The Azure Sky Sect elder stared at the nameplate in his hand, then at Kai Lin.
"Hmm… courtyard nine."
Murmurs rippled through the disciples nearby.
"Courtyard nine? That's the one with no spiritual vein."
"Even beasts don't bother going there."
Kai took the token silently and turned away, unbothered. Trash lived in shadows. That suited him.
[Sign-InOpportunity Detected: Ruined Outer Sect Courtyard - Rank F]
Sign in?
Yes.
Sign-In Successful. Reward: Phantom Vein Breathing Art(LowHeaven Grade).
Description: Cultivates spiritual energy from ambient void qi. Useless to ordinary disciples without advanced physique.
Kai's eyes narrowed slightly. Void qi… The art was dangerous, unstable. Perfect for someone with his hidden body refinement.
He sat cross-legged on the cracked stone floor of his courtyard, the weeds whispering in the wind.
He began cultivating.
The ground trembled faintly. Black wisps curled around him — invisible to the untrained eye.
Later That Night
The broken door creaked open.
A lanky disciple entered, smugness in every step. "You must be the new trash."
Kai didn't respond.
The man walked closer, cracking his knuckles. "Name's Duan Peng. I run this courtyard. You pay me five spirit stones a week if you want to stay breathing."
No answer.
Duan Peng sneered. "Mute, huh? Then maybe you won't scream—"
Kai moved.
In a single breath, his hand struck Duan Peng's knee sideways.
CRACK.
The sound echoed across the courtyard like thunder. Duan Peng collapsed, choking on the scream rising in his throat.
"You— you broke my leg!"
Kai crouched next to him. Still silent. He placed two fingers against Duan Peng's wrist.
CRACK.
A second shatter. The wrist now hung limp, veins purple from blocked circulation.
Duan Peng passed out, eyes rolled back in shock.
Kai stood and dragged the body to the edge of the courtyard, dumping it beside the trash pit.
[Achievement Unlocked: First Blood – Sect Suppression (Hidden)]
Reward: Shadow Suppression Seal (Passive)
Intimidation aura increases against those in lower realms. Can instill fear in weaker cultivators upon eye contact.
As dawn approached, the courtyard remained silent.
Disciples nearby noticed the broken form of Duan Peng and never spoke of it. By noon, the rumors had begun:
"He never even raised his voice."
"Didn't use a weapon."
"They say Duan Peng pissed himself before fainting."
Kai Lin cultivated in silence as the sun rose.
The name hadn't been spoken aloud yet.
But somewhere deep in the sect, it had begun to form:
Silent Sovereign.