Black Mountain Gate stood between three dark mountains.
From a distance, the sect looked less like something built by cultivators and more like something carved out of the mountains themselves. Black stone walls rose along the cliffs, heavy towers stood at the corners, and iron chains thicker than a man's waist hung between watch platforms, swaying slightly in the mountain wind.
The sect's colors were black, brown, and iron grey.
Its emblem was a black mountain crest.
Outer disciples wore simple dark-brown robes with rough stone patterns on their sleeves. Inner disciples wore black-brown robes with iron waist tokens. Elders wore heavier robes embroidered with dark stone lines, and their tokens carried deeper spiritual pressure.
Fang Lin walked beneath the gate wearing Luo Cheng's face.
His robe was black-brown and heavy at the shoulders. Dark stone embroidery lined the cuffs, the black mountain crest rested on his chest, and a dark iron elder token hung at his waist. His aura was cold, heavy, and suppressive, carrying the surface pressure of a Late Spirit Foundation elder.
Beneath that false pressure, Fang Lin's true cultivation remained hidden at Early Spirit Foundation Realm. Shadow Breath wrapped around Phantom Transformation, blurring the difference between disguise and reality, while the Nine Nether Phantom Body controlled his posture, breathing, and the small details of movement.
He did not walk like Fang Lin.
He walked like Luo Cheng.
Cold, impatient, suspicious, and carrying the faint irritation of a man who believed everyone nearby owed him silence.
Behind him, Tan Wu carried the medicine box with his head lowered. Mei Su held the sealed scrolls carefully and followed half a step farther back.
Neither dared speak.
At the gate, four guards in black-brown armor immediately cupped their hands.
"Elder Luo."
Fang Lin did not stop. He only gave a cold snort in acknowledgment.
The guards lowered their heads further.
No one questioned him.
No one checked the token.
Fear was sometimes better than trust.
The moment Fang Lin crossed the gate, formation lines swept over his body. The dark iron elder token at his waist warmed slightly and released Luo Cheng's elder aura. The gate formation passed over him, accepted the token, and withdrew.
Fang Lin continued forward.
Inside Black Mountain Gate, stone paths stretched upward along the mountain slopes. Training grounds had been carved into flat platforms. Disciples struck stone pillars with fists, palms, shoulders, and elbows. Some wore weighted bracers. Some carried heavy stone slabs on their backs while climbing steps. Others sat inside shallow pits filled with dark earth energy, tempering their bodies in silence.
Black Mountain Gate's nature was clear at a glance.
Heavy.
Direct.
Enduring.
Its disciples did not move with the elegance of sword cultivators or the violent sharpness of flame cultivators. Their strength came from pressure, endurance, and brutal physical foundations.
Fang Lin observed everything without turning his head too much.
An elder who looked around like a newcomer would be suspicious.
So he watched through divine sense instead, quietly and carefully.
His divine sense had grown greatly after entering Spirit Foundation Realm, but inside a sect, spreading it too widely was dangerous. There were Core Formation elders here. Perhaps even deeper hidden auras.
He kept his perception close.
Just enough.
Several disciples along the path saw him and stepped aside quickly.
"Elder Luo."
"Greetings, Elder Luo."
"Elder Luo has returned."
Fang Lin ignored them all.
Luo Cheng would not respond warmly.
After crossing the inner gate path, Fang Lin did not head toward Luo Cheng's elder residence. Instead, he continued toward the western mountain road.
According to Luo Cheng's memories, he had recently been assigned to mining duty by the sect. His task was to guard and supervise one of Black Mountain Gate's outer mines for three months.
The mine was called Black Stone Mine.
It was not the most important mine under the sect, but it produced Black Stone Crystal, a resource commonly used by Black Mountain Gate disciples for body tempering and heavy Qi refinement.
For most elders, this duty was dull, remote, and uncomfortable.
For Fang Lin, it was useful.
Very useful.
He needed time to consolidate his newly broken-through Spirit Foundation Realm. He needed space away from too many elders. He needed a position that allowed him to study Black Mountain Gate's resource movement without appearing too interested.
Luo Cheng knew nothing about the true value of the grey-green leaf. He did not know why it had reacted to the grey seed, nor did he know where such a thing truly came from.
But his memories did contain one important clue.
Guo Zhen had once received an old sealed batch of body-tempering materials sent from the Venerated Black Tortoise Mountain of the Demon Immortal Continent. That batch had been treated as a reward for promising body-cultivation disciples.
To Black Mountain Gate, it had only been a valuable but normal resource batch from a higher power.
To Fang Lin, one of those so-called old vitality leaves had awakened the grey seed.
So the clue did not begin within Black Mountain Gate.
It pointed higher.
Venerated Black Tortoise Mountain.
Still, Black Mountain Gate was not useless. Records of the batch, delivery route, distribution list, and remaining materials might still exist somewhere inside the sect. Since Luo Cheng had mining duty, Fang Lin could use that position to begin understanding how resources entered and moved through Black Mountain Gate.
He followed the western mountain road for nearly two hours.
The sect's central peaks gradually disappeared behind layers of stone ridges. The air became colder, heavier, and less crowded.
Eventually, a vast mining valley appeared ahead.
Black Stone Mine.
The mine entrance was built into the side of a dark mountain. Thick wooden beams reinforced the outer tunnels. Formation lamps glowed along the stone walls. Heavy iron carts moved along tracks, pulled by low-level spirit beasts with thick legs and dull eyes.
Several Black Mountain Gate disciples guarded the entrance. Most wore dark-brown robes and iron bracers. Their bodies were stronger than ordinary disciples, and their aura carried faint earth pressure.
When they saw Fang Lin arrive, they bowed immediately.
"Greetings, Elder Luo."
A thin middle-aged steward hurried over. He wore plain black robes, and a bronze mine token hung at his waist.
"Elder Luo, you have arrived."
Fang Lin glanced at him.
From Luo Cheng's memories, this man was Steward Wen Qiu.
Middle Qi Conjunction Realm.
Responsible for daily worker records, Black Stone Crystal counts, and disciple rotations.
Greedy, timid, and very good at flattering elders.
Fang Lin said coldly, "Has anything happened?"
Wen Qiu quickly lowered his head. "Nothing major, Elder. Three workers were injured in the lower tunnels. Two carts of Black Stone Crystal were delayed because of a tunnel crack. Also, the western tunnel produced a slightly higher grade batch of Black Stone Crystal yesterday."
Fang Lin's expression did not change.
"Bring the reports to my chamber."
"Yes, Elder."
Black Stone Mine had a small elder residence built on a cliff above the mine entrance. It was simple, with one cultivation room, one record chamber, and one viewing platform overlooking the valley.
Tan Wu and Mei Su followed him there.
Old Ke had remained at Luo Cheng's western slope residence inside the sect, which suited Fang Lin. Fewer familiar people around him meant fewer risks.
After entering the cliff residence, Fang Lin activated the room formation and sat down.
Only then did he allow his expression to return to calm and heaved a sigh of relief.
The first step had succeeded.
He had entered Black Mountain Gate.
He had reached the mine.
And for the next three months, he had an official reason to remain away from the sect's center.
That was the best result.
Fang Lin did not rush to investigate.
He had only recently entered Spirit Foundation Realm. His battle prowess had reached half-step Core Formation, but battle prowess was not the same as cultivation stability. If greed made him damage his foundation, every future step he would suffer.
He first began with consolidation.
For the first month, Fang Lin rarely left the elder residence.
To outsiders, Elder Luo Cheng was cold and reclusive, so no one found this strange. He sat inside the cultivation room and circulated his Spirit Foundation Qi slowly.
The dantian at Spirit Foundation Realm was far deeper than Qi Conjunction. Qi no longer felt like scattered streams moving through meridians. It gathered into a stable spiritual foundation, supporting his body, soul, and techniques.
Fang Lin guided frost Qi through the Frost Trace Sword Art. Then he guided life force through the Nine Nether Phantom Body. After that, he circulated death force through the Nine Abyss Shadow Scripture.
Shadow Breath was only a branch of Death.
Death itself was a branch of the broader Darkness element.
His path was clear.
Frost.
Life.
Death.
Adding unrelated elemental skills would only muddy his foundation.
Every day, Tan Wu delivered food. Every few days, Mei Su brought mine reports.
Fang Lin read all of them.
Black Stone Crystal.
Black Stone Crystal.
Black Stone Crystal.
Nothing else.
Black Stone Mine truly produced only this one major resource.
But the mining duty still had value. It gave him time, cover, access to lower-level reports, and a suitable environment to cultivate his Darkness arts.
The deeper parts of Black Stone Mine were quiet and oppressive. The stone walls absorbed sound, formation lamps glowed weakly, and the heavy underground pressure pressed against flesh, bone, and Qi.
For ordinary cultivators, this environment was uncomfortable.
For Fang Lin, it was useful.
Death and Shadow were branches of Darkness. The buried silence of the mine, the lack of sunlight, the heavy underground pressure, and the cold black stone all helped him circulate the Nine Abyss Shadow Scripture more smoothly than under open sky.
During the second month, Fang Lin began cultivating inside the lower tunnels.
Wen Qiu did not dare question him. The mine guards only thought Elder Luo was using the mine pressure to temper his body, which matched Luo Cheng's habits well enough.
Deep underground, Fang Lin sat cross-legged beside a Black Stone Crystal vein.
He did not absorb its stone energy.
He did not cultivate earth element.
He only used the environment.
Shadow Breath spread around him like thin black smoke. Abyssal Death Shadow formed beneath his feet, stretched along the stone, then withdrew.
Again and again.
His death force became steadier. His control over shadow threads improved. The Nine Abyss Shadow Scripture circulated faster in the darkness, not explosively and not enough for a breakthrough, but enough to refine his foundation.
At the same time, he cultivated the < Nine Nether Phantom Body >.
Nether Life Spirit Qi flowed beneath his skin, repairing tiny strains left by long cultivation and purifying hidden impurities from his recent breakthrough.
The more he cultivated the < Nine Nether Phantom Body > the more wondrous he felt.
His body and death force slowly balanced.
Life Spirit Qi kept him stable.
Death force sharpened his killing power.
Frost remained quiet, like a blade waiting in its sheath.
Fang Lin also studied Black Mountain Gate's body skills.
Most were too crude compared to the Nine Nether Phantom Body.
Iron Stone Skin.
Heavy Blood Circulation.
Black Bone Stance.
All of them relied too heavily on earth or stone energy.
He ignored them.
Black Mountain Descent from the Black Mountain Suppression art was missing, he was not able to find it in Luo Cheng's memories or storage treasure.
When Luo Cheng had used this technique, Fang Lin was fascinated by it. He really wanted to cultivate this technique. He thought that this technique suited him perfectly.
But for now, one skill caught his attention.
Mountain Bearing Frame.
It was not an earth-element technique. It was a body-control skill.
It taught the cultivator how to bear pressure, stabilize posture, transfer impact through bones and muscles, and prevent the body structure from collapsing under heavy force.
For Black Mountain Gate disciples, it was only a support skill.
For Fang Lin, it was useful because it complemented the Nine Nether Phantom Body.
The Nine Nether Phantom Body made his body powerful.
Mountain Bearing Frame taught the body how to receive and redirect force.
One was foundation.
The other was a structure.
Fang Lin began practicing it quietly.
Inside the lower mine tunnels, pressure came from every direction. He stood beneath the heavy stone aura and adjusted his breathing.
Shoulders.
Spine.
Waist.
Legs.
Feet.
The force traveled downward and entered the stone beneath him.
At first, the process was rough. After several weeks, it became smoother. His body became harder to shake, and his close combat stability improved.
During the same period, Fang Lin continued gathering intelligence.
Not about the leaf.
But about the Venerated Black Tortoise Mountain.
From mine reports, sect messages, and Luo Cheng's memories, he learned that Black Mountain Gate was not truly independent. It had a loose connection to Venerated Black Tortoise Mountain.
Not a direct branch.
Not a core subordinate.
More like a low-level affiliated force that occasionally received rewards, techniques, or body-tempering resources in exchange for loyalty, ore tribute, and manpower.
That explained why Guo Zhen had received the old sealed batch containing the grey-green leaf. Black Mountain Gate wanted promising body-cultivation disciples to rise, and Venerated Black Tortoise Mountain occasionally fed such sects with resources.
Fang Lin memorized every mention of tribute routes, envoy arrivals, and reward batches.
The full records were not at Black Stone Mine.
But hints were enough.
Near the middle of the second month, Fang Lin's soul changed.
He was cultivating inside the lower tunnel, hidden between two black crystal walls, circulating the Soul Metamorphosis Technique while Shadow Breath concealed his aura.
His soul had been under constant pressure.
Searching Luo Cheng's memories.
Maintaining another person's identity.
Suppressing his true aura beneath false elder pressure.
Cultivating Death and Shadow in the mine darkness.
All of it tempered his soul.
Inside his spiritual sea, the silver surface grew calmer and deeper. The grey seed floated silently at the center, and the dark flame burned beside it.
Fang Lin's soul perception spread outward, then condensed inward.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Suddenly, his spiritual sea trembled.
A soft sound echoed inside his mind, like a drop falling into a deep lake.
His soul pressure changed.
It did not erupt violently.
It sank.
It became heavier, sharper, and more stable.
Fang Lin slowly opened his eyes.
His divine sense spread across the tunnel. Every grain of dust, every formation line, every faint vibration from the Black Stone Crystal vein became clearer than before.
The Soul Metamorphosis Technique had advanced.
His soul had broken through.
Late Stage Solid Soul State.
Fang Lin sat silently for a long time.
This breakthrough was quiet and invisible, but extremely important. With stronger soul power, Phantom Transformation became more stable. Imitation became easier. Shadow Breath became harder to detect. His control over Nether Life Spirit Qi and Abyssal Death Shadow also improved.
Most importantly, inside Black Mountain Gate, stronger soul power meant a greater chance of survival.
By the end of the second month, Fang Lin's disguise as Luo Cheng had become smoother.
Wen Qiu feared him.
Tan Wu obeyed him.
Mei Su avoided looking directly at him.
The disciples at Black Stone Mine treated him exactly as they had treated Luo Cheng.
No one suspected anything.
During the third month, Fang Lin became more active.
He inspected the mine tunnels, checked Black Stone Crystal shipments, reviewed guard rotations, and punished two lazy guards lightly, just enough to match Luo Cheng's personality. The two guards left with pale faces, while Wen Qiu quietly praised Elder Luo's wisdom three times too many. Fang Lin ignored him, which also matched Luo Cheng's personality.
He entered the lower tunnels more often.
Black Stone Mine was deep. The lower tunnels carried heavy pressure and thick darkness. Ordinary Qi Conjunction workers could not remain there long.
Fang Lin used those tunnels to train Mountain Bearing Frame and cultivate the Nine Abyss Shadow Scripture.
The deeper he went, the heavier the pressure became.
He stood beneath the mountain's weight and circulated the Nine Nether Phantom Body. Grey mist moved beneath his skin. Nether Life Spirit Qi protected his meridians. Mountain Bearing Frame guided the pressure through his body. Shadow Breath merged with the tunnel darkness, and Abyssal Death Shadow extended and withdrew silently.
Day after day, his body became steadier.
His death force became more controlled.
His Early Spirit Foundation Realm became firm.
His soul breakthrough stabilized.
Mountain Bearing Frame reached initial mastery.
His understanding of Shadow Breath deepened.
His control over Luo Cheng's false aura became more natural.
Near the end of the third month, Fang Lin stood alone in the deepest accessible tunnel of Black Stone Mine.
Dark stone surrounded him.
Black Stone Crystal veins glimmered faintly inside the walls.
Heavy pressure descended from all directions.
He raised one hand and pressed it against the wall.
A faint white life light moved beneath his skin, and a thin black shadow curled around his fingers.
His body did not tremble.
His breathing remained steady.
The pressure that would crush ordinary Spirit Foundation cultivators only made his bones hum softly.
Fang Lin withdrew his hand.
His eyes were calm.
Three months had passed.
His realm was consolidated.
His soul had advanced.
His body skill and Darkness arts had improved.
His identity inside Black Mountain Gate remained unnoticed.
Now, it was time to move from guarding the mine to entering the sect's deeper roots.
The clue of the grey-green leaf still pointed toward Venerated Black Tortoise Mountain.
Black Mountain Gate was only the first door.
And Fang Lin had now learned how to stand behind that door without being noticed.
He turned and walked out of the lower tunnel.
Above him, the sect's black mountains stood silently beneath the night.
And beneath their shadow, Elder Luo Cheng returned from mining duty with the same cold face as always.
No one knew that the man bearing that face had already become far more dangerous than when he first entered.
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