The corridor beyond the trial gate sloped downward into silence.
No blades. No beasts. No spiritual arrays humming to life.
Only a long hall of cracked stone lit by violet flame-lanterns—unmoving, undisturbed.
It felt… still.
Not peaceful. Just empty.
Shang Di slowed first. Wei Lin followed at his back, brow furrowed. "Is this another trap?"
"No." Shang Di pressed a palm to the wall. "It's a rest ward. Spirit-neutral space."
The runes beneath the surface barely flickered—faded, but active. Defensive formations, old and dust-choked, designed to suppress aggression and allow cultivators to recover between trials.
The corridor opened into a wide chamber beyond.
Stone benches circled a dry fountain, and a shattered mural above depicted disciples in meditation, their shadows cast like blade-trees behind them. The air was cool and faintly metallic.
Shang Di moved to the far wall and sat cross-legged.
Wei Lin flopped down nearby with a groan. "Finally. A part of this dungeon that doesn't want to kill me."
[System Notification – Recovery Chamber Detected]
Dungeon Hostility: Temporarily Suspended
SP Remaining: 570
Trait Active: Echo Bind (Resonant Layer)
Custom Technique Fusion: Abyss Pulse Swallowing – Unlocked
Shadow's Favor: 6 / 7
Note: Host Qi flow stabilizing. Mental fatigue reduced. Next Trial: Echo Blade Pavilion
Shang Di closed his eyes.
He didn't need sleep. He needed stillness right now.
And this place, for now, gave him that.
He let his breathing settle. Slow. Controlled. Meridians cooling like iron drawn from the forge. Lucky curled at his wrist again like a coiled black ribbon.
Wei Lin tore off a bite from a dried skewer. "You're quiet."
"I'm thinking."
Wei Lin didn't reply right away. The flames flickered overhead. A few motes of dust caught in the shifting light.
Then Shang Di said, "Before I ended up here… the world didn't ask much of me."
Wei Lin glanced at him, more curious than surprised.
"I wasn't anyone special. Not in the way people expect from cultivators. No great clan. No lineage. Just… ordinary."
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
Shang Di gave a faint smile. "It was, back then."
He didn't say more. Wei Lin just looked at him and nodded. He understood, and didn't ask further.
[System Trait Update: Echo Bind – Resonant Layer]
Category: Shadow-Technique (Disruption Path)
Primary Effect: Delays proximity-based spiritual traps (0.75s max)
Upgrade – Resonant Layer: Creates a residual echo that distorts spiritual anchor points.
Passive: Interferes with basic targeting formations (Low-grade and below)
Duration: Passive – Always Active
Restrictions: Ineffective in purified zones or domain fields
Another window opened.
[Custom Technique Fusion – Complete]
Fusion Result: Abyss Pulse Swallowing
Path Type: Shadow Absorption / Qi Counterstrike
Description: Absorbs Qi-based attacks or spiritual techniques within a 3-meter radius.
Stored energy may be released as a counter-pulse.
Risk: May overheat spiritual channels if energy exceeds threshold.
Activation: Requires Shadow Affinity Qi alignment
Shang Di opened his eyes. A faint shimmer of black Qi coiled around his palm like a lazy wisp of smoke.
Wei Lin blinked at the glow. "That new?"
"I just figured it out."
"What does it do?"
Shang Di paused. "Catches techniques. Sends them back."
"Sounds painful. For the other guy."
"Hopefully."
Wei Lin leaned back against the cracked stone wall, staring up at the fractured mural above.
"You know, when we met, I figured you were some over-prepared rogue disciple with a back-alley grudge and a half-finished sword style."
Shang Di raised a brow. "Flattering."
Wei Lin smirked. "Now I don't know what to think. You've got strange techniques, stranger Qi, and you don't talk like a sect-raised brat."
There was no accusation in his voice. Just observation.
Shang Di didn't answer right away. Then: "I wasn't raised anywhere worth naming. So I had time to learn my own way."
Wei Lin nodded. "That explains it. You fight like someone who doesn't have a style—just survival."
Silence fell again, Wei Lin broke the silence and-
Then he added, "You think this place leads to something bigger?"
"I think the dungeon wasn't just built for treasure," Shang Di said. "It feels like a test. Layered. Observed."
"You think someone's watching?"
"No," Shang Di said. "I think something is waiting."
…
[Cooldown Phase Ending – Trial Zone: Echo Blade Pavilion Unlocked]
Dungeon Progress: 72%
Challenge Tier: High
SP Bonus Threshold Raised
Shadow's Favor: 6 / 7
Veil-Linked Paths available if final Favor is achieved
He stood and dusted the dust from his sleeves.
"Break's over."
Wei Lin stood as well, cracking his knuckles. "Next room's going to try and kill us, isn't it?"
"Almost definitely."
"Great."
As they stepped forward, Lucky poked his small head from the sleeve of Shang Di's robe and let out a soft hiss toward the corridor ahead.
The air shifted.
The lights ahead grew sharper, as if aware of their presence.
Waiting.
To be continued…
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