The evaluation hall was packed.
Lin Chen stood in line with two hundred other outer disciples. All of them waiting their turn. All of them nervous.
Well, most of them were nervous.
'I'm going to fake being weak in front of an elder who can probably sense a mosquito's heartbeat from a hundred yards away.'
He took a slow breath.
'No pressure.'
The hall was built for intimidation. High ceilings. Stone pillars carved with dragons. An elevated platform where three elders sat behind a long table.
Elder Qing occupied the center seat.
Lin Chen recognized her from sect ceremonies. Peak Master of the outer disciples. Nascent Soul realm. Could probably kill him with a thought.
'Great. She's handling evaluations personally this month.'
That was unusual. Normally, inner disciples ran these things.
'Of course today's the day she decides to pay attention.'
---
The line moved forward slowly.
Each disciple stepped onto a formation circle carved into the floor. The circle glowed. Numbers appeared in the air. Cultivation level displayed for everyone to see.
Simple. Efficient. No room for lies.
'Unless you have a mysterious system that lets you suppress your cultivation.'
Lin Chen hoped that feature actually worked.
He'd spent the last three days practicing. Channeling just a trickle of qi. Moving like someone at Layer 2. Looking appropriately pathetic.
The performance of his life.
A disciple ahead of him finished. Layer 3. The crowd murmured approval. Decent progress.
The line moved forward.
Lin Chen's turn was coming.
His heart hammered against his ribs.
'System. Don't fail me now.'
The blue screen flickered at the edge of his vision.
**[CULTIVATION SUPPRESSION: ACTIVE]**
**Display Level: Qi Condensation Layer 2**
**Actual Level: Qi Condensation Layer 7**
**Warning: Nascent Soul realm cultivators may sense discrepancies.**
'May sense discrepancies. Fantastic. Very reassuring.'
---
"Next!"
Lin Chen stepped forward.
Two hundred pairs of eyes turned toward him.
Whispers rippled through the crowd.
"Isn't that Lin Chen?"
"The trash who's been stuck at Layer 1 forever?"
"He's probably getting expelled today."
"About time."
Lin Chen kept his face blank.
'Laugh it up. You have no idea.'
He stepped onto the formation circle.
The carvings flared to life. Golden light crawled up his legs. Warm. Probing.
The sensation of being examined by the formation felt like ants crawling under his skin.
Lin Chen forced himself to stay calm.
'Layer 2. I'm Layer 2. Just a weak outer disciple who barely scraped by.'
Numbers materialized in the air above his head.
**QI CONDENSATION: LAYER 2**
The hall went silent.
Then someone laughed.
"Layer 2? He actually made it to Layer 2?"
"After three years!"
"That's still pathetic."
"At least he's not stuck anymore."
More laughter. Some of it mean. Most of it dismissive.
Lin Chen let it wash over him.
'Perfect. Exactly the reaction I wanted.'
---
But Elder Qing wasn't laughing.
She leaned forward slightly. Her eyes narrowed.
Lin Chen felt her spiritual sense sweep over him like a cold wind.
His entire body tensed.
'She's checking. Of course she's checking.'
The pressure intensified. It felt like being pressed under a mountain.
Lin Chen nearly stumbled.
'Stay calm. The system said it would hide my real cultivation. Trust it.'
Sweat beaded on his forehead.
Elder Qing's gaze lingered on him for what felt like an eternity.
Then she leaned back.
"Lin Chen." Her voice was calm. Clinical. "Three years at Layer 1. Now Layer 2."
"Yes, Elder." Lin Chen kept his voice respectful. Deferential.
"Significant progress in a short time."
'Significant? It's one layer. Most disciples do that in their first month.'
"I've been working hard, Elder," he said aloud.
"Clearly." Her expression gave nothing away. "What resources did you use?"
Lin Chen had prepared for this question.
"I burned through my saved contribution points, Elder. Purchased spirit rice and a low-grade cultivation pill."
It was a plausible lie. Poor disciples sometimes made desperate gambles before expulsion.
Elder Qing's fingers tapped the table once.
"Spirit rice and a low-grade pill." She said it like she was tasting the words. "That would account for some improvement."
Some. Not all.
Lin Chen's stomach sank.
'She suspects something. Even with fake Layer 2, she suspects something.'
"Continue your efforts," Elder Qing said finally. "You've earned another evaluation period."
"Thank you, Elder!" Lin Chen bowed quickly.
He stepped off the formation and moved toward the exit.
Behind him, Elder Qing's voice carried across the hall. "Next!"
But Lin Chen felt her eyes on his back.
Every step toward the door felt like walking through water.
'Don't run. Don't look suspicious. Just walk normally.'
He made it outside and kept walking.
---
Lin Chen didn't stop until he reached the outer courtyard.
His hands were shaking.
'That was too close. Way too close.'
He'd passed the evaluation. Bought himself more time.
But Elder Qing was suspicious.
"Brother Lin!"
Lin Chen turned.
A round-faced young man was jogging toward him. Outer disciple robes straining slightly across his middle. Cheerful smile splitting his face.
Wang Peng. Everyone called him Fatty Wang.
"Brother Wang." Lin Chen managed a smile.
It wasn't hard. Wang Peng was one of the few outer disciples who'd ever been kind to him.
Actually, the only one.
Fatty Wang reached him and clapped him on the shoulder hard enough to make Lin Chen stagger.
"Layer 2! Brother Lin, you actually did it!" Fatty Wang's grin was infectious. "I knew you had it in you! Like a spirit peach—looks ordinary on the outside, but sweet and powerful inside!"
'Food metaphors. Of course.'
"Thanks, Brother Wang." Lin Chen's smile became more genuine. "Barely made it."
"Barely?" Fatty Wang waved that away. "Progress is progress! You're like... like a slow-cooked spirit beast stew. Takes forever, but when it's done, the flavor's incredible!"
Lin Chen couldn't help but laugh.
"That's a terrible metaphor."
"All my metaphors are food-based. It's my thing." Fatty Wang pulled something from his robe. "Here. I saved this for you."
A wrapped bundle. Still warm.
Lin Chen unwrapped it carefully.
Spirit beast jerky. Expensive. Way beyond what an outer disciple should be able to afford regularly.
"Brother Wang, I can't—"
"You can and you will." Fatty Wang's tone was firm. "You just survived an expulsion notice. That deserves celebration. Even if it's just jerky."
Lin Chen looked at the food in his hands. Then at Fatty Wang's earnest face.
Something warm uncurled in his chest.
'When was the last time someone gave me something without expecting anything back?'
"Thank you." His voice came out quieter than intended.
"No need for thanks between brothers." Fatty Wang grinned. "Now come on. Let's get some actual food. You look like you've been starving yourself."
"I have been."
"Then it's decided! I know a place that does amazing noodles. Not spirit beast noodles, but the mortal kind? Sometimes simple is better!"
Fatty Wang started walking. Chattering about food. About the evaluation. About absolutely nothing important.
Lin Chen followed.
The tension from the evaluation slowly bled out of his shoulders.
'This is nice. Just... normal. No schemes. No hiding. Just food and a friend.'
He took a bite of the jerky.
It was delicious.
---
They found a small food stall on the edge of the outer disciple area.
Fatty Wang ordered two bowls of noodles with the enthusiasm of a man ordering a cultivation pill.
"The secret is the broth," he explained seriously. "Old Liu simmers it for twelve hours. Mortal food, but the technique? That's cultivation in itself."
Lin Chen ate his noodles and listened to Fatty Wang ramble.
It was surprisingly relaxing.
"So what's your plan now?" Fatty Wang asked between slurps. "You've got another month before the next evaluation. Going to try for Layer 3?"
"Maybe." Lin Chen kept his answer vague.
'Going to try for Layer 20 while pretending I'm still Layer 2. No big deal.'
"Smart. Don't rush it." Fatty Wang nodded sagely. "Better to build a solid foundation than sprint forward. Like... like making dumplings! You rush the folds, the filling leaks out."
"Everything comes back to food with you."
"Food is life, Brother Lin. Food is cultivation. Food is—"
"Food is food?"
Fatty Wang pointed his chopsticks at him. "Exactly! You're learning!"
Lin Chen laughed.
For the first time in three years, he felt like he wasn't alone.
---
They finished their meal and parted ways.
Fatty Wang had training. Lin Chen had thinking to do.
He walked back to his room slowly.
The system screen flickered into view.
**[EVALUATION COMPLETE]**
**Status: PASSED**
**Cover Maintained: 87%**
**Warning: Elder Qing suspicious. Recommend extreme caution.**
**[IDLE CULTIVATION ONGOING]**
**Current Level: Qi Condensation Layer 7**
**Time to Layer 8: 14 hours**
'Fourteen hours until another breakthrough. And Elder Qing is already watching me.'
Lin Chen closed his door and sat on his mat.
'This is going to be a problem.'
He'd planned to stay low. Show minimal progress. Graduate to inner disciple eventually without attracting attention.
But Elder Qing had noticed something wrong. Even with his fake Layer 2 display.
'She's too sharp. Or I'm too obvious. Or both.'
He needed to be more careful.
No public breakthroughs. No sudden skill improvements. Nothing that would draw eyes.
'Just be the struggling outer disciple who got lucky once. That's the role.'
He could do this.
He had to.
---
Meanwhile, in the Peak Master's hall, Elder Qing sat alone.
A jade slip rested on the table before her. Glowing faintly.
It contained Lin Chen's evaluation data.
She studied it with narrowed eyes.
"Layer 2," she murmured. "After three years of complete stagnation."
Her spiritual sense had detected something during the evaluation. Nothing concrete. Just... a wrongness. Like looking at a painting with one brushstroke out of place.
The formation said Layer 2.
Her instincts said otherwise.
"Interesting."
She made a note in the jade slip.
Lin Chen. Outer disciple. Sudden breakthrough after expulsion notice.
Potential hidden talent. Possible concealment technique. Requires observation.
Elder Qing set the jade slip aside.
She'd been cultivating for three hundred years. Long enough to recognize when someone was hiding something.
The question was: what was he hiding? And why?
'A desperate outer disciple doesn't acquire concealment techniques. Those are expensive. Rare.'
Unless he'd found something. A treasure. An inheritance.
Or someone had given him something.
'Time will tell.'
She'd watch him. Quietly. See if he slipped.
Talented disciples were valuable.
But disciples with secrets could be dangerous.
Elder Qing would determine which category Lin Chen fell into.
---
Lin Chen lay on his mat staring at the ceiling.
The crack looked like a sword. Same as always.
His stomach was full. His immediate future was secure.
And somewhere above him, an elder was probably trying to figure out his secrets.
'Just another day in the cultivation world.'
The system pulsed.
**[WARNING]**
**Elder Qing has marked you for observation.**
**Surveillance probability: 78%**
**Recommendation: Maintain cover. Avoid—**
The screen glitched.
Characters scrambled. Reformed.
**[ERROR]**
**[SURVEILLANCE DETECTED BUT SOURCE UNKNOWN]**
**[RECOMMENDATION: —]**
**[SYSTEM INTEGRITY: 85%]**
The screen vanished.
Lin Chen sat up.
'What was that?'
The system had never glitched before. Never showed errors.
'System integrity 85%? What does that mean?'
He waited for it to reappear.
Silence.
Cold settled into his bones.
'Something's wrong with the system. And Elder Qing is watching me.'
He lay back down.
Sleep didn't come easily.
And when it did, his dreams were full of golden eyes and broken code.
---
**[IDLE CULTIVATION ONGOING...]**
**[TIME TO NEXT BREAKTHROUGH: 13h 47m]**
**[DANGER LEVEL: ELEVATED]**
**[SYSTEM STATUS: ... ]**
**[—]**