The days following Chen Wu's duel victory unfolded like a storm echoing through the sect.
The Outer Courtyard, once filled with dismissive glances and muttered ridicule whenever Chen Wu's name arose, now whispered with caution—fear lacing their tones.
"Did you hear? He crippled Senior Brother Feng without lifting more than a finger."
"They say his cultivation erupted overnight… it's unnatural."
"I heard an elder is secretly backing him."
"Fool! That's just a rumor. No elder would waste their time on trash like him. Still… would you dare provoke him now?"
Every word, every whisper, was like music to Mo Tianxie's soul.
Chen Wu sat quietly beneath an ancient pine tree near the sect's martial arena, his expression calm as if meditating. But inwardly, he sneered.
The ripple begins. Fear spreads faster than truth. And fear, when nurtured correctly, becomes power.
That night, as the moon waned into a thin crescent, a figure brushed past him in the training field. It was a fleeting motion, almost unnoticeable. Yet Chen Wu's sharp senses caught the shift of air, the faint energy thread, and then—
A jade slip slid into his palm.
The cloaked figure didn't wait for acknowledgment, vanishing into the shadows as though they were part of them.
Chen Wu lowered his gaze, studying the faint glow pulsing across the jade surface. A message inscription activated with a soft hiss:
"If you seek true power… come when the moon hides, to the cavern beneath Black Serpent Peak."
His lips curved faintly.
So… the rats finally creep from their holes.
Mo Tianxie's immortal mind stirred with intrigue. A test, perhaps. Or a lure. Either way, opportunities often wore the mask of danger.
The Cavern Beneath Black Serpent Peak
Hours later, the sect slept under the veil of night. Chen Wu slipped through the trees, each step silent, calculated. He traced his way toward Black Serpent Peak, a jagged mountain infamous for venomous beasts and barren cliffs. Few ventured there willingly.
The mouth of a cavern yawned at its base, half-hidden by tangled roots.
Inside, torches flickered along the damp stone walls. Their flames revealed a small gathering of figures cloaked in black.
The air was thick with tension—mistrust, ambition, hunger.
At their center stood a tall youth with sharp eyes and a hawk-like presence. His aura carried the weight of a mid-core disciple, refined and disciplined, but tainted by cruelty.
"Chen Wu." His tone was laced with derision, though his gaze betrayed curiosity. "Or should I call you… the trash who somehow clawed his way out of the gutter?"
The gathered disciples chuckled coldly, their voices echoing against the cavern walls.
Chen Wu's face remained utterly calm, his eyes narrowing only slightly.
"And who are you?"
The youth smirked. "Gu Tianhao. The one who leads where others fear. We are not the sect's lapdogs. We are its hidden fangs. Tell me, do you have the courage to bare yours?"
Gu Tianhao spread his arms, gesturing to the cloaked disciples.
"We've all been scorned, overlooked, shackled by the sect's hierarchy. But together, we carve our own path. We are a brotherhood of shadows. No rules. No elders watching. Only strength. Only results."
He stepped closer, sneer deepening.
"If you're worthy, you may join us. If not… the cavern will be your grave."
The disciples' laughter grew louder.
Chen Wu tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable. Then, he chuckled. Low. Dangerous.
"Worthy?" His voice cut through the cavern like a blade of ice. "You think this is about whether I am worthy to join you?"
He stepped forward, his aura shifting—subtle yet suffocating, like a coiled serpent preparing to strike.
"You ask the wrong question, Gu Tianhao. The real test is whether you are worthy… to follow me."
The cavern grew still.
Some disciples faltered, their laughter choking into silence.
Mo Tianxie stirred within, and for a brief moment Chen Wu allowed a sliver of that boundless immortal aura to seep into the cavern.
It was not an explosion, not a roar—merely a whisper of pressure, an invisible hand coiling around every throat.
One by one, knees buckled. Disciples gasped for breath, trembling as if the very air had turned to molten lead.
A youth near the back collapsed entirely, forehead striking stone. "Wh-what is this…"
Gu Tianhao staggered but clenched his jaw, sweat dripping down his temple. His eyes widened as realization struck—this was no ordinary mortal talent. This was something monstrous, beyond reason.
Chen Wu's gaze swept across them, cold, merciless, commanding.
"You call yourselves shadows," he said softly, each word searing into their minds. "But shadows without a master are nothing but darkness waiting to be dispersed."
He withdrew the pressure as abruptly as he had released it. The cavern gasped with collective relief, though fear lingered in every trembling breath.
Gu Tianhao snarled, attempting to regain composure. "So what? You think a show of force makes you leader?"
Chen Wu smiled faintly.
"No. But vision does."
He turned slowly, addressing the entire group.
"You hide here, clinging to scraps of defiance, nursing your grudges, whispering like rats in the dark. Do you truly believe this will make you more than what the sect already branded you?"
He paused, letting the silence sink into their bones.
"With me, you won't merely survive. You will rise. Those who mocked you will bow. And those who stand against you… will fall into despair."
His words dripped with conviction, weaving temptation and inevitability into a noose around their throats.
Some disciples' eyes gleamed with hunger. Others looked torn, wary of the fire he promised.
Chen Wu tilted his chin, voice soft but cutting.
"Follow me, and your shadows will no longer cower. They will swallow the light
Whispers rippled through the group.
"This… he speaks truth."
"But he is too dangerous. He may consume us."
"Or he may lead us to power greater than we dreamed."
Chen Wu heard it all but betrayed nothing. Inwardly, he sneered. Fools. It doesn't matter whether you trust me. Only that you obey.
When the murmurs settled, Chen Wu gave his first command.
"Tomorrow, whispers will spread through the sect. Rumors that I have the patronage of an unknown elder. That I carry secrets even the Inner Court fears. Spread this well, but subtly. Let fear take root."
The disciples exchanged glances, startled by the cunning simplicity.
"False rumors?" one asked hesitantly.
Chen Wu's eyes glimmered. "Truth is a blade. Lies are poison. And poison seeps where blades cannot cut."
Gu Tianhao clenched his fists, then finally lowered his gaze. "Very well. We'll do as you command."
Chen Wu stepped forward, so close their faces nearly touched. His voice was a whisper laced with venom.
"You mistake this. You will not do as I command. You will do as fate commands. And fate… bends to me."
By the end of the night, the brotherhood swore a pact—some willingly, others reluctantly.
As they placed their palms upon the cavern stone, Chen Wu pressed a droplet of his qi into the air, weaving it like a brand upon their spirits.
The disciples shivered as a subtle mark sank into their cores—undetectable to outsiders, but unmistakable to themselves. A leash. A reminder.
Chen Wu smiled faintly. The first chain forged.
When he finally left the cavern, the night air was crisp with starlight. He walked the path back toward the sect with measured steps, his lips curved in a predator's grin.
They think they lured me into their den. Fools. They have no idea I just turned their den into my nest.
Yet, as his shadow stretched across the path, a different figure lingered in the darkness above.
An elder cloaked in gray robes, eyes sharp as a hawk's, watched Chen Wu's retreating form.
"This one…" the elder murmured softly, a frown creasing his brow. "He may be the true serpent of the sect."
The elder's figure vanished into the wind, leaving behind only silence and the foreboding weight of unseen eyes.