It was raining.
Not a storm, not a downpour, but a quiet drizzle that kissed the tiles of the East Sky Academy's roofs and streaked down the walls like forgotten tears.
The training field was long since empty. Even Lu Yao had been dragged away by his followers, his pride in tatters, his ribs likely fractured. Students now whispered of a new name, one they had once spoken only in scorn.
Lin Feng.
He walked alone through the stone path connecting the outer courtyard to the east library. The rain soaked his robe, clinging to his skin, but he didn't mind. The weight of water was nothing compared to the weight of two lifetimes.
His mind wandered. The duel had gone as expected. Lu Yao was fast—but predictable. Powerful—but impatient. Even in this weak body, with barely a footstep into the Body Refinement Realm, Yun Zai's experience spanned centuries.
But what concerned him wasn't Lu Yao.
It was the girl.
He had felt her gaze.
Not hostile. Not reverent. But… knowing.
She had watched like someone who had read the last page of a book before the first line.
A chill ran down his spine. That intuition—honed through battles with demonic monarchs and ancient cultivators—didn't lie.
Someone knew.
---
The library was nearly empty at this hour. Rows of ancient scrolls lined carved stone shelves. Light orbs floated overhead, flickering slightly in the damp.
Lin Feng headed to the Soul Cultivation section, a forgotten corner rarely visited. Students found it dangerous—unpredictable, unteachable. But to Yun Zai, it was home.
He reached for a scroll on mental stabilization techniques.
"Are you looking for a method to hide your soul force?" a voice asked.
He froze.
Slowly, he turned.
She stood there—just a few paces away. Robes as dark as night, trimmed with silver thread. No family crest. No identifying badge. Her hair was long and tied behind with a jade pin, her face sharp, eyes large and black as ink.
"You were watching me," he said.
"I was."
"Why?"
"Because you don't belong here."
A pause.
"That's quite the accusation," he said.
"Not an accusation," she replied. "An observation."
Lin Feng studied her. Her posture was relaxed, but precise. Her cultivation—suppressed—but palpable. Spirit Sea Realm? Maybe higher. She was hiding it well.
"You're not a student," he said.
"No," she confirmed.
"Then who are you?"
"My name is Ruoxi."
Just Ruoxi.
He frowned. "And what do you want from me, Ruoxi?"
She stepped closer, lowering her voice.
"I saw your aura when you struck Lu Yao. It wasn't just soul force. It was... Void-tinged."
He didn't respond.
Ruoxi reached into her sleeve and pulled out a small token. It was black, engraved with a circle that wasn't a circle—a broken ring swallowing its own tail.
He recognized it instantly.
Void Sigil.
Only one group in the entire cultivation world had ever used such a mark.
The Void Walkers.
"You're one of them?" he asked.
"I was born into them. You, however… you were their Sovereign, weren't you?"
Lin Feng's silence was answer enough.
Ruoxi's eyes narrowed. "So it's true. The Void Lord lives again."
He looked around. No one was nearby. Still, he whispered, "Keep your voice down. That title died on a mountaintop."
She nodded. "But the heavens disagree."
---
They sat at a stone table near the back of the library, a sound-inscribing talisman humming softly around them to ward off eavesdroppers.
Ruoxi spoke first.
"I don't know how you returned. But the Void Walkers were scattered after your death. Betrayed from within. The Demonic Key you destroyed was one of seven."
Lin Feng's eyes narrowed. "Seven?"
"Yes. You only ever encountered one. The others were sealed. Or so we believed."
He clenched a fist. "The key I destroyed cost me everything. And there are more?"
Ruoxi nodded gravely. "Someone is trying to gather them. Again."
The silence between them deepened.
"And you came to this academy… why?" he asked.
"To find you. Or, failing that, to find one of the old disciples. But none of them remain. Only whispers. Then… I saw you. Your strike. The void in your aura. I knew."
Lin Feng leaned back.
This was too soon. Too fast. He hadn't even secured his place in the academy, and already the old world was creeping back in.
"You can't tell anyone who I am," he said.
"I won't," she said. "But you'll need allies."
"I don't need anyone."
"That's what got you killed last time."
He paused.
That struck deeper than he liked.
Ruoxi stood. "The Void Walkers scattered. But some remain. Some loyal. Some not. If you want to rebuild… I can help."
Lin Feng looked at her.
And nodded once.
---
That night, he sat cross-legged in his dorm, breathing slowly. The Void Origin Method flowed through his meridians like ice and flame.
He reached deeper into his dantian. The crack from before was gone. The well was deeper now. The golden spark he had ignited was becoming a flame.
He could feel it.
Body Refinement Realm — Level 3.
Two leaps in two days. Too fast. He would need to stabilize.
But power alone wouldn't save him.
The demonic keys still existed.
The Void Walkers were shattered.
And someone was hunting him already.
He needed more strength. More knowledge.
And maybe… just maybe… more allies.
He opened his eyes.
The rain had stopped.
To be continue...