By the second morning, Lin Shen had already mapped out the immediate surroundings of the outer sect, memorized patrol schedules, and marked the two least-used training grounds.
He didn't care about cultivation speed. He cared about *living.*
And so far, it was working.
> **[Survival Task Complete: Day 2.]**
> **Progress: 2/7 days survived.**
> **+1 Caution Point**
> **New Feature Available: System Store (Unlocked)**
> **— Basic Inventory Slot (5 points)**
> **— Masking Powder: Conceals spiritual fluctuations (3 points)**
> **— Minor Illusion Token: Create a false image (10 points)**
It was just as he hoped—the system rewarded his restraint, his caution, not blind action. Every choice mattered. Every moment calculated.
He didn't need to be the strongest. He just needed to stay two steps ahead.
---
A sharp knock on his door shattered the early silence.
Three times. Then a pause. Then twice more.
A pattern.
Lin Shen's mind raced.
> Mo Fan's memory: That knock belonged to one person—**Wang Jie**, a fellow outer disciple and one of the few Mo Fan had once considered a "friend." A soft-spoken boy with a gentle smile... and a dagger under his pillow.
Lin Shen opened the door slowly.
"Mo Fan," Wang Jie whispered, glancing around, "I need your help."
Danger Sense twitched—not strong, but present.
"I'm listening," Lin Shen said evenly.
"There's a new batch of spirit-gathering pills being distributed. They're giving out two per person, but the line's already swarming with inner sect lackeys. They're robbing the weaker disciples blind."
"And?"
"I want us to go together. Strength in numbers."
Lin Shen said nothing. He studied Wang Jie's face—too earnest. Too rehearsed.
The original Mo Fan would've agreed out of misplaced loyalty.
But Lin Shen wasn't Mo Fan.
Still, he couldn't reject too directly. That invited suspicion.
"I need a few minutes to prepare," he said instead.
"Alright, but hurry. They'll run out."
As soon as Wang Jie left, Lin Shen acted.
He slipped out the back of the hut, took a long detour through a shaded grove, and reached the pill distribution site from above—perched on a rocky overhang, hidden behind dense vines.
And there he waited.
---
Ten minutes later, Wang Jie appeared—not alone.
He was with **Senior Disciple Bao Liang**, a brute of a man known for collecting spirit pills like trophies. The two spoke briefly. Then Bao Liang pointed toward Mo Fan's hut.
A deal.
Wang Jie was bait.
Lin Shen's eyes narrowed.
Not surprising. In the Crimson Asura Sect, betrayal was as common as breathing.
Still, it stung a little.
He watched them split. Wang Jie returned to wait near the pill queue, probably assuming Lin Shen would show up late and unguarded.
Lin Shen smirked. *Wrong again.*
He waited until the distribution elder announced the last dozen pills were left, then used his new concealment technique and approached from the far end of the line.
No one noticed him until he stood before the elder.
"Name?"
"Mo Fan."
The elder frowned. "Late."
"I was healing from Blood Baptism wounds, as per sect physician's orders," Lin Shen said calmly, voice neutral.
"Proof?"
He handed over a forged slip—a simple trick, courtesy of system guidance and a blank talisman he'd prepared overnight.
The elder barely glanced at it, then grunted and tossed him two small jade bottles.
Lin Shen bowed and vanished back into the crowd.
Minutes later, screams erupted on the path to his hut.
Someone had broken in and found... nothing. No Mo Fan. No pills. Just an empty bed and a shadow that refused to be caught.
> **[Survived Targeted Robbery Attempt.]**
> **+1 Caution Point**
> **System Points: 5**
> **Store Purchase: Basic Inventory Slot unlocked.**
Lin Shen slipped the pills into his new invisible storage space and continued walking—head low, aura suppressed, heart calm.
---
That night, he sat alone on a cliffside ledge, overlooking the mist-choked valley below.
**Three days.**
More than halfway to his first system milestone. But things would only get harder now.
Tomorrow was the start of the **Internal Elimination Trials**—a brutal monthly event where the outer disciples were ranked. Those who dropped in rank too often were exiled… or killed.
Strength wasn't optional anymore.
And so, for the first time, Lin Shen pulled out the two spirit-gathering pills.
He examined them carefully—checking for poison, impurities, hidden marks. Only when Danger Sense remained quiet did he crush one between his fingers and inhale the powder.
It burned like fire, but energy surged through him.
He meditated for hours, guiding the spiritual force through his body with slow, deliberate care. No shortcuts. No risks.
By the time dawn broke, his cultivation had risen from **2nd layer Qi Refining** to **3rd layer**—still trash-tier, but a step forward.
> **[Cultivation Progression Successful]**
> **+1 System Point**
> **+1 Hidden Stat: Stability**
> *(Stability improves resistance to backlash, qi deviation, and system malfunctions.)*
Interesting. Another layer of protection.
He liked that.
---
The courtyard where the trials were held buzzed with tension. Outer disciples stood in ranks, their gazes wary, their weapons sharp.
Lin Shen arrived early, found a corner, and blended in.
Wang Jie stood nearby, glancing around nervously. No doubt looking for the "friend" he betrayed.
Lin Shen didn't acknowledge him.
The matchups began. Name after name was called, and disciples filed into the stone arena in pairs. Fights were quick, brutal, and often ended in bone-deep wounds.
Then:
"Mo Fan vs. Guo Xiang."
A wave of laughter rolled through the crowd.
Guo Xiang was a known bully, 5th layer Qi Refining, infamous for breaking legs instead of winning fairly.
Lin Shen exhaled softly and stepped forward.
---
The moment the bell rang, Guo Xiang charged like a boar—sword raised high, a wild grin on his face.
Lin Shen didn't meet the blow.
He sidestepped—just enough to avoid a direct hit. Let the force skim his shoulder. Let blood spill, just a little.
He staggered, feigned weakness.
Guo Xiang rushed in for the finish.
That's when Lin Shen moved.
A short blade, hidden up his sleeve, slid into his hand. Coated in a sleep-inducing herb, barely enough to kill, but more than enough to delay.
He slashed once—low and fast—across the thigh.
Guo Xiang stumbled.
Lin Shen darted behind him and struck the pressure point at the base of his neck.
Guo Xiang dropped.
Silence.
Then stunned murmurs.
"Winner: Mo Fan."
Lin Shen bowed, then walked off before the elder could ask questions.
---
> **[Victory Achieved: +2 System Points]**
> **[Caution Bonus: Opponent defeated with minimum spiritual force used.]**
> **+1 Hidden Stat: Precision**
Back in his hut, Lin Shen wiped the blade clean and burned the herb pouch. He didn't celebrate. He didn't gloat.
He just cleaned, meditated, and planned for the next fight.
**Caution wasn't cowardice.**
It was the art of survival.
And in the Crimson Asura Sect, there was no nobler goal.