With each passing day, the web of alliances, rivalries, and betrayal within the Black Lotus Sect crystallized further, with Lin Feng now clearly tagged as a rising star-to some, an object worthy of their highest admiration; to others, an object worthy of their harshest destruction.
While going through all this dangerous landscape, the one thing that became clear was that power in this sect wasn't only about cultivation but influence, control, and knowing whose secrets to exploit.
---
It was late evening when a second note arrived, slipped under Lin Feng's door much like the first. The parchment was finer, the handwriting bold and elegant:
> "Meet me in the Whispering Hall. Midnight."
The Whispering Hall was an abandoned part of the sect compound, said to be haunted by the souls of failed disciples. Most people avoided it, but Lin Feng immediately understood-the sender wanted secrecy.
At the right time, Lin Feng stepped forward. His steps moved noiselessly in the shadows. The air grew chilly as he approached the Whispering Hall, ramshackle against the night sky.
Inside, the moon shone weakly through the broken windows, painting macabre patterns on the floor. In the middle of the room stood a figure, cloaked and hooded.
"Lin Feng," he said in a soft yet incisive voice. "You have left quite an impression.
Lin Feng said nothing, staring at the figure. By the posture in which it stood and the position in which it rested its hand lightly upon the hilt of a blade, he knew they were poised to strike upon any display of treachery.
"Who are you?" Lin Feng finally asked.
The figure flipped back its hood, revealing a woman with piercing eyes, sharp cheekbones, and flowing dark hair. There was something eerily familiar about her features, for she was Xu Yan, an Inner Disciple whose name rivaled those most heartless and ambitious.
"I belong to a faction within this sect," she said. "A faction based on. mutually beneficial friendships. I have been looking at you, and I feel that you could be useful for us."
Lin Feng crossed his arms and expressionlessly asked, "You want me to join your faction?"
"Not immediately," Xu Yan replied. "First you will have to prove yourself. There's a task we need done, one that requires a bit of cleverness."
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Lin Feng's eyes narrowed. "What task?"
By then, the Xu Yan faction had found an opportunity-the Vault of Echoes, a chamber hidden beneath the sect and housing relics from the earliest days of the sect. Most of its treasures were either forgotten or forbidden, locked away by the Elder Council.
“We’ve learned of a specific item within the vault,” Xu Yan explained. “A scroll containing the Thousand Veil Technique, a formation art that’s been lost to the world. Retrieve it, and you’ll earn our trust—and a place among us.”
Lin Feng smirked faintly. “Breaking into the sect’s most secure chamber? That’s your idea of a test?”
Smiling, Xu Yan's lips had curled. "Consider it an opportunity to prove your worth."
---
Breaking into the Vault of Echoes wasn't something that Lin Feng was going to approach lightheartedly. He spent his whole day after studying the arrangement and disposition of the sect and all movement of guards, along with those inconspicuous designs of the spirit arrays that shielded the entrance of the vault.
He prepared everything through the night, and, under the moon, Lin Feng set off for the hidden passage described by Xu Yan-a thin, twisted tunnel beneath the sect whose dripping walls lined with a mold that glowed in dark confinement.
At the end of the passage, Lin Feng came to the first barrier-a Spirit Ward, which was a glowing barrier with some inscribed runes pulsing faintly. Lin Feng knelt before it, his fingers tracing the runes as he murmured a chant. His black qi coiled around the ward, disrupting its flow until it flickered and faded.
The second barrier was a guard-an Ironwood Golem, whose enormous body was sealing the entrance of the vault. Lin Feng did not attack frontally; he instead made use of his Phantom Steps skill, dodging the slow sluggish attacks of the golem, and quickly slipping into the vault when the latter could not respond.
Inside, the Vault of Echoes was a treasure trove of forgotten relics: shelves upon shelves lined with jade slips, chests overflowing with rare herbs, and weapons that shimmered with dormant power.
Lin Feng's gaze passed over the treasures, but after some time, his eyes fell upon a black dagger that seemed to hum with dark energy emanating from it. However, he did not get sidetracked. He found the scroll that Xu Yan described to him, bearing the symbol of the Thousand Veil Technique.
As soon as Lin Feng reached out to take the scroll, an eruption of energy filled the room.
---
The energy coalesced into a humanoid figure: that of a spectral guardian with radiating eyes and a sword of pure light.
Lin Feng swore silently-he hadn't anticipated this. The guardian moved inhumanly fast and lashed out with his sword; Lin Feng narrowly avoided him. The force from that strike sent a shockwave through the vault.
The battle was short, fierce. Lin Feng used everything in his repertoire, from the agility of Phantom Steps to the corrosive power of his black qi. It was relentless, but the guardian was no match for Lin Feng's mind.
Lin Feng feinted, and in that moment the guardian prepared for a finishing strike, overextending. Surging dark energy, he struck at the guardian's core and sent it shattering into fragments of light.
The vault fell silent. Lin Feng retrieved the scroll; his heavy breathing was the only sound as triumph creased his face.
---
Lin Feng went back to the Whispering Hall, where Xu Yan waited for him. He passed the scroll to her; her impression was very apparent, but then it turned guarded.
"You surpassed my expectations," she said. "But you ought to know that with success usually comes a price. The Elder Council will not let this slide."
Lin Feng smiled. "Let them come and find me. I've covered my tracks.
Xu Yan chuckled. "Confidence suits you. Welcome to our faction, Lin Feng. I think you'll find our partnership rewarding."
Lin Feng's expression hardened. Partnership, she called it. But he knew better. This was another step in a long game, and Xu Yan was just another piece on the board.
---
Lin Feng went back to his quarters with the scroll tucked safely under his robes, his mind whirling with permutations. The Black Lotus Sect was a battlefield, and he was no longer a pawn.
For the time being, he would dance according to Xu Yan's and her faction's tune; use them to obtain his resources and knowledge. Eventually, however, loyalty was but an illusion, and each one of them in this sect-Xu Yan, Luo Jian, even Elder Shen-was a stepping stone.
The cross-legged sit on the mat, Lin Feng opened the scroll, in which ancient runes cast a faint luster. As expected, the Thousand Veil Technique was a masterpiece used for those lurking in darkness.
"This is but just the beginning," he muttered. His black qi was surging at this moment and his shadows were all cast around him on the walls, with grotesque forms.