---
The Old Archives Ruins stood at the edge of Dusktide District like a dying memory — half-buried by collapsed concrete and smothered in vines that pulsed with residual Qi. Once a grand research library of the Dragon Empire, it was now little more than a crumbling tomb for secrets and forgotten tech.
And someone was hiding inside.
Ling Feng crouched atop a fallen steel beam, his breathing steady, eyes scanning the shattered structure below. The Sovereign's Silent System hummed silently in his mind.
> MISSION ACTIVE:
Locate Subject: Qin Mei
Status: Enslaved by Rogue Traders
Value: Spirit Array Hacker | Talent Rating: A+
Affinity: Tech-Qi Fusion (High-Rare)
Estimated Loyalty Potential: 52%
Warning: Subject equipped with Spirit Collar — Bio-Explosive.
Ling's golden-threaded spirit tattoos flickered on his palm, responding to the system's pulse. His first recruit, Bo Kai, crouched beside him — quiet, sweating, and very aware of his new position.
"She's in that chamber below," Ling whispered, pointing toward a flickering energy grid. "Guard rotation?"
Bo Kai gulped. "Two guards per shift. Four total. All Iron Grade scum. Spirit Guns, reinforced skin runes. But they don't know about the basement tunnel behind the archives."
Ling nodded. "Good. You'll stay here."
Bo Kai flinched. "W-What if I run?"
Ling's eyes gleamed gold. The lion brand on Bo Kai's neck pulsed visibly — only for a moment.
"You can't."
Bo Kai shivered. "Right…"
> System Function: Shadow Brand Active
Effect: Loyalty Enforcement — Escape equals neurological shutdown.
Ling moved like smoke across the debris — quiet, calculated. His body had not yet advanced through traditional cultivation stages, but the Silent System's synchronization protocols were enhancing his instincts, muscles, and perception by the hour.
---
Inside the Ruins – Slave Pit Chamber
Chains clinked faintly in the darkness.
Qin Mei sat slumped against a cracked marble pillar, wrists bound by a spirit-forged collar laced with red glyphs. Her face was streaked with dried blood and soot, but her violet eyes burned with quiet defiance.
Across the room, two guards laughed over a cracked spirit-tablet, watching combat replays of Celestial Grade cultivators wiping out rebel factions.
"Think anyone's gonna buy her?" one guard scoffed. "Tech freaks don't sell well unless they're pretty."
The second leered. "She's both."
Qin Mei slowly lifted her head, her voice raspy. "Enjoy your last laugh, pigs. I just re-routed your collar override signal into your own Qi circuits."
They blinked.
"What?"
Suddenly, one guard's eyes rolled back as his body twitched violently — blood pouring from his ears.
BOOM.
His collar detonated — inward.
The second guard screamed and lunged for her, but stopped mid-run.
Because something had pierced his knee from behind.
A jagged piece of steel — hurled with impossible precision.
Ling Feng emerged from the shadows like a phantom. Before the guard could scream, Ling touched his shoulder.
> Activate: Sovereign's Gaze
Golden light blazed in Ling's eyes as he scanned the man's Qi meridians.
"Too brittle."
He pressed a single finger into the man's sternum — and the cultivator dropped, unconscious, as every Qi line collapsed like shattered glass.
Qin Mei stared at him, panting. "Who… are you?"
Ling approached slowly, hands raised. "I'm not your enemy. I'm here to recruit you."
She laughed bitterly. "With a faction? You're dressed like a slum rat. No badge. No backing. No sect."
"I don't need one," Ling said calmly. "I build my own."
He kneeled beside her, examining the collar. The system immediately pinged.
> SPIRIT COLLAR DETECTED
Bio-Explosive Level: B-Class
Code Type: Twin-Frequency Trigger
Solution: Dual Sync Extraction — Requires Subject Assistance
> Initiate Joint Decryption with Subject: Qin Mei?
[YES] | [NO]
Ling's voice was low but firm. "I can't remove the collar without your help. I need you to trust me. If not, we both die when they realize their patrol is missing."
Qin Mei narrowed her eyes. "Why save me?"
"Because you were forgotten," Ling said. "Just like me."
That paused her.
"...Fine."
She extended her bound hands.
Ling placed his palm over the collar. The lion emblem on his skin shimmered and formed a glowing ring over the glyphs.
> SYNCHRONIZATION INITIATED
MIND-LINK ENGAGED: LING FENG <-> QIN MEI
BREACH TIME: 6 SECONDS
Mental pain surged through Ling's skull as data flowed into him — glyphs, encryption layers, firewall spikes. It was like diving into molten circuits.
But Qin Mei was focused, her mind sharp and disciplined.
Together, they struck the final node.
> COLLAR DEACTIVATED.
RECRUITMENT OPTION AVAILABLE.
> Loyalty Level: 55%
Recruit as Shadow Specialist?
[YES] | [NO]
> [YES]
A gold flash. The lion crest etched itself onto her shoulder — unseen by all except those who bore it.
Qin Mei blinked as the brand completed. "...What is this?"
"The beginning of something," Ling replied. "A faction. Ours."
> RECRUITMENT SUCCESSFUL: QIN MEI
Role: Shadow Engineer
Faction Level: Faint Grade → Advancing to Ashen Grade
Faction Members: 2 / 5 Required for Prime Rank Unlock
---
10 Minutes Later – Outside the Ruins
Bo Kai scrambled to his feet as Ling and Qin Mei emerged from the smoke.
"You made it?" Bo asked in disbelief. "She's… alive?"
Qin Mei brushed soot from her cheek. "Barely."
Ling's system chimed again:
> Base Candidate Nearby: Underwater Archive Bunker Detected.
Threat Level: Minimal. Power: Stable.
Would you like to relocate and establish Silent Sovereigns' Hidden Base?
Ling nodded.
> [YES]
---
System Update: Base Established
> Faction: Silent Sovereigns
Base: Echo Bunker (Underground Level 1)
Security: Hidden Veil Active
Functions Unlocked: Member Management, Upgrade Queue, Shadow Recruitment Board
Next Mission: Defense Trial (1 Day)
Prepare for First Invasion
---
As the system faded, Qin Mei leaned against the bunker wall, watching Ling as he quietly began sketching runes on the floor for protection.
"You're serious about this," she murmured.
Ling didn't look up. "They laughed at me. Spat on me. Burned my family."
"But I'll make them kneel."
She smirked. "Guess I joined the right side, then."
From the shadows of the world, a faction was being born. It had no glory. No flags. No propaganda.
But it had something far more dangerous: purpose.
---