Ascension Log

Cloudveil Sect's gates loomed in the distance as Kai Lin passed beyond them, alone.

His black inner sect robes flapped in the wind, marked not with a sect emblem, but a red sigil burned into the collar—"Trial Combatant." It was a title that brought both scrutiny and freedom. Inner sect missions were rarely granted so soon after promotion, and none dared to follow.

The outer world air tasted different—freer, yet more dangerous.

Before him loomed the mouth of the Demonrift Forest.

Centuries ago, a battle between high elders and rogue cultivators shattered the natural Qi veins of this forest, twisting beasts and plants into corrupted forms. It became a place where the strong went missing, and the weak died screaming.

And now it was where Kai Lin would uncover the next piece of himself.

Ding—

You have entered: Demonrift Forest [Danger Rating: B-]

Sign-In Opportunity Detected: [Corruption Gravefield]

Warning: Hostile entities nearby. Nightfall will increase risk.

He stepped forward without hesitation.

Two Hours In – The Screaming Trees

The trees here bled sap the color of rust. The air was heavy, thick with spiritual corruption. Normal beasts would flee a cultivator like Kai Lin, but here?

They watched.

They hung from trees like twisted corpses.

He moved quickly, his spiritual sense sharp. His body was stronger than before—Spirit Vein Realm – Early Stage—but more importantly, he moved like a predator. No wasted motion. No hesitations.

System Update: Passive Trait Active — [Sovereign Will I]

Hostile Entities – Combat Effectiveness Decreased by 10%

He knelt, fingers brushing charred soil. Ashes scattered from a long-cold campfire. Burned jade slips, broken blade fragments.

The missing cultivators… this was their last stop.

But no bodies.

Only tracks.

He followed them.

Until he heard the whispers.

The Hidden Graveyard

It was a natural sinkhole, half-swallowed by roots and thorns. Countless broken flags and talismans marked its edge—warding spells, shattered long ago.

Within it lay bones.

Human bones.

Some old. Some… fresh.

Sign-In Triggered: Hidden Graveyard Detected

Processing Qi Signature…

Sign-In Complete.

Acquired: Memory Fragment – [Echoes of the Sovereign Path]

Seal Reaction: Level 1 Memory Lock Dispelled

Kai Lin's vision blurred.

His soul was pulled into a storm of memory—not of this life.

[Flash Memory – ??? Years Ago]

He stood alone on a mountain of corpses. His robes were tattered, white and gold stained black with blood. Thunder roared above, but no rain fell.

Around him knelt cultivators in the thousands. Their foreheads pressed to the blood-soaked stone.

A voice echoed from all directions.

"Silent Sovereign… have mercy…"

He raised his hand—and the world was severed.

The memory collapsed like shattered glass.

Kai Lin gasped and dropped to one knee, blood dripping from his nose.

System Alert: Past Identity Fragment Unsealed – [Silent Sovereign]

Passive Ability Awakened: [Silent Pressure I]

(Enemies of lower cultivation suffer spiritual tremors upon first confrontation. Success chance: 50%)

So that was it…

That title.

Silent Sovereign.

Not just a title from the system—it was who he had once been.

And someone, somewhere, had sealed that identity so thoroughly it could only awaken through death, blood, and time.

"He's Here."

Kai Lin snapped to attention.

Voices echoed across the gravefield.

From the shadows emerged three cultivators, all bearing the crimson insignia of a demonic sect—one long banned by Cloudveil.

"Look what crawled into our little trap," said the first, a tall man with silver eyes and two swords. "Did you think the missing disciples were killed by beasts?"

The second grinned, cracking knuckles. "Nah. We're culling the sect. Thinning out the weak. You just made the list by showing up."

The third remained silent—but the Qi radiating off him was wrong. It pulsed like rot, like a corpse halfway between man and monster.

Kai Lin didn't answer.

Instead, he stepped forward, drawing in a breath.

Ding—

Optional Combat Sign-In: Defeat Corrupted Cultivator within 3 minutes

Reward: [Heaven-Severing Manual – Fragment III]

Accept?

Accepted.

He moved.

Battle in the Gravefield

The silver-eyed swordsman leapt first, his dual blades glowing with fire Qi.

But Kai Lin didn't dodge. He raised one hand and cut.

It wasn't sword Qi. It was severing intent.

Snap!

The man's blades split down the center, as if rejected by the heavens themselves.

Kai Lin appeared behind him in the next breath. His palm struck once—just once—against the man's back.

Crack.

The swordsman flew across the gravefield and crashed into a gravestone, unmoving.

The second roared and charged. Earth Qi burst from his fists in heavy waves.

But Kai Lin didn't flinch.

Silent Pressure: Activated

Spiritual Tremor Success: 100%

The man stumbled mid-sprint, eyes widening in fear as invisible pressure crushed his confidence. Kai Lin's foot met his chin mid-stumble.

Snap!

His head twisted unnaturally, and he dropped like a sack of flesh.

Only the third remained.

The corrupted one.

His skin was pale. Veins black. His irises had turned red and gold.

"You…" the creature rasped. "You reek of the old blood."

Kai Lin narrowed his eyes. "What are you?"

The corrupted man grinned, revealing rows of jagged teeth.

"I am what your ancestors feared. A disciple of the Abyssal Lineage. And I remember you, Silent Sovereign."

He raised his hands.

From the gravefield, bones rattled.

The corrupted Qi surged, awakening the dead.

Abyssal Cultivation vs. Severing Dao

Dozens of skeletal cultivators rose from the earth, bound by corruption.

But Kai Lin didn't step back.

Instead, he raised both hands—and for the first time, tapped into the Root Severing Art he had acquired.

Heaven-Severing Manual – Root Severing: Initiated

Effect: Cut the spiritual foundation of entities with unstable cores.

With a breath, he carved his fingers through the air.

Slice—slice—slice.

The world fell silent.

Corruption shuddered.

And every single undead creature collapsed as their Qi cores were severed from the spirit world. No explosion. No light. Just… severed.

The corrupted man snarled and lunged.

Too slow.

Kai Lin met him midair, fists wrapped in dark Qi.

Three strikes.

One to the chest—breaking ribs.

One to the throat—cutting his corrupted chant.

One to the core—ending him.

Boom—!

A shockwave of spiritual backlash exploded, and the gravefield went still once more.

Ding—

Optional Combat Sign-In Complete

Reward: [Heaven-Severing Manual – Fragment III] Acquired.

Manual Completion: 1.6%

Hidden Progression Triggered: You have slain a disciple of the Abyssal Lineage.

Warning: You are now marked by the Abyssal Eye.

(Tracking chance increased during abyssal missions.)

Kai Lin stood in silence as the system settled.

The gravefield was quiet now. No more whispers. No more enemies.

Only one name etched deeper into the forest's bones:

Silent Sovereign.