The interference began not with thunder, nor with heavenly pressure, but with something far more unsettling—normalcy.
The next morning arrived as any other. Bells rang on time. Disciples gathered for morning cultivation. Elders convened for routine discussions. On the surface, the sect appeared peaceful, orderly, and untouched by outside hands.
That was precisely why Mo Yun felt uneasy.
He stood among the core disciples, arms folded, eyes scanning the crowd. "Too smooth," he muttered. "After everything we've seen, this calm feels… arranged."
Shen Yue nodded faintly. "Formation arrays along the western ridge were altered overnight. Subtle changes. Perfectly legal. Perfectly justified. Yet they reroute spiritual flow toward the inner mountain."
"And no elder claims responsibility," Shen Wei added, frowning. "Which means someone approved it without leaving a trace."
None of them spoke Li Chen's name, yet all instinctively glanced toward the highest pavilion.
Li Chen stood there, as always—hands behind his back, expression mild, almost indifferent. He neither interfered nor reacted. That alone unsettled them more than if he had acted openly.
The first direct manipulation revealed itself before noon.
An emergency decree was issued:
all core disciples were to be reassigned temporary authority over outer sect patrols under the guise of "practical leadership training."
On paper, it was reasonable. Even commendable.
In practice, it fractured existing command structures.
Mo Yun was placed in charge of a region previously overseen by a strict elder faction. Shen Yue was assigned disciples who openly questioned her authority. Shen Wei was given a patrol route bordering three different sect jurisdictions—an administrative nightmare.
"It's deliberate," Mo Yun said during a brief meeting. "Someone wants to see how we react when authority is distorted."
"Or who breaks first," Shen Yue replied calmly.
Across the courtyard, Li Chen observed quietly.
Good, he thought. They noticed.
The second manipulation came more quietly—and more dangerously.
Beast activity reports began contradicting each other.
One patrol claimed increased aggression. Another reported docile behavior in the same region. Some beasts retreated unnaturally fast, while others attacked without provocation. Patterns emerged—but only if one looked beyond individual reports.
Mo Yun noticed first.
"These beasts aren't acting randomly," he said during an evening discussion. "They're being guided. Not controlled—nudged."
Shen Wei clenched his fists. "Like pieces being pushed across a board."
"Exactly."
They exchanged a glance.
Someone was testing response times, coordination, and decision-making.
Not strength.
Not talent.
Judgment.
Li Chen finally spoke that night—not to command, but to ask a question.
"If you knew you were being watched," he said calmly, addressing the gathered core disciples, "would you act more cautiously… or more decisively?"
The silence stretched.
Mo Yun answered first. "Decisively—but not predictably."
Li Chen inclined his head. "Then proceed."
That was all.
No strategy. No orders.
Just permission.
The third interference revealed itself through people, not beasts or formations.
An elder—one known for neutrality—suddenly advocated for harsher internal discipline. Another pushed for accelerated advancement evaluations. A third suggested limiting inter-sect cooperation "until stability is restored."
Each proposal alone was harmless.
Together, they pointed toward isolation.
Shen Yue saw through it immediately. "They want us divided. If we stop trusting one another, they won't need to intervene directly."
Mo Yun exhaled slowly. "Upper Realm strategy. Influence without fingerprints."
Shen Wei scoffed. "Cowards."
"No," Shen Yue corrected. "Strategists."
That night, Li Chen stood alone, gazing toward the horizon where the sky seemed unnaturally clear.
They're adjusting variables now, he thought. Measuring reaction curves. Searching for anomalies.
He knew he was one such anomaly—but he refused to move.
Not yet.
If he acted too early, they would recalibrate around him.
If he remained still, they would expose themselves further.
By the seventh day, the core disciples had adapted.
Mo Yun reorganized patrols without announcing it, keeping routes flexible. Shen Yue trained her assigned disciples personally, earning loyalty instead of enforcing authority. Shen Wei deliberately made a public mistake—then corrected it openly, disarming those watching for arrogance or instability.
The manipulations continued.
And for the first time—
They failed to produce the expected results.
Far above, beyond the Lower Realm, unseen eyes narrowed.
Interesting, a distant will observed.
They are not collapsing as projected.
The board had been moved.
But the pieces had begun to move themselves.
And Li Chen—still standing quietly in the background—allowed a single thought to surface:
Good. Let them grow. The real game hasn't started yet