Lu Fan sat alone on the rooftop after school, the sky glowing gold as the sun dipped low. A soft breeze brushed his hair, but his mind raced.
He had grown quickly, yes—but power alone wasn't enough.
He had no sect, no master, no resources. His father still struggled, and he couldn't keep pushing forward on raw will alone.
If he was going to survive in this hidden world—thrive in it—he needed allies. Trustworthy ones.
That's when the idea hit him: a pact. A secret circle of cultivators like him—outsiders, orphans of fate, walking their own paths in the shadows.
He already had Xie Ren, and while rough around the edges, the guy was loyal now—and clearly strong.
He sent him a message: "Meet me on the rooftop after sunset. Bring no one."
---
Xie arrived just as the stars emerged.
Lu Fan stood waiting, arms folded, eyes glowing faintly in the dim light.
"I've been thinking," Lu Fan said. "We can't do this alone. There are others—like us. People who don't belong to sects. People hiding strength. I want to find them. Help them. Build something together."
Xie Ren blinked, then grinned. "You want to form a secret group?"
Lu Fan nodded. "A pact. Silent. Loyal. We'll grow together. Share techniques. Protect each other from the real monsters hiding in this world."
Xie's grin widened. "Count me in, Master."
Lu Fan smiled faintly. "Stop calling me that."
They both laughed.
But even as they joked, Lu Fan's mind drifted back to the Universal Library—to the hundreds of unread scrolls waiting for when he was strong enough to unlock them. He needed resources, cultivation herbs, spirit stones—anything to help him break into higher realms.
"I need money," Lu Fan said suddenly.
Xie raised a brow. "For your dad?"
"And for cultivation," Lu Fan replied. "I'm going to start looking for work. Dangerous work, maybe. But the kind only someone like us can do."
Xie nodded solemnly. "Then let's hunt."
---
The Pact had begun.
Two students, hiding power in a city of chaos, preparing to rise—together.
But in the shadows of the city, others watched. Curious. Cautious.
And not all of them were friendly.