Ascension Log

The outer sect dueling platform was packed with disciples. Dust swirled underfoot, the air thick with tension as names were called out one by one.

At the far end stood Jian Yuze — broad-shouldered, clad in a fresh robe, and radiating the aura of the Qi Formation Realm (3rd Layer). He smirked with confidence as he crushed a spiritual fruit between his fingers, eyes searching.

"Where is the cripple?" he muttered. "Or did he crawl back into the grave we left him in?"

Then the crowd split.

A black figure walked onto the stage.

No robe of rank. No entourage.

Just Kai Lin, face expressionless, carrying a rusted saber wrapped in cloth.

The air grew still.

A nearby disciple whispered, "Didn't Jian Yuze crush his dantian last month?"

"He's walking," another muttered. "And… that aura—"

Jian Yuze's smirk cracked slightly.

"Kai Lin? You're actually alive?" he scoffed. "You should've stayed buried."

Kai Lin didn't speak.

Didn't look at the referee.

Didn't even bow.

He simply unwrapped the saber and dropped the cloth to the floor. A rusted weapon, chipped and aged — yet something about it made Jian Yuze's heart skip.

Ding—

[Silent Sign-In Triggered]

Location: Outer Sect Stage – Duels Pavilion

Duration of Silence: 7 hours, 2 minutes

Reward: [Passive: Killing Intent Shroud]

Effect: Suppresses enemy qi flow upon bloodshed.

A faint ripple spread from Kai Lin's body. It wasn't spiritual pressure. It was something else — murderous stillness.

The referee hesitated, but raised his hand.

"Duel begins!"

Jian Yuze dashed forward. His footwork was clean — Soaring Wind Steps, mid-tier movement technique — and his fists glowed with circulating qi.

But the moment his foot touched within three feet of Kai Lin, he staggered.

What the hell?

His meridians pulsed irregularly. His breath choked. His fists wavered—

CLANG!

Kai Lin's blade met his ribs.

Blood sprayed.

Jian Yuze screamed and leapt back, clutching his side. "Y-you—!"

The crowd gasped.

He'd landed the first strike cleanly. No buildup. No flourish.

Jian roared, pulling out a jade talisman. "You dare try to kill me?! I'm protected by Elder Zhou!"

Kai Lin's expression didn't change.

He advanced again, walking calmly.

Jian summoned a wave of qi, hurling it forward — a burst of spiritual wind. But the moment the first drop of his blood hit the platform, Kai Lin's aura thickened.

[Passive: Killing Intent Shroud Activated]

— Enemy qi flow disrupted by 12%.

Jian's attack sputtered.

Kai Lin disappeared.

He reappeared behind him, slicing upward.

Jian tried to block — but his foot gave way. His qi refused to circulate smoothly. His foundation, shaken.

Kai Lin drove a knee into his spine.

The saber dropped to the ground.

He grabbed Jian by the throat and slammed him into the platform.

Crack.

Blood pooled beneath the disciple's cheek. Teeth scattered.

Gasps echoed across the courtyard.

An elder finally stood. "That's enough!"

But Kai Lin didn't stop.

He knelt beside Jian Yuze, his voice low — the first words spoken all day.

"I remember the cave. I remember the cold."

He pressed his finger to Jian's forehead. "Now you remember silence."

A pulse of black qi surged from his palm — not part of any sect manual. It swallowed Jian's scream before it left his throat.

Ding—

[New Trait Unlocked: Black Vein Echo]

Each kill amplifies future qi density by 0.5%.

The duel was over.

Jian Yuze lay broken, unconscious, barely alive.

Kai Lin stood tall, robes bloodstained but posture perfect. His gaze swept across the watching crowd — not with pride, but with disinterest.

He walked off the platform in total silence.

And from high above, Elder Wu Qingshan watched with narrowed eyes.

"Not just a Void Root," he whispered. "But a predator born of silence."

Beside him, another elder — cloaked in blue silk — chuckled lightly.

"Do we recruit him… or kill him?"

Wu didn't answer.