Setting the Trap

The cave was silent

Lu Chen unsealed the Path of the Withered Shadow scroll once more.

The black ink scratched across the aged paper seems to pulse in the dim torchlight, the words exuding an arrogant weight, almost as if ordering the technique to be performed.

To him this was yet another indicator of the demonic nature of this technique.

He wasn't going to recklessly cultivate this technique.

But if Gu Tianying, the sect's factions, and an unknown intruder were all after this scroll, then it meant that there was something of extreme value in this technique, not just related to its combat power.

Lu Chen concentrated, gathering the faint strands of Qi remaining in his dantian.

The path of the Withered Shadow required a different kind of focus than traditional Qi circulation. Instead of drawing Qi inward, it demanded him to let go of something first.

He didn't want to dedicate himself entirely to this technique so he just offered a little bit of his Qi to start the training.

Lu Chen controlled his breathing and focused on a single strand of Qi, channeling it as described in the scroll.

The moment he followed the technique's instructions… Something shifted.

A strange, weightless feeling swept over him. for a fraction of a second, his presence felt… thinner. Like he was there, but not completely.

Then, with a soft wisp of air, his body flickered, shifting half a step to the side without fully moving his legs.

This was… Shadow Step.

It was barely functional, nowhere near the level of mastery the scroll described, but it was real.

If he could fully integrate it into his combat style… Lu Chen exhaled slowly, controlling his emotions.

"This is just the first step."

...

While Lu Chen had been training, Zhao Feng had not been idle.

The inner disciple paced back and forth inside his personal training chamber, his face dark with frustration.

It had been three days since Lu Chen had escaped from the sect's outer quarters.

Three days, and yet there was no sign of him.

Zhao Feng clenched his fists.

"That trash should be dead."

Lu Chen's escape was partly his fault. 

He had underestimated this outer disciple more than once, and because he was caught off guard, he always ended up shocked and surprised, not knowing how to act.

These moments of pause always gave this trash a chance to escape.

Even though it was partly Zhao Feng's fault, he didn't think he was wrong.

But there was nothing he could do about it now.

Lu Chen had vanished without a trace.

The sect's patrols hadn't reported any missing corpses in the mountains. No wild beasts had been found feasting on a body.

Lu Chen was alive, but where?

The only thing Zhao Feng knew for certain was that Lu Chen is strange. The way he had dodged back then, the way he had predicted his movements, it wasn't normal.

And that meant one thing.

"He has a treasure."

Zhao Feng's conjecture was not unfounded.

Previously, Lu Chen had almost died under his hand, but miraculously, he was able to dodge with a fighting style that only geniuses or people who had experienced thousands of battles would be capable of.

At first he just wanted to kill the ant because he got involved where he shouldn't have.

Now, this involves much larger interests.

After all, the cultivation world has always been about the jungle law, stealing opportunities and treasure from others is common.

Zhao Feng's grip tightened around the hilt of his sword.

"I don't know what you've found, Lu Chen… But it will be mine."

Zhao Feng left his training chamber.

It was time to begin the hunt.

...

Lu Chen sat cross-legged in the depths of the cave, his mind sharp and calculating.

Zhao Feng was his first enemy.

Even with Shadow Serpent Arts and the Withered Shadow, a direct confrontation was still too dangerous, He didn't have many fight in modern society.

Even with the memories of the past Lu Chen. Remembering is different from executing.

Luckily strength alone didn't guarantee victory, strategy did.

Lu Chen wasn't planning to challenge Zhao Feng in open combat, he was going to trap him and he already had a plan.

 ...

The first step was luring Zhao Feng into a vulnerable position.

Lu Chen carefully prepared a false trail, leaving behind small clues that suggested he was hiding near the outer sect's southern training grounds.

This location was far enough from the inner sect that Zhao Feng wouldn't be able to call for backup immediately.

More importantly…

It was an area filled with unstable formations and dangerous terrain, a perfect place for an ambush.

The second step was choosing the battleground.

There was a particular abandoned shrine at the edge of the training grounds, one that had been left untouched due to an old, unstable formation surrounding it.

The formation was weak, but not completely broken.

With careful manipulation, Lu Chen could use the Decay Qi to weaken the remaining seals, making it appear stable on the surface… but completely collapse once Zhao Feng stepped inside.

If Zhao Feng fell into the unstable space, his Qi circulation would be disrupted for several seconds, long enough for Lu Chen to strike first.

And with Shadow Step, Lu Chen would have the element of surprise.

Lu Chen had simulated the fight to make sure he was safe.

His advantage would last less than ten seconds.

If he failed to incapacitate Zhao Feng within that time, the fight would turn against him, which meant his first attack had to be lethal.

He was still a little nervous about the idea of ​​a fatal confrontation, but he knew he had no choice and he already knew how to do it.

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