Chapter 3: The Algorithm’s Disciples

The live-stream didn't just end; it crashed.

The surge of traffic from "The Gliding Idol" clip was so intense that the Star-Reach servers experienced a literal meltdown. But for Lin Xiao, the real explosion was happening inside her chest.

Every "like," every "fire" emoji, and every wide-eyed reaction from a teenager in their bedroom was a thread of golden light. It filtered through the smartphone, traveled through the air, and settled into her dantian.

"The 'Faith of the Masses'..." she thought, feeling her stagnant Qi begin to swirl. "In the Heavenly Realm, we fought for thousands of years to build temples for this kind of power. Here, I just have to... 'post'?"

The Dorm Room Confrontation

The moment the camera turned off, the silence in the practice room was deafening. Zaria, Nyx, and Mika were staring at Lin Xiao as if she had grown a second head—one that was inexplicably more beautiful than the first.

"Lin Xiao," Nyx said, her voice dropping its usual sharp edge. "What was that? That wasn't the choreography. You were... moving before the beat."

"I was moving with the rhythm of the air," Lin Xiao replied, wiping a non-existent bead of sweat from her forehead. "The music is just a suggestion. The atmosphere is the truth."

"The 'atmosphere' is going to get us sued for breaking the internet," Zaria muttered, though she was secretly checking her own reflection in the mirror, still stunned by the "Skin-Cleansing Essence."

Suddenly, the dorm door flew open. Manager Wang, a man whose blood was 70% caffeine and 30% anxiety, burst in.

"PACK YOUR BAGS!" he screamed, waving his phone.

"Are we fired?" Mika whimpered, clutching her celery.

"Fired?! You’re 'Trending'!" Wang lunged at Lin Xiao, trying to grab her shoulders, but she stepped back instinctively, causing him to stumble. "Lin Xiao! Gucci just called. A skincare brand called 'Lumiere' wants to know what foundation you were wearing. I told them you were wearing 'The Glow of Star-Reach,' but they didn't buy it!"

Lin Xiao looked at him. "I told the CEO. I need a larger pot. And herbs. The garden outside is... insufficient."

"Pot? Herbs? Whatever! Lu Chen wants you in the car. Now! We have an emergency photoshoot for 'Vogue.' They want the 'No-Makeup Goddess' look."

## The CEO’s Observation

In the back of the black luxury sedan, Lin Xiao sat opposite Lu Chen. He was staring at her with the intensity of a scientist looking at a new element.

"You're not Lin Xiao," he said suddenly.

Lin Xiao didn't flinch. She adjusted her sleeves. "I am the soul that inhabits this body. The previous tenant was... weary. She left. I stayed."

Lu Chen narrowed his eyes. He was a man who believed in balance sheets and logic. But the feeling of electricity in the air whenever she spoke was undeniable.

"Whoever you are," Lu Chen leaned forward, "you’ve just increased this company’s valuation by 12% in two hours. But fame is a double-edged sword. Your family—the Lin Group—is furious. They think you’re using 'cheap tricks' to embarrass them."

"Cheap tricks?" Lin Xiao’s eyes flashed with a hint of ancient pride. "If I used my actual 'tricks', your city would be floating in the clouds by sunset."

Lu Chen felt a chill go down his spine. He pulled out a small velvet box. "Since you like 'artifacts', wear this for the shoot. It’s a 19th-century emerald brooch. It’s supposed to be lucky."

Lin Xiao took the box. She didn't look at the emerald. She felt the stone.

"A Spirit-Stone shard?" she realized. It was low-grade, but it was the first piece of concentrated energy she’d seen in this world.

Without a word, she traced a "Luck-Gathering Rune" on the surface of the gem with her fingernail.

"It's a bit dull," she remarked, pinning it to her white shirt.

The moment the pin clicked, the emerald, which had been a dark, cloudy green, suddenly flared with a brilliant, vivid light. It looked like it was glowing from within.

Lu Chen’s jaw tightened. "That... that wasn't supposed to happen."

## The "Brother" Enters (Ch. 5: The Police Captain)

The photoshoot at the park was interrupted by the arrival of three black SUVs with police sirens.

A man stepped out, tall and imposing in a tactical police vest. This was Lin Jian, Lin Xiao’s older brother and the Captain of the Special Tasks Unit.

"Lin Xiao!" he barked, his voice echoing across the park. "Enough of this circus. The Patriarch has ordered you to come home. You’re clearly having a mental breakdown."

Lin Jian walked toward her, his hand resting on his belt. He was used to his "weak" sister crying or hiding.

Lin Xiao stood her ground. She looked at her brother—a man who lived by the sword (or the gun). She saw the dark clouds of "Death Qi" lingering on his shoulders from his recent cases.

"Brother," she said, her voice echoing with a strange power. "You have been chasing a shadow for three weeks. The killer you seek is not in the city. He is hiding near the 'North Water'. If you go there tonight, you will catch him. If you stay here to bother me, he will kill again."

Lin Jian froze. "How did you... that’s classified information."

"Your 'information' comes from papers," Lin Xiao said, stepping closer and flicking a piece of lint off his vest. As she did, she secretly transferred a sliver of the emerald’s luck to him. "Mine comes from the Dao. Now, go. And tell the 'Patriarch' that I am busy refining the world. I don't have time for dinner."

Lin Jian stared at his sister. She looked like her, but she felt like a mountain. He found himself turning around and walking back to his car before he even realized he was doing it.

## The Assistant’s Crisis

Back at the office, Yan Chao was looking at a monitor, sweating.

"Sir," he called out to Lu Chen. "We have a problem. The rival agency, Nebula Corp, just released a statement. They’re claiming Lin Xiao is using 'Illegal Neural-AI Filters' to fake her appearance in the live-stream. They’ve launched a hashtag: #CancelTheAIIdol."

Lu Chen looked at Lin Xiao, who was currently trying to figure out how a vending machine worked.

"Let them talk," Lu Chen said, a smirk playing on his lips. "Yan Chao, set up a 'Reality Variety Show' invite. We’ll send AETHER to the 'Ghost-Mist Mountains' for a survival special. Let’s see them call her a 'filter' when she’s standing in the middle of a wilderness without a camera crew."

Lin Xiao turned around, holding a can of soda she had accidentally crushed with her bare hands. "Survival? In a mountain? Finally... some peace and quiet."

Lu Chen smiled. He didn't know yet that he wasn't sending a girl to a mountain; he was sending a Saint back to her natural habitat.

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