Cultivation starts with picking up attributes
Chapter 109: Ch-109: In the shadows

Chapter 109: Ch-109: In the shadows

Lian Hua sat with one leg crossed over the other, her phoenix pendant swaying gently.

"This is a different kind of war. Not one of armies, but of shadows and silence."

Tian Shen didn’t speak. He stared down at a jade slip filled with the original battlefield notes—sketches, talisman readings, spiritual imprints.

None of it matched what they saw now.

"I hate this kind of enemy."

He muttered.

"I’d rather face a shown blade than a hidden ghost."

...

That night, a soft knock came at Feng Yin’s door.

It was Elder Su.

"They’ve left us a puzzle."

She said.

"And puzzles have keys."

"What do you mean?"

Elder Su handed her a sealed envelope. Inside was a single line written in black qi-ink—faintly pulsing like veins of living energy.

"The rot is not on the edge. It grows from the root."

Feng Yin stared at the words.

"They’re already inside."

Elder Su nodded.

"They want us to think this is just a problem in the Wastelands. But what if it’s here? What if they have already seeded itself within the Central Sects?"

Feng Yin’s eyes narrowed.

"Then no one is safe."

...

In the coming days, paranoia began to creep through Feilun Sect’s inner court.

A beast handler reported his spirit companion reacting violently to a disciple—only for the disciple to vanish from the dorms the next morning. No record of their name could be found.

One of the talisman masters reported irregular activity—runes that changed after being carved, ink that dried in unnatural patterns.

Tian Shen began tracing spiritual signals around the Sect’s foundation, comparing them to the baseline energy map from a year ago. Discrepancies appeared—subtle, but present.

Spiritual energy twisted where they once flowed straight. Points of pressure emerged where there had been none.

"Something is being altered."

He said during a late-night meeting.

Feng Yin looked up sharply.

"They’re trying to bend it. From the inside."

Little Mei yawned from her perch on the rafters, tail twitching.

"Lovely. Ghosts, spies, and structural corruption. Couldn’t they just throw a fireball at us like normal enemies?"

Tian Shen didn’t laugh.

"If they’ve infiltrated the foundation... then anything built atop it is unstable."

Lian Hua leaned forward.

"Then we dig the secret outta them."

...

For weeks, they quietly investigated under the guise of regular training. No one could be trusted. Not even among the inner disciples.

Elder Su cloaked her energy and began observing the elders themselves.

Feng Yin devised a new spirit beast contract technique that allowed bonded beasts to sense emotional and spiritual anomalies in their handlers.

Tian Shen developed a talisman that could detect demonic corruption. They tested it on some weapons. Two shattered instantly.

"We need to bring this to the Sect Master again."

Feng Yin said.

"He has to know the scope now."

But Elder Su was silent for a long time.

"What if he already does?"

The words chilled the room.

...

And still, no enemy appeared. No attack. No army.

Just whispers.

And the growing certainty that something was wrong.

By the end of the month, they had nothing concrete.

No one to accuse.

No proof to present.

But something... Was but a undeniable fact.

...

The grand meeting hall of Feilun Sect was unusually solemn.

Where once serenity and scholarly debate echoed among polished jade pillars, now silence reigned.

Lanterns burned low. The air smelled faintly of sandalwood and incense, but it did little to mask the weight pressing down on everyone inside.

The inner court had assembled—all elders, peak masters, core disciples, and specially invited guests.

At the head of the chamber, beneath the massive tapestry of the Feilun sigil, the Sect Master sat in meditation, his eyes closed as if waiting for a verdict from the heavens themselves.

Elder Su entered first, followed by Tian Shen, Feng Yin, Little Mei in her humanoid form, and Lian Hua.

Their steps were calm, but not without urgency. They stopped a respectful distance from the main throne. Tian Shen, Little Mei and Feng Yin bowed in respect.

"Rise," the Sect Master said, eyes opening with quiet intensity. "You requested this council. Speak."

Feng Yin glanced briefly at Tian Shen, then stepped forward. Her voice carried clearly.

"Three weeks ago, a scouting team vanished near the southwest border. What was once a site of devastation has now been wiped clean of all trace. Since then, we have documented incidents within Feilun Sect itself—beast resistance, rune anomalies, missing disciples."

She raised a jade slip.

"Here are the findings. Cross-referenced with older maps and energy scans. There are shifts—patterns of warping spiritual flow within the sect grounds. Someone is altering our foundation."

Murmurs rippled across the court. One elder frowned.

"Foundation tampering? That borders on the absurd. We have enchantments in place. Protections older than most newborn factions."

Elder Su stepped forward next.

"And yet, something is overriding them. Subtly. We’ve uncovered talismans that degraded unnaturally. Spirit beasts who reject their handlers. It is not illusion."

Lian Hua held up a sealed scroll, dark qi-infused ink faintly glowing.

"This came from the vanished scouts. It was buried beneath the soil. A message left in demonic script was—’The rot is not on the edge. It grows from the root.’"

Gasps followed. One of the peak masters rose.

"Are you suggesting we have been infiltrated? That Feilun Sect itself may harbor the enemy?"

"We aren’t just suggesting."

Tian Shen said, voice cold.

"We are stating. There is corruption inside. It moves like fog. It hides like shadow. But it is here."

Silence deepened.

The Sect Master looked to Elder Yu, head of external affairs.

"Have you anything to add?"

Elder Yu hesitated. Then, reluctantly added.

"I’ve received irregular reports from several border villages. Requests for aid that disappear from the record. Resource caravans vanishing en route. I thought it mere disorganization... but now, I am uncertain."

The Sect Master folded his hands before him.

"And yet, you bring no names. No faces. No clear enemy."

Tian Shen stepped forward.

"They do not fight in the open. They twist the roots beneath our feet, preparing to fell the tree."

Another elder scoffed.

"This sounds more like paranoia. But should we interrogate every disciple? Tear through our own halls in fear?"

Feng Yin spoke again, calmer now.

"We are not asking for blind action. We are asking for vigilance. For permission to pursue this... quietly."

The Sect Master turned to Elder Su.

"Do you agree with this assessment?"

Elder Su was quiet, then nodded.

"Yes."

He turned next to Lian Hua.

"And you?"

"They are not a false rumour. They thrive in disbelief. The longer you wait, the deeper it burrows."

At last, the Sect Master stood. The light of spirit lanterns caught the silver threads in his robe.

"Then you have my permission—to investigate. But not to accuse without evidence. If you find the rot, you must expose it with certainty. Until then, this court remains stable."

Feng Yin bowed again.

"Thank you, Sect Master."

He nodded once.

"Be swift. And be unseen."

...

As the meeting adjourned, the inner circle retreated to the secluded Pavilion. There, under layers of soundproof barriers, the real planning began.

Little Mei lounged on a pillow, nibbling dried fruit.

"I still say we just bait them. Let them think we’re blind, then catch them in the act."

Lian Hua frowned.

"Too risky. They’ll only show their hand if it benefits them. And we don’t know what exactly will."

Tian Shen opened a new map.

"We need to identify where the foundational tampering had been done most. If they’re trying to reshape energy flows, then certain nodes must already be compromised."

Feng Yin tapped her finger to the central courtyard.

"This point connects three ley lines. It’s also the oldest part of the Sect. If I were hiding corruption, I’d start there."

Elder Su raised an eyebrow.

"Conveniently next to the Martial Technique Hall. A dangerous place to alter."

They fell into quiet strategy, marking places of interest, assigning scouts, warding sensitive archives.

For now, they had the Sect Master’s approval and support.

But they were hunting ghosts.

And every hour the enemy remained unseen... was another hour it grew stronger.

...

Elder Su rolled up the map with deliberate care. Her gaze swept over the faces around her—wary, determined, but tired.

"We will start at dawn. Tian Shen, you and I will inspect the central courtyard’s leyline convergence. Feng Yin, keep pressure off us by maintaining appearances. Little Mei, track any unusual behavior among inner disciples. Lian Hua, focus on monitoring the elders."

Little Mei grinned.

"You want me to spy on people and pretend to be innocent? You wound me."

Feng Yin didn’t smile.

"Just don’t get caught."

Lian Hua folded her arms, expression grim.

"They’ll know we’re watching soon. And when they do, they’ll either run—or strike."

Elder Su exhaled, her tone sharp.

"Then we must find them first."

The candlelight flickered, casting their shadows across the parchment map—shadows that blurred and twisted, as if the darkness itself was listening.

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