Lin Feng walked into the bustling market district of the Jin Capital, weaving through the morning crowds. Three days of healing and testing his new abilities had restored his confidence. With each passing hour, he grew more certain about his path forward.
A group of merchants haggled loudly over silk prices while street vendors shouted their wares. The scent of sizzling meat buns and fragrant teas filled the air. Under normal circumstances, these would tempt him, but Lin Feng had other hungers to satisfy.
He needed skills, practical abilities to survive and eventually thrive. The Cursed Failure System had shown him a new way forward. Where others sought direct power through cultivation, he would gain strength through calculated losses.
"Stealth," he muttered, scanning the area. "I need to move unseen."
A patrol of city guards marched through the central square, their crimson uniforms marking them as members of the Jin Family forces. Each man wore a short sword and carried a hardwood baton for street enforcement.
Lin Feng smiled. Perfect.
He studied their route, noting how they split to cover different sections of the market. The lead guard, a gruff man with a scar across his nose, directed two subordinates toward the western fruit stalls. Lin Feng followed at a distance, formulating his plan.
The fruit stall overflowed with fresh produce, bright red apples stacked in neat pyramids, yellow pears arranged by size, and exotic fruits from the southern provinces displayed prominently for wealthy customers.
Lin Feng positioned himself near the stall. The merchant, a round woman with weathered hands, called out prices to passersby. The guards stood barely twenty paces away, watching for thieves.
"Now," Lin Feng whispered. He reached forward, plucking an apple from the top of the pyramid.
He made the move deliberately obvious, maintaining eye contact with the merchant for a fraction too long. He tucked the fruit into his sleeve and walked away, not too fast to appear guilty, but not slow enough to seem innocent.
The merchant spotted him immediately. "Thief! Guards! That boy stole my fruit!"
Lin Feng calculated his escape path, making sure to take the route that passed directly in front of the guards. He ran just slow enough to ensure capture.
The scarred guard stepped into his path, grabbing for Lin Feng's collar. Lin Feng dodged, but with careful imprecision, a stumble that looked authentic but left his arm exposed.
The guard's fingers wrapped around his wrist, twisting sharply. "Got you, thief!"
Pain shot through Lin Feng's arm as the guard wrenched it behind his back. The apple tumbled from his sleeve, rolling across the dusty street.
"Please," Lin Feng protested, struggling weakly. "I was hungry—"
"Save it for the magistrate," the guard growled, tightening his grip. "Three days in the stocks should teach you."
The second guard produced iron manacles, securing them around Lin Feng's wrists with practiced efficiency. Lin Feng allowed his body to go slack, offering no resistance as they bound him.
"Another street rat," the younger guard observed, prodding Lin Feng forward. "This one looks familiar, though."
"They all look alike," the scarred leader replied. "Take him to the holding cells. I'll finish the patrol."
The crowd parted as the guard marched Lin Feng through the market. Some faces showed pity, others contempt. None recognized him as the fallen disciple of the Lin clan, exactly as he intended.
As they passed through a narrow alley connecting the market to the guard post, Lin Feng felt the familiar warmth of the System activating.
[Failure Detected: Stealth Attempt]
[Analyzing Defeat Parameters...]
[Reward Generated: Shadow Step (Basic) + Lockpicking (Novice)]
[Activating Rewards...]
The sensation washed through him like cool water. Lin Feng felt something change in his legs and fingers, a subtle alteration to muscle memory and perception.
He glanced down at the manacles. The mechanisms inside suddenly seemed obvious, like a diagram laid before him. Each tumbler and spring revealed its secrets to his enhanced understanding.
More intriguing was the strange energy pooling in his feet. It felt like his qi had transformed into something darker, more elusive.
The guard shoved him forward. "Keep moving, thief."
Lin Feng stumbled intentionally, making the guard grab his shoulder to steady him. The moment of contact was all he needed.
He channeled the new energy into his legs and whispered, "Shadow Step."
The world blurred. Lin Feng felt his body dissolve into wisps of darkness, slipping through the guard's fingers like smoke. He rematerialized three paces behind the confused man, the manacles dropping to the ground with a clatter.
The guard spun, his face contorting in shock. "What in the—"
He reached for his sword, but his hands grasped only empty air where Lin Feng had stood moments before.
Lin Feng watched from the shadows of a nearby doorway, suppressing a smile as the guard searched frantically, calling for reinforcements. The Shadow Step had worked perfectly, better than he'd anticipated. The skill allowed short-range movement through shadow, rendering him temporarily incorporeal.
When the guard rushed past his hiding spot, Lin Feng slipped away in the opposite direction, testing his new abilities. Each shadow seemed to welcome him, pulling him forward with greater speed and silence than he could achieve before.
[Shadow Step (Basic) Active: 3 charges per day, 3 meters maximum distance]
[Lockpicking (Novice) Active: Mechanical locks below intermediate level can be opened]
He flexed his fingers, feeling the new dexterity and sensitivity. The combination of skills made him dangerous in an entirely different way than conventional cultivation. Where martial power relied on qi and force, these abilities offered subtlety and escape.
Lin Feng emerged from the alley onto a less crowded street, blending with the pedestrians. No one gave him a second glance, just another commoner going about his business.
As he rounded a corner toward the eastern quarter, raised voices caught his attention. He peered down a narrow side street, where three young men in blue training uniforms had cornered a girl against the wall.
"Your brother swore you'd deliver the information," one of them said, pushing the girl's shoulder. "Stop playing games, Mei."
Lin Feng recognized her immediately. Mei Ling, a junior disciple from the outer sect. Her silver ponytail was unmistakable, even from a distance. She wasn't from a major family, but her spirit detection abilities had earned her a place in the academy.
"I told you, I don't have access to those scrolls," Mei protested, her voice steady despite her obvious fear. "Only inner disciples can enter that chamber."
"Kai won't be happy," another boy threatened. "You know what happened to the last person who disappointed him."
Lin Feng tensed. These were Kai's followers, not his strongest allies, but loyal enforcers who carried out his dirty work.
A crimson notification appeared before Lin Feng's eyes:
[Opportunity Detected: Save Target]
[Failure Probability: 99%]
[Potential Reward: ???]
Lin Feng studied the situation. Three opponents, all likely at Foundation level 3 or 4, against his meager three meridians. The odds were terrible.
Perfect.