Legend of the Last Cultivator

CHAPTER 6: Shadows Beneath the City

Kai stood motionless outside the old bookstore as the wooden door slowly closed with a long, eerie creak.

The lively sounds of the city seemed to disappear the moment the lights inside went out. A cold breeze drifted through the narrow alley, carrying the scent of old paper and rain-soaked wood.

He swallowed uneasily, unable to shake the strange feeling that someone, or something, was watching him from within. His fingers instinctively tightened around the jade ring hidden inside his pocket. This place doesn’t feel normal, he thought. Then again… nothing has been normal since I found that book.

His phone vibrated suddenly.

Unknown Number: “Go inside.”

Kai frowned and quickly typed back.

Kai: “You said not to follow the girl.”

The reply came almost instantly.

Unknown Number: “I did but I never said not to enter.”

Kai sighed helplessly. “You really enjoy confusing me,” he muttered before pushing open the bookstore door. A tiny brass bell chimed softly overhead.

The interior smelled of aged parchment and cedar shelves. Thousands of books stretched from floor to ceiling, their worn spines suggesting they had survived generations. Dust floated lazily through thin beams of afternoon sunlight filtering in from high windows. There wasn’t another customer in sight.

“Hello?” Kai called out cautiously, but only silence answered him. He slowly walked between the towering shelves, his footsteps echoing across the wooden floor.

“Is anyone here?” he asked again. An elderly man suddenly rose from behind the front counter, startling him. “You don’t have to shout,” the old man said with a gentle chuckle. “Books prefer quiet company.”

Kai awkwardly scratched his head. “Sorry, sir.” The old bookseller smiled kindly. “Looking for anything in particular?”

Kai hesitated, how was he supposed to explain that he was meeting an anonymous hacker who communicated only through his phone? “I… I’m waiting for someone,” he said.

The old man nodded knowingly. “Aren’t we all?” he replied mysteriously before returning to the book he had been reading. Kai blinked because that didn’t answer anything.

His phone suddenly buzzed once more.

Unknown Number: “Walk to the history section.”

Kai glanced toward the old bookseller, who appeared completely absorbed in his novel. Quietly, he obeyed.

The history section occupied the back corner of the bookstore. Ancient maps and dusty encyclopedias filled the shelves. He had barely arrived when another message appeared.

Unknown Number: “Third shelf.”

He counted carefully, one, two and three. Another message followed.

Unknown Number: “Blue book. Pull it.”

Kai looked around. A thick blue hardcover stood neatly between two faded volumes. “This one?” he whispered.

Unknown Number: “Yes.”

He gently pulled the book, Click. A hidden mechanism activated, part of the bookshelf slowly slid sideways, revealing a narrow passage hidden behind it.

Kai stared in amazement. “A secret passage…” he whispered. His heart pounded with excitement. “This isn’t real…”

Unknown Number: “It is.”

Kai stepped into the hidden corridor. The bookshelf quietly closed behind him after. The narrow hallway led downward, illuminated by warm golden lights embedded within the walls. Unlike the ancient chamber beneath the abandoned district, this place felt carefully maintained.

His footsteps echoed softly, every instinct told him to turn back, but curiosity pushed him forward. At the end of the corridor stood a sturdy wooden door.

His phone vibrated again.

Unknown Number: “Come in.”

Kai slowly pushed the door open. The room beyond resembled a small private library, ancient scrolls rested beside powerful computer servers, and modern technology stood shoulder to shoulder with forgotten history.

Large monitors covered one wall, displaying maps, satellite feeds, government communications, and lines of rapidly moving code. Kai’s eyes widened in surprise, “What… is this place?”

A familiar voice answered. “My workplace.” Kai froze suddenly, he slowly turned toward the voice. A young woman sat behind a desk surrounded by computer screens.

She wore an oversized hoodie, her long dark hair falling over her shoulders. A pair of glasses rested lightly on her nose as her fingers danced effortlessly across a keyboard. Several empty coffee cups and open ancient grimoires covered the desk around her.

She looked exactly like someone who had spent years living among books instead of people. She nervously adjusted her glasses before finally looking directly at him.

“So…” she said softly, a hint of awkwardness in her voice. “I guess we’re meeting properly now.” Kai stared speechlessly. For days, the mysterious girl had been nothing more than a name on a screen, now she was standing only a few steps away.

“You…” he whispered. She smiled nervously and answered, “My name is Aria.” She stood up slowly, almost as though she wasn’t used to having visitors. “I’m Aria Vale.”

Kai couldn’t find the right words. “So… you’ve been the one texting me?” he asked. “Yes,” Aria replied with a small nod.

“And saving my life?” he asks again. “I’ve been trying,” she simply said. Kai laughed quietly despite everything. “You’re different from what I imagined.”

Aria tilted her head and smiled. “Is that good or bad?” Kai whispered silently, “I thought you’d be… older.”

She sighed dramatically. “I get that a lot.” The tension between them slowly faded, for the first time since awakening as the Last Cultivator, Kai felt as though he wasn’t completely alone anymore.

Aria walked toward one of the large monitors and pressed a few keys Several images immediately appeared on the screen, Government satellites, Hunter Units, and Classified agency files.

Kai’s smile disappeared, as Aria’s expression grew serious. “I didn’t bring you here just to introduce myself,” she said quietly. She enlarged one particular file.

At the top of the screen, bold red letters appeared.

PROJECT GOD-SLAYER

Kai frowned, “What is that?” Aria took a slow breath. “It’s the reason they’re hunting you.” Before she could explain further, every monitor in the room suddenly flashed bright red.

An alarm echoed through the hidden library. Aria’s face turned pale. “No…” Her fingers flew across the keyboard. “They found one of my proxy servers.”

Kai immediately stepped beside her. “What does that mean?” he asked. Aria stared at the rapidly changing data with widening eyes. “It means…” she whispered. “…someone is getting closer.”

Then at that moment, every screen went black. One line of white text appeared across every monitor.

“HELLO, ARIA.”

Neither of them had typed those words. A chill swept through the room. Someone else… had entered the system. The words remained on every monitor.

“HELLO, ARIA.”

The room fell deathly silent. Kai looked from one black screen to another, as his pulse quickened. “Did… did you type that?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Aria slowly shook her head. “No,” she replied quietly. For the first time since Kai had met her, genuine fear appeared in her eyes.

She immediately unplugged one of the computers. Nothing changed, she disconnected another, yet the message remained. Every monitor flickered simultaneously before a second line appeared.

“YOU HAVE BEEN PROTECTING HIM VERY WELL.”

Kai’s heart skipped a beat. “Him? Do they mean me?” Aria’s fingers hovered over the keyboard, but she didn’t press a single key. Whoever had invaded her system wasn’t simply hacking it. They were watching them.

Then, a third line slowly appeared.

“THE LAST CULTIVATOR MUST NOT REACH THE RIFT.”

Kai stared at the words. “The Rift…” he murmured. “The Civilization Rift.”

Before either of them could react, every monitor suddenly displayed the same image, a single ancient symbol, the exact same symbol engraved on Kai’s jade ring and the black cultivation manual.

Aria’s face turned pale. “No…” she whispered. “That’s impossible.” Kai looked at her in confusion. “You know this symbol?” Aria swallowed hard. “I’ve only seen it once before…”

“Where?” Kai asked urgently. She looked into his eyes, her voice trembling. “In your master’s records.” Before she could explain further, the symbol abruptly disappeared.

The screens returned to normal, the connection had been severed, but on the center monitor, one final message remained.

“WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THE HEIR.”

Silence filled the hidden library. Kai slowly touched the jade ring in his pocket. “The heir?” he thought. “Who are they talking about?”

Neither Kai nor Aria noticed that, hundreds of kilometers away, deep beneath a snow-covered mountain, an ancient stone gate sealed for two hundred years had just begun to glow.

A faint crack spread across its surface, and from the darkness beyond the gate, something opened its eyes