The Restricted Wing of the Imperial Library felt less like a center of learning and more like a mausoleum for forgotten gods. The air was unnervingly still, heavy with the scent of ancient parchment and the lingering hum of defensive wards that vibrated against Lin Wei's skin like thousands of tiny needles. Every step he took on the polished obsidian floor echoed through the high, vaulted ceilings, sounding like a gavel in the absolute silence.
Lin Wei found a secluded corner between two towering shelves of jade slips. He let out a long, ragged breath, the violet light in his eyes dimming as he forced his dual cores into a temporary truce.
"System," he called out internally. "I need a breakdown. My vitality is flagging, and the Imperial Qi is still trying to gnaw at my Void-Shrouding."
The blue interface shimmered into view.
[Eternal Odyssey System]
Host: Lin Wei
Current System Points: 370
Alert: System Shop remains [LOCKED].
Reminder: System Points can be converted directly into Cultivation Essence or used in the Shop once the 'Foundation Establishment' threshold is reached.
Lin Wei stared at the number 370. He remembered the night the system had whispered those details to him, the blue text glowing in the dark of his room like a forbidden promise. The Shop was a tantalizing mystery, a treasure trove of pills, techniques, and artifacts that he couldn't touch until he broke through his current limits.
"370 points," he mused. "I could dump them all into cultivation right now to bridge the gap to the 5th Layer, but if the Shop unlocks at Foundation Establishment, I'll need a bankroll to survive the jump."
He turned his attention to the shelf in front of him. His reward for ranking Top 1 in the Placement Exam was the right to be here, but the library was a labyrinth. He began to scan the titles, his fingers trailing over spines of dragon-bone and silver-leaf.
[Quest Update: The Library's Secret]
Detection: Resonating frequency found. 3 meters to your left, bottom shelf.
Lin Wei followed the prompt, pulling out a dusty, leather-bound volume that had no title. As he opened it, the jade token on his chest flared with a violent, recognition-filled heat. The ink on the pages wasn't black; it was a shimmering, metallic red—the same color as the vial from the arena and the eyes of the cultists.
The text didn't speak of the Lin Clan as a simple family of fire-users. It spoke of a "Phoenix-Fall"—a celestial event where a divine beast was shattered into fragments to seal a rift in the Void.
"We weren't just a clan," Lin Wei whispered, his icy eye pulsing as he read the jagged script. "We were the jailers."
A shadow fell over the page.
"It's a heavy burden for a 1-star talent, isn't it?"
Lin Wei didn't turn around. He could feel the frost already beginning to coat the shelf behind him. The voice belonged to the Headmaster, but the mountain-like pressure was gone, replaced by an inquisitive, predatory curiosity.
"The system shop might be locked," Lin Wei thought, his hand sliding toward the cold edge of his Ice Core, "but my patience is running out even faster."
The Imperial Gambit had finally moved from the plaza to the shadows of the past, and Lin Wei was the only one holding the light—even if that light was a violet flame that threatened to consume everything.
Before closing the System interface, Lin Wei allowed his mind to drift toward the grayed-out icon of the System Shop. He tapped it, knowing it would remain shut, but wanting to see the "why."
The screen flickered, showing him a blurred catalog of items that made his 270 points feel like copper coins.
[Locked] Absolute Ice Physique - Tier 2 (Glacial Sovereign): "Freeze the flow of time itself." (Cost: 2,500 Points)
[Locked] Phoenix Sovereign Sword (Fragment): "A blade forged from the first spark of the rift." (Cost: 5,000 Points)
[Locked] Void-Walker Steps (S-Rank Agility): "Move between the breaths of your enemies." (Cost: 1,200 Points)
"Tier 2 Physique," Lin Wei whispered. "If I can hit Foundation Establishment, I won't just be a jailer. I'll be the master of the prison." The sight of the rewards hardened his resolve; 270 points was a start, but he needed a massacre's worth of points to afford the destiny the Shop was teasing.