Night lingered like rot across the Ironcloud Sect.
Mist slithered between buildings. Lanterns flickered from stone windows, casting blood-colored light across empty courtyards. But the outer disciple dorms were not silent.
They buzzed like a nest of stirred insects.
Lin Yu, golden heir, had been broken.
A newcomer with no background, no sect lineage, and no mentor had dragged him across stone and left him wheezing blood. Rumors changed with each breath.
"He used forbidden techniques!"
"No, it was a cursed weapon!"
"Senior Lin Yu was poisoned!"
"Yun Mu's eyes… they glowed like a demon!"
Half-truths.
Lies.
Speculation.
But one thing was certain:
Yun Mu had won.
---
Far from the noise, in the deepest section of the south cliffs, Yun Mu sat alone.
The candlelight in his room barely reached the corners. His cultivation mat was soaked in sweat and dried blood. The blackened fang-weapon rested across his lap, hissing faintly as if hungry.
He wasn't meditating.
He wasn't resting.
He was listening—to the Hollow Seed.
Inside his spirit sea, the fourth blade was forming: long and narrow like a needle, wrapped in quiet malice. It spun slowly, a phantom blade that pierced not flesh but memory.
> [New Path Blade Formed: Specter Thread]
Effect: You now retain traces of emotional qi from slain foes. Use to invoke fear, hallucination, or break spiritual defenses.
Warning: Prolonged exposure to Specter Thread may cause empathetic backlash.
Yun Mu breathed out. Slowly. Deeply.
Another step.
Another cost.
---
A knock echoed across the stone walls.
Soft. Measured.
He rose.
Opened the door.
Outside stood a girl no older than sixteen, dressed in gold-and-black robes trimmed with crimson thread. A crest of a twisted serpent curled on her sash—Core Disciple Insignia.
Her face was pale, smooth, untouched by hardship. But her eyes… were ancient.
"Yun Mu," she said, voice like snow. "My master wishes to speak with you."
Yun Mu didn't move.
The girl waited five heartbeats before tilting her head.
"Refusal is permitted, of course. The last one who declined simply vanished."
Yun Mu looked her in the eye.
"Lead the way."
---
She guided him through silent corridors and vine-wrapped tunnels, deeper into the mountain heart. Torches flickered blue. The air grew colder.
Finally, they arrived at a sealed stone gate.
The girl placed her palm against the glyph.
The door slid open with a whisper.
Yun Mu stepped inside.
---
The chamber was circular. Empty, except for a brazier filled with green flame, and a man seated on a dais.
His hair was white. Skin thin. Eyes closed.
But Yun Mu felt it immediately—weight.
This man wasn't merely strong.
He was a mountain hidden in flesh.
"You've made quite a ripple, boy," the elder said without opening his eyes. "Lin Yu's master has called for your punishment. Several elders want you expelled. Others want you caged."
Yun Mu remained silent.
The old man's lips curled slightly.
"But I... I am curious. You walk a path most fear to name. And you didn't hesitate. Why?"
Yun Mu stepped forward.
"I was born in the dark. I learned to see in it. That's all."
"Not good enough."
A pulse of spiritual force crashed into the room.
Yun Mu dropped to one knee instantly. Not from choice—his body simply folded under the pressure.
The brazier's flame flared.
> [Warning: Qi Suppression > 87%. System functions slowed.]
His vision blurred. Breath caught in his throat.
"I said," the elder's voice thundered, "why do you walk the Hollow Path?!"
Yun Mu clenched his fists.
Blood dripped from his nose.
From his eyes.
His bones creaked.
But then—
> [System Override Engaged.]
[Hollow Pulse Activated.]
The black lotus flared within him.
Hollow Qi rose.
Not outward—inward.
It consumed the pressure, drank it like poisoned wine.
The elder blinked.
Yun Mu stood.
"I don't walk the Hollow Path," he whispered.
"I drag the world into it."
---
Silence.
Then—laughter.
Cold. Deep. Genuine.
"Good," the elder said, nodding. "Very good. You'll come to the Bone Garden tomorrow. There is a trial awaiting you. Pass it, and I will name you my seed disciple."
Yun Mu said nothing.
The elder flicked his finger.
A small, white token shot toward Yun Mu—marked with the symbol of a coiled horned serpent.
"Don't die."
The doors opened behind him.
---
As Yun Mu walked out, the girl fell into step beside him.
"What's in the Bone Garden?" he asked.
She looked at him sideways.
"Ghosts. Memories. The bones of failed cultivators. Some say if you walk too deep, you find your past life."
He didn't react.
She smiled faintly.
"You might like it."
---
That night, Yun Mu didn't sleep.
He sat on the roof of his ruined house, eyes on the stars, spirit weapon across his lap.
Somewhere below, disciples laughed and fought and dreamed of glory.
He dreamed only of the path.
Of breaking.
Of rebuilding.
And of the thing that waited in the Bone Garden.
The Hollow whispered its hunger.
He whispered back.
---