her wrist.
*Thwip.*
The needles vanished. They moved faster than sound. Aimed at his eyes and throat.
Kaelen didn't dodge.
He closed his eyes.
*Clink. Clink. Clink.*
The needles hit his eyelids. They hit his throat.
They bounced off.
Sparks flew, but the skin didn't break. **Iron Skin** was absolute against small projectiles.
The assassin froze. Her amethyst eyes widened behind the mask.
"Body Refiner... Stage 7?" she whispered. "At your age?"
"My turn," Kaelen said.
He grabbed the handle of the **Nameless Slab**.
"You like webs?"
He channeled his Qi. All of it.
"**Heaven-Devouring Art: Gravity Well.**"
He slammed the slab into the ground.
*BOOM.*
He didn't aim at her. He aimed at the foundation of the wires.
The shockwave tore through the earth. The anchor points of the Spirit Silk snapped. The tension broke.
The entire web collapsed.
The assassin lost her footing. She fell from the air.
She was agile. She twisted like a cat, aiming to land on a rock.
But Kaelen was already moving.
**Phantom Step.**
*SNAP.*
He appeared directly under her landing spot.
He didn't use the sword. He reached up and grabbed her ankle.
"Gotcha."
He slammed her into the ground.
*CRACK.*
The earth cratered.
She gasped, the wind knocked out of her. Her Qi barrier shattered instantly under his strength.
Before she could recover, Kaelen pinned her. His hand wrapped around her throat. His other hand held the Nameless Slab, the tip hovering inches above her face.
"Test failed," Kaelen said.
The assassin struggled. She tried to summon a shadow dagger, but Kaelen squeezed.
"Ah—!" Her chant cut off.
"You said three minutes," Kaelen leaned in. His vertical pupils boring into her soul. "It took three seconds."
"Wait!" she choked out. "I yield! I yield!"
Kaelen didn't let go.
"Give me one reason not to paint the grass with you."
"Information!" she wheezed. "I have information... about the Frost Sect!"
Kaelen paused.
The Frost Sect. The source of his original humiliation. The coming threat.
He loosened his grip slightly. Just enough for air to pass.
"Talk. Fast."
The assassin coughed, clutching her throat. She looked at the monster on top of her. She was a Stage 3 Qi Condensation expert. An assassin. She should have killed him easily.
But his skin was impenetrable. His speed was ghostly. And his strength... it was overwhelming.
"The Frost Sect..." she rasped. "They aren't just coming for the Tournament. They're coming for the **Dragon Vein** beneath Silver City."
Kaelen's eyes narrowed.
"Dragon Vein?"
"An ancient energy source," she explained hurriedly. "The Vane family sits on it unknowingly. The Frost Sect plans to purge the city to access it. Your family... everyone... is already dead. They just don't know it yet."
Kaelen processed this.
The Vane family was doomed. Not by him, but by the very people they were trying to suck up to.
"Irony," Kaelen smirked.
He stood up. He sheathed his sword.
"Get up."
The assassin scrambled to her feet, rubbing her bruised neck. She looked at him warily.
"You... you believe me?"
"It sounds like something those arrogant cultivators would do," Kaelen shrugged.
He turned his back on her. A massive show of disrespect. Or confidence.
"Tell the Shadow Pavilion I'm not interested in joining," Kaelen said.
"But..."
"But," Kaelen glanced back. "If you want to live, you work for me now."
The assassin bristled. "I am a Silver-Rank Assassin! I don't serve—"
Kaelen flared his Killing Intent. It washed over the garden like a tsunami of blood. The assassin fell to her knees, sweating.
"I wasn't asking," Kaelen said.
"Your name?"
"Viper," she whispered, humbled.
"Good. Viper, keep watching the Frost Sect. If they move, you tell me."
Kaelen walked toward his ruined pavilion.
"Now leave. Before I get hungry again."
Viper didn't hesitate. She melted into the shadows and fled.
Kaelen walked into his room.
He sat on his bed.
"Dragon Vein," he muttered.
> **[System Analysis]**
> **Dragon Vein: A concentrated stream of Natural Law.**
> **Value: Incalculable.**
> **Usage: Can be devoured to upgrade System Authority.**
Kaelen smiled. A genuine, terrifying smile.
"So the Frost Sect wants my food?"
He pulled out the 3,000 Spirit Stones from the arena.
"I need to eat first."