Go.

  Li Ming gave himself three breaths to decide.

  Going to the back mountain might be a trap, but not going meant never knowing who left that book, never knowing who "they" were. Shrinking like a turtle on his first day transmigrated—he might as well find a corner to hide in and wait for someone to drain his spiritual power dry.

  He drew a deep breath. The book against his chest burned hot, like it was urging him to go. He tucked it deeper inside, pressed against his heart, then blew out the oil lamp.

  Darkness swallowed the room. Moonlight filtered through rice paper screens, casting mottled shadows across the floor. Li Ming gently pushed open the window—the wooden frame creaking softly, jarringly loud in the still night.

  The night was thick, the moon mostly hidden behind heavy clouds, only a silver halo peeking through. The outer sect district lay silent, only a few windows still glowing—someone cultivating late, or... doing something else.

  Li Ming climbed out the window, landing on the balls of his feet, knees bending to absorb impact—a technique from his past life's mountain climbing. He'd climbed dozens of peaks just to photograph sunrises. Then he crouched low, hugging the wall as he crept toward the back mountain, each step light, making no sound.

  Qingyun Sect's outer district clung to a mountainside. The back mountain was dense forest, supposedly home to low-level demon beasts, strictly off-limits to outer disciples. Violators faced confinement at best, expulsion at worst. The original's memories held several examples—outer disciples sneaking in, returning to find the Law Enforcement Hall waiting, a month of confinement and three months' spirit stones deducted.

  But the mysterious contact had specified "the cliff"—likely at the forest's edge. He hoped to find it.

  Li Ming wasn't familiar with this area, navigating by the original's vague directional memories. The original had visited once, three months ago when he'd first joined, following senior outer disciples to gather herbs. But there'd been a crowd, noise, no attention paid to surroundings.

  After roughly one incense stick's time, the trees grew denser, canopies merging overhead and blocking the moonlight completely. The path changed from stone slabs to dirt to overgrown wild trails, his footsteps rustling through undergrowth and scattering insects.

  The air grew colder, carrying dampness and rotting leaves, plus a faint fishy smell.

  "The cliff... the cliff..."

  Li Ming muttered, eyes searching the darkness. He walked slower, afraid of missing something.

  Suddenly he stopped.

  Light ahead.

  Faint, but definitely there. Like... a campfire? Flickering in the darkness like a blinking eye.

  Li Ming held his breath, approaching slowly. He circled to the side, hiding behind a massive tree—thick enough to need two people to encircle, bark covered in moss. He peered out.

  A fire indeed burned in the clearing, flames small but vigorous, crackling and popping. Someone sat beside it, back to Li Ming, holding a branch and prodding the embers.

  They wore outer disciple robes, gray and washed pale. The figure looked... familiar?

  Li Ming concentrated, calling up the code view.

  System notification: [Function Available]

  The air before him rippled like disturbed water. A faint line of text appeared around the figure's outline, pale green, flickering in the darkness:

  [Wang Hu - Qi Refinement Layer Two - Hostility: High]

  "Wang Hu?"

  Li Ming's heart sank.

  The person lingering outside his door last night was Wang Hu? Then the warning note today...

  "Come out."

  Wang Hu suddenly spoke, voice clear in the silent night, carrying a lazy tone—like he'd known Li Ming was there all along.

  Li Ming hesitated a moment, then stepped from behind the tree.

  He stopped five or six paces from the fire, hand still resting on his wooden sword.

  "You arranged this?" he asked, voice calm but mind on high alert.

  Wang Hu turned. Firelight played across his face, expression complex—not the usual bandit arrogance, but... tired? Resigned? Li Ming couldn't read it.

  "Yes and no," Wang Hu said.

  "What does that mean?"

  "The note was mine, but the book..." Wang Hu paused, tossing his branch into the fire, flames leaping higher. "The book wasn't mine."

  Li Ming frowned: "Then why warn me not to come?"

  "Because I don't know if this is a trap either." Wang Hu stood, dusting off his robes, sighing. "Someone found me, said if you came to the back mountain tonight, give you this. Also said if I told you it was a trap, to mark the envelope."

  He pulled an envelope from his robes and threw it to Li Ming.

  Li Ming caught it—ordinary brown paper, corners worn like someone had held it a long time. A small check mark in the lower right corner, scratched with a fingernail, invisible unless you looked closely.

  He opened it. Inside, a single slip of paper, white with black characters, handwriting neat like... printed? But what printer existed in this cultivation world?

  Only one line:

  "Hello World, cultivation world edition."

  "What does this mean?" Li Ming looked up at Wang Hu.

  Wang Hu shook his head: "I don't know either. That person only said, seeing this phrase, you'd understand. Also told me to remember to ask if you understood, and if you said no, to drop it."

  Li Ming stared at those words, a thought suddenly flashing through his mind.

  "Hello World..."

  A programming tradition—the first program always outputs "Hello World." Every person learning code writes this as their first line. It symbolizes beginning, symbolizes stepping into a new world.

  "This is..." Li Ming drew a deep breath, heart beating faster. "This was left by someone like me?"

  "Someone like you?" Wang Hu raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, like you?"

  "A transmigrator." Li Ming said. "Or at least... someone who understands code."

  Wang Hu's expression changed. He'd been maintaining that lazy attitude, but at the word "transmigrator," his eyes widened slightly, then quickly returned to normal. So fast Li Ming thought he imagined it.

  "Code?" Wang Hu asked, probing. "You also..."

  "You know code too?" Li Ming countered, staring into his eyes.

  They held each other's gaze for a moment. The fire crackled, breaking the silence.

  Wang Hu looked away first, toward somewhere else: "I don't understand what you're saying. I was just delivering something for someone. Now it's delivered, I'm leaving."

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  He turned to go, moving fast—like he was fleeing.

  "Wait." Li Ming called out. "Who sent you?"

  Wang Hu stopped, back to Li Ming, silent for several seconds. Wind rustled through the trees, masking his heavy breathing.

  "Someone... you don't know," Wang Hu said, voice soft. "Someone... you probably want to meet."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Nothing." Wang Hu shook his head. "Remember, tonight's business—don't tell anyone. Especially Chen Feng, and Zhao Kun. They..."

  He didn't finish, walking away without looking back, quickly vanishing into the trees, footsteps inaudible.

  Li Ming stood there, watching his back disappear, the slip of paper in his hand trembling slightly.

  "Hello World, cultivation world edition."

  The meaning was obvious. Someone knew he was a transmigrator, knew he understood code, even knew he could see technique "bugs." Who was this person? Why help him? How did they know?

  Could there be... other transmigrators?

  Li Ming tucked the note away, into his robes with the gray book. Then he looked around—the clearing held nothing but the dying fire, embers glowing red, breathing in and out.

  But he felt...

  "Since you're here, stop hiding."

  Li Ming spoke to the darkness.

  No response.

  But he could feel something watching him. Not Wang Hu, not Chen Feng, not Zhao Kun. That gaze... more concealed, more dangerous, like it seeped from underground—cold, damp, carrying decay.

  Li Ming gripped his wooden sword, fingers white. He slowly backed away, each step careful, afraid of stepping on something.

  Suddenly, the ground beneath him trembled.

  Slight, like someone stomping far away. Li Ming felt it—that vibration traveling up through his soles, making his feet tingle.

  He immediately jumped aside. Where he'd been standing, the ground cracked open.

  Thin at first, like a black thread. But quickly it widened—one inch, two inches, three inches... finally gaping palm-sized.

  From the crack, black qi emerged.

  Thick, like surging from an abyss, carrying a pungent fishy smell that made Li Ming's head spin.

  "What is this..."

  Li Ming retreated two steps, concentrating, calling up the code view again.

  This time, he didn't see information about a person, but... the ground's code?

  ```

  [Ground_Spiritual_Array.py]

  def spiritual_leak():

  # earth vein spiritual energy leak point

  # WARNING: seal damage detected in this area

  status = "CRITICAL"

  if status == "CRITICAL":

  # severe seal damage, earth-bound spirit may escape

  activate_emergency_protocol()

  ```

  "Seal damage?"

  Before Li Ming could react, a hand shot from the crack.

  Black, like charred flesh, skin ulcerated, white bone showing through. Nails long and sharp, like ghost claws from hell, gripping the ground with ear-scraping friction.

  Then a head emerged from the crack...

  No, not a head.

  A... faceless face.

  Only a mouth, gaping wide, rows of sharp teeth like a shark's maw. No eyes, no nose, nothing. That "face" was black, still emitting black qi, like it was sucking in the surrounding air.

  "Run!"

  A voice came from behind.

  Li Ming spun around. An old man in gray robes stood there, wooden staff in hand, a glowing stone embedded at the top emitting pale blue light.

  The old man looked seventy or eighty, white-haired but vigorous, eyes shockingly bright. His spiritual energy fluctuation was strong—at least Qi Refinement Layer Six, higher than Chen Feng.

  "What are you waiting for? Run!" the old man shouted, voice piercing the silent night.

  Li Ming didn't hesitate, turning and charging into the trees.

  He ran fast, branches scratching his face, drawing bloody lines, but he ignored the pain. Behind him came a roar—beast-like, yet something... more terrible, making his skin crawl.

  "Don't look back! Run east!" the old man called from behind. "There's a sect protective array that way!"

  Li Ming obeyed, sprinting east. His lungs began burning, breathing growing ragged, heart pounding like it would burst from his chest. But he couldn't stop, couldn't look back, could only run desperately.

  After roughly half an incense stick's time, a wall of light suddenly appeared ahead.

  Pale blue, semi-transparent, like a curtain or barrier, stretching between trees and cliff.

  "Go through!" The old man's voice came from behind. "Hurry!"

  Li Ming plunged into the light wall.

  Instantly, he felt something sweep through his body, head to toe, like passing through electricity. Then... safe?

  He turned back. Outside the light wall, that faceless monster was madly crashing against it. Limbless, just a lump of black flesh with only a mouth, each impact creating deafening sounds like steel striking stone. But every contact with the light sent it bouncing back, sizzling, black smoke rising.

  "Don't watch, it can't get out."

  The old man reached his side, gasping, forehead covered in sweat. "This is the sect's protective array, evil spirits can't enter. As long as the array holds, it can only circle outside."

  "What was that thing?" Li Ming asked, voice trembling slightly.

  "Earth-bound spirit." The old man's tone was flat, like discussing something ordinary. "Sealed underground. Don't know why, but tonight the seal loosened."

  Li Ming stared at the monster still crashing against the wall, a thought refusing to leave his mind.

  When he'd viewed the earth vein's code earlier, the seal status showed "CRITICAL."

  "Seal damage... was it deliberate?" he asked, voice soft but each word clear.

  The old man looked at him, expression complex—surprise, caution, and a trace of... resignation?

  "Kid," the old man said. "Some things, the less you know the better. Living long matters more than knowing truth."

  "But the person who arranged this meeting..."

  "Arranged?" The old man frowned. "Who arranged it?"

  Li Ming hesitated, then pulled out the "Hello World" note. The paper was crumpled in his hand, but the writing remained.

  The old man's face instantly changed when he saw those words.

  His pupils contracted, like seeing something impossible. Then he stared at Li Ming, like trying to see through him.

  "You... where did you get this?" The old man's voice trembled. "Who... who gave it to you?"

  "Wang Hu gave it to me." Li Ming said. "Wang Hu said someone he didn't know asked him to deliver it."

  "Wang Hu?" The old man shook his head, face pale. "Impossible. That kid doesn't have the guts, doesn't have the..."

  He stopped, like thinking of something terrible.

  "You know what this means?" Li Ming pressed.

  The old man was silent a long time. He stared at the note, then at Li Ming, then let out a long sigh.

  "This is... the Guide's code phrase."

  "Guide?" Li Ming frowned. "What guide?"

  "Every transmigrator meets a Guide." The old man said, voice slow, like recalling distant memories. "That person tells you the truth of this world, teaches you... how to survive. This world is far more dangerous than it appears."

  Li Ming's heart jumped—thump thump thump.

  "How did you know I'm a transmigrator?"

  The old man smiled, bitterness mixed with... nostalgia?

  "Because I was once a transmigrator too."

  The air froze for a moment.

  Only the earth-bound spirit outside the light wall continued crashing, monotonous and persistent.

  "You..." Li Ming's mouth hung open, unsure what to say.

  "Don't ask." The old man interrupted. "Knowing too much does you no good. Remember, tonight's business—don't tell anyone. Not Wang Hu, not Chen Feng, not anyone. Not one word."

  "Why?"

  "Because in Qingyun Sect, you're not the only one who wants to live." The old man turned to leave, steps unsteady. "Some things cannot be spoken. Once spoken, they will..."

  He didn't finish, but Li Ming understood.

  "Tomorrow at dawn, find me here." The old man said. "I have something... I should give you. Might help."

  "Wait, what's your name?" Li Ming called out.

  The old man stopped, looking back. That glance held many things—pity, resignation, and a trace of... apology?

  "Just call me Old Zhou," he said.

  Then he vanished into the night, walking fast, like something was chasing him.

  Li Ming stood there, looking at the note in his hand, then at the faceless monster still crashing against the light wall.

  Transmigrator. Guide. Earth-bound spirit. Seal damage.

  These fragments pieced together, pointing to a truth that made his back run cold.

  Qingyun Sect was far more complex than he'd imagined. Every person here, every thing, might not be what it seemed on the surface.

  "Hey!"

  A voice came from the distance, carrying impatience—a patrolling outer disciple. "What are you doing out here in the middle of the night? Don't you know the back mountain is forbidden?"

  Li Ming immediately hid the note, putting on a just-awakened expression: "I... I got lost."

  "Lost?" The patrol disciple approached, lantern illuminating Li Ming's face. "This is the back mountain forbidden zone, you didn't know? Outer sect rules, no entry!"

  "I know, but I..."

  "Enough, no excuses." The patrol disciple grabbed Li Ming's arm. "Come with me to Law Enforcement Hall. Tomorrow the hall master will decide your punishment."

  Li Ming's heart sank.

  Law Enforcement Hall?

  That was no good place. The original's memories held plenty of examples—people sent there faced a month of confinement at best, expulsion at worst. In this cultivation world, expulsion meant losing your chance to cultivate, becoming a mortal for life.

  "Wait."

  A voice came from behind.

  Li Ming turned. It was Chen Feng.

  That inner disciple who'd threatened him in the library now stood a dozen paces away, expression bland, like watching a boring play.

  "I know this person." Chen Feng approached, voice calm. "I arranged for him to handle some business. If there's any issue, I'll handle it."

  The patrol disciple immediately bowed, attitude instantly changing: "Yes, Senior Brother Chen. I didn't know he was your person..."

  "Scram." Chen Feng said, no emotion in his tone.

  The patrol disciple fled like he'd been granted amnesty, nearly dropping his lantern.

  Li Ming stared at Chen Feng, wariness rising. Was this person enemy or ally?

  "You..."

  "Don't misunderstand." Chen Feng interrupted. "I'm not here to help you. I just... don't want you caught by Law Enforcement Hall so quickly."

  "Why?"

  "Because you still owe me an answer." Chen Feng looked at him, eyes assessing like examining merchandise. "The library matter—decided yet? Bring me things, or three days confinement and ten spirit stones deducted?"

  Li Ming fell silent.

  What did Chen Feng mean by "bring me things"? Spirit stones? Pills? Or... something else?

  "I give you three days." Chen Feng said. "Three days later, same time, library entrance. Don't make me wait. My patience is limited."

  Then he too left, walking fast, quickly vanishing into the night.

  Li Ming stood there, watching both their backs disappear, the "Hello World" note clutched in his hand.

  Old Zhou said to find him at dawn tomorrow.

  Chen Feng said three days for an answer.

  Wang Hu said he was delivering for someone.

  And that unknown "Guide"...

  "This opening..." Li Ming laughed bitterly. "Quite lively indeed."

  He turned toward the outer sect district.

  Behind him, the faceless monster inside the light wall continued crashing, but the sound grew distant, finally fading into the night.

  What Li Ming didn't know was that shortly after he left, another wisp of black qi emerged from that earth vein crack.

  The black qi condensed in the air, slowly forming words, crooked like written in blood:

  "Welcome to the game, Player 1."

  Then, it dissipated.

  And farther away, atop Qingyun Sect's main peak, in some great hall, a pair of eyes opened.

  In those eyes, golden light flashed and quickly faded.

  The game had begun.