A shrill alarm ripped Chu Yang from the depths of unconsciousness. He bolted upright, a sharp pain lancing through the wounds on his back.
"Hiss—" He sucked in a breath as memories from last night flooded back—the jade slip, the rampaging spiritual energy, his mysterious neighbor, Su Yuyan...
Chu Yang grabbed the jade slip beside his pillow. It had returned to its dormant state, though the faint golden crack on its surface remained. Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, and the blue motes of light floating in the air were far sparser than they had been the night before.
*"Is this what Su Yuyan meant by the 'Age of Decaying Dharma'?"* he murmured, recalling her parting words. Suppressing the urge to immediately resume cultivation, he reminded himself that he still had a job to keep—another absence might cost him his position.
Under the shower, Chu Yang noticed subtle changes in his body. Faint blue lines, finer than veins, traced beneath his skin, pulsing with a soft glow when he focused.
*"Are these... meridians?"* He touched one of the lines on his arm, fingertips tingling with a faint electric sensation.
The mirror revealed more changes—the whites of his eyes were clearer, and a barely perceptible golden ring, composed of countless tiny sigils, now encircled his irises. He leaned closer, stunned.
*Knock! Knock! Knock!*
"Chu Yang! You still home?" The landlady's booming voice cut through his thoughts. "Rent's due!"
Chu Yang hastily dried off, pulling the prepared cash from his wallet. When he opened the door, the landlady eyed him suspiciously. "Heard you were hospitalized. You alright?"
"Minor injury. I'm fine now." He handed over the rent, then froze. A writhing mass of gray mist—like a grotesque lizard—was perched on her shoulder, flicking a forked tongue at him. He instinctively stepped back.
"What's wrong?" The landlady glanced at her shoulder. The mist instantly shrank, vanishing into her collar.
"N-Nothing." Chu Yang forced a smile. "Just... tired. Seeing things."
Leaving the apartment complex, Chu Yang glanced back. Under his spiritual sight, the entire building was bathed in a thin blue haze—except for Unit 301, Su Yuyan's balcony, where spiritual energy swirled densely, forming a miniature vortex.
*"Just who is she...?"*
The morning subway was a suffocating crush of bodies and clashing scents. But more startling were the auras clinging to the passengers—some crowned in healthy green, others coiled with murky red, one even shrouded in spider-like black tendrils.
Worse, Chu Yang realized he was being watched. A middle-aged man in a gray suit stood unnaturally still, his right palm bearing a pulsating black sigil.
Chu Yang discreetly snapped a photo—only to find the man *missing* from the image. His blood ran cold.
*"Illusion? Or..."* The jade slip in his pocket grew warm, a silent warning.
At the office, dozens of eyes tracked his entrance—pity, curiosity, indifference.
"Well, if it isn't our 'overtime casualty'!" Project Manager Wang Shijie sneered, his voice dripping with mock concern. A jade pendant hung from his neck, shaped like an eye, its crimson glow reeking of malice. As Chu Yang met its gaze, the pupil *twitched*, locking onto him.
"Apologies, Manager Wang. Just exhaustion. I'm fine now."
Wang Shijie leaned in, voice low. "Rumors say the police found *burns* at your place. What *really* happened?"
Chu Yang's pulse spiked. The scene should've been erased by the robed figures—how did Wang know?
Before he could reply, Wang straightened, announcing loudly, "Since you're back, finish the overdue interface docs by EOD. Or the whole team stays!"
Groans erupted. As Wang clapped his shoulder, inky tendrils slithered from the pendant toward Chu Yang. Instinctively, he channeled his spiritual energy—blue light flared, repelling the darkness. Wang recoiled with a hiss.
*"What the hell was that?"*
Back at his desk, Chu Yang discovered his cognition had sharpened drastically. Code flowed from his fingers, complex architectures unraveled in his mind—*cultivation was enhancing his intellect.*
Seizing the chance, he encrypted the *"Tai Xu Yan Tian Jue"* into a program, generating a 3D model of meridians and acupoints. The simulation crashed abruptly, leaving behind a corrupted folder. Inside was a silent video: Wang Shijie handing the eye-pendant to a black-robed figure, their sleeve bearing a thorn-entwined eye emblem.
Before he could investigate, the office lights died. Emergency lamps flickered on, revealing Su Yuyan across the street—*on the rooftop*, a glowing talisman in hand, her gaze fixed on him.