At midnight, while silence blanketed the manor and heavy breaths filled the halls, one room pulsed with strange light and the faint scent of rare herbs.
Inside, Jun Mo Xie sat shirtless, sweat rolling off his body, muscles trembling under the strain of a technique not of this world.
"Deep breath... slow absorption... nothing must leak."
It was a breathing technique from his old life—a method of mental focus honed in a world of silent warfare and cold precision.
But this world offered a different source: internal energy, or what they called spiritual qi.
He opened his glowing blue eyes.
"If I blend the Shadow techniques with this world's cultivation principles... I can forge something entirely new."
For days, he'd buried himself in ancient cultivation scrolls, observing energy flow patterns and studying the seven foundational paths to power.
In his mind, he was rewriting everything.
"They rely on energy and soul alone. But I will master cultivation, assassination, stealth, poison... and merge them all."
That night, he ventured into the forest behind the estate, where rare herbs grew and nighttime beasts prowled.
Drawing a short blade—not to kill, but to hone his senses—he moved through the trees like mist.
He closed his eyes, tracking not steps, but breathing.
"A shadow is unseen, unheard, unsmelled... but it kills."
In a flash, he lunged like a panther, blade at a creature's throat without drawing blood.
He whispered:
"I can kill ten like you without snapping a branch."
His body began to change.
Tougher skin, more flexible muscles, silent breathing.
His spiritual energy surged, growing stronger with frightening speed.
Books that elders spent a year deciphering? Jun rewrote them in a day.
One night, his uncle found him surrounded by scrolls, notes, and diagrams.
"What is all this?"
Jun didn't look up. "Your cultivation methods are riddled with flaws."
"You mean to say—"
"I'm rewriting the foundation of power. Jun Clan will become an unstoppable shadow."
But cultivation wasn't enough. Power needed numbers.
With the gold gained from the gambling houses, Jun handpicked 1,000 young men from the Jun Clan.
"Why these men?" his grandfather asked.
"They are strong, loyal, overlooked. I will turn them into the first Shadow Army."
Training began in a hidden valley. Day and night, bodies pushed to their limits.
Jun stood before them in black robes:
"If you wish to remain followers, leave now. But if you want to become the knife that ends our enemies, stay."
None left.
He trained them in physical combat, spiritual refinement, mental discipline, and stealth.
He observed their energy types—fire, water, earth, shadow—and customized their methods accordingly.
"You aren't just cultivators. You're survivors. Predators."
Still, it wasn't enough.
He retreated into an underground lab and combined rare herbs, beast blood, and formulas from his past life.
"In my world, they used injections to restore the body. Here, I will create a pill that defies time."
Three sleepless days later, he crafted the "Vital Surge Pill - Type 20," granting the user power equivalent to 20 years of cultivation.
Then came a milder version: "Spiritual Bridge Pill - Type 10."
He presented the first to his grandfather and uncle.
"This energy... it shakes my soul," said his grandfather.
"One pill grants twenty years of strength. But only if you're ready."
His uncle, still recovering, took the pill and rose from his chair. Stronger. Straighter.
Jun consumed one himself, and his qi erupted.
"It works."
He summoned his army and presented the Type 10 pills.
"This isn't a gift. It's a pact. Fail to master this power, and you will be removed."
One by one, they consumed them.
Cries. Tremors. A surge of light.
Then silence.
One soldier knelt. "I was stuck at level 3 for ten years... I broke through in an hour."
"You were simply under the wrong command," Jun replied.
Three days later, the surrounding noble clans whispered about a new force rising:
The Shadow Army.
A thousand men breaking through barriers with unnatural speed.
And yet, the world still believed Jun Mo Xie was just a clever orphan.
They had no idea the storm he was building.
Then trouble came.
Jun's closest ally, Ling Feng, had been caught manipulating the casinos.
A mob beat him down, dragging him into the streets. Word reached the Ling Family estate.
Patriarch Ling Tian Wu—friend to Jun's grandfather—was furious.
"You disgrace our name! Playing a fool for a stranger's plan?!"
"I was helping—"
"Enough! You're no longer of this family."
He was disowned, humiliated, thrown into the cold.
As he staggered out, he found Jun waiting.
"You saw that?" Ling said bitterly.
"They showed their true faces. Now you're free."
"If you'll still have me..."
"I never lost you. From this moment on, you're one of the shadows."
He turned to his soldiers:
"Give him the pill. He's family now."
End of Chapter 3