The sun burned high over the Firecloud Sect as Li Zhen stood before the Vermillion Peak elders, eyes calm and voice cold.
A week had passed since he had subdued the injured Nascent Soul demon girl, now bound by an unbreakable karmic thread hidden beneath her soul. Her name was Xue Ya, and though she once roared with demonic pride, now she stood quietly behind him, her pale-red eyes dim with loyalty carved by coercion, not trust. Her body had healed, but her soul carried Li Zhen's invisible brand.
He never trusted her. Not truly. But her value? Undeniable.
Xue Ya's bloodline—part of a forbidden ancient demon clan—was awakened when Li Zhen touched the black scale on her lower back during their first spiritual bond. It was not a moment of affection but of silent conquest, as Li Zhen infused her core with a thread of his spiritual intent. Her cultivation stabilized, but only because he allowed it.
Even now, she walked half a step behind him, silent, beautiful, powerful—and a puppet whose strings only he could see.
---
Firecloud Sect, a Middle-Rank Sect famous for its Pill Fire Furnace and dual-cultivation disciples, was Li Zhen's next calculated target. He didn't need pills. He needed control.
In the sect's courtyard, disciples buzzed with gossip about the mysterious newcomer who was brought directly to the inner gates by Elder Feng himself.
"Who is he? Even brought a demon girl?"
"He must've bribed the elder—look at her, her aura is terrifying…"
But Li Zhen didn't hear the voices. He didn't care.
He had already swept through the outer court with a few controlled whispers—offering pills and small favors with chilling smiles. In return, he got information. Names. Talent scores. Beauty evaluations. Power structures. Weak points.
His system flickered with fresh data.
> [Target Affection: Mei Rong – 37]
[Beauty: 91 | Talent: High-Gold | Status: Core Disciple, Elder's Niece]
[Suitable for: Relationship Development | Risk: Moderate]
Reward Potential: Moderate (based on cultivation and emotional complexity)
She became his next project.
---
In the alchemy courtyard, Mei Rong was tending her spiritual herbs when she first saw him—black robes fluttering, calm eyes like frozen ink, a devilish beauty following behind him with crimson hair and an unreadable gaze.
He spoke first.
"You waste the potency of the Flameburst Leaf by mixing it too early."
She turned, annoyed, ready to reprimand—until her eyes locked with his. She blinked. A calmness swept over her, unexpected, intrusive.
"You… who are you?"
He tilted his head. "Just someone who wants to make you stronger."
Days passed. He didn't pursue her openly. He let her come to him—curious, suspicious, confused. He helped her with her alchemy. Gave her spiritual wood he claimed to have "gathered randomly." Each gesture calculated. Each look rehearsed. Never once did he waver. Never once did he truly care.
Mei Rong began dreaming of him. But Li Zhen dreamed only of his next step.
---
Back at his residence, Xue Ya kneeled on the wooden floor, tending to his weapons and robes. Not as a servant out of duty, but out of binding compulsion.
"You still distrust me," she whispered one night.
Li Zhen didn't look up. "You mistake survival for loyalty."
Her lips trembled. "You used me. Marked me. But you didn't kill me."
"I rarely kill valuable things."
She looked down, hiding a strange smile. Something in her had shifted. Was it dependency? Was it admiration? He didn't care. Not unless it fed his strength.
The system chimed again.
> [Target Affection Update: Xue Ya – 73 → 78]
[Loyalty Thread Strengthened. Resistance: Null]
[Potential Reward: Bloodline Unlock Fragment (1/3)]
---
A month passed.
Li Zhen's cultivation quietly broke into Late Foundation Establishment, a result of strategic karmic manipulation and intimate interactions carefully calculated. He didn't leap realms. He climbed them one step at a time—coldly, relentlessly.
Inside Firecloud Sect, his name became both curiosity and fear. Even Mei Rong, now a frequent visitor to his quarters, couldn't pierce the icy wall around him.
One night, she asked, "Why do you always seem so... alone?"
He smiled, his voice barely a whisper. "Because those who walk fast don't walk with others."
She touched his hand. He let her.
But in his mind, the system interface blinked with fresh targets, future plans, and karmic threads stretching like a web across the entire sect.
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End of Chapter 20
Word Count: ~1200
Next Chapter: Li Zhen manipulates internal conflict in the sect, facing off against an inner court genius who senses something wrong about his rise.
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