The Day the Sect Noticed
For the next week, Jian trained in silence, focusing completely on mastering the new concealment technique. But progress was slow. The void was powerful—too powerful to fully tame. Even a small mistake caused the air around him to shimmer unnaturally.
On the seventh morning, after a long night of cultivation, Jian stepped out of his courtyard to find the outer sect in chaos. Disciples whispered across pathways. Elders descended from higher peaks. A strange tension hung over the mountain like a storm waiting to break.
Jian muttered quietly, "Did someone break through?"
As he approached the main square, he felt it—an unusual pressure sweeping across the sect like a searching hand. It passed through disciples one by one, probing their spiritual energy.
Someone powerful… someone high-ranking… was looking for something.
Or someone.
He slowed his steps.
That searching wave drew closer.
Too close.
Jian sealed his aura instantly, activating Void Compression. His presence dimmed to a faint flicker. The probing pressure washed over him, hesitated for a heartbeat—
—then passed.
But it felt close. Too close.
He could tell the elder performing the sweep had sensed something—a faint disturbance, a thin anomaly—but not enough to pinpoint its source.
Jian's heart pounded.
This was no ordinary elder.
Only someone above the 11th Realm—only a Void Piercing Realm cultivator—could sweep the entire sect at once.
The system chimed urgently.
[Immediate Hazard Level: High]
[Maintain Concealment. Do NOT attempt to cultivate further today.]
Jian nodded silently.
But the sweep returned—stronger this time, sharper, focused. It scanned like a blade across the air.
Jian stepped back, pressing against a stone pillar.
The spiritual pressure scraped against him like claws.
Void Compression trembled—just a little.
The pillar behind him cracked.
The scanning force paused.
Jian held his breath.
Seconds stretched like hours.
Then—
"—False alarm. Continue the search elsewhere."
The voice was deep, authoritative, echoing across the entire sect.
The pressure withdrew.
Jian exhaled, sweat dripping down his spine.
He had almost been discovered.
The system chimed one last time before falling silent.
[Shrouded Power Phase I Complete.]
[Further concealment training required. Prepare for Phase II.]
Jian looked toward the distant mountain peak where the elder's voice had come from.
He didn't know who had sensed him.
But he knew this:
Someone far stronger than him had become suspicious.
And his existence—his speed, his power—could no longer remain hidden forever.
The world was beginning to notice the monster growing in its shadows.