Chapter 8: The rise of the shadow
Su Dao sat cross-legged in his small room, his mind replaying the near-death encounter with the Begha Sect. Every wound on his body, every humiliating moment, fueled his desire for revenge.
"This isn't enough," Su Dao muttered, his fists clenched. "I can't wait years for strength to come to me. If I want power, I must take it myself!"
Determined, Su Dao left Tianhe Town that same night and ventured into the dense forest nearby. The air was heavy with the scent of wet earth and moss, and the cries of nocturnal beasts echoed in the distance. The forest was known to be dangerous, but for Su Dao, it was the perfect place to hone his skills and seek opportunities for growth.
As he moved deeper into the woods, a faint sound reached his ears—a scream, high-pitched and filled with terror. His eyes narrowed as he focused on the direction of the cry. Without hesitation, he dashed toward the sound, his body moving like a shadow among the trees.
---
In a small clearing, a young woman was cornered by two men. She was dressed in a delicate lavender robe, her face pale and streaked with tears. Her trembling hands clutched a small dagger, but it was clear she had no experience using it.
"Stay back!" she cried, her voice shaking. "My father is the City Lord! He'll—"
"Your father?" one of the men sneered. "He's not here to save you, is he?"
"Yeah," the other man added with a grin. "Out here, you belong to us."
The girl tried to back away, but her legs hit a fallen log, and she stumbled. The first man reached forward and grabbed her arm, yanking her to her feet.
Before the girl could scream again, a cold voice cut through the night.
"Let her go."
Both men froze, their heads snapping toward the voice. Su Dao stepped into the clearing, his expression calm but deadly. His hand rested lightly on the hilt of his sword, and his eyes gleamed with icy determination.
"And who the hell are you?" one of the men barked. "Do you know who we are?"
"I don't care who you are," Su Dao said coldly. "You've made a mistake. Let her go, or die."
The men laughed, but their amusement was short-lived. In the blink of an eye, Su Dao disappeared from their sight. A gust of wind brushed past them, followed by the metallic scent of blood.
The first man's head rolled to the ground, his body collapsing moments later.
The second man staggered back, his face pale. "Y-You... do you have any idea who I am? I'm Liang Wei, the Third Young Master of the Liang Clan! My family will hunt you down for this!"
Su Dao's expression didn't change. He stepped forward, his blade gleaming under the moonlight. "A man who preys on the weak has no right to threaten anyone."
"Wait! I'll give you anything you want! Spirit stones, treasures—just spare me!" Liang Wei pleaded, falling to his knees.
Su Dao's blade flashed once more, and Liang Wei fell silent forever.
---
The young woman stared at Su Dao in disbelief. Her chest heaved as she struggled to catch her breath, but she quickly regained her composure. "Thank you… thank you so much," she whispered, her voice trembling.
Su Dao sheathed his sword and turned to her. "Are you hurt?"
The girl shook her head. "No, I… I'm fine, thanks to you." She hesitated, then added, "My name is Lin Yue. I'm the daughter of Lin Zhan, the City Lord of Tianhe."
Su Dao's eyes flickered with interest. The City Lord's daughter? This could be useful. "I'm Su Dao," he replied simply.
Lin Yue stepped closer, her initial fear replaced by gratitude. "You saved my life. Please, let me repay you. Come to my home. My father will want to thank you personally."
Lin Yue led Su Dao to the heart of Tianhe City, where the City Lord's mansion stood as a symbol of authority and wealth. The massive gates were made of reinforced steel, adorned with carvings of dragons and phoenixes, and the walls were lined with glowing spirit stones.
Inside, the mansion was even more impressive. Polished marble floors reflected the golden light of hanging lanterns, and the air was filled with the faint aroma of incense. Servants moved swiftly, their movements efficient and silent.
Lin Yue brought Su Dao to the main hall, where her father, Lin Zhan, awaited. He was a tall, broad-shouldered man with a sharp gaze that seemed to pierce through one's soul. His presence alone was enough to command respect, and the aura around him hinted at his powerful cultivation base.
"Father, this is Su Dao," Lin Yue said, bowing respectfully. "He saved me in the forest."
Lin Zhan's eyes narrowed as he studied Su Dao. "Is this true?"
"Yes," Lin Yue said firmly. "If not for him, I don't know what would've happened."
Lin Zhan approached Su Dao, his expression unreadable. After a moment, he nodded. "You have my gratitude, young man. Saving my daughter is no small matter. You have earned the favor of the Lin family."
"It was the right thing to do," Su Dao said, his tone calm. However, his mind was already calculating. The favor of the Lin family could be a powerful tool, especially with the Liang Clan now likely viewing him as an enemy.
Lin Zhan gestured for a servant to bring refreshments. "Rest here tonight, Su Dao. Tomorrow, we'll discuss how the Lin family can repay this debt."
Su Dao bowed slightly. "Thank you, City Lord."
As he followed the servant to his guest quarters, Su Dao's mind raced. The Liang Clan might come for him, but now he had the backing of the Lin family. This was the first step in his journey to power.
In this world, strength and alliances mattered most, and Su Dao was determined to wield both to crush his enemies.
Two years passed, each day a calculated move in Su Dao's grand design. He had fully immersed himself within the Lin family, carefully manipulating them, all the while masking his true intentions. On the surface, he was nothing more than a grateful guest, a humble man who had once saved their daughter. In truth, he was a predator, biding his time, watching, learning, and weaving a web of deceit so intricate that none of them would ever suspect what was coming.
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Su Dao's interactions with Lin Zhan, the City Lord, were perfect. He was never too eager to prove himself, nor too distant. He knew when to praise and when to remain silent. He complimented Lin Zhan's leadership, never openly challenging the family's power but always suggesting ways to improve, to be stronger. He portrayed himself as a man of strategy, a thinker, someone who understood the hidden dangers of the world—an invaluable ally for the Lin family.
It was during one of their late-night discussions that Su Dao subtly planted the idea of preparing for external threats. "City Lord," Su Dao would say, "I believe the Lin family's influence is truly vast, but it's also a double-edged sword. Envy breeds hatred. What we need is to ensure that no one, not even the other great clans of Tianhe, dares to challenge us."
Lin Zhan, impressed by Su Dao's foresight, gradually began to rely on him more. He began allowing Su Dao to act as his personal advisor on matters concerning the city's security. But Su Dao knew the key wasn't just in advising. It was in subtly undermining the family's trust in one another, setting them against each other in the name of 'protection.' It was perfect manipulation.
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Lin Jiao, the eldest son, was a brute—a man of pride and stubbornness. Su Dao quickly identified his weaknesses, making sure to feed Lin Jiao's insecurities without being too obvious. He would speak of the growing challenges the Lin family faced, exaggerating the dangers of rival factions in the city, and subtly hinting that only a truly powerful successor could secure the family's legacy.
Lin Jiao, always hungry for approval, latched onto this idea, pushing himself harder to prove his worth. Su Dao would frequently visit him in private, offering advice on strengthening his martial techniques, always tailoring his words to make Lin Jiao feel as though he was getting the edge over his younger brother, Lin Wei.
Lin Wei, more intelligent and calculating, was not as easily swayed. Su Dao knew better than to try to appeal to him directly. Instead, he whispered in the ears of the family's most trusted subordinates, subtly turning them against Lin Wei. He would drop hints, sowing seeds of doubt about Lin Wei's loyalty to his father, suggesting that the younger son might be planning something underhanded to gain power.
At the same time, Su Dao had begun to form an alliance with Lin Yue, who remained unaware of his true motives. He treated her with kindness, always supporting her ideas and encouraging her to speak freely. Su Dao knew that Lin Yue's innocence and admiration for her father made her an ideal pawn. Every time Lin Zhan praised her or mentioned her bright future, Su Dao was there, affirming the City Lord's words, positioning Lin Yue as someone who would rise far above the others.
Su Dao's presence in the Lin family gradually turned into something irreplaceable. He was a trusted confidant of Lin Zhan, a mentor to Lin Jiao, and a secret advisor to Lin Yue. But in truth, he was playing all sides—watching them fight each other while he, like a silent storm, gathered the strength to strike.
---
As Su Dao's influence grew, so did his cultivation. For two years, he had access to the Lin family's resources—spiritual stones, medicinal pills, cultivation techniques, and more. Every day, he refined his skills in secret, meditating, training, and pushing himself beyond his previous limits. He no longer had to worry about basic cultivation necessities like food or cultivation materials. The Lin family's vast reserves provided him with everything he needed.
And it showed.
Within a year, Su Dao had broken through the 4th layer of the Soul Understanding Realm. The foundation was laid for his breakthrough into the Foundation Establishment Stage, but he didn't rush. The time was not yet right. He continued his manipulations, all while using the Lin family's resources to speed up his cultivation.
By the second year, Su Dao had reached the mid-level of the Foundation Establishment Stage. His cultivation had surged forward, and his strength had grown so rapidly that he could now feel the power crackling in his veins. But still, his focus was not on his own growth alone. No, his focus was on the Lin family.
He had carefully watched Lin Zhan's weakening health, a result of the years of stress and inner turmoil caused by the challenges he faced. In those moments of vulnerability, Su Dao would step in—calm, collected, and always offering solutions to his problems. It was during these moments that Su Dao planted the final seeds of his plan.
At the same time, Su Dao orchestrated a series of small but strategic 'attacks' on rival clans. He fed false intelligence to Lin Jiao, encouraging him to take action against perceived threats from other families in Tianhe. Lin Jiao, brimming with overconfidence, launched attacks on smaller clans under the guise of securing the family's future. But each attack was a calculated move, leaving behind chaos and distrust. Su Dao had ensured that Lin Jiao's actions would lead to resentment from other influential families in the region, slowly isolating the Lin family.
Lin Wei, sensing something was amiss, began investigating. But Su Dao had already laid the perfect traps. By subtly planting false evidence and using his influence over certain members of the family, he was able to turn Lin Wei against his father and elder brother. Lin Wei, once loyal to his father, now felt betrayed, his mind filled with paranoia. He began making plans of his own to seize control, but Su Dao made sure that Lin Wei's moves were always one step behind.
By the time Su Dao's power had reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage, the Lin family was on the brink of collapse. Lin Zhan, weakened by his health and internal strife, trusted Su Dao more than ever. Lin Jiao, furious at the lack of respect from other clans, was now a puppet in Su Dao's hands, desperate to prove himself. Lin Wei, consumed by jealousy and betrayal, was prepared to take drastic action, but Su Dao's words had already corrupted his mind, twisting his ambitions into something uncontrollable.
In the final moment, Su Dao struck.
The Lin family's destruction was swift and brutal.
Lin Zhan, on the night he finally placed his full trust in Su Dao, was poisoned by a deadly brew that Su Dao had carefully concocted over months, using his access to the Lin family's vast resources. Lin Zhan's death was slow, painful, and filled with confusion. His last words were filled with regret—regret that he had trusted the wrong man.
Lin Jiao, desperate to defend his father's legacy, rushed to confront Su Dao. But by then, Su Dao was already in control. In a battle that was over in a flash, Lin Jiao fell, his body mangled and broken, his pride shattered as he lay dead at Su Dao's feet.
Lin Wei, consumed by his paranoia and rage, tried to rally the remaining forces loyal to his family. But he was too late. Su Dao had already manipulated the key members of the family's guards, turning them into his own loyal soldiers. With a cold, calculating efficiency, Su Dao wiped out the remnants of the Lin family, leaving only blood and destruction in his wake.
Su Dao stood amidst the ruins of the Lin family's mansion, his expression cold and unreadable. He had risen, using the Lin family's resources, their trust, their very strength
It was a night filled with quiet unrest in Su Dao's mind. The cool breeze drifted through the window, but his thoughts were anything but peaceful. Alone in the guest room of the Lin family's grand estate, he sat cross-legged on the cold floor, attempting to meditate and absorb the spiritual energy around him. But something was off tonight. His cultivation felt stagnant. The Qi that usually flowed so naturally through his body now felt sluggish, thick as mud. He had come to the realization—his progress was slow, and despite his tactical brilliance, his physical strength was still limited. At only the 3rd layer of the Soul Understanding Realm, he was far from what he needed to be to accomplish his ultimate goals.
His eyes flickered to the window, the world outside dark and quiet, but inside, Su Dao's mind churned with thoughts of the Lin family. They were a well-established power in Tianhe, a family that had held sway over the region for generations. But there were cracks in their empire—cracks that only Su Dao could see. He had spent the past two years within their walls, growing in influence, weaving his schemes, and observing every weakness with meticulous precision.
At that moment, his thoughts turned dark. What if he ended this charade? What if he simply destroyed the Lin family? He was strong enough to wipe them out, wasn't he? But his mind quickly cooled. He remembered the Lin family's strongest cultivator—their trump card—their patriarch, Lin Zhan. Lin Zhan, while aging and nearing his peak, was still at the late phase of the Foundation Establishment Stage. That was far beyond Su Dao's current abilities.
Su Dao clenched his fist, his nails digging into his palm. At the late phase of the Foundation Stage, Lin Zhan's strength could crush him easily in a direct confrontation. Su Dao was not one to rush into battle recklessly. He was strategic—calculated—and he knew that rushing into conflict before he was ready would lead to his destruction. But the idea of killing the Lin family, of seizing their resources, gnawed at his mind. If only he could have access to their power, their wealth. If only he could manipulate them into doing his bidding.
An idea began to take root in his mind, a dark and insidious thought. What if, instead of killing them outright, he used their resources—turned them into his personal assets, his pawns? The Lin family, with their vast stores of spiritual stones, pills, and martial techniques, were a treasure trove waiting to be exploited. But to do that, he would have to be subtle. He would have to win their trust, slowly and carefully, until they were willing to hand over everything they had, believing they were benefiting from his alliance.
The next two years passed in a blur of calculated moves. Su Dao knew that in order to achieve his ultimate goal, he had to be patient. He had to remain humble in the eyes of the Lin family, to appear like an innocent and valuable ally. Every step he took was carefully planned, and every word he spoke was laced with subtle manipulation. He knew how to praise, how to convince, how to appear weak when necessary, and how to be strong when it would benefit him.
He played his role perfectly, starting with Lin Zhan. Su Dao would always be at his side when the patriarch needed advice, suggesting small improvements to the family's internal affairs, offering tactics for securing their political position. Su Dao knew that Lin Zhan's pride would never allow him to openly admit that he was nearing the end of his strength, but Su Dao could see it in his eyes. The patriarch was tired, weakened by the years of leadership and the constant strain of maintaining power. That weakness became Su Dao's foothold.
Slowly, he turned the Lin family's resources into his own cultivation fuel. Every time the family needed his help with something, Su Dao ensured that the task was completed in such a way that they would owe him something in return. It started small—linchpin moments when his advice saved them from embarrassing situations—but soon, he became indispensable. The family, particularly Lin Zhan, trusted him implicitly.
While Su Dao gained their trust, he was also subtly manipulating Lin Zhan's sons—Lin Jiao, the arrogant eldest son, and Lin Wei, the calculating second son. Lin Jiao, filled with pride and impatience, was an easy target. Su Dao would whisper in his ear, inflating his ego, praising his martial talent, and urging him to assert his dominance over the family's other branches. The more Lin Jiao grew arrogant, the more predictable his actions became.
Lin Wei, however, required a more delicate touch. Su Dao knew that Lin Wei was intelligent and perceptive. But he also knew that Lin Wei's insecurities would drive him to doubt his place in the family. So, Su Dao planted seeds of suspicion in Lin Wei's mind about Lin Jiao's loyalty. He suggested, subtly, that Lin Jiao was unworthy of the family's inheritance and would eventually cause trouble for everyone. Over time, Lin Wei began to see his elder brother as a rival—someone whose arrogance would one day be their downfall.
Su Dao didn't stop there. He befriended Lin Yue, Lin Zhan's daughter, and took advantage of her trust. He played the role of a protector, always there to listen to her concerns, always offering advice when needed. He spoke of a future where she was the true heir of the Lin family, a ruler who could lead them into a new age of prosperity. He made her believe that he was her greatest ally, a man of vision who was only trying to help her achieve her rightful place.
Behind the scenes, Su Dao was slowly weakening the Lin family's internal structure. He used Lin Jiao's temper to cause rifts within the family, and Lin Wei's growing paranoia made him an easy puppet to manipulate. Meanwhile, Lin Yue was so convinced of her own superiority that she began to distance herself from her brothers, believing herself to be above their petty struggles.
For two years, Su Dao cultivated in secret, making use of every resource the Lin family had to offer. Their top-tier medicinal pills, their spiritual stones, their martial techniques—all of it became his. The Lin family was unaware that the very resources they thought were helping them were being funneled to their enemy. Slowly, but surely, Su Dao's cultivation rose.
By the end of the two years, Su Dao had reached the mid-phase of the Foundation Establishment Stage, a level that put him on par with Lin Zhan in terms of raw cultivation. But it was not just his cultivation that had advanced—his battle prowess was now at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage. His power had grown exponentially, and he knew it was time to strike.
Su Dao had spent two years preparing, laying the groundwork for the fall of the Lin family. When the moment finally came, it was swift, brutal, and without mercy.
The Lin family was in disarray. Lin Zhan, weakened by age and illness, was on his deathbed, completely unaware that the very man he trusted most had already turned his back on him. Lin Jiao, now fully intoxicated with his own arrogance, believed that he had secured his place as the next head of the family. Lin Wei, consumed by paranoia, was preparing to confront Lin Jiao for control. Lin Yue, isolated and confused, was struggling to understand her place in the chaos.
Su Dao stood at the center of it all, a calm figure in the storm. He knew it was time.
He began with Lin Zhan. The patriarch, frail and vulnerable, barely had time to react before Su Dao's dagger pierced his chest. Lin Zhan's eyes widened in disbelief as he crumpled to the floor, his life slipping away in an instant. There was no mercy in Su Dao's heart. The City Lord had been a tool, and now he was nothing more than an obstacle.
Next came Lin Jiao. Su Dao confronted him in the main hall, where Lin Jiao, filled with arrogance, stood ready to fight. "You think you're worthy to inherit the family?" Su Dao mocked as he took a step forward. In the blink of an eye, Su Dao's sword cleaved through Lin Jiao's chest, and with a single, fluid motion, his head was severed from his body. It was swift. It was brutal. Lin Jiao never stood a chance.
Lin Wei was next. The second son, always scheming, had spent the past two years building his own faction within the family. He was smart, but he was too late. Su Dao found him in his study, where he was plotting his next move. Lin Wei's eyes widened with shock as Su Dao walked in, and before he could react, Su Dao kicked him in the chest, sending him crashing into the wall. As Lin Wei tried to rise, Su Dao was already upon him. With a single motion, he crushed Lin Wei's skull with his bare foot, ending his life without a second thought.
Finally, Lin Yue, the innocent pawn who had once trusted him, stood alone in the courtyard, unaware of what had transpired inside. Su Dao approached her, his expression cold, his eyes empty of remorse. She looked at him, her confusion and disbelief clear in her eyes. "Why…?" she whispered.
Su Dao didn't answer. He raised his foot and crushed her skull beneath his boot, her blood staining the stone beneath her. The Lin family was no more.
Su Dao stood amidst the bodies, his heart cold, his mind sharp. He had used the Lin family's resources, manipulated their every move, and now, he was the sole survivor. He had reached his goal—his cultivation was now at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage, and his power was unmatched. The Lin family had fallen, and he had risen from their ashes, a silent storm that no one had seen coming.