The morning came quietly.
Li Wei was still cultivating when footsteps approached outside his residence. When he opened the door, Su Qing stood there with Wang Hao behind her.
The fatty stared at him for a long moment, eyes slowly widening.
"…You changed," Wang Hao said.
Su Qing nodded. "he broke through."
Wang Hao scratched his head in disbelief. "Didn't you used to be… Qi Gathering Fourth Stage?"
Li Wei only smiled lightly. He didn't deny it, and he didn't explain.
Some truths were safer when left vague.
They spoke for a while—about the upcoming final round, about the inner courtyard, about things that didn't sound important but somehow were.
Then Su Qing hesitated.
She lowered her voice. "In the future… when you enter higher realms… will you still remember me?"
Li Wei didn't answer right away.
He thought about Heaven's rules.
About seconds deciding life and death.
About a future where survival itself was uncertain.
Then he looked at her.
"Will you walk the Dao with me?"
Su Qing froze.
Her ears reddened, then her entire face.
She nodded.
"…I will."
No ceremony.
No vows.
Just a quiet decision.
The training hall was already full when they arrived.
The final round unfolded smoothly. Well-known disciples displayed their strength. Applause rose and fell.
When Li Wei stepped onto the stage,
there was no sense of pressure around him.
His stance was loose.
His breathing uneven.
To most onlookers, he looked… ordinary.
Almost careless.
The first opponent charged confidently.
Li Wei reacted a half-beat late, barely raising his arm to block.
The clash pushed him back several steps, his feet scraping against the stone platform.
"Too slow."
Someone in the crowd shook their head.
Li Wei countered with a wind blade—but its trajectory was shallow, grazing past the opponent's shoulder instead of striking cleanly.
A miss.
Murmurs rose.
But four people stiffened at the same time.
Su Qing's fingers tightened around her sleeves.
Su Qing 's mouth slowly fell open. "That wasn't a mistake…"
High above, the female instructor's eyes narrowed slightly.
Beside her, the sixteen-year-old girl tilted her head. "He's… holding back?"
Li Wei stumbled again, narrowly dodging a heavy strike.
His robe tore at the hem. Dust rose as he rolled across the stage, looking genuinely pressured.
Yet every step—
Every retreat—
Stopped precisely at the edge of danger.
No more.
No less.
His opponent grew impatient and overextended.
That was when Li Wei moved.
A single wind blade—thin, uneven, lacking momentum—slipped through the gap and struck the opponent's wrist.
Not fatal.
Not decisive.
But enough.
The opponent's weapon fell. His balance broke.
Li Wei followed with a palm strike that sent him off the stage.
Victory.
The crowd was unimpressed.
"That's it?"
"So weak…"
"He only won because the other guy was careless."
Li Wei bowed slightly and stepped down, his expression calm, almost dull.
Su Qing swallowed hard. "He could've ended it in one move…"
Su Qing lowered her gaze. If he used his real power… there wouldn't even be a fight.
The instructor exhaled softly, a trace of amusement passing through her eyes.
"Interesting restraint."
The young girl stared at Li Wei's back, eyes shining faintly.
"He's lying to everyone," she whispered.
Her eyes lingered on Li Wei longer than necessary.
"That one," the girl said softly.
The woman smiled faintly. "Yes."
When the selections were announced, the woman spoke calmly.
"I will take him."
Li Wei felt a brief stir in his mind.
[Offer Detected: Inner Sect Instructor]
He accepted without hesitation.
The sensation that followed was subtle—like dust being brushed away.
[Reward: Karma-Free Erasure]
[Eliminates traces, soul marks, destiny lines
Prevents revenge, tracking, heavenly punishment]
Passive skill (always on)
Then, deeper still, something else awakened.
The System completed its long-silent process.
[System Upgrade Successful]
[Simulation Trail: Simulate Unlimited Battle]
Li Wei didn't react outwardly.
But inwardly, he understood the value immediately.
That afternoon, he was taken to her mountain.
Quiet. Clean. Sparse.
A place meant for cultivation, not conflict.
He was given a residence.
Li Wei brought Su Qing with him naturally.
"There's space," he said. "Stay."
She agreed.
When they arrived, Li Wei noticed the sixteen-year-old girl again, standing near the instructor. She looked at him openly this time, neither hostile nor friendly.
Just curious.
Li Wei acknowledged her politely.
Nothing more.
A senior brother soon approached, greeting him courteously.
Everything seemed normal—
Yet the System whispered.
[Normal Hostility Detected]
Li Wei's expression didn't change.
Why?
Suspicion?
Jealousy?
Or something else?
He stored the question away.
That night, Su Qing went down the mountain to collect her belongings.
Li Wei remained alone.
He sat down.
Closed his eyes.
And started cultivation
No Heaven.
No witnesses.
No consequences.
Only preparation.
The mountain was silent.
But silence, Li Wei knew, was never empty.