The Headmaster stood at the end of the aisle, his presence no longer the overwhelming weight of a mountain range, but something more surgical—a focused, predatory curiosity that seemed to peel back the layers of Lin Wei's skin. The Restricted Wing's defensive wards hummed in the background, a reminder that every move in this archive was being weighed by the Academy's invisible eyes.
Lin Wei closed the leather-bound book with a soft thud, his fingers still tingling from the metallic red ink that spoke of the "Phoenix-Fall" and the Lin Clan's true purpose as jailers of the rift. He didn't turn around immediately; he needed a second to steady the violet equilibrium in his chest.
"You have a habit of finding things that don't want to be found, Lin Wei," the Headmaster said, his voice echoing off the obsidian floor. "The 'Bane of the Frost' is quite the name to live up to for a boy who arrived with a 1-star evaluation".
Lin Wei finally turned, his dual-colored eyes—one an arctic blue, the other a fierce phoenix orange—locking onto the older man's gaze. "The stars don't always reflect the fire inside, Headmaster. And sometimes, the mountain hides more than just its peak".
Internally, Lin Wei's mind raced toward his status screen. "System," he called out, the violet hum of his dual-core mastery vibrating in his thoughts. "I have 370 points. If the Shop is locked until Foundation Establishment, can I use them now to bridge the gap to the 5th Layer? I need every bit of power if this is going to turn into a fight."
[Eternal Odyssey System]
Current System Points: 370
Status: System Shop remains [LOCKED].
Reminder: Points can be converted to Cultivation Essence to bypass realm bottlenecks, but saving for the Shop after a breakthrough is highly recommended for survival.
The Headmaster stepped closer, his eyes narrowing as they flickered over the jade token fused to Lin Wei's chest. "That token... it shouldn't be glowing violet. It should be as dead as the ashes of your clan's history. Tell me, do you know what the Shadow Cult truly wants from you?"
"They want the key," Lin Wei replied, his left hand trailing frost across the shelf, his right hand beginning to smoke. "But they don't realize that the key is currently on fire, and it's freezing everything it touches".
The Headmaster smiled, a thin, dangerous line. "The Imperial Gambit is a dangerous game to play with a 4th Layer foundation. But perhaps your 'unquantifiable' potential will be enough to survive the dawn".
As the Headmaster turned and walked back into the shadows of the library, Lin Wei felt a new notification pop into his mind.
[Quest Progress: 18% (Void-Shrouding Refinement). +50 System Points pending for survival.] [Total Points: 420 (Projected).]
Lin Wei looked up at the ceiling of the Library, noticing the silver runes glowing with a faint, rhythmic green pulse. The "Spirit-Vein Siphon" that fueled the city wasn't just pulling Qi from the earth; it was circulating it through every student, every guard, and every brick.
"System, scan the green frequency," he commanded.
[Scan Complete: The Siphon Qi contains a 0.04% trace of 'Shadow Residue.' It is being delivered in micro-doses to the entire population.]
The chilling logic finally clicked. The high-level observers weren't noticing the Cultists because the Cultists were vibrating at the same frequency as the city's heart. The Imperial Academy wasn't being infiltrated from the outside—it was being fed the Shadow as a daily supplement. To find the "High-Level Infiltrator," Lin Wei wouldn't look for someone hiding; he would look for someone who had overdosed on the city's own "gift."
Lin Wei looked back at the book of red ink. The jailers were being hunted by the prisoners, and the Shop was still just out of reach. He had three hours until the second part of the trials began, and he was going to spend every point he had to make sure he wasn't the one being locked away.