Morning came quietly in the borderlands. The smell of dew floated through the camp as soldiers trained under a long crimson sky. Hammering metal, shouting orders, and the flicker of weapons filled the air.
Inside my tent, I was meditating, refining the spiritual energy I had gathered from the beast cores during the last battle. The Mythic Scripture of Origin worked like a living river inside me, guiding the flow of power until every breath felt stronger.
Suddenly, the familiar icy tone of the Myth System interrupted my focus.
"Ding! Notification: Host identity has been re‑evaluated by Imperial Records."
I frowned and opened my eyes. "Re‑evaluated? What does that mean?"
"Updated registration: Ling Chen, former Fifth Prince Li Qingfeng, reinstated under military archives. Current position — Low‑Level Border Soldier under General Mo Han."
For a moment, I thought I'd misheard it. "What?!"
Even Yue Zhilan, who stood by the tent flap, turned her head. Her silver eyes shimmered faintly. "Low‑level soldier?" she repeated, surprised. "Who dares insult you like that now?"
I sighed, rubbing my forehead. "That… is exactly what I'd like to know."
The system beeped again.
"Identity interference created by Loyal Subject: Wen Zixing. Purpose—protection of the host's true status. Effective success rate: 98%. The host's existence in official records remains unnoticed by hostile entities."
"Wen Zixing?" I muttered, my mind flashing back. "That scholar... the one who defended me during the trial two years ago."
The system projected a faint image of his current state: a dim room, hundreds of parchment scrolls stacked high, and the scholar slumped over the table with a half‑burned candle beside him.
"You clever fool," I whispered.
Yue Zhilan stepped forward. "Explain," she said quietly. "Who is he, and why call him a fool when he protects you?"
I smiled faintly. "Because he just saved me in a way that looks like betrayal."
Outside, Mo Han approached, his heavy steps shaking the ground. "My lord," he said seriously, kneeling. "Scouts from the southern post arrived. The imperial messenger is in the next fortress, carrying new orders. Apparently, the court has registered your name under my command as a common soldier."
Yue Zhilan's expression darkened instantly. "Court dogs."
But I raised a hand to stop her. "No. This matches the system alert. And if I'm right, this is Wen Zixing's work."
Mo Han frowned. "The scholar who supported you in the capital?"
"Yes," I said. "He just used the Second Prince as his pawn to bury my name deeper. Everyone thinks they're trampling me—but what they're really doing is protecting me."
Yue Zhilan's lips curved slightly. "An interesting kind of loyalty."
"Exactly," I said. "If the emperor and my brothers believe I'm nothing but a token soldier, they won't bother watching me closely. Meanwhile, we can continue training, hunting beasts, and strengthening our forces in secret."
For a moment, I let out a small laugh. "To be honest, I don't know whether to thank him or scold him when I see him again."
The system chimed again, almost as if amused by my reaction.
"Host emotion detected: mixed gratitude and irritation. Additional alert — Loyal Subject Wen Zixing's strategy classification: High‑Risk Political Manipulation. The host advised to maintain the undercover identity until cultivation reaches the Nascent Soul Realm or higher."
I exhaled slowly. "So, it's official—I'm a common soldier now."
Mo Han bowed his head. "If you command, I can erase the record."
"No," I said immediately. "Let it stay. Let them laugh. The higher you climb in this empire, the easier it is to get noticed. For now, the shadows suit me just fine."
Yue Zhilan crossed her arms. "You sound too calm about being labelled a nobody."
I grinned at her. "That's because power isn't about titles or rank—it's about what you're building when no one's watching."
Mo Han's red eyes glowed faintly behind his helmet. "Then what does the Lord order us to build?"
I looked at the horizon. Beyond the mountain ridge, the wasteland stretched far—untamed, full of spirit beasts and old ruins left from the Era of Gods and Demons.
"We build strength," I said. "Quietly. The empire thinks we're just guarding a ruined border. Let's make it the centre of a fortress that even the heavens fear."
As we spoke, the soldiers nearby were training with renewed energy. The Hellfire Legion sparred with mortal troops, teaching them formation and endurance. Mo Han's voice cracked like thunder as he corrected their movements.
I stepped outside and watched them. For the first time, the camp didn't look like a prison; it looked like a beginning.
The system broke the silence again.
"Ding! Hidden Condition complete — 'Identity Concealment Achieved'. Reward issued: One Intermediate Summon Token. Type: Random (God/Demon or Army)."
"Another summons, huh?" I murmured. "Maybe I should wait before using it. The last two nearly destroyed half the camp when they appeared."
Yue Zhilan chuckled softly. "You learn restraint. Perhaps there's hope for you yet."
I smiled faintly but didn't answer. Instead, I looked once more at the faint image of Wen Zixing flickering in the system's projection.
"System, I said quietly, "send him a message."
"Ready."
"Tell him: I understand. Thank you for the disguise. Let the world call me a low soldier. When the time comes, they'll bow before the same name they mocked."
"Message sent."
A warm sensation spread through my chest—the system's way of showing that the message had been received. Somewhere far away, the scholar would feel it, a whisper across the bond between us.
"Ling Chen, Yue Zhilan said suddenly, "You hide from your brothers and court, but not forever. What will you do when they find out the truth?"
I looked up at the morning sky where sunlight burned through thin fog. "By then," I said, "the boy they exiled won't exist anymore. Only the man who commands gods and demons will remain."
Mo Han smiled grimly. "Then let them come."
I nodded, tightening my grip around the Shadow Breaker Sabre. "Let them come. But not yet. For now, we train, we build, and we wait for the next move on the chessboard."
The wind picked up, blowing dust across the training ground. From the distance came faint roars—the beasts of the northern cliffs stirring again.
The border might have been marked as forgotten on the imperial map, but it was here that my true empire would begin.
And somewhere amid that noise, the Myth System whispered one last line in its cold, mechanical voice:
"Next Mission Unlocked: Rise of the Hidden Commander."
I smiled to myself.
"Low‑level soldier? Not for long."