Recap:
The Azure Sky Sect reels in silence. Lynx's awakening of the Forbidden Dao has unsettled disciples and elders alike. Some whisper of seizing his power, others of killing him before Heaven takes notice. Senior Brother Kai sharpens his knives in the shadows, while the Sect Master, unseen, watches from above.
Act I – Uneasy Silence
The Azure Sky Sect had always been noisy at dawn. Disciples shouted mantras as they practiced, the clang of steel rang through the courtyards, and the scent of medicinal herbs drifted from the alchemy halls.
But in the days following Lynx's awakening, a strange hush settled over the mountain.
When Lynx walked into the training grounds, conversations faltered. Swords froze mid-swing. Whispers slipped like blades between teeth.
"That's him."
"Look at his eyes—they say they glow when he's angry."
"Don't look at him too long, idiot. What if he curses you?"
Where there was once jeering, there was now unease. Some disciples offered stiff bows as he passed, their movements awkward, as if unsure whether to treat him as a cripple or as something higher. Others skittered away as though the brush of his sleeve might rot their cultivation.
One brave disciple even blurted, "Good morning, Senior Brother Lynx!" before his friends yanked him aside, whispering frantically. Lynx almost laughed. Almost.
So this is respect? he thought. A mixture of fear and rumor?
He kept his expression calm, his pace even, though the twin forces within his body gnawed at him with every step. The yin seared him with cold, the yang burned him with fire, their endless war fought in his veins.
But compared to three years of humiliation, this was tolerable.
Act II – Kai's Poisoned Smile
The fragile quiet shattered with the echo of confident footsteps.
Senior Brother Kai entered the courtyard, his silver-embroidered robe gleaming in the morning sun. His followers clustered behind him, expressions twisted with cruel anticipation.
Kai's smile was wide, too wide—like a blade hidden behind silk.
"Junior Brother Lynx," Kai said, voice carrying like honey poured over poison. "The sect's cripple turned miracle. How inspiring. Heaven must have… interesting plans for you."
The words dripped with mockery, but beneath them was something sharper—fear trying to disguise itself.
Lynx stopped and turned, meeting Kai's gaze with storm-grey eyes. His voice was quiet, but it cut through the courtyard.
"Surprised? You look terrified."
The silence that followed was almost painful. A few disciples choked back laughter. One actually coughed so loudly it earned him a glare from an elder passing by.
Kai's smile twitched, but he forced it back into place. He stepped closer, his voice low and venomous.
"Careful, cripple. Even forbidden power can vanish in an instant. And when it does… I'll be there, waiting to drag you back into the mud where you belong."
Lynx tilted his head, lips curving faintly. "Then pray Heaven agrees with you."
The words landed like a slap. For the first time, Kai faltered, his jaw tightening before he spun on his heel and stormed away. His lackeys scurried after him, muttering excuses under their breath.
Lynx's smirk lingered. For once, it wasn't him who walked away with his head bowed.
Act III – The Elders' Private Struggles
That evening, in the grand stone halls of the sect, the elders gathered again.
Candles cast long shadows across carved pillars, the air heavy with incense and tension. Elder Shen stood at the head, his gaze sharp as ever.
"You all witnessed it," he said. "The Dao of Yin and Yang has returned."
The hall erupted in argument.
"It must be destroyed!" one elder snapped, his beard bristling. "Heaven will punish us all if we shelter him."
"Destroyed?" another scoffed. "Do you not see the opportunity? If the Azure Sky Sect nurtures this power, no rival could stand against us."
"Do not forget history," a third murmured, eyes dark. "The last who walked this Dao brought ruin. Their sects were erased. Their names struck from records."
Elder Shen raised his hand, silencing the storm. His voice was cold. "The sect master will decide. Until then, the boy is to be watched closely. Do not provoke him… and do not let rumors spread."
But already, rumors had wings. Disciples whispered behind closed doors. Servants carried tales beyond the mountain. And ambition had already begun to fester in secret.
Act IV – Kai's Schemes
Far from the elders' hall, Kai convened with his closest allies in a dim training chamber. His usual smirk was gone, replaced with fury.
"That cripple," Kai spat, slamming his fist into the floor, splintering the wood. "For three years, he was nothing. Trash. And now the sect whispers about him as if he were chosen by Heaven."
His followers exchanged uneasy glances. One tried to soothe him. "Senior Brother, the elders will handle it. They won't allow him to rise."
Kai's eyes burned. "You think I'll wait on their indecision? No. Every breath he takes is an insult to me. If Heaven won't erase him, then I will."
His voice dropped to a hiss. "We'll bleed him where no elder sees. Quietly. Slowly. Until even his forbidden Dao can't save him."
His lackeys shivered, but none dared defy him.
Act V – Lynx's Quiet Resolve
Meanwhile, Lynx sat cross-legged on the edge of a cliff, the world spread beneath him in rivers and forests bathed in moonlight.
The twin forces within him still fought endlessly, yin cold as death, yang hot as flame. His meridians burned as he guided them, forcing the chaos into fragile threads of balance.
Pain ripped through him, but he endured. Each night, each breath, he grew stronger.
Sweat rolled down his face. His robes clung to his skin. But slowly, slowly, the clash became less violent. The threads wove tighter, their balance surer.
At dawn, he opened his eyes. Grey irises glimmered faintly with shifting black and white light before fading back to storm-grey. His chest heaved, but a bitter smile tugged at his lips.
"Three years mocked as cripple," he muttered. "And all it took was defying Heaven itself."
Act VI – The Sect Master's Shadow
High above the sect, in the sealed chambers of the inner palace, a single figure sat in meditation.
The Sect Master.
His aura was vast, restrained, yet it seeped into every stone of the mountain. His eyes remained closed, but his awareness stretched far beyond the palace walls.
He had seen it all.
"The Dao that defied Heaven…" his voice was a low rumble, like distant thunder. "It lives again."
A faint smile curved his lips.
"And my disciples scheme in the dark, thinking I blind. Let them. Let them bare their fangs. When the storm breaks… only the worthy will stand."
His eyes opened, glowing like twin lanterns. Lightning cracked faintly in the distance, though the sky above was clear.
The Sect Master closed his eyes once more. But his will lingered, a silent weight pressing over the entire sect.
⚔️ CTA:
The disciples whisper, the elders plot, and Kai sharpens his knives. All while the Sect Master watches in silence. But shadows do not always wait—they strike. Continue to Chapter 5: Fangs in the Dark.