When Lin Fei returned from the shrine, the world felt thinner.
The soil of the outer sect grounds no longer held the same weight. The trees seemed lighter, like they were paper drawn over deeper lines. The very air tugged at his consciousness.
The system hummed lowly in his mind. Silent. Almost… expectant.
[Bloom Level: 3]
[Current Trait Activity: Stabilized]
[Path Tracking: Active]
The shrine had changed him. But the world outside hadn't waited.
🌒 Silent Roots Stir
He arrived back at the old stone pavilion where he had left his supplies. The weapons he had salvaged from the ruined courtyard were gone.
His instincts tensed.
A soft crunch came from the foliage behind him — precise, not careless. Whoever approached wanted him to know they were there.
He turned slowly.
A figure stepped out, cloaked in traveling robes so dark they shimmered like ink under moonlight. Their face was masked, but Lin Fei could feel it — a cultivator, and not from this sect.
"Lin Fei," the stranger said, voice muffled but calm, "you activated something ancient."
Lin Fei didn't respond immediately. Instead, he asked:
"You've been watching me."
"We've been watching many."
The stranger tossed a thin token toward him. It was etched with something unfamiliar — not a sect insignia, but a spiral of intertwined roots.
"You are what we call a Bloom-Bearer."
"And we are the Verdant Silence."
🕷️ The Verdant Silence
Lin Fei caught the token. As soon as he touched it, the system pulsed:
[External Artifact Detected – Verdant Silence Root Insignia]
[Warning: Unknown Faction – Caution Recommended]
"You're part of the system too?" he asked.
The figure paused. "No. We oppose it."
That answer rooted itself deeper than any strike.
"Why?"
"Because every time someone 'blooms'," the masked one said, "a vein somewhere withers."
They stepped forward slightly, lowering their hood — not enough to reveal their face, but enough to show the glint of metal along their temples.
"The system is feeding on something, Lin Fei. Something older than cultivation. Older than the Dao."
đź“–Â Secrets and Lies
Lin Fei considered that.
"Then why didn't you stop me earlier?"
"Because we don't interfere with early Bloomers. Most don't survive their third level. You… did."
They folded their arms.
"Which means you'll soon be hunted — not just by us, but by them."
"The Rootless."
The name sparked nothing in Lin Fei's memory, but the system reacted instantly.
[World Faction Discovered: The Rootless]
Alignment: Hostile
Activity: System Purging
Known Members: Unknown
Risk: Severe
"What do they want?"
"What the system promised them — then took away."
The figure's voice dropped.
"You're standing at a crossroads. Keep feeding your system… and you'll gain unimaginable power."
"But every gain will have a cost."
"Or you can join us — learn how to sever its grip."
⚔️ Choice of Roads
Lin Fei stared at the token.
Join them? The Verdant Silence seemed calm — even noble. But was that real?
"I've only just started," he said slowly. "I don't even know what I am yet."
The masked figure nodded.
"That's why we're giving you a choice."
They stepped back into the shadows. "But you won't get a second one."
Before Lin Fei could answer, they vanished — melting into the foliage like a wisp of mist.
[Quest Line Unlocked: The Verdant Question]
Status: Optional
Objective: Investigate the Verdant Silence faction within 30 days
Reward: Unknown / Potential System Repercussions
🌪️ Return to Chaos
He returned to the sect outer walls by dusk, but something had changed.
There were guards everywhere. Disciples whispering. Elders pacing.
He approached the northern gate and was immediately stopped.
"Name," the guard barked.
"Lin Fei."
The man squinted, then leaned in closer. His eyes narrowed.
"You're wanted in the inner courtyard. Now."
🔥 Summons of the Elders
Within an hour, Lin Fei stood before three elders — all seated around a burning brazier in a half-circle. Above them floated a massive jade seal representing the sect's authority.
The center elder — a woman known only as Elder Yun — spoke first.
"Lin Fei. There was a… disruption."
"A spiritual pulse erupted from the old southern glade. Matching several forbidden signatures."
He stayed silent.
"You were the only registered cultivator in the region."
Her tone sharpened:
"We don't care about your little private adventures. We care about what the world might have felt."
She leaned forward.
"What did you awaken?"
The room fell silent.
Lin Fei looked at them all and chose his words carefully.
"I touched something buried. I didn't break any laws."
"But… I may have changed."
They watched him. Measured him.
Then Elder Yun whispered a phrase under her breath.
Lin Fei's eyes widened. It wasn't Mandarin. Not a dialect.
It was System Speech.
"You've bloomed," she said coldly.
🩸 Rootless Shadows
Before he could react, his system screamed:
[Emergency Detection: Rootless Agent Nearby]
[Immediate Threat Level: HIGH]
A fourth presence entered the room. Tall. Thin. Dressed as a scribe.
But something in their veins crawled against qi.
Lin Fei took a step back.
Too late.
The scribe smiled—and unsheathed a blade of blackened jade.