After the battle in Chaos Forest—
The border went silent.
For seven full days.
No suppression.No probing attacks.Not even lingering surveillance.
It was too clean.
Council Hall — Mortal Sect
Shen Yan's jaw tightened.
"I don't like this."
Su Wan didn't even look up. She was scrolling through data streams on her phone.
"It means they're arguing internally."
She flicked her fingers. A projection unfolded midair.
A fluctuation chart of Immortal Realm spiritual currents over the last three days.
The pattern was unstable. Spiking. Collapsing. Repeating.
"Someone's trying to imitate our cultivation model."
She smiled faintly.
"They just didn't copy the full package."
Day Eight
The first person who shouldn't have appeared—
Did.
Not an envoy.Not an enforcer.
An Immortal rogue cultivator.
He stood outside the boundary for a long time.
Hesitating.
Finally—
He raised his hand.
"I…"
His voice was stiff.
"I'd like to audit your basic cultivation class."
The border guards blinked.
"Audit… what?"
"Your foundational cultivation lectures."
He looked embarrassed.
The report reached the sect.
Shen Yan's first reaction was immediate.
"No."
Su Wan looked up.
"Let him in."
Shen Yan stared at her.
"…Excuse me?"
She leaned back.
"It's public."
"If he dares to come, it means the Immortal Realm has already cracked."
Three Days Later — Open Lecture
Front row.
A white-robed Immortal sat stiffly among mortals.
Back straight.
Expression tense.
He listened.
Carefully.
Too carefully.
At one point, the instructor asked—
"What do you think about this section?"
The white-robed Immortal answered automatically.
"…It's very practical."
Silence.
He froze.
Then realized what he'd said.
His face turned red instantly.
In the back, Su Wan nearly burst out laughing.
"Congratulations."
"First successful ideological infection."
Immortal Realm — Internal Debate
"He went?!""This is betrayal!"
Another voice cut in coldly.
"He learned a more efficient way to live."
"What you're afraid of isn't betrayal."
"You're afraid he'll return and show everyone that mortal methods… actually work."
The chamber fell quiet.
Because that hit too close.
Mortal Sect — System Update
That same day—
Su Wan's phone lit up.
[Sect Version Update]
Combat Feedback System Enhanced
Environmental Adaptation Model Online
Multi-Path Cultivation Unlocked
She scanned the changelog and nodded.
"Even if they copy us now…"
"They'll always be half a version behind."
Xiao Xuanyin closed the jade slip in his hand.
"Not behind."
"They simply cannot walk the same path."
That Night
The white-robed Immortal sought out Su Wan before leaving.
His attitude was cautious.
"I have a question."
"Ask."
"Aren't you afraid… of being erased?"
Su Wan thought for a moment.
"Of course we are."
He blinked.
"Then why—"
She pointed behind her.
At the training grounds.
At the lantern-lit lecture halls.
At the civilians practicing steady breathing under the night sky.
"We're more afraid of being afraid."
The Immortal fell silent.
He understood.
Fear could freeze growth.
But this sect had weaponized fear—
And turned it into discipline.
The Departure
The next morning, he left.
Before crossing back into Immortal territory, he spoke quietly:
"They can't suppress you."
"Because you no longer rely on them to survive."
Immortal Realm — Highest Summit
At the peak of the celestial domain—
The hidden orchestrator finally made a decision.
"If the rules cannot be reclaimed…"
"Then create a disaster."
"One that only we can 'save' them from."
Mortal Sect — Nightfall
Under the dark sky—
Su Wan suddenly shivered.
She glanced at her phone.
No alerts.
No warnings.
And that was exactly why she felt it.
She looked at Xiao Xuanyin.
"Your Majesty."
"They're about to go big."