Ascension Log

The night in the Inner Sect was rarely quiet.

Yet tonight, the Moon Pavilion stood in absolute silence — an unnatural, suffocating stillness that pressed against the skin like cold water. Not even the insects dared to sing beneath the half-lit sky.

Kai Lin stood atop the curved roof of the pavilion, his black inner robe fluttering slightly in the mountain wind. Below him, three disciples sat within the open courtyard, laughing over wine, unaware of the shadow watching them.

"So the new one… what's his name again? Kai something?"

"Trash from the outer sect. Barely made it through the trial."

"Hah! Heard he's deaf now too. Might as well send him to the mines."

"Heh. We should go 'visit' him tomorrow. Elder Guan turns a blind eye anyway."

Kai Lin's gaze dropped to the courtyard, expression unreadable.

"Kill in silence."

Those were the words etched into the second page of the Silent Saber Manual.

To reach the Second Severing, the cultivator must take a life… without making a single sound.

No clash of blades. No footsteps. No final scream.

A black prompt shimmered behind his eyes.

Ding!

Optional Sign-In Condition Detected

Target: Moon Pavilion Inner Disciples (3)

Style: Soundless Elimination

Reward: Vein-Shattering Finger (Tier 2 Earth Skill) + +2 Hidden Qi Veins

Kai Lin crouched low. His breathing stopped.

With a shift of his foot, he leapt from the rooftop — but there was no sound. No wind rush. Not even the creak of the wooden tiles beneath his landing.

The world refused to acknowledge his existence.

The first disciple's neck twisted violently as a hand gripped his jaw and slammed it against the stone table — crack — but even the impact echoed only inside Kai Lin's own body.

He caught the corpse before it fell and gently laid it down, like a sleeping child.

The other two blinked. One turned—

Too late.

Kai Lin struck the second in the ribs with two fingers, driving qi inward. The body spasmed, muscles seizing as blood rushed to the brain — then collapsed.

The third disciple opened his mouth to scream.

Kai Lin was already behind him.

His palm wrapped around the man's throat, pressing pressure points that silenced the vocal cords. The man thrashed, eyes wide, drowning in his own fear.

Kai Lin whispered, lips barely moving.

"You said I was deaf."

"You won't hear anything again either."

The silence swallowed him whole.

Ding!

Silent Saber Manual – Second Severing Complete

New Realm Unlocked: Iron Blood Realm, Stage Two

Soundless Step +2, Stealth Qi Vein (Right Leg) Activated

Ding!

Sign-In Complete

Reward Acquired: Vein-Shattering Finger (Tier 2 Earth Skill)

A burst of warmth flooded Kai Lin's body — new veins unlocked, his footwork lighter, deadlier. The Vein-Shattering Finger technique planted itself into his mind like a seed of destruction.

"A single tap to break a cultivator's meridian flow…"

He moved through the pavilion like a drifting ghost. Not a leaf rustled beneath his step. Not a breath disturbed the air.

He was no longer a disciple.

He was a blade hidden in plain view.

From a distant tower, Elder Guan stood at the window, frowning.

A shadow passed behind him — another elder, clad in white.

"The Moon Pavilion's light just vanished. No flames. No noise."

"Hm." Elder Guan's voice was slow. "Three disciples from the Liu branch family… gone. Snuffed out like candles."

"Who do you suspect?"

He didn't answer.

Instead, he picked up a jade slip glowing with pale blue runes — and crushed it.

"Let's see who walks the trial grounds tomorrow."

On the cliffside peak, Kai Lin sat beneath the crooked pine tree — eyes closed, meditating in silence.

Within his dantian, the Silent Saber Manual hovered mid-air. Two pages now glowed with ghostly crimson ink. But a third page was beginning to form, lines sketching themselves slowly.

"Sever the sense of pain."

His brows twitched. Not from fear — but from anticipation.

"So I must bleed without flinching."

"Then I'll bleed. And they'll never hear me coming."