Night fell once more over the Crimson Serpent Sect.
Mist curled along the edges of the garden walls like the breath of sleeping beasts. Spirit lanterns flickered above the training fields, and disciples returned to their quarters, exhausted from sparring and chores.
But Su Chen moved in the opposite direction—deeper into the mountain's shadow.
He wasn't training tonight.
He was hunting.
The Dao Mirror Fragment was still in Ji Liang's possession, hidden away in the elite disciple quarters, likely under protective seals. But Su Chen didn't intend to barge in and rob him.
Not yet.
He intended to copy it.
In his past life, the Mirror Fragment was partially decoded by a rogue alchemist named Yun Qiao, who developed a duplication formation for relic imprints. That man was long dead in this life—but Su Chen remembered every sigil, every thread of spirit logic.
Now, he needed only a few ingredients.
The first: Ghostweave Silk—a spiritual material harvested from the nests of nocturnal Soul Spiders. Rare, venomous, and incredibly valuable.
Fortunately, Lin Yao knew where to find it.
"You're insane," she said flatly, staring at Su Chen as they stood at the edge of the Old Well Ravine, just beyond the outer herb gardens.
Su Chen gave her a calm look. "Only slightly."
"You want me to take you to a Soul Spider nest? They don't just bite—they rip out memories."
"I'll wear a dampening charm," he said. "You stay above. Just direct me."
She groaned but relented.
Minutes later, Su Chen was descending into the black maw of the ravine, lantern in one hand, a blade in the other. The air was moist and sticky, and each step echoed off the stone like whispers.
Halfway down, he spotted the first sign: a thin, silver thread stretching between two rocks.
He traced it carefully and followed its path until he found the web.
It shimmered like moonlight made solid—woven between the roots of a gnarled tree, thick with dew and… bones.
A dead spirit fox lay tangled in the web. Its eyes were hollowed out.
> [System Warning: Mental Interference Detected]
[Temporary Resistance Buff Applied: +20% Memory Shield]
A skittering sound echoed from the dark.
Then another.
Then—eight eyes appeared. Gleaming. Watching.
The Soul Spider emerged slowly, legs tapping across the stone with alien grace. Its body shimmered with spiritual runes. A peak-rank spirit beast in this realm.
Su Chen didn't flinch.
Instead, he bent slowly and whispered a chant—one he had used to tame Soul Beasts in his Void Sovereign days.
The spider twitched. Paused.
Then lunged.
Su Chen moved like lightning. One strike—precise, not fatal—hit the joint of its front leg. It reeled back, screeched, then fled into the dark.
He didn't chase.
Instead, he reached for the thread.
> [Ghostweave Silk Acquired – 3 Strands]
He tied them carefully and climbed back to the surface.
Lin Yao stared at him. "You're insane."
"You said that already," he said, smiling faintly.
By morning, Su Chen sat alone in the herb shed once more. Before him, on a stone plate, lay the components of the Relic Shadow Seal—a temporary duplication formation.
He etched the sigils with precise cuts of a spirit knife. Each line took a minute. Each mistake could cause backlash.
Hours passed.
And then—when the first light of dawn broke through the mist—
> [Formation Complete: Shadow Echo Seal – One Use Remaining]
[Warning: Direct contact with target item required]
Su Chen exhaled. Now came the hard part.
He needed to touch the fragment while Ji Liang wasn't looking.
Later that afternoon, Ji Liang was in the training arena, surrounded by a half-circle of admiring disciples.
He was demonstrating a technique—Crimson Flame Palm, a mid-tier martial art that erupted on impact. Spectacular. Showy.
Su Chen watched from the crowd, face calm, mind focused.
The fragment was still at Ji Liang's waist, tucked into his belt.
He stepped forward with purpose, bumping into a taller disciple.
"Watch it, trash," the boy growled.
Su Chen bowed his head. "Apologies."
And in that instant—one brush of fabric, one flick of wrist—
His hand touched the edge of Ji Liang's robe.
The formation activated silently.
> [Dao Mirror Fragment – Echo Copy Successful]
[Void Arts Archive: Level 1 Unlocked – 3 Arts Restored]
— Voidflow Step (Movement)
— Mirror Pulse (Reflection Technique)
— Soul Veil (Concealment)
Su Chen backed away before anyone noticed.
His heart beat fast—not from fear, but from victory.
He had stolen power from a future tyrant, right under his nose.
And no one knew.
Not yet.
That night, Su Chen sat alone again, eyes closed, replaying the flow of Mirror Pulse through his mind.
He was still weak in body—but piece by piece, he was reclaiming what was once his.
> [Checkpoint Reached – Save Progress?]
"Yes," he whispered. "Save it here."
This was the first step of many.
And he wasn't planning to reset for a long, long time.