Chapter 4: Between the Lines of Light and Lies

Morning sunlight filled the training grounds of Tianxia Academy, yet Li Wei felt no warmth in it. Light, to him, was no longer a sign of purity—it had become a mask that veiled countless lies.

He sat quietly in the library annex, tucked away in the furthest corner. The heavy silence was only broken by the soft rustle of old pages. His fingers hovered over a book titled "Spiritual Constructs and Celestial Threads." He wasn't reading for leisure—he was searching for answers.

His mind replayed the strange thread he had seen in Lan Xue's aura. That thread hadn't been natural. It had pulsed with an artificial rhythm, one he had seen before—back when Mu Yuelan had turned on him, moments before his death.

Just then, a calm voice cut through the quiet.

"You're Li Wei, right?"

He looked up slowly. A tall boy stood there, well-dressed, eyes filled with quiet arrogance. His robe was of the inner court, yet Li Wei could tell he didn't belong there—at least not officially.

"Depends," Li Wei replied calmly. "Who's asking?"

"Wen Zixuan," the boy said with a light smile. "I saw what happened in the courtyard a few days back. You're strong. Controlled. Rare qualities in the outer court."

Li Wei didn't respond immediately. He focused his spiritual sense, discreetly activating his Divine Eye. And what he saw raised an internal alarm.

Name: Wen Zixuan.

Cultivation Level: Qi Refinement – Peak.

Hidden Trait: Memory Seal (Origin Class).

Warning: Data Obfuscation Detected.

So, this person wasn't ordinary either. A memory seal? And an origin-class trait hidden behind a mask?

"What do you want?" Li Wei asked.

Wen Zixuan sat across from him, his tone casual but firm. "To talk. About Lan Xue."

Li Wei kept his expression neutral. "What about her?"

"She's dangerous. Not because she wants to be—but because someone is manipulating her. Her soul is fragmented, and someone out there is feeding her false memories, perhaps controlling her actions without her knowledge."

Li Wei's gaze sharpened. "And how do you know all this?"

Wen Zixuan looked away for a moment, as if remembering something unpleasant. "Because… in my previous life, I served someone who bore the same soul signature. That person dealt in soul manipulation, memory corruption, and spiritual threading. Lan Xue has traces of the same interference."

"And you're telling me this now because…?"

"Because someone else is watching her. And they will start watching you too, if they aren't already." Wen Zixuan stood. "We don't have time to play games. If you want the truth, meet me tonight. East dorm rooftop. Midnight. Come alone."

Li Wei narrowed his eyes. "Why should I trust you?"

"You shouldn't," Wen said with a smirk. "But maybe you'll trust what I show you tonight—something about your death that even you might have forgotten."

He walked away without waiting for a response.

Li Wei sat there in silence. Moments later, a soft chime echoed in his mind. The System's voice returned.

[New Quest: Between Light and Lies]

Objective: Locate the source of the soul thread embedded in Lan Xue.

Time Limit: 3 days.

Reward: Soul Vein Unlocking Pill (Tier 1), +80 Duty Points.

Failure Penalty: Divine Eye Downgrade to Level 0.

Three days. And the penalty was severe. But this wasn't just about Lan Xue anymore—it was about what had been done to him, even after death.

That night, just before midnight, Li Wei stepped onto the East Dorm rooftop.

The wind was still, but the air was tense.

Wen Zixuan stood near the edge, but he wasn't alone. A third figure was with him, cloaked in spiritual mist, wearing a black jade mask.

Li Wei's voice was sharp. "I didn't agree to a third person."

"Relax," Wen Zixuan said. "She's neutral. And she knows more than I do."

The figure stepped forward. A woman, judging by her voice.

"You died once, Li Wei. You were betrayed, hunted, and forgotten. But someone made sure you wouldn't remember everything—even after reincarnation."

Li Wei's heart skipped a beat. "Who are you?"

The woman said nothing. Instead, she pulled out a small scroll and placed it between them.

"This contains what was erased from your original timeline. Sealed memories. Proof that your enemies didn't just kill you—they rewrote history itself. And the ones behind it are still here… in Tianxia Academy."

Li Wei stared at the scroll. It pulsed faintly, resonating with something deep in his soul. His chest tightened. His grip clenched.

He picked up the scroll.

And as he did, a buried memory flashed in his mind—brief but vivid.

A pair of red robes. A blood-soaked altar. And someone whispering behind him,

"You were never meant to return, Supreme One."

To be continued