The Service Corridor entrance was a throat of harsh sodium light and vent hum. A chill rose from the metal grate floor. A proctor briefed the competitors, his voice echoing. "Audit Run. Time cap. Checkpoints A through D. Badge readers and log terminals. Report parity faults without breaking stride. No stalling."
Gear check: wrist pass, sealed map stamp, neutral baton. Silent River remained sheathed at his hip. Lin Xiu stood ready in the adjacent lane, not tethered but aligned. The Shadow Duet Step was a potential tool for silent synchronization if their paths converged.
The queue held its breath. Leather straps creaked. The metallic tang of the corridor mixed with the sharp scent of chalk from the proctors' ledgers. Every intake disciple exhaled like they were stepping into judgment.
⸻
A faint glyph pulsed on the entrance stone marker.
[Daily Sign-In available.]
[Location: Corridor Marker.]
[Sign-In? Yes / No]
Yes.
[Ding! Sign-In successful!]
[Reward: Path Thread (Lv.1, 30 breaths — highlights shortest lawful lines to next checkpoint) + Seal Cam Ping (1 use — force nearest monitor orb to snapshot & auto-log to proctors).]
⸻
Section A → B: First Findings.
Dust motes drifted in sterile beams. A floor grate rattled like a loose tooth underfoot. At Checkpoint A's badge reader, Qin Ye's eyes caught the engraving: the broken circle and chevron.
He didn't break stride. Seal Cam Ping triggered. A monitor orb blinked, capturing the mark. A mechanical voice echoed: "Image captured and logged."
"Clause 5.2. Reporting vendor mark on official apparatus while maintaining motion," he called evenly. The clerk's brush scratched fast across the ledger.
⸻
Mid Run Pressure.
A fan's draft slammed his sleeve flat. A rolling tool cart wobbled into his lane, its squealing wheels a hair from collision. He glimpsed a Yue Hong aide vanish into the shadows.
Silent Step. Quiet Pivot. He slipped through the gap, the metal brushing his hem. For three paces, Lin Xiu converged beside him. Their feet fell in Shadow Duet Step, two heartbeats in one soundless rhythm.
[Ding! Micro-Goal: "Thread a Dual Choke."]
[Reward: +200,000 Spirit Stones; Corridor Sense +3% (situational).]
⸻
Section B → C: Terminal Audit.
At the log terminal, his form pack filled itself in seconds. His baton lifted a loose grate—beneath it, a micro-weight kit stamped with the same mark.
Chain Seal triggered. The evidence glowed, a ledger chime ringing. "Evidence registered."
⸻
Complication.
Lights stuttered into a red strobe. A door's logic flipped one-way. At the far junction, a cart tried to block Lin Xiu.
Qin Ye's Path Thread lit a clean line through the chaos. His body angled sharp; he cleared the junction first, forcing the apron-bearer to jerk the cart back to avoid impact. The path held.
⸻
Section C → D: Time Squeeze.
The countdown hiss pressed into his lungs. Breath steady: four-four-two. The Pulse Counter beat in his palm. On the aide's apron, a badge programmer gleamed. Stamped: broken circle, chevron.
He memorized its serial. "Request post-run audit of programmer 7B-dash-42," he called, still running. Logged.
⸻
Finish & Cliff.
Checkpoint D lit green as his badge scanned. The sand timer emptied.
[Ding! Micro-Goal: "Audit Under Motion."]
[Reward: +250,000 Spirit Stones; Examiner Impression +1 (situational).]
[Ding! Side Quest updated: Trace the Hand (Stage 3 — source room flagged: Supply Room 2F-East).]
[Ding! Main Quest updated — Inner Gate Trial: 3 days.]
⸻
A replay flickered overhead. Supply Room 2F-East, door ajar. A stamp press gleamed on a workbench, its die cooling with the chevron sigil. Next to it, an unfinished mold pressed into blank metal—a shape not yet recognizable, jagged and half-born.
The air seemed colder. Whatever symbol was being forged wasn't a sect mark anyone knew.
The corridor lights buzzed once, and the image froze mid-frame.