Chapter 17 Lotus Shadow

### Chapter 16: The Journey of Lotus Shadow

From the moment she was born, **Lotus Shadow** had never truly belonged anywhere. The night she came into the world, a rare celestial phenomenon took place—a lotus-shaped constellation shone brightly in the sky, casting an ethereal glow over the mortal realm.

Born in the humble yet mysterious **Floating Cloud Village**, Lotus Shadow had no knowledge of her true lineage. She was raised by an elderly herbalist, **Old Man Shen**, who found her as an infant wrapped in a silken lotus-patterned cloth near the banks of the **Moonlit Lake**. Though he had little, he nurtured her with great care, teaching her the ways of herbs, alchemy, and survival in the treacherous world of cultivation.

### **A Childhood in Isolation**

Growing up, Lotus Shadow was different from the village children. While others played, she spent her days collecting herbs, training in secret, and gazing at the night sky, feeling an inexplicable connection to the stars. **She never knew why, but she always felt like she was waiting for something—or someone.**

By the age of six, she had awakened her **unique shadow affinity**, a rare elemental power that allowed her to move unseen, blend with darkness, and even manipulate shadows to fight for her. However, such an ability made her feared by the villagers, who whispered about her being an omen of disaster. **Even Old Man Shen, the only family she had ever known, told her to hide her abilities.**

### **The Power of the Shadow Affinity**

The **Shadow Affinity** was unlike any elemental power in the cultivation world. It was an ethereal force, capable of shifting between tangible and intangible forms. Unlike traditional affinities such as fire or wind, shadow existed in the in-between—neither fully present nor completely absent.

- **Phantom Manifestation**: Lotus Shadow could manipulate her own shadow, extending it into tendrils of darkness that could entangle or strike at opponents.

- **Moonlit Phantom Steps**: A technique that allowed her to merge with darkness, vanishing and reappearing unpredictably.

- **Silent Kill**: Her shadow affinity granted her the ability to suppress sound around her, making her footsteps and attacks completely silent.

- **Shadow Domain**: At its peak, her affinity allowed her to create a field where she could control all the shadows within, turning them into weapons or traps.

The more she trained, the more she realized that **her abilities were far beyond what her sect had ever known**. There were secrets within her bloodline, tied to an ancient power lost to time.

### **The Harsh Training of Phantom Lotus Sect**

Life in the **Phantom Lotus Sect** was brutal. While others had noble sects to call home, Lotus Shadow was thrown into the harshest training imaginable. The elders sought to mold her into the perfect assassin, teaching her to strike without hesitation, to move without sound, and to kill without remorse.

Despite the harsh conditions, she thrived. **By fifteen, she had become one of the sect's top disciples, feared and respected.** Her control over shadows had surpassed even her masters, and whispers of her abilities spread beyond the sect's hidden grounds.

Yet, she remained haunted by an emptiness she could not explain. While others pursued power for revenge or ambition, **she sought only one thing—answers.**

### **Crossing Paths with Ruoyan**

At sixteen, her fate took an unexpected turn when she encountered **Ruoyan** during a mission. What should have been a simple assassination turned into a battle that left even her shaken. Ruoyan's **fire spiritual roots** countered her shadow abilities, yet instead of finishing her, Ruoyan spared her, sensing something familiar about her aura.

That moment changed everything.

Rather than return to her sect, Lotus Shadow began seeking her own path. She infiltrated powerful sects, uncovered hidden histories, and slowly pieced together the mystery of her birth. She learned that her true origins were tied to **one of the ten ancient families**, a lineage thought to be extinct.

Now, standing on the battlefield of the **Star Lord's third phase trial**, Lotus Shadow was no longer the frightened girl abandoned by fate. She was a warrior, a survivor, and perhaps, the key to a destiny far greater than she had ever imagined.

### **A Glimpse of Destiny**

As she prepared for the final trials, she sensed something—**a shadowed thread of fate intertwining with Ruoyan's own destiny.** Was it mere coincidence, or had their meeting been written in the stars long before they were born?

With her daggers gleaming under the celestial light, she vowed to find out.