Lushun City was alive.
Stone streets thrummed with footsteps. Cedar beams creaked beneath hanging banners. The air smelled of roasted meat, ink, and river mist—nothing like the sterile chill of cultivation sects.
To mortals, it was a city of millions.
To Wei Yuan—
A haystack.
And he was a needle that had learned how not to shine.
[Age: 27]
[Cultivation: Foundation Establishment (Early – Peak)]
[Stillness Essence: 1,420]
[Ripple Value: 0.0000]
Five years had passed since his "death" in the Medicine Hall.
Five years of deliberate slowness.
Wei Yuan had crossed three thousand miles on foot, riding merchant caravans, balancing ledgers, eating coarse bread, sleeping in drafty inns. He never flew. Never rushed. Never displayed anything that could be mistaken for ambition.
In doing so, Mortal Dust Concealment had become second nature.
Now, in a quiet alley of the Eastern District, he lived as Scholar Wei—a sickly man with neat handwriting and no future. He copied contracts. Wrote letters for sailors. Charged modest fees.
Invisible.
Wei Yuan sat in his small courtyard, sipping common green tea.
Five years of absolute stillness, he reflected calmly.
And the System rewarded me more generously than any sect ever did.
He checked his log.
[Daily Reward: 15 Hours Pure Qi | +2 Months Lifespan]
[Bonus: 5-Year Stillness Streak]
[Unlocked: Heart of the Unmoved Rock]
(Mental state immune to illusions and psychological pressure below Nascent Soul)
His lifespan rested at 485 years.
Most cultivators his age would be bleeding for resources—Foundation Fruits, Spirit Wells, ancient inheritances.
Wei Yuan did none of that.
By simply existing quietly, the System fed him Pure Qi at a rate no Spirit Well could rival. He stood at the very peak of Early Foundation Establishment.
One more month.
No pain.
No thunder.
No blood.
Why do they gamble their lives so eagerly? he wondered, watching a sparrow settle on the fence.
They wager a century for a ten-percent chance at a pill worth half that. The arithmetic is grotesque.
His Eye of the Ripple swept the street.
[Status: Green | No significant karma within 1 mile]
Peace.
Then—
Boots.
Armor.
The alley darkened as city guards marched in, silver plates gleaming. With them came a young cultivator in the robes of the Myriad Sword Gate.
Wei Yuan didn't move.
But deep within his concealed foundation, Qi aligned defensively.
[Event Detected: Talent Scouting]
[Myriad Sword Gate recruiting 'Late Bloomers' due to Northern Forbidden Zone losses]
Option 1: Reveal Grade 3 Spirit Root
Reward: Inner Disciple Status
Ripple Cost: 450 (Front-line deployment)
Option 2: Appear Spiritless
Reward: +10 Stillness Essence
Ripple Cost: 0.001
Option 3: Mimic Pseudo-Spirit Root (Administrative Aptitude)
Reward: City Archivist Position
Ripple Cost: 0.05
Wei Yuan paused.
Option two was safest.
But option three…
A government seal in a mortal city functioned as a low-grade karmic ward. It deflected petty ripples, discouraged gangs, and—most importantly—granted access to records.
Information was the cheapest defense.
"Option three."
The Myriad Sword Gate disciple produced a Testing Orb.
"Place your hand on it," he ordered. "If you have the gift, the Gate offers a path to immortality."
Wei Yuan stood, visibly nervous.
"I… immortality? For someone like me?" he murmured. "The Heavens are generous."
His hand touched the orb.
Internally, his Qi vibrated at a carefully tuned frequency.
The orb glowed—
Dull gray.
Muddy. Weak.
The disciple sighed.
"Gray-Grade. You'll waste fifty years reaching the third level of Qi Refinement. Not worth the stones."
Wei Yuan lowered his head in meek disappointment.
"I understand."
The city guard captain studied Wei Yuan's orderly desk.
"Immortal Master, City Hall needs someone Spirit-Sensitive for the archives. The last archivist died. We have Qi-inscribed scrolls no mortal can endure."
The disciple waved dismissively.
"Take him. He's useless to us."
[Appointment Complete: City Archivist of Lushun]
[Reward: Bureaucratic Shield]
(Ripple accumulation reduced by 50% during official duties)
Wei Yuan bowed deeply.
"I am honored to serve."
City Hall's basement was perfect.
Cool.
Quiet.
Buried beneath layers of earth and bureaucracy.
By day, Wei Yuan filed land deeds and marriage records.
By night, he read Qi-inscribed reports—demonic beast movements, spirit vein fluctuations, Northern expansion logs.
Then—
A name.
Lin Fan.
Sole survivor of Blue Mist Sect.
Personal disciple of the Sect Master.
Foundation Establishment (Late).
Age: 22.
Wei Yuan closed the scroll.
Late stage… already?
And of course he's under the same sect.
[Warning: Protagonist Ripple Expanding]
[Lin Fan scheduled to visit Lushun City in 3 months – Hundred-Year Blossom Festival]
Wei Yuan pinched the bridge of his nose.
"He's like a disease," he muttered. "I relocate three thousand miles, and he tracks me like destiny owes him rent."
He opened the shop.
[Extreme Seclusion Available]
[Hermit's Burrow – Active Ability]
[Cost: 1,000 Stillness Essence]
(Suspended animation up to 10 years | 50% cultivation efficiency)
Three months.
A festival.
Heroic chaos was inevitable.
But heroes don't talk to furniture.
Wei Yuan prepared meticulously.
The archives were reorganized so thoroughly no one would need him for years. He announced a "spiritual pilgrimage" to explain his absence.
Then he vanished behind five-century-old tax records.
[Suspended Animation Initiated]
[Duration: 1 Year]
His body became clay.
Heartbeat: zero.
Qi: locked.
Existence: negligible.
Outside—
Lin Fan arrived like a comet.
White crane. Radiant sword. Public miracles. Hidden spies exposed. Lost treasures recovered.
He even visited City Hall.
Twenty feet from Wei Yuan.
Lin Fan paused.
"…Strange," he murmured. "I felt… stillness. Like a mountain."
"Just damp stone, Immortal Master," the guard laughed.
Lin Fan shrugged.
And left.
The ripple broke harmlessly against an unmoved rock.
One year later—
Stone cracked.
Wei Yuan inhaled.
[Suspended Animation Ended]
[Cultivation: Foundation Establishment (Mid-Stage)]
[Lifespan: 512 Years]
[Notification: Lin Fan departed for Central Plains – Great Sect Tournament]
Wei Yuan stretched.
"Good," he said softly. "The Central Plains will keep him busy. With his luck, he'll ignite a war and occupy every monster on the continent."
He looked through the iron grates at a sliver of sky.
I think I'll remain in the basement another five years, he decided calmly.
The filing system could still use improvement.