Morning sunlight spilled over the courtyard of the Radiant Lotus Temple, casting golden streaks across the marble tiles. The air was crisp, tinged with the scent of dew and distant incense.Lucien Graves stood beneath the outer pavilion, silent and still.Around him, disciples moved in clusters—training, laughing, arguing, gossiping. It should’ve felt familiar, nostalgic even. But to Lucien, it was all noise.His eyes glowed faintly with golden light.Above each disciple’s head, shimmering numbers floated—transparent to all but him.+35. -10. +5. -40.Karma. That was what the system called it.“The weight of one’s actions, tallied by the heavens.”Lucien’s gaze swept through the crowd, dispassionately reading the scores. Most were harmless. Some were cruel. None were innocent.His vision sharpened as a commotion drew his attention.Near the far garden wall, two inner disciples stood cornering a pale, skinny boy—barely sixteen. The boy clutched a pouch to his chest, trembling.Lucien’s

Mist blanketed the outer disciples’ courtyard like a veil of mourning. Dew hung on the narrow bamboo slats of Lucien’s quarters, glistening like tears waiting to fall. Morning had not yet fully broken, and the world remained silent—too silent.Lucien moved like a phantom, robes dark and unadorned, footsteps inaudible even on the creaking wooden planks. He stood at the edge of the training grounds, eyes half-lidded, breathing slow. Above his open palm, the System Interface hovered—a constellation of data glowing with muted malevolence.[Target: Elder Wren – Karma Surge: -580][Target: Instructor Bail – Sin Confirmation: Intent to Murder via Poison Pills]Time Remaining: 30 Hours 12 MinutesHis eyes, golden and distant, flared briefly. The karma threads linking him to his marked targets glowed like veins of shadowed lightning. Each thread pulsed with the weight of new sins. Desperation had sharpened their cruelty.“The longer they live,” Lucien murmured, voice barely audible, “the more

The flickering candlelight cast long shadows across the rough stone walls of Lucien’s private quarters. Dust motes floated lazily in the stale air, settling like forgotten memories among the piles of scrolls and worn tomes he had gathered from the sect archives. Tonight, sleep was a distant thought—his restless mind pursued secrets buried deep within the temple’s ancient records. The truth behind the system that hummed in his veins beckoned relentlessly.Lucien’s fingers trembled slightly as he brushed aside a layer of ash and brittle paper. His eyes narrowed at the edge of a hidden compartment cleverly concealed beneath the floorboards of the archive chamber, a place forgotten by time and curiosity alike. His heart quickened when he pried it open, revealing a scroll, charred and cracked but remarkably intact.Careful not to damage the delicate parchment further, he unrolled the half-burned manuscript. The faded ink revealed a title that sent a shiver down his spine:“The Chronicle of

The first light of dawn crept through the narrow slats of Lucien’s quarters, casting pale gold stripes across the stone floor. The air was still, heavy with the scent of incense and ancient dust, but Lucien felt the familiar stir of unease knotting his gut. Today was different. It was the day he had been summoned.The quiet was broken by a soft but firm knock on the door. A young messenger, his eyes downcast yet steady, stepped inside holding an intricately carved jade scroll tube, sealed with the insignia of the Lotus Temple’s Sect Master — a blooming lotus intertwined with coiling dragons. The weight of the seal in Lucien’s palm was more than just symbolic; it was a summons that bore the authority of Myra Langley herself.Lucien broke the seal carefully, pulling out the scroll. The parchment was smooth but bore the unmistakable signs of official formality. The calligraphy was precise, the message curt but layered:To Lucien Graves,In recognition of your recent deeds in rooting out

The Karma Lake reflected the blood-red moon like a bleeding eye in the stillness of midnight. Mist drifted over its glassy surface, faintly glowing with spiritual residue. Lucien Graves stood at the lake’s edge, the wind brushing against his battle robe — black silk trimmed in silver, stitched with karmic runes that shimmered faintly under moonlight.Before him hovered the System’s interface, silent yet searing.[Judgment Trial Confirmed]Target: Sect Master Myra LangleyCrime: Systemic Spiritual CorruptionPunishment Method: Heaven’s Wrath[One-Time Divine Skill Unlocked]Heaven’s Wrath – Divine Execution ProtocolLucien exhaled slowly. The air felt heavier than usual — like the heavens themselves were watching.“This isn’t vengeance,” he murmured, voice steady despite the storm in his chest. “This is justice.”The system pulsed in reply.[Balance must be restored.]Without another word, Lucien turned from the lake. Every step toward the sanctum felt like walking deeper into legend —