The Inner Sect of the Crimson Serpent Sect was a world apart from the outer disciples' dusty courtyards and rickety cauldrons.
Here, spiritual pressure filled the air like fragrant mist. Towering jade pavilions stood on floating platforms. Streams of liquefied Qi ran through the mountain veins, nourishing spirit trees and rare beasts. Even the birds sang with intelligence, some bearing fragments of ancient lineage.
Su Chen stood at the base of Serpent's Spine Pavillion, the residence assigned to him by Elder Qingxue's token.
> [New Zone Unlocked: Inner Sect – Mid-Tier Zone]
[Residence Acquired: Pavilion of Serpent's Spine]
[Monthly Resource Allowance: 10 mid-grade spirit stones, 3 spiritual herbs, 1 cauldron token]
The structure was older than most, and clearly not maintained by the usual inner disciples. Its wood was faded, the array stones dull. But Su Chen didn't frown.
He smiled.
"Old bones," he murmured, eyes sweeping the stone pathways. "But old bones often hide deeper marrow."
He pushed open the gate and entered.
The first thing he noticed was silence. Not the comforting kind, but the kind that felt thick, like it was watching him.
The pavilion had five rooms: a meditation chamber, a practice courtyard, a garden now overrun by thorns, a pill room with broken shelves, and a stone cellar sealed by rusted talismans.
Most inner disciples would report such a residence as defective.
Su Chen, however, knelt by the cellar and examined the seals.
> [Formation Detected: Concealed Legacy Array – Degraded]
[System Option: Attempt Restoration? 1 System Point Required]
He hesitated.
That point could be spent on another technique, or a stat boost…
But this place had a story. And if there was one thing Su Chen valued—it was buried stories.
"Do it."
> [System Point Expended]
[Array Restored: Partial Access Granted – Legacy Echo Unlocked]
With a whisper of wind, the old talismans dissolved into light. The cellar door creaked open.
And inside… darkness.
But not empty darkness.
It pulsed—like a heartbeat.
Su Chen stepped down slowly, one hand wrapped in protective Qi.
At the center of the cellar, half-sunken in dust, lay a round mirror the size of a tabletop, covered in chains etched with formation scripts.
> [Object Identified: Soul Mirror of the Forgotten Sovereign – Fragmented]
"Soul Mirror?" Su Chen muttered, stepping closer.
Then the chains shook.
And a voice echoed—not spoken, but felt, straight into his soul.
> "Another worm comes crawling to beg my secrets. Good. Come closer. I hunger."
Su Chen froze.
This was no ordinary legacy item. It had a residual will—something left behind by a powerful entity.
And it was not… friendly.
Aboveground, word had already spread through the Inner Sect.
"Su Chen? He's in Qingxue's broken pavilion?"
"Fitting. Trash gets trash."
"I heard Ji Liang's already assigned someone to monitor him."
In the shadowed balcony of a high pavilion, Ji Liang sat with a new cup of wine and a cold smile.
"He'll think he's rising," he said to the man standing beside him, a stern youth named Xue Han, one of his oldest allies.
"But all he's done is walk into a trap. That pavilion was abandoned after the last disciple stationed there went mad."
Xue Han nodded. "Do you want me to handle him?"
"No," Ji Liang said, swirling the wine. "Let the house do the work."
Back in the cellar, Su Chen stood still.
The Soul Mirror pulsed faintly, trying to draw his spirit closer.
But he knew temptation when he saw it.
So instead of stepping forward, he sat.
Cross-legged. Calm.
And opened the System panel.
> [Warning: Soul Mirror has Partial Sentience – Engaging without preparation may result in spiritual backlash.]
[Option: Begin Binding Protocol – Time Required: 3 Days]
[Result: Unlock Mirror Memory Echoes (Tier 1 Access)]
"Then we'll do it the slow way," Su Chen whispered. "You want a host? I want your secrets. We'll both wait."
The mirror pulsed again, this time… gentler.
Almost amused.
Three hours later, Su Chen returned to the surface and sat in the training courtyard.
He activated Voidflow Step, moving from one shadow to another, then practiced Mirror Pulse until the energy in his meridians burned.
> [Technique Proficiency Increased: Mirror Pulse – Level 2]
Sweat drenched his back, but he didn't stop.
Because he could already sense it—the game was shifting again.
Elder Qingxue had given him a chance, but she wouldn't protect him forever.
Ji Liang was waiting.
And now… the Soul Mirror was watching.
All he had was time, talent, and resets.
But that was more than enough.