The Inner Hall courtyard glowed with morning light, disciples sparring and meditating under the watchful eyes of instructors. Yet beneath the routine chatter, an uneasy tension lingered.
Lin Tian noticed it immediately. Disciples whispered behind their sleeves, eyes darting toward the bamboo groves and the outer paths.
He frowned. "What's happened?"
A junior disciple hurried to his side, bowing respectfully."Senior Brother Lin… have you not heard? Han Jie has gone missing. He never returned to his quarters last night."
Lin Tian's brows furrowed. Han Jie once arrogant, then publicly defeated and shamed. He had been a thorn, but not the type to vanish quietly.
At the elders' pavilion, rumors spread like wildfire.
"Another one? That's three disciples from Elder Xuan's line in a single month…"
"Each disappearance the same—no signs of struggle, no trace of qi, nothing left behind."
"Could it be… a beast has infiltrated the sect?"
Elder Xuan's face was dark as thunder, his voice trembling with suppressed fury."Impossible! This is an Inner Sect stronghold, not some lawless wilderness. Whoever dares harm my disciples will pay with blood!"
But despite his anger, there was fear in his eyes.
Lin Tian listened quietly, his gaze sharp. Three disciples, all from the same elder's line… and not a single clue left behind? No. This is no beast attack. Someone inside the sect is hunting them.
Later, in his courtyard, he meditated but found no peace. The whispers echoed in his mind.
---
Night draped the sect in silence. While most disciples rested, Lin Tian stood alone in the bamboo grove where Han Jie was last seen.
The moonlight spilled across the ground, painting shadows like broken glass. Lin Tian's spiritual sense stretched outward, brushing the earth, the air, even the faintest qi fluctuations.
At first, nothing. The grove was still. Too still.
Then
A chill crawled across his skin. Faint, nearly imperceptible, but there: a residue of qi. Twisted. Wrong. It pulsed faintly against his senses like a dying heartbeat.
Lin Tian knelt, brushing his fingers across the bark of a tree. Blackened streaks marred the wood, thin as spiderwebs. His eyes narrowed.
Not beast qi. Not natural decay. This is… corruption.
A rustle behind him.
"Senior Brother Lin?"
It was Senior Sister Xue, her sword at her side, her eyes reflecting the moon. She bowed lightly."Elder Xuan demanded we search the outskirts for clues. Did you find anything?"
Lin Tian's gaze flicked to the black streaks before quickly covering them with his sleeve. "Nothing conclusive."
He paused, studying her carefully. Her concern looked genuine… yet the system's warning echoed in his mind.I cannot reveal everything. Not yet. If this predator moves in the shadows, then I must walk quietly as well.
As Xue departed, Lin Tian's system flickered again.
[Quest Updated: Unmask the Predator.]
Clue discovered: Corrupted Qi Residue.]
Lin Tian exhaled slowly, his hand tightening around his sword hilt.Whoever this predator is, they are skilled at hiding. But every beast leaves a trail… and I will follow it to the end.
The bamboo swayed gently, but in the silence, Lin Tian thought he heard laughter distant, mocking, carried on the wind.
Deep beneath the sect, in the hidden chamber lit by flickering green flames, Ye Feng sat cross-legged, crimson light pulsing faintly from his eyes.
He smiled."So… he sensed it."
The old alchemist glanced up from his cauldron, startled. "What did you say?"
Ye Feng's grin widened, sharp and cold.
"The faint trail I left in the bamboo grove. Lin Tian found it."
The alchemist's face twisted in alarm. "You—! Fool! Why would you risk exposure? If the elders suspect—"
Ye Feng cut him off with a chuckle, low and cruel."Do not mistake me, old man. This is no risk… it's a hunt. What good is a predator that remains unseen forever? Let the prey catch my scent. Let them tremble, uncertain, while I grow sharper with every kill."
He leaned back, crimson aura flickering across his skin like embers."And Lin Tian… he is no ordinary prey. I want him alert. I want him struggling. Only then will devouring him taste worthy."
The alchemist licked his lips nervously, but the madness in Ye Feng's eyes silenced him. He returned to his cauldron, stirring black liquid that hissed with corruption.
"Very well," the alchemist muttered. "Then take the next step. If you want Lin Tian dancing in your palm, we must escalate. Blood will sow fear. Fear will cloud judgment. And judgment clouded… makes for easy hunting."
Ye Feng's crimson gaze flared, twin embers in the dark."Then so be it. Tonight… another disciple disappears."
---
Later, Ye Feng stood on a rooftop, gazing down at the courtyards where disciples trained by torchlight. Their laughter, their concentration, their naive sense of safety all of it stirred hunger within him.
His voice was soft, almost tender, carried by the night wind."Come closer, Lin Tian. Follow the trail I weave. When you finally find me… it will already be too late."
The shadows swallowed him whole.
The sect slumbered under the pale glow of the moon. Torches burned low, disciples sleeping soundly in their quarters. But in the training yard, one figure lingered a diligent youth practicing sword forms, sweat glistening on his brow.
Ye Feng watched from the shadows, crimson eyes half-lidded in hunger."So disciplined… such ripe essence. Better than a broken drunk like Han Jie."
The boy's sword flashed, slicing cleanly through the air. He paused, frowning. The night suddenly felt heavy, thick, as though unseen eyes bore down upon him.
"Who's there?"
No answer. Only silence.
The boy's instincts screamed, but before he could act, the ground beneath his feet rippled like black water. Tendrils of shadow burst upward, coiling around his limbs. His sword clattered to the ground.
He struggled wildly, qi surging, but the shadows drank his energy like sand soaking up water.
From the darkness, Ye Feng emerged — slow, deliberate, smiling with fangs bared.
"Don't resist. The stronger you fight, the sweeter it tastes."
"Y-You… monster!" the disciple gasped, voice muffled as tendrils wrapped his throat.
Ye Feng's hand pressed against his chest, and again, the black tendrils sank deep. This time, it was smoother, faster. His trait evolved, feeding eagerly as memories, techniques, and bloodline fragments poured into him.
Ding!
[Predator's Hunger has absorbed: Blazing Fang Sword Technique (Minor).]
[Qi Reinforcement: Early Foundation Stage +1 achieved.]
[Corruption Meter: 27%.]
The boy's body convulsed, then turned brittle like dry clay, collapsing into a fine scatter of dust that drifted away on the night wind.
Ye Feng exhaled, shuddering in ecstasy. His muscles thrummed with new strength, his veins burning with violent qi.
"Another step… closer to the apex."
He raised his gaze toward the sky, toward the peak of the Inner Hall where Lin Tian resided.
A whisper escaped his lips, both promise and curse."Lin Tian… do you feel it? The net tightening around you?"
The night answered only with silence.
---
Morning broke with shrill bells echoing across the Inner Hall. Disciples poured from their quarters, faces pale with dread.
Another one was gone.
This time, not some arrogant troublemaker, but Zhao Wen, a quiet and diligent youth, well-liked by his peers. His absence sent ripples through the sect like a stone cast into a still pond.
Lin Tian arrived at the gathering square, his sharp gaze sweeping over the assembly. Whispers buzzed around him.
"Now Zhao Wen too…?"
"He was practicing late last night. How could he just… vanish?"
"No traces, no blood, nothing again…"
Elder Xuan stood at the front, his robes disheveled, face thunderous."This is no longer mere coincidence! Someone or something dares to hunt disciples within my domain!"
His voice cracked with fury, but behind his rage was fear. Fear that he could not control what was happening.
Lin Tian stepped forward, bowing
respectfully."Elder, may I be permitted to investigate?"
Elder Xuan's eyes narrowed. "You? Why you?"
Lin Tian met his gaze calmly. "Because I am not blind to what the others overlook. Something unnatural moves within the sect. If you wish your disciples safe, you must allow me to act."
The elder's jaw clenched. He wanted to refuse, to humiliate Lin Tian before the crowd. But the anxious murmurs of disciples pressed him. If he rejected aid now, it would look like weakness.
Finally, he spat out: "Very well. But mark my words, boy if you overstep, the predator will not be your only enemy."
That night, Lin Tian returned to the training yard where Zhao Wen last practiced. He closed his eyes, focusing his spiritual sense to its very limit.
The wind shifted, carrying faint whispers. Not sound, but qi residue foul, twisted, and familiar.
It was the same corrupted trail as before.
Only stronger.
His system chimed:
[Quest Update: The Predator has struck again.]
[Clue discovered: Residual Shadow Qi (Unnatural).]
[Warning: The predator grows stronger with every hunt.]
Lin Tian's fists tightened, his breath steady but cold.So it feeds on them… and grows.
His sword gleamed faintly as he whispered to the night,"Whoever you are… enjoy your hunt while you can. When I find you, it will end in blood."
The bamboo rustled softly. Somewhere in the dark, unseen eyes watched and smiled.