The moon hung low over the Lin Estate, casting everything in a pale, eerie silver. Shadows stretched across the courtyards, twisting and flickering like living things. Most of the estate's inhabitants slept, unaware that a storm was about to sweep through their carefully constructed world.
Lin Xuan moved like a shadow among shadows, his steps silent, precise, a whisper against the cold stone floors. The Silent Sword Step pulsed in perfect synchronization with his heartbeat, erasing his presence, his intent, and even the faintest hint of his aura. Not a single dog barked, not a single guard noticed, though several had supposedly trained for years in detection.
The Dao Comprehension System hummed faintly in his mind, hungry, alert.
[New Mission Update: Investigate Lin Feng's next move]
[Threat Level: High]
[Recommendation: Preemptive strike advised]
Lin Xuan's eyes, dark and sharp, scanned the estate below. The source of the earlier trap—the poisoned wine, the Blackroot powder—had originated from the private quarters of Lin Feng himself. It was clear now that the boy's mind was consumed with fear and vengeance, plotting in haste.
A faint pulse in the System drew his attention.
[Trace Detected: Residual poison residues and latent traps.
Pattern indicates a secondary ambush designed to target host in open area.]
Lin Xuan's lips curved into a faint smile. A trap set by fear, orchestrated by panic. Simple, sloppy, and predictable.
The first courtyard was empty, but the second one held interest. Lin Xuan's movement was almost imperceptible, every step calculated, every breath timed. His hand brushed against a water basin, and a subtle shimmer flashed across his vision—the System highlighting a faint chemical trace in the stone. Blackroot again. Less refined than yesterday. Amateurish.
[Silent Sword Step: Optimal Path Calculated]
[Movement Vector: 0.003-second precision]
With a single, fluid motion, he slid across the ground, invisible, bypassing every poisoned patch, avoiding every trap. He reached the shadowed corridor behind Lin Feng's quarters. The faintest glow emanated from the candle-lit windows, casting lines of light that could reveal a careless intruder—but not Lin Xuan.
Inside, Lin Feng crouched, fingers trembling as he prepared a new batch of poison. This time, he had refined it, combining Blackroot with a faster-acting variant of Crimson Vine toxin. He imagined the horror on Lin Xuan's face as the poisons coursed through his veins, a vision of victory that made his hands shake with excitement.
Lin Xuan moved closer, stepping lightly across the polished floor. Not a sound. Not a breath. Not a hint of his intent reached Lin Feng's senses. The System pulsed, warning him:
[Host detected latent alarm mechanisms. Proceed with caution.]
Lin Xuan's dark eyes narrowed. He didn't need haste. The Abyss pulsed in his mind, whispering, urging him to act, guiding his senses to detect every nuance, every flaw in the enemy's preparation.
Then Lin Feng's hands froze mid-motion. He sensed it, a slight disturbance in the air. His heart skipped a beat.
"What… what is that?" he whispered.
Before he could act further, Lin Xuan appeared behind him like a shadow detaching from the darkness. A whisper of wind brushed Lin Feng's ear, and his body froze in instinctive fear.
Lin Xuan's voice was soft, calm, yet edged with sharp intent. "You should have learned from yesterday, Lin Feng."
Lin Feng spun around, poison vial raised, eyes wide with panic. "Y-you… how?! I prepared… everything…"
Lin Xuan's expression remained unreadable. "Everything you prepared is ineffective against comprehension and intent."
The System pulsed violently in his mind:
[Silent Sword Step: Full Activation]
[Enhanced by Dao Comprehension Level 2]
[Critical Strike Optimization: +45%]
Lin Xuan's wooden sword appeared in his hands without a sound. With one movement, he swept it lightly in a horizontal arc, tapping the poison vial. The vial shattered silently, the toxins neutralized instantly by the System. Lin Feng stared in disbelief.
"You… no… that's impossible!" he gasped.
Lin Xuan took a step closer, his shadow stretching across the room. Every breath, every flicker of movement, was calculated, precise, invisible. The Abyss whispered, enhancing his senses, showing him every weakness in Lin Feng's posture, every flaw in his strategy.
[Target Status: Panic 98%]
[Threat Level: Neutralized]
[Recommended Action: Subdue without lethal force]
Lin Xuan's dark eyes glimmered. He raised his sword lightly, tapping Lin Feng's shoulder. Not hard enough to harm, just enough to assert dominance.
Lin Feng froze entirely, trembling from the subtle pressure of intent alone. His plan, his traps, his illusions of control—all shattered.
"You… you can't be human!" Lin Feng stammered. "How can you survive everything? How can you move like that?"
Lin Xuan's lips curved slightly. "The question is… how can you be so reckless?"
The System pulsed in approval:
[Mission Complete: Survive Lin Feng's traps, neutralize target]
[Reward: +250 Dao Experience]
[Silent Sword Step: Evolved to Formed Stage]
[New Mission: Observe Core Disciples, Strengthen Silent Sword Step]
Lin Xuan's dark eyes flicked to the window. The courtyard below was still quiet. The estate slept unaware, but he knew Lin Feng's allies, hidden threats, and traps still lay in wait. He could move without detection, yes—but preemptive action would ensure he stayed ahead.
He stepped into the moonlit corridor, shadows coiling around him like protective armor. Every movement was silent, precise, lethal in potential. He touched the wall, feeling faint traces of poison residue, every one neutralized instantly by the System's guidance.
The Abyss whispered again, eager, hungry. Lin Xuan smiled faintly. Its hunger would always push him further, faster, sharper.
And then he saw it—a subtle shimmer at the far edge of the courtyard, a guard who had been paid by Lin Feng to detect movement. Normally, such a guard would have sounded an alarm. But Lin Xuan moved with the Silent Sword Step, slipping through shadows, becoming nothing. The guard blinked, sensing a disturbance but seeing nothing.
Lin Xuan reached the outer wall, crouching low to survey the estate. Lin Feng was behind him, terrified, frozen, unable to act. And he had just proven something crucial:
Every trap Lin Feng set, every poison, every scheme—it was predictable, sloppy, and solvable with comprehension and intent.
But Lin Xuan didn't celebrate. This was only the beginning. The Silent Sword Step had matured, yes, but the estate was filled with enemies who would not hesitate to kill. He had survived tonight, yes, but tomorrow would bring new traps, new threats, and Core Disciples who were watching, calculating, and judging.
His dark eyes flicked toward the distant mountains. Somewhere beyond the estate, rivals waited, ambitions simmered, and the Dao world moved silently toward chaos. He would need strength, speed, and cunning to stay ahead.
The Abyss pulsed within, hungry. Lin Xuan exhaled. His system guided him, his sword ready, his presence erased.
Tonight, he had hunted the hunter.
Tomorrow, the real game would begin.
The moonlight bathed him in silver, silent, lethal, and untouchable. Shadows bowed to his passage, the estate unaware that a storm had walked through it and survived, untouched, unstoppable, and only growing stronger.
And in the darkness, the Dao Comprehension System whispered softly:
[Host has survived preemptive assassination.
Mission progression: +3.
Silent Sword Step ready for evolution through combat.
New Objective: Observe Core Disciples, anticipate threats.]
Lin Xuan's lips curved faintly. The night had been a lesson, a victory, and a warning—all at once.
The hunt was not over.
It had only begun.