Night settled heavily over the corpse pit.
Above, lantern lights from the outer sect flickered like distant stars, unreachable and indifferent. Down here, only the low hum of suppression formations and the faint stench of decay remained.
Lin Xuan sat cross-legged on the cold stone, back straight, eyes closed.
This posture alone felt surreal.
Before today, attempting to cultivate would have been laughable—his shattered meridians couldn't hold even a wisp of spiritual energy. Any attempt ended in backlash and pain.
Now…
He inhaled slowly.
The air entered his lungs, cool and heavy with yin energy. In the past, this would have damaged him further. This time, the moment it touched his body—
Warmth bloomed.
Invisible threads of energy gathered, drawn not just by instinct, but by something deeper—something human.
[Desire Energy circulating…][Meridian integrity stable.]
Lin Xuan guided the warmth gently, following the most basic Qi Refining technique the sect taught to outer disciples. Simple. Crude. But familiar.
The energy flowed.
It didn't rush. It didn't rebel.
It obeyed.
A faint tremor ran through his body.
Then—
Click.
Something inside him unlocked.
[Breakthrough detected.][Qi Refining Stage — Level 1 achieved.]
Lin Xuan's eyes snapped open.
He exhaled, a long, steady breath, white mist escaping his lips despite the mild night air.
He had cultivated.
Not imagined it. Not borrowed power.
Real cultivation.
His lips curved upward, slow and controlled.
"So this is what the geniuses feel like," he murmured.
The difference was subtle but unmistakable. His senses were sharper. He could hear the distant wind brushing leaves far above, feel the pulse of the formation flags embedded in the stone walls.
Most importantly—
He could feel himself.
Alive. Grounded. Present.
He stood, rolling his shoulders. The weakness was still there, but it was no longer absolute. If before he had been dry kindling, now there was at least a spark burning within.
And sparks could become fires.
A sudden crunch of footsteps shattered the quiet.
Lin Xuan turned.
Three figures emerged from the shadowed path leading down into the pit.
Outer sect disciples.
At the front was Zhao Feng.
His eyes swept the pit lazily—then narrowed when he saw Lin Xuan standing.
"…You're still alive," Zhao Feng said, surprise flashing briefly before being swallowed by disdain. "I expected better luck."
The two disciples behind him snickered.
"Senior Brother Zhao, maybe the pit doesn't want trash either.""Should we help him in?"
Zhao Feng chuckled and stepped closer.
Then he paused.
His brow furrowed.
Something felt off.
Lin Xuan met his gaze calmly.
Not lowered. Not fearful.
Just… steady.
Zhao Feng's irritation flared. "What are you looking at?"
Lin Xuan didn't answer immediately.
He took a step forward.
The movement was small—but confident.
That was enough.
Zhao Feng's face darkened. "You think cleaning corpses made you brave?"
He raised his hand.
Spiritual energy flickered faintly around his palm—thin, unstable, but dangerous to someone who couldn't cultivate.
The old Lin Xuan would have already been on his knees.
The new Lin Xuan simply smiled faintly.
[Host threatened.][Emotional spike detected: hostility, contempt.]
[Desire Energy +1.]
Lin Xuan spoke softly. "Senior Brother… you shouldn't attack someone assigned to sect duty."
Zhao Feng laughed. "Who's going to report it? The corpses?"
He struck.
The palm wind rushed toward Lin Xuan's chest.
Lin Xuan shifted.
Not fast. Not flashy.
Just enough.
The attack grazed his shoulder instead of his heart, sending him sliding back several steps. Pain flared—but his body didn't collapse.
Gasps echoed.
The two disciples froze.
"He dodged?""No way—he can't cultivate!"
Zhao Feng's pupils shrank.
Lin Xuan straightened, brushing dirt from his robe.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth—but his eyes were clear.
Calm.
Almost amused.
"Again?" Lin Xuan asked.
Zhao Feng's anger exploded.
"You're courting death!"
He gathered energy again—too much this time. Reckless.
Lin Xuan moved first.
He stepped into the strike.
Pain tore through his ribs as the palm landed—but at the same moment, Lin Xuan drove his fist forward, guided by the faint thread of Qi he now possessed.
It wasn't strong.
But it was real.
The punch landed squarely in Zhao Feng's abdomen.
A dull thud echoed.
Zhao Feng staggered back, eyes wide, breath knocked from his lungs.
Silence.
The two disciples stared in disbelief.
Lin Xuan stood there, chest heaving, every nerve screaming—but still standing.
[Combat experience registered.][Desire Energy +2.]
Zhao Feng recovered first, humiliation twisting his face.
"You—!"
But he stopped.
Because Lin Xuan was smiling.
Not wildly.
Not arrogantly.
Just… knowingly.
"This is corpse duty," Lin Xuan said quietly. "Accidents happen."
For the first time, fear crept into Zhao Feng's eyes.
He took a step back.
Then another.
"T-This isn't over," he spat. "You think one lucky hit changes anything?"
He turned and fled, dragging the other two with him.
Their footsteps faded into the night.
Lin Xuan finally exhaled and sat down heavily.
Pain surged now that the adrenaline faded—but beneath it, warmth pulsed steadily.
He looked at the glowing panel before him.
[Heavenly Desire System]Cultivation: Qi Refining Lv.1Desire Energy: 12
New Status:– First enemy established– Threat acknowledged by sect disciple
Lin Xuan laughed quietly.
"So it begins."
Above him, clouds drifted slowly past the moon.
Zhao Feng would spread rumors. The sect would take notice. Trouble would come faster now.
But Lin Xuan wasn't afraid.
Because for the first time in this world—
He had fought back.
And won.
Somewhere higher up the mountain, a certain female disciple paused mid-step, inexplicably clutching her chest.
"…Be careful," Su Mei whispered into the night.
Down in the corpse pit, Lin Xuan closed his eyes and resumed cultivation.
The spark had caught.
And it was only going to grow.
The night deepened.
Cold mist crept along the stone walls of the corpse pit, coiling around Lin Xuan's legs as he sat in cultivation. His breathing was slow, steady, each inhale drawing in threads of energy invisible to ordinary eyes.
Qi Refining Level 1.
For any normal outer disciple, this was laughably weak.
For Lin Xuan—
It was a miracle.
Warmth circulated through his repaired meridian, no longer leaking away uselessly. Each cycle made the flow smoother, more obedient, as if his body was relearning how to live.
Then—
A ripple.
Lin Xuan's eyes snapped open.
Someone was here.
Not Zhao Feng. Not a careless outer disciple.
This presence was quiet. Controlled.
Footsteps stopped at the edge of the pit.
"Lin Xuan."
A woman's voice.
Calm. Clear. Cold as frost.
Lin Xuan stood slowly and turned.
Moonlight revealed her figure standing above the pit, robes fluttering softly. Ice-blue sleeves embroidered with cloud patterns. Long silver-tinted hair tied with a jade clasp.
Qing Yue.
Outer sect elite. The same cold fairy whose name the system had already etched into his fate.
Her gaze swept over him—lingering on his posture, his breathing, the faint aura around his body.
"…You are cultivating," she said.
It wasn't a question.
Lin Xuan inclined his head slightly. "Senior Sister Qing Yue."
Her brows knit together almost imperceptibly.
"That's impossible," she said flatly. "Your meridians were shattered. I confirmed it myself."
Lin Xuan didn't deny it.
"Then," she continued, eyes sharpening, "explain why I can feel Qi responding to you."
Silence stretched.
The system stirred.
[High-level emotional fluctuation detected.][Source: Qing Yue.][Emotion: confusion mixed with suppressed curiosity.]
[Desire Energy +3.]
Lin Xuan felt the familiar warmth pulse.
He met her gaze steadily. "Maybe… they were never as broken as everyone believed."
Qing Yue studied him for a long moment.
In the moonlight, her expression was as composed as ever—but beneath it, something shifted. The Lin Xuan she remembered avoided eye contact, spoke in fragments, and flinched at raised voices.
This Lin Xuan stood straight.
Calm.
Unyielding.
"You fought Zhao Feng," she said suddenly.
Lin Xuan's eyes flickered. "News travels fast."
"He came to the outer sect elders furious," she replied coolly. "Claimed a corpse cleaner ambushed him."
Her lips curved faintly—not quite a smile.
"They dismissed him."
That surprised Lin Xuan.
"Why?"
"Because," Qing Yue said, stepping closer, "his story didn't make sense. And because Zhao Feng has a reputation."
She stopped a few paces away, frost aura subtly spreading around her feet.
"Tell me," she said quietly. "What did you awaken?"
The question hung heavy.
Lin Xuan could feel it—pressure, not from her cultivation, but from intent. If he lied poorly, tonight might end very badly.
But the system hummed, steady and confident.
"Opportunity," he said truthfully.
Qing Yue's eyes narrowed.
"…That is not an answer."
Lin Xuan met her gaze without fear. "It's the only one I can give."
Another pause.
Then, unexpectedly, she looked away.
"Be careful," she said softly.
Lin Xuan blinked.
She continued, tone returning to its usual coolness. "Zhao Feng is small-minded. If he cannot suppress you openly, he will do so quietly."
"I know."
"And corpse duty," she added, "is not random. Someone approved it."
Lin Xuan's mind sharpened.
"So this pit isn't just for trash."
"No," Qing Yue said. "It's for people the sect does not wish to see again."
She turned to leave.
After two steps, she stopped.
"…I left medicine by your door before," she said without turning around. "I won't again."
Lin Xuan smiled faintly. "Understood."
She hesitated—just for a heartbeat.
[Emotional resonance strengthened.][Desire Energy +2.]
Then she was gone, vanishing into the mist like she had never been there at all.
Lin Xuan exhaled slowly.
"So even she noticed," he murmured.
The system panel flickered into view.
[Heavenly Desire System]Cultivation: Qi Refining Lv.1 (Stable)Desire Energy: 19
New Insight Unlocked:– Desire grows strongest when restrained
Lin Xuan's lips curved upward.
Above him, the sect was already beginning to watch.
Which meant—
He needed to grow faster.
The next morning arrived shrouded in gray fog.
Su Mei appeared at the pit entrance, carrying a small cloth-wrapped bundle. When she saw Lin Xuan standing—standing, not slumped or pale—her eyes widened.
"You're… you look better," she said quietly.
Lin Xuan accepted the food. "Thanks to you."
She shook her head quickly. "I didn't do anything."
But her gaze lingered. On his face. His shoulders. The way he moved.
Something unfamiliar stirred in her chest.
[Desire Energy +2.]
Lin Xuan felt it instantly.
He looked at her more closely this time.
Su Mei wasn't stunning like Qing Yue. No overwhelming aura. No celestial beauty.
But there was warmth in her eyes.
Sincerity.
Dangerous things.
"Su Mei," Lin Xuan said gently, "why do you stay in the sect?"
She hesitated. "Because… if I leave, I have nothing."
Lin Xuan nodded.
"So do I."
Their gazes met.
For a brief moment, the oppressive corpse pit felt quieter. Warmer.
[Bond progress increased: Su Mei — 18%.]
Footsteps interrupted them.
A group of outer sect disciples stood at the top of the path, whispering among themselves, eyes sharp with interest and malice.
At their center—
Zhao Feng.
This time, he was smiling.
"Lin Xuan," he called out loudly. "The elders want to see you."
Lin Xuan felt no fear.
Only anticipation.
Because he could already tell—
This wasn't a summons.
It was a test.
And for the first time since entering this world…
He was ready to take it.