Li Wang's footsteps echoed hollowly down the dimly lit corridor of the outer disciple quarters, the guards' armored boots clomping behind him like the ticking of some inexorable clock. The air in the Azure Cloud Sect's lower halls always carried a faint tang of incense and damp stone, but tonight it felt thicker, pressing against his skin as if the walls themselves were holding their breath. He kept his expression neutral, chin lifted just enough to feign defiance without inviting a cuff from the escorts. Inside, his mind raced, the suite's warning pulsing like a migraine at the edge of his awareness.
[Incoming Query: Alliance Dao Probe. Exposure Risk: 87%. Estimated Arrival: 2 hours.]
Two hours. Not much time to prepare for whatever metaphysical scan the Celestial Harmony Alliance was about to unleash. And that ripple in the distance—the cloaked figure on the peaks—lingered in his thoughts like an unsolved glitch. Elder Mei Ling? She had her own secrets, her offer to guide his "forbidden powers" still fresh from their last meeting. Or was it something worse, a hunter drawn by the anomalies he'd been stitching into the world's code?
The guards shoved him into a sparse chamber at the end of the hall, little more than a stone cell with a thin mat, a low table, and a single barred window overlooking the sect's misty gardens. The door slammed shut, seals of binding Qi humming to life across its surface. Confinement. Standard procedure for suspected sorcery, or so the sect's dusty rules dictated. Li Wang paced the narrow space, his Qi Gathering cultivation feeling woefully inadequate against the greater powers circling him. He was no Foundation Establishment powerhouse like Tao Ren or even the alchemist Zhao Lin. Just a transmigrator with a hacker's toolkit in a world that punished cheats.
He sat cross-legged on the mat, closing his eyes to center himself. First things first: assess the suite. With a mental nudge, he activated the interface, the familiar overlay blooming in his mind's eye like a debug console.
[Suite Status: Nominal. Recent Edits: Void Serpent Neutralization (Stable). Energy Reserves: 62%. Warning: Dao Backlash Accumulating—Recommend Stabilization.]
The backlash from the garden fight still gnawed at him, a subtle erosion in his meridians that made his Qi flow feel like sand through an hourglass. He couldn't afford another slip-up, not with Lan Xiu's probe inbound. The inquisitor had eyes like polished jade, sharp enough to cut through lies, and her questions earlier had already danced too close to his secrets. "Anomaly host," the Tide Sovereign had called him. If the alliance was onto that...
A soft knock interrupted his focus. The door's seals flickered, then parted just enough for a slim figure to slip inside. Sung Ji-Yeon. Her robes were slightly disheveled from the chaos in the gardens, dark hair falling loose around her shoulders, but her gaze was steady, laced with that mix of concern and wariness she'd worn since their confrontation after the Wilds.
"Ji-Yeon," Li Wang said, rising smoothly. The guards outside didn't stir; she must have pulled strings or slipped past. "You shouldn't be here. Huo Feng's orders—"
"Stand down," she whispered, though there was no one to command but him. She glanced over her shoulder, then closed the distance, her voice dropping lower. "Huo Feng is occupied with the inquisitor. And Kang Wei... that snake is already whispering poison in Lan Xiu's ear. Accusing you of summoning the serpent yourself."
Li Wang snorted, leaning against the wall to mask his unease. "Of course he is. The man's got a grudge deeper than his cultivation. Probably jealous I saved his sorry hide without breaking a sweat."
Her lips quirked, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "This isn't a joke, Li Wang. Lan Xiu's probe isn't just questions. It's a Dao scan—searches the soul for inconsistencies, foreign influences. If it touches your... abilities..." She trailed off, the word hanging between them like an unspoken accusation. Ever since the Wilds, she'd been piecing together the puzzle of his "old life," as she called it. The hacker from another world, dropped into this one with tools that bent reality.
He met her stare, weighing how much to reveal. Ji-Yeon was no fool; her Qi Condensation Late Stage prowess came from hard-won battles, not sect handouts. And after fighting side by side against the Tide Sovereign, she'd earned a sliver of trust. "It's not foreign influences," he said finally. "It's me. All of it. But if the probe hits, it might flag me as the source of the rifts. Or worse, make the suite lash out."
She crossed her arms, the faint scar on her hand—a memento from her clan's fall—catching the lantern light. "Then we need a plan. Tao Ren and Zhao Feng are pulling what strings they can with the beast tamers and rogues, but Elder Mei Ling... she's been absent since the inquisitor arrived. Watching from the shadows, they say."
There it was again—that figure on the peaks. Li Wang's gut twisted. Mei Ling's Foundation Establishment Early Stage hid depths he hadn't fully plumbed, her alchemical knowledge a potential ally or a noose. "If it's her, she's playing a long game. But the alliance? I don't think they're just investigating. That serpent in the gardens, the Tide Sovereign—they felt engineered. Like someone's poking holes in the Dao to see what bleeds out."
Ji-Yeon's eyes narrowed. "Conspiracy? From the Celestial Harmony Alliance? They're the arbiters of balance."
"Balance for whom?" he countered. "I've seen the code, Ji-Yeon. Glitches in the Qi flows, rifts opening where they shouldn't. What if they're testing anomalies to harvest something bigger? Power, maybe. Or weapons."
She paced a step, her hand drifting to the hilt of her sword. "If that's true, we're pawns. But confinement buys you no time to prove it." She stopped, facing him. "Let me help. Whatever this suite is, if you can... freeze the probe, or edit its results—"
A sharp alert cut through his thoughts. [Proximity Alert: Rival Disciple Approaching. Hostile Intent Detected.]
"Kang Wei," Li Wang muttered, moving to the door. Sure enough, voices drifted from the corridor— the rival's nasally whine cutting through the guards' murmurs.
"—must inspect the prisoner's cell! The inquisitor demands it. He's a threat to the sect!"
Ji-Yeon tensed, her Qi subtly coiling. "I'll handle the guards. You stay put."
But Li Wang shook his head, a cunning spark igniting. Confinement or not, he wasn't about to let that weasel twist the knife. "No. Time to turn the tables."
She slipped out just as the door seals wavered again, and moments later, Kang Wei burst in, flanked by two burly enforcers. The rival disciple was all bluster, his Qi Condensation Mid Stage aura flaring aggressively, face twisted in righteous fury. He was shorter than Li Wang, with a pinched nose and eyes that darted like a rat's, but his sect backing gave him teeth.
"Li Wang," Kang Wei sneered, jabbing a finger. "The inquisitor will expose you. Sorcery in the gardens—summoning void beasts to play hero. Elder Huo Feng may be blind, but justice isn't."
The enforcers loomed, hands on their spirit-bound chains, but Li Wang kept his stance relaxed, a faint smile playing on his lips. Funny how bullies always broadcasted their scripts. "Justice? Or just your chance to shine, Kang Wei? Last I checked, you were hiding behind a vine when the serpent struck."
Kang Wei's face reddened, Qi surging in a petty display. "Lies! I saw you—your hands glowing with forbidden arts. The alliance will strip you bare."
[Opportunity: Scan Rival's Intent.]
Li Wang activated the suite discreetly, the overlay scanning Kang Wei's metaphysical signature. Amid the noise of his ego, values popped up: [Loyalty: Sect Elders (High). Grudge: Li Wang (Peak). Hidden Directive: Report Anomalies to External Contact?]
External contact? Li Wang's pulse quickened. Not just a rival—a plant? He probed deeper, the scan straining his reserves. [Function Detected: Encrypted Message Relay. Target: Unknown Shadow Network.]
So the whispers weren't just sect gossip. Kang Wei was feeding info to someone outside. The alliance? Or that cloaked figure?
"Strip me bare?" Li Wang echoed, buying time as the suite worked. "Bold words from a man who's been tailing me since the Wilds. What's your game, Wei? Hoping to curry favor with Lan Xiu?"
The rival faltered, then lunged forward, fist crackling with basic thunder palm technique. "Insolent cur!"
Li Wang sidestepped, the suite freezing the attack's Qi trajectory for a split second—just enough to make Kang Wei stumble past, crashing into the table. The enforcers growled, chains rattling, but Li Wang raised his hands placatingly. "Hey, easy. He's the one throwing punches in confinement."
Kang Wei scrambled up, spitting curses. "Seize him! He's resisting!"
But the door burst open again, and Elder Huo Feng stormed in, his Core Formation Stage 3 presence washing over the room like a storm front. His beard was streaked with gray, eyes burning with barely contained frustration. "Enough! Kang Wei, out. This is no place for your vendettas."
The rival bowed stiffly, shooting Li Wang a venomous glare before retreating. The enforcers followed, leaving Huo Feng to seal the door himself. The elder turned, his gaze appraising. "You provoke him deliberately?"
Li Wang shrugged, rubbing his side where the backlash throbbed. "He came looking for a fight. I just gave him a mirror."
Huo Feng's lips thinned. He was stern, yes—the overseer who'd assigned those grueling missions to temper the outer disciples—but fair, in his unyielding way. Ever since the Tide Sovereign report, though, suspicion had hardened his features. "Lan Xiu's probe approaches. She's convinced the rifts stem from internal sabotage. Your... feats in the gardens haven't helped."
"Feats that saved lives," Li Wang said, holding the elder's stare. "Including yours, if memory serves."
The elder paced, hands clasped behind his back. "Perhaps. But anomalies follow you like shadows, boy. The beast tide, the void creatures—all linked to your presence. Mei Ling speaks for you, claims your talents are a gift. But if the probe reveals otherwise..."
[Probe ETA: 45 minutes. Interference Possible: Edit Detection Algorithms? Risk: Dao Instability +20%.]
Li Wang's mind whirred. Huo Feng could be an ally here, if played right. "Elder, what if it's not me causing the rifts? What if someone's using them? Kang Wei—he's been too eager to point fingers. And the alliance... their 'balance' might be a cover."
Huo Feng stopped, eyes narrowing. "Accusations without proof are as dangerous as sorcery. But..." He hesitated, glancing at the window where mist swirled. "Lan Xiu's arrival coincides with reports from the peaks. Shadowy observers, rifts pulsing unnaturally. If there's truth to your words, prove it. Discreetly."
A knock echoed—Ji-Yeon again, slipping in with a bundle under her arm. "Elder. I brought rations. And news: Tao Ren's scouts report movement in the outer wilds. Another rift, larger than the last."
Huo Feng nodded curtly. "The inquisitor will handle it. Li Wang, reflect on your path. The Dao tests the worthy." He departed, leaving the cell feeling smaller.
Ji-Yeon handed him the bundle—dried spirit fruits and a hidden jade slip etched with messages from the group. "Tao Ren says the rift's near the old herb caves. Zhao Feng is sniffing for bandits, but it's quiet. Too quiet."
Li Wang scanned the slip, the suite decoding subtle warnings: [Possible Trap. Shadow Network Active.]
As they talked strategy in hushed tones, the suite pinged urgently. [Probe Accelerating. Source: Peaks. Cloaked Figure Confirmed—Alliance Agent?]
The figure. Not Mei Ling. Li Wang's blood ran cold. The probe wasn't just coming—it was already here, threading through the sect's Qi veins like a virus. He could feel it now, a subtle pressure against his dantian, probing for cracks.
"Ji-Yeon," he said, voice low. "We need to move. Confinement be damned."
She drew her sword, eyes fierce. "Lead the way."
But as they moved to breach the seals, a deeper alert blared. [System Intrusion Detected: Dao Core Query. Entity: Inquisitor Lan Xiu. Demand: Full Access to Host Anomalies.]
The probe wasn't waiting. It was demanding. And in its wake, the cloaked figure on the peaks stirred, descending like judgment itself.
Li Wang gripped the doorframe, the weight of unraveling secrets crashing down. If he edited the probe now, it might expose him to the entire alliance. But letting it scan unchecked? That would end everything.
Worse, the suite whispered a new possibility: [Counter-Hack Available. Target: Shadow Network. But at what cost?]
The real threat wasn't the inquisitor. It was the web closing around them all—and Kang Wei's encrypted relay was the first thread to pull.