The sect had a way of whispering without making a sound.
No one said Lin Tian's name aloud in the corridors, but people paused when he passed. No one stared openly, but eyes lingered too long. When he entered a room, conversations didn't stop—but they changed.
The air around him had shifted.
"You're becoming inconvenient," Chen Mu said as Lin Tian walked along the edge of the east courtyard, carrying a stack of ration ledgers to the administration hall. "Not dangerous. Just... too visible."
"They don't know what to do with me."
"They're trying to decide whether to recruit, discredit, or remove you."
"Which do you recommend?"
"I recommend none of them succeed."
[+2 BP for ominous self-promotion.]
The ledgers were a flimsy excuse for the walk. The real destination was the inner edge of the alchemy division—where rumors always ran thicker than blood, and disciples whispered between inhaling caustic fumes.
Lin Tian paused by the herb drying racks.
Two disciples sat nearby, one grinding spirit roots, the other mixing powder into a thick paste. They didn't notice him immediately.
"...I'm telling you, he burned Xu Fang with a single touch," one whispered.
"No way. Xu Fang's a brute. How would Lin Tian even land a hit?"
"Doesn't matter. Guo's furious. Says Lin Tian cheated."
"With what? His imaginary master?"
"No. Some kind of forbidden fire technique. Said it was older than the sect."
Lin Tian didn't speak. He walked past without looking at them.
Behind him, the whispering stopped.
[+3 BP for passive myth inflation.]
Later that afternoon, a disciple in gray robes found Lin Tian behind the ration hall and handed him a scroll.
Chen Mu squinted at it. "No seal. No sender name. Unofficial. That's not great."
Lin Tian opened it anyway.
The handwriting was elegant, tight, and unfamiliar.
"Outer Disciple Lin Tian,
Your cultivation method has drawn attention. An audience has been requested. Come alone.
Fourth courtyard, dusk bell.
– Y."
Chen Mu hovered silently. Then, slowly: "Y... that might be Instructor Yan. Elder Hu's middleman. This is either a trap or a recruitment attempt."
"Should I go?"
Chen Mu sighed. "Yes. But we prepare for both outcomes."
The fourth courtyard was old. Not abandoned—but quiet. Weeds pushed through the edges of the stone path. The lanterns were unlit. The training dummies here hadn't been replaced in years.
Lin Tian arrived just before the dusk bell and waited near the dry fountain.
The figure who emerged from the side passage wasn't Instructor Yan.
It was a woman in outer sect robes—but they were clean, tailored. Her posture spoke of practiced control, and her eyes were sharp.
"I expected someone older," she said.
Lin Tian bowed. "You sent the note?"
"Yes. My name is Wei Yulan."
Chen Mu whispered, "I know that name. She's an aide to the resource division. Minor figure. Unaligned. Smart, though."
Wei Yulan looked Lin Tian over like one might inspect a cracked jade statue that had started humming.
"You've made waves," she said. "That's dangerous."
"I didn't ask to."
"No one does. But when someone like you shows up with pure circulation and strange techniques, the sect gets curious."
"I don't know what you mean."
Yulan smiled faintly. "Good answer. But I'm not here on behalf of the elders."
That caught Lin Tian's attention.
"There's a group of us," she said. "Outer disciples. We're not part of Hu's chain. Not tied to Guo or the inner clan juniors. We share notes. Exchange resources. Help each other survive."
Chen Mu perked up. "A mutual aid circle?"
"We don't swear oaths," she added quickly. "We just look out for each other. Quietly."
"And you want me to join?"
"No. I want to know if you're dangerous to us."
Lin Tian considered that.
"I'm dangerous," he said. "But not to you."
She studied him a long moment. "You're either very honest or very good at lying."
He didn't answer.
Yulan reached into her sleeve and pulled out a small jade strip.
"Cultivation text," she said. "Low-grade. For cracked roots. Hard to find. I'll trade it to you for one truth."
Chen Mu hissed. "Careful."
Lin Tian asked, "What's the question?"
"Are you cultivating a legacy technique?"
Chen Mu shouted: "Say yes. But be vague."
"Yes," Lin Tian said. "But I don't know where it came from."
She narrowed her eyes.
Then nodded.
The jade strip changed hands.
She walked away without another word.
[+4 BP for successful half-truth.]
[+1 Soul Strength for resolving pressure with poise.]
That night, Lin Tian sat in his hut, the jade strip in his lap.
Chen Mu hovered above it, scanning the contents.
"Hmm. It's not bad. Simple. Efficient. Reinforces Qi flow in damaged channels. Won't replace the manual, but it might patch your weakest circuits."
Lin Tian closed his eyes and began the meditation cycle.
The new method blended smoothly with his existing path—not replacing, just reinforcing. The circulation loop took slightly longer, but the warmth pulsed more evenly now.
"You're adapting faster," Chen Mu said. "Even your breathing's steadier."
"I'm used to being afraid," Lin Tian murmured. "Now I'm learning to act through it."
[+3 BP for inspirational disciple growth.]
They continued training through the night.
Outside, in the shadows beyond the hut, someone stood watching.
They wore a hood. They didn't speak.
And when the wind passed, they were gone.
[System Status Panel – Chen Mu (Ring State)]
Bluff Points: 92
Soul Strength: 8
Current Vessel: Jade Ring (Damaged, Dusty, Slightly Sticky)
Abilities: Voice of Authority Lv.1, Soul Tap (1/day)
Manual Access: Beginner Cultivation Manual (Simulated)
Current Objective: Guide disciple through Qi Initiation Realm
Disciple Status: Qi Initiation – Early Stage (Nearing Mid)