Master’s Mischief and Shadowy Escapes

After being misled by Lin Xingjian, Wen Qianyue naturally believed his one-sided story.

Lin Xingjian secretly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his expression unnatural.

Thankfully, Wen Qianyue had yet to discover his true involvement.

Despite Bai Qingxue’s formidable pursuit capabilities, she still found herself unable to corner him.

Having just acquired a new cultivation technique from the system, he had narrowly managed to slip away from Bai Qingxue’s grasp.

‘Dark Concealment’ had just been mastered.

This particular cultivation technique was ill-suited for direct attacks or prolonged combat.

Instead, it enabled Lin Xingjian to move at speeds imperceptible to the naked eye wherever darkness and shadows prevailed, even allowing him to compress his physical form.

This, then, was precisely why Bai Qingxue had been utterly unable to pinpoint Lin Xingjian’s whereabouts.

He had long since vanished, melting into the expansive stretches of gloom.

This technique bore a resemblance to Ghost Shadow Steps, yet it was not identical.

Ghost Shadow Steps, by contrast, was a more versatile cultivation method, equally adept at both evasion and offense.

‘Dark Concealment’, however, was primarily designed for desperate escapes when outmatched, or for executing swift, consecutive assassinations before an enemy could even register a threat.

Lin Xingjian decided to test the limits of ‘Dark Concealment’.

Darkness became his very cloak, allowing him to flicker in and out of sight, rendering him almost impossible to track.

All in all, Lin Xingjian was exceedingly pleased with this new acquisition.

According to the system’s description, should ‘Dark Concealment’ reach its perfected state, it promised even more astonishing, unforeseen abilities.

Empowered by the effects of Sleepless Night, Lin Xingjian felt no trace of drowsiness or exhaustion.

In stark contrast, the injured Wen Qianyue found herself yawning incessantly, the young girl struggling valiantly to keep herself awake.

And it was hardly surprising.

Wen Qianyue had single-handedly assassinated a room full of Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment cultivators; to then sustain injuries made her fatigue entirely understandable.

Cultivators in the Qi Condensation realm still bore a strong resemblance to mortals in many aspects.

Their energy was finite, and injuries only exacerbated their susceptibility to exhaustion.

“Senior Brother, I’m terribly drowsy.”

Wen Qianyue let out a wide, cavernous yawn, her eyelids drooping almost shut.

“Once we return, I’ll head straight to bed. You can report to Master, as I anticipate having another mission in a few days.”

She murmured, gently rubbing her bleary eyes.

Lin Xingjian offered no objection, also hoping his Junior Sister would indeed get some much-needed rest.

While he had claimed to personally “handle” this task, his involvement had merely consisted of laying the groundwork.

The arduous, unpleasant tasks had predominantly been completed with his Junior Sister’s assistance.

“Very well, Junior Sister. Get some early rest.”

Lin Xingjian replied with a gentle tone.

Lin Xingjian harbored no surprise whatsoever regarding Wen Qianyue’s impending missions.

The Shadow Sect managed to sustain itself not merely by acting as parasites within the Xuantian Dao Sect, idly awaiting their demise.

Rather, the Shadow Sect undertook numerous minor assignments, simple enough to be entrusted to novices like Wen Qianyue.

For Lin Xingjian to undertake such tasks would be an utter waste of his talents.

As was his custom, Lin Xingjian returned to the residence of Master Yao Guang.

Before he could even raise a hand to knock, he was startled to see Yao Guang collapsed in a nearby corner, her breathing faint and shallow.

Lin Xingjian gasped in shock, his face contorted with utter disbelief.

“Master!”

Panicked and trembling, his voice barely a whisper, he swiftly activated ‘Dark Concealment’, covering a hundred meters in an instant to appear at Yao Guang’s side.

He knelt, cautiously attempting to help the small figure of Yao Guang to her feet.

“Master, what has happened to you, Master!” His voice was laced with profound anxiety and concern.

“Disciple, you… you have finally returned, Disciple…”

Yao Guang’s eyes fluttered open slightly.

Her breathing was incredibly faint, and her voice so soft it was barely a whisper, as if she were on the verge of death.

“Disciple, your master… your master…” Her gaze, brimming with feebleness, met Lin Xingjian’s. “Your master is hungry.”

Yao Guang declared abruptly.

“While you were away these past few days, your master could barely eat a proper meal.”

Lin Xingjian’s expression instantly turned frigid, and with a swift, gentle motion, he tossed Yao Guang unceremoniously to the side.

‘Old geezer, you disrespectful wretch! You’ve clearly reached the stage of Bigu (TL Note: A cultivation state where one no longer needs to consume mortal food to sustain themselves), yet you’re still putting on airs.’

‘No, to be perfectly blunt.’

‘This shameless Yao Guang simply intended to extort the spirit stones and spoils he had just acquired from his mission, plundered from the target.’

‘And such a person dares to call themselves a Master?’

‘Bah!’

Lin Xingjian grumbled inwardly, his face a mask of disdain, yet he found himself utterly helpless against his adorable, exasperating Master.

“Master, are you perhaps entertaining such notions once more?”

Lin Xingjian’s sword-like brows arched slightly, his eyes sparkling with a mix of helplessness and playful mockery, though a subtle warmth stirred within his heart.

‘How was it that his Master’s penchant for exploiting others remained utterly unchanged?’

He waved a dismissive hand, his tone imbued with an undeniable resolve.

“Away with you, now! Go on, shoo.”

“These spoils of war were obtained by my Junior Sister and I, having faced life and death, enduring a myriad of hardships and perils.”

“This mission was not sanctioned by the Xuantian Dao Sect; therefore, according to Shadow Sect regulations, the spoils ought to be distributed amongst the Shadow cultivators who participated.”

“This is the rightful share for Junior Sister Wen and myself; it has absolutely nothing to do with you!”

Having spoken, he unceremoniously pushed Yao Guang, who had sidled closer, gently aside as if she were a mischievous child.

“Absolutely not!”

Yao Guang, however, was hardly one to relinquish her claim so easily; a flicker of cunning, like that of a sly fox, glinted in her eyes.

She placed her hands on her hips, her voice a peculiar blend of coquettish petulance and unyielding resolve.

“Are you truly still my disciple? Then hand them over at once!”

Before her words had even finished echoing in the air, her form flickered like a wraith, instantly unleashing Ghost Shadow Hand.

Her hands, imbued with dark energy, transformed into a series of ephemeral, shadowy blurs.

They swept forward with a whooshing sound, darting towards Lin Xingjian at an astonishing speed.

So swift were her movements that they stirred a faint breeze in the surrounding air.

With light taps of her feet, her figure moved with the fluid grace of flowing clouds and water, as if intending to seize control of everything within her grasp.

Witnessing this, Lin Xingjian refused to be outmaneuvered.

He instantly circulated the spiritual power within his body, causing a faint, ethereal glow to shimmer around him.

He, too, unleashed Ghost Shadow Hand to parry the incoming assault.

His hands danced rapidly before him, clashing with Yao Guang’s Ghost Shadow Hands, producing muffled “thump-thump” sounds.

“Alright, alright, alright, Master, resorting to this tactic again, are we?”

Lin Xingjian parried, shaking his head with a wry, bitter smile.

While Yao Guang’s Ghost Shadow Hand was an incomplete fragment, its power significantly diminished, Lin Xingjian’s own Ghost Shadow Hand had only just reached its initial stage, its mastery still rudimentary.

At this juncture, the outcome of their contest largely hinged upon the disparity in their cultivation realms.

Leveraging her superior cultivation realm, Yao Guang progressively gained the advantage in this spirited exchange.

Her assault was as relentless as a tempest, the afterimages of her hands flickering ceaselessly before Lin Xingjian.

Had Lin Xingjian’s Ghost Shadow Hand not been a comparatively more complete version, Yao Guang would likely have already snatched a portion of his spirit stones.

“Insolent boy, you still dare to obstruct me with Ghost Shadow Hand?”

“Hand them over!”

Yao Guang’s eyes gleamed with the certainty of victory, her offensive growing increasingly sharp and ruthless.

Her feet barely grazed the ground as she soared upwards, her entire being resembling a swift-flying swallow.

Her hands transformed into myriad afterimages, a dense, swirling mass that bore down directly on Lin Xingjian, engulfing him entirely.

Her wrists pivoted with remarkable dexterity, her fingers curling like predatory talons.

Each strike, launched from an unexpected and cunning angle, threatened to tear Lin Xingjian’s defenses asunder.

Forced back repeatedly by the ferocious onslaught, Lin Xingjian felt fine beads of sweat begin to prickle on his forehead.

Just as Yao Guang was on the cusp of success, Lin Xingjian’s expression suddenly hardened.

Instead of retreating further, he advanced, only to then execute a sudden, rapid backward step.

Activate ‘Dark Concealment’!

Instantly, his entire body seemed to be consumed by the encroaching darkness, transforming into a peculiar shadow that vanished into the nearby gloom.

Yao Guang froze, her movements halting abruptly as she stood rooted to the spot, her face etched with utter bewilderment.

“Where did he go?”

“My massive pile of spirit stones… no, wait, where is my disciple!”