Lin Tian spent the night in his room not sleeping, but sitting cross-legged on the thin mat, breathing slowly. The System's mission hovered in his mind like a cold brand.
Survival. Retrieve the petal. Do not die.
He ran his fingers over the simple pack he'd been given: a waterskin, a week's worth of nutrient pills that tasted like chalk, a coil of spirit-reinforced rope, and a single low-grade healing salve. It was the kit they gave to disciples they expected to lose.
This isn't an expedition. It's an execution with extra steps.
A soft knock came at his door just before dawn. It was Xu Wen, his face grim in the pale light of the hallway's glowstone.
"Heard they're sending you into the Spire," Xu Wen said, not bothering with greetings. He held out a small, cloth-wrapped bundle. "Take this. It's a map of the first three levels. Copied it from the archives before they locked the section down."
Lin Tian took the bundle, the cloth rough against his fingers. "Why?"
