[Chapter 15]
The crackling tension in the Intermediate Archive still buzzed in Castiel's ears long after he slipped away from the hidden confrontation. His body moved through the corridors of the Pavilion like a shadow—unseen, unfelt—but his mind was racing with possibilities.
Mei Lian.
The robed man.
The fractured seal.
The voice that whispered through the Echo Sigil.
It was no longer just about training, or fighting for status.
This… this was a puzzle wrapped in conspiracy—and someone was already ten steps into the gameboard before him.
That night, Castiel returned to his private chamber near the cliffside, the cold mountain winds biting at his robes. He stood before the cliff's edge, watching as a moon, full and silver, floated above the fog-draped valleys.
[System Notification:
New Passive Progress: "Strategic Instinct" Level Up – Now Lv.2
Additional Effect: Subtle anomalies in dialogue or environment now generate Insight prompts.]
A small smirk played on his lips.
"Now we're playing chess," he muttered, gripping the sealed scrolls from earlier.
For the next two days, he immersed himself in those scrolls—digesting every formation, breathing rhythm, sword arc, and Qi suppression technique like a starving beast at a feast. His cultivation remained steady at Early Qi Condensation, but the foundation he was building was terrifyingly solid.
While others rushed toward breakthroughs, Castiel was refining completeness.
He wasn't aiming to ascend faster…
He was aiming to never fall.
But still… Mei Lian's actions haunted his thoughts.
On the third evening, as twilight bled across the sky, a paper crane—delicate and glowing faintly—fluttered through his chamber window. It dissolved midair, leaving behind a whisper.
"Cliffside Summit. Midnight. Come alone."
No name. No Qi signature. But Castiel didn't need either.
Mei Lian.
He arrived before midnight, standing near the edge of the summit plateau. The moonlight shimmered on the stones, and the breeze whispered like a ghost across the still grasses. Silence stretched… until footsteps approached from behind a stone arch.
Mei Lian emerged, hooded, her silver inner disciple robes dulled by night shadow.
"You came," she said softly.
"I considered not to," Castiel replied, his tone neutral. "But curiosity wins."
She gave a sad smile. "You saw the seal."
Castiel's eyes narrowed. "I saw more than that. You're working with someone beyond the sect. That robed man wasn't one of us."
"I can't explain everything. Not yet," Mei Lian said, stepping closer. "But I need you to trust me—for now. The seal… it's not just some forbidden section. It's a prison. Something was locked there after the Sect War a hundred years ago."
"And now someone's trying to let it out?"
"Or use it. That's worse."
Castiel crossed his arms. "Then tell the Elders."
Mei Lian shook her head. "Some of them already know. Or worse… they're involved."
Lightning danced silently in the clouds far off in the distance. The sky knew something was stirring.
"I pulled you into this when I gave you that scroll," she added. "It was bait… but not for you. For them."
"So I was the decoy."
"You were the only one who wouldn't die instantly."
A pause.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Castiel's voice broke the silence—quiet, but sharp.
"You're still hiding something, Mei Lian."
She didn't deny it. But she did step forward, and from her sleeve, she pulled a small obsidian token—carved with the shape of a coiled serpent swallowing its own tail.
"The ones behind this aren't just rogue elders or power-hungry disciples. They're part of a buried clan… one the Sect declared destroyed."
Castiel's eyes locked onto the symbol. The name floated to his mind unbidden—faint and dark.
[New Keyword Unlocked: "Ouroboros Sect" – Hidden Faction Status: Erased from Records.]
"Don't trust anyone. Not even the ones who act like your allies," Mei Lian whispered. "This goes far deeper than cultivation rankings."
Before he could ask more, her head snapped toward the treeline.
"We're being watched," she whispered. "I'll find you again. Stay alive until then."
And just like that—she vanished into the mist.
But Castiel didn't move.
Because in that moment, the system flickered again.
[New Side Quest Triggered: "The Serpent Beneath"
Objective: Survive the Ouroboros Sect's Interest for 3 Days
Reward: ???
Warning: You are now marked.]
A chill ran down his spine.
This wasn't a trial anymore.
This was war.
-----------------------------------------
The next morning, Castiel moved like a ghost through the Outer Sect grounds.
Every step, every glance over his shoulder, every murmur of the trees — he felt them all more acutely now.
The System's Insight prompts triggered small flashes in his vision: faint, almost imperceptible trails where spies had walked, Qi disturbances lingering where watchers had hidden themselves behind courtyards and towers.
Everyone was hunting.
Some didn't even know who they were hunting—only that their masters told them a "variable" needed to be erased.
He was that variable.
But Castiel didn't intend to play by their rules.
By midday, he had mapped out three safe zones within the Sect—areas where surveillance was minimal or easily neutralized. He'd also memorized dozens of disciple patrol routes, noting times when gaps appeared in their coverage.
If this was a game of survival…
Then he would treat it like a stealth mission.
[Strategic Instinct Skill Progress: 72% to Lv.3.]
Meanwhile, in the Council Pavilion, Elder Jinlong stood before a large window, watching the Outer Sect below. His golden robes shimmered faintly under the daylight.
"Do you truly intend to let the boy fend for himself?" Elder Xuanyin's voice floated behind him, cool and detached.
"Not fend," Jinlong answered. "Forge."
"And if he dies?"
"Then he wasn't worthy."
Xuanyin sighed, shaking her head under her crimson hood. "You tread dangerously, old friend. Even fate has limits."
Down below, Castiel was already moving toward his first major counterstrike.
He stopped by a nondescript alchemy hall where low-ranking disciples often congregated. Inside, he found a pair of familiar faces—two Outer Sect seniors who had once bullied weaker disciples but lately had seemed... restless.
He approached their table boldly.
"You're being watched," he said without greeting.
Both disciples stiffened, exchanging nervous glances.
"What do you mean, Junior Brother?" one of them asked, playing dumb.
Castiel leaned closer, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper.
"I know about the Ouroboros recruiters."
Both paled.
He pressed on. "Help me… or die forgotten when they decide you're liabilities."
A tense silence.
Then, the bigger one—Lin Zhu—gritted his teeth. "What do you want?"
Castiel smiled thinly.
"Information. Then I'll handle the rest."
Through them, he learned small pieces:
— Some disciples were being offered forbidden cultivation techniques in exchange for loyalty.
— Others were simply bribed with spirit stones or protection promises.
— A hidden gathering was scheduled in two nights—at the Whispering Hollow, an abandoned arena at the far edge of the mountain.
[New Objective Unlocked: "Infiltrate the Gathering."
Optional Bonus: Disrupt Recruitment Operation.]
That night, under a cloak of silence, Castiel returned to his training chamber.
He unrolled one of the advanced scrolls Mei Lian had baited him with—an old sword style lost to most of the current sect.
"Moonshadow Form: Art of Veiled Killing."
It was not meant for battles of strength.
It was an assassination form, perfect for swift and silent eliminations.
The very existence of this technique was forbidden.
Castiel stared at the scroll for a long time.
His hands trembled slightly—not from fear, but from anticipation.
[System Prompt: Forbidden Technique Detected.
Integrate with System for Modified Skill Version?
Warning: This path may influence Karma.]
He hesitated only a moment.
"Integrate."
Golden script dissolved into his mind.
[New Skill Learned: "Shadow Serpent Sword (Lv.1)"
Type: Stealth/Assassination Technique
Special: Critical strikes increase in lethality by 30% under moonlight.]
His fingers clenched into fists.
Everything he had faced so far had been preparation.
Now it was time to be the predator, not the prey.
Two nights later, Castiel stood at the precipice of the Whispering Hollow, cloaked by shadows.
Below him, a dozen figures gathered under the shrouded moonlight, their voices low and venomous.
Robed men.
Recruited disciples.
Even a few masked elders he couldn't fully recognize.
At the center of it all stood a tall figure—face hidden behind a bone-white mask shaped like a serpent's head.
The leader.
The real enemy.
Castiel's heart beat steadily.
This wasn't a boss fight.
This was a scouting mission… and maybe, if he played it right—
A silent slaughter.
He slipped into the shadows, the wind carrying his scent and presence away from the gathered traitors.
Tonight, the hunter would dance with the serpent.
And only one would walk away alive.