The Premise: In the Great Azure Province, strength is everything. Those who cannot cultivate are "mortal ants." Kaelen was born with "Clogged Meridians," making him the lowest of the low—a silent palace guard. But after a freak lightning strike, he awakened the [Eternal Guardian System].
The System thrives on "Stillness." The longer he stays in his post, the more his "Spirit Sea" expands. He wears a heavy, blackened suit of Thousand-Year Cold Iron that hides his presence, making him look like a common, non-cultivating soldier.
Chapter 1: The Bronze Gate of the Jade Palace
The air in the Silver Moon Sect was thick with spiritual energy, but none of it belonged to Kaelen.
He stood at the Bronze Gate, the entrance to the Empress's inner sanctum. To the elite disciples flying past on their glowing jade swords, Kaelen was part of the architecture. A piece of rusted iron. A "mortal dog" lucky enough to breathe the sect's air.
Underneath his heavy, featureless helmet, Kaelen's eyes were closed. He wasn't sleeping; he was looking at the translucent golden script etched into his soul.
[Status: Guarding the Gate]
Duration: 4,380 hours (6 months) without moving.
Current Multiplier: x100 Cultivation Speed.
Accumulated Reward: [True Dragon Marrow], [Heaven-Collapsing Halberd Art], [Golden Bell Shield - Level 10].
Just a few more minutes, Kaelen thought. Six months of silence. Six months of being a statue.
"Look at this trash," a mocking voice rang out.
A young man in silk robes—Young Master Chen, son of the Great Elder—landed his sword nearby. He was followed by a group of sycophants. Chen was at the Foundation Establishment stage, a level most mortals only dreamed of.
"Why does the Empress keep these suits of armor around? They can't even sense Qi," Chen sneered. He flicked his finger, sending a spark of fire toward Kaelen's helmet. "Hey, statue! Bow when a Senior Brother passes!"
The fire spark hissed against the Cold Iron armor and vanished. Kaelen didn't blink. He didn't breathe.
[System Notification: Host has maintained "Heart of Stone." Reward: +500 Mental Fortitude. Skill 'Golden Bell Shield' has evolved to 'Diamond Unbreakable Body'.]
"Tch. Boring," Chen spat on the ground. "Let's go. The Empress is holding the Hundred-Flower Banquet tonight. Every sect in the Nine Provinces is coming to pressure her into a marriage alliance. If she doesn't choose a husband, they'll tear this sect apart."
As they walked away, the heavy gates behind Kaelen groaned open.
Empress Yue stepped out. She was a woman of peerless grace, her skin like polished jade and her eyes containing the coldness of a winter moon. She was the most beautiful woman in the Azure Province, and also the most endangered.
She stopped for a moment, looking at the silent guard. She didn't see a "mortal dog." She saw the only thing in her palace that never changed. The only thing that didn't look at her with greed or treachery.
"If only the world were as steady as you, Sentry," she whispered. She reached out, her fingers grazing the cold, rough iron of his gauntlet. "Tonight, the wolves come to my table. I fear the Silver Moon will set before dawn."
Kaelen felt a surge in his chest—not of Qi, but of duty.
[New Main Quest: The Empress's Shadow]
Objective: Protect Empress Yue during the Hundred-Flower Banquet.
Hidden Condition: Do not reveal your cultivation level. Kill all threats in one strike.
Reward: [Immortal Grade: Nirvana Seed], [Rank 9: Void-Stepping Boots].
As the Empress walked toward the banquet hall, three figures blurred across the sky—messengers from the Blood-Scythe Sect. They landed with a crash, shattering the marble floor.
"Empress Yue!" the leader roared, his voice vibrating with the power of the Core Formation stage. "Our Sect Leader has run out of patience! Either you sign the marriage contract, or we wash this palace in blood!"
The Empress stood her ground, but her hand trembled.
Kaelen, standing five paces behind her, slowly tightened his grip on his rusted halberd. The rust began to flake away, revealing a blade that glowed with a terrifying, suppressed black light.
He didn't speak. He didn't move into a stance. He simply stepped forward, his heavy boots creating a sound like a mountain falling.
Step.
The pressure in the air instantly changed. The Core Formation experts froze. Their internal Qi stopped flowing. It felt as if a Primordial Beast had just opened its eyes behind them.
Kaelen looked at the intruders through the slit in his helm.
[System: Targeted enemies identified. Beginning "Silent Execution"...]