Chapter 31: Foundations of the Shadow
The Zhi Clan had crumbled. Lin Xuan's 5th Layer Qi Transformation had orchestrated their fall using Illusion Diversion and Energy Devour. The Hei Clan dispatched a 6th Layer Qi Transformation envoy to scout. Lin Xuan, sensing the scrutiny, began to build his own force: the Soul Lamp Hall.
He ventured into Dawnriver's fringes, recruiting low-rank lone cultivators. In a hidden glade, he used Phantom Lotus Palm sound-concealment talismans and offered spirit stones and the Crimson Blood Crystallization Art in exchange for loyalty. He tested their mettle with a Muay Boran sparring session, demonstrating Sok Ti elbow strikes. Five remained—two orphans, a scarred outcast, and two alchemists.
He led them to an abandoned Xun Clan warehouse, embedding Abyssal Lotus Step formations to cloak the base. Liu Yue aided with Icy Skin, freezing entry points. Liu Yang patrolled the perimeter with his blood-forged dagger.
Inside, Lin Xuan refined pills, weaving a loyalty-binding array into them, a soul-deep oath. He then planted a sleeper agent, Hei Tao, a scribe, within the Hei Clan. Using a soul-marking curse, he bound Hei Tao's allegiance to the Soul Lamp Hall.