Chapter 1: Whispers of the Moonlit Veil

The first light of dawn filtered through the twisted branches of the Abyssal Woods, casting jagged shadows over Lin Wei's hunched figure. His fingers brushed against the dew-kissed leaves of a Silverbell Herb, its petals shimmering faintly in the half-light. For three hours, he'd combed the forest floor, his wicker basket half-full of medicinal roots and blossoms. It was tedious work, but necessary—the Lin Clan's herb stores had dwindled to dust, and even the weakest healing poultice required these scraps of qi-infused flora.

A twig snapped behind him.

Lin Wei froze, his hand hovering over the herb. The air thickened with the metallic tang of primal energy—a spirit beast. Slowly, he turned his head.

A juvenile Ironclaw Bear emerged from the undergrowth, its obsidian claws glinting. Its amber eyes locked onto him, nostrils flaring. Early-stage Qi Refinement, Lin Wei assessed. For a normal cultivator in the Qi Refinement realm, this would be a death sentence.

But Lin Wei was not normal.

The bear lunged.

He sidestepped, his movements fluid as smoke. To an observer, it might have looked like luck—a stumble that carried him just beyond the beast's reach. But hidden beneath his sleeve, his fingers flickered through a series of seals. The air hummed as he channeled a sliver of his true power, suppressing his aura to a careful late-stage Qi Refinement.

Earthbind Technique.

Invisible threads of qi coiled around the bear's paws, rooting it to the soil. The creature roared, thrashing against the bonds. Lin Wei darted forward, a dull training dagger in hand. With precise strikes, he struck pressure points along the beast's meridians—a technique he'd mastered years ago but pretended to bungle. The bear collapsed, paralyzed but unharmed.

"Apologies, brother," Lin Wei murmured, retrieving a vial from his belt. He sprinkled golden pollen—Lullbloom spores—over the beast. "Sleep. When you wake, this glade will be a memory."

As the bear's breathing steadied, a cold voice resonated in his mind:

[Task Completed: Neutralize Threat Without Harm]

[Reward: 3x Frostfern Seeds (Accelerates herb growth by 30%)]

Lin Wei's lips twitched. The system's rewards were always practical, never poetic.

The clan compound loomed ahead, its once-grand gates now pockmarked with rust. Lin Wei adjusted the frayed sash of his patched robes—a deliberate choice. Appearing too competent might raise questions.

"Late again, cousin?"

Lin Mei leaned against the gate, her arms crossed. At sixteen, she was the clan's youngest alchemist, her fingers perpetually stained with ash and crushed petals. Her sharp eyes narrowed at his basket. "Three Silverbell Herbs? Even Granny Ling finds more on her bad days."

Lin Wei shrugged, adopting the sheepish grin he'd perfected over years. "The woods are thin this season."

A lie. He'd left the richest patches untouched, wary of drawing attention.

Lin Mei snorted, tossing him a linen-wrapped bundle. "Elder Qiang wants you in the ancestral hall. And take this—you look like you've been wrestling boars."

Inside the bundle: a steamed bun, still warm. Lin Wei's chest tightened. Even now, with the clan's pantry near-empty, they spared food for him.

The ancestral hall smelled of sandalwood and decay. Faded tapestries depicted the Lin Clan's glory days—armored cultivators astride storm dragons, their swords cutting through armies. Now, the only remaining relic was Elder Qiang, his spine bent like a wind-blasted pine.

"Come, boy," the elder rasped, gesturing to a crumbling scroll. "Translate this."

Lin Wei knelt, suppressing a sigh. The scroll was written in Ancient Celestial Script, a language even the clan's scholars had forgotten. But Lin Wei knew it—had known it since the system first whispered its lessons into his dreams.

He pretended to squint, tracing a finger over the characters. "It's… a recipe? For… for strengthening bones?"

Another lie. The scroll detailed the Ninefold Starforge Method, a high-tier cultivation technique.

"Bah! Useless!" Elder Qiang coughed, his lungs rattling. "We need battle arts, not kitchen scrolls!"

[New Task: Restore 1 Clan Artifact]

[Reward: ???]

Lin Wei clenched his jaw. The system loved its vagaries.

That night, Lin Wei climbed onto the clan's eastern wall, a half-rotten watchtower his favorite perch. Below, the compound slept—tattered banners fluttering, the forge cold. In his palm, he rolled the Frostfern Seeds, their chill seeping into his skin.

Plant them in the south garden, the system had advised. They'll bloom by the next moon.

But gardens required peace, and peace was a luxury the Lin Clan couldn't afford. Thunder Valley's envoys would arrive in a week, demanding their annual "tribute"—a tax disguised as goodwill. Last year, they'd taken the clan's last spirit stone mine. This year, they'd want blood.

Lin Wei's fingers drifted to his mother's pendant, the Moonlit Veil. Its silver surface reflected no light, as if swallowing the stars themselves.

"Restore the clan," he whispered to the darkness. "But at what cost?"

[System Notification: Progression to Foundation Establishment Realm (Middle Stage) Available.]

[Accept: Y/N?]

Lin Wei closed his eyes. Not yet.

Some secrets were best kept buried.