Chapter 21: Whispers in the Darkness
The Black Moon Sect was nothing like Han Feng had imagined.
From the outside, the organization appeared to be little more than a collection of abandoned ruins scattered throughout the mountains.
Inside, however, was an entirely different world.
A network of enormous underground caverns stretched beneath the mountain like the roots of an ancient tree. Narrow passages connected training grounds, residences, storage chambers, and hidden halls. Dim blue flames burned along the walls, providing just enough light to see without ever truly illuminating the darkness.
There were no loud conversations.
No laughter.
No unnecessary movement.
The disciples of the Black Moon Sect seemed to have learned one rule above all others:
Never reveal more than necessary.
Han Feng found that rule particularly useful.
He also found it dangerous.
Because everyone here seemed to understand it.
He followed the other recruits through the underground passage, keeping his expression neutral.
His false identity had already been exposed as incomplete.
He was not a trusted recruit.
He was an unidentified wandering cultivator under observation.
That meant every mistake could cost him his position.
Perhaps his life.
Han Feng's gaze moved quietly across the cavern.
Gu insects crawled through cracks in the walls.
Formation patterns had been carved into the stone floor.
Several disciples stood in the shadows, apparently doing nothing.
But Han Feng knew better.
They were watching.
Every new recruit was being observed.
Including him.
Especially him.
He lowered his gaze and continued walking.
So this is the Black Moon Sect.
It's less a sect and more a nest of suspicious people.
A faint smile almost appeared on his lips.
Good.
Suspicion was easier to deal with than trust.
Trust created expectations.
Suspicion only required caution.
The recruits were eventually brought into a large circular chamber.
A dozen blue flames burned around the walls, casting long shadows across the stone floor.
At the far end stood a middle-aged man dressed in a black robe.
His hair was tied behind his head, and several dark runes had been embroidered across his sleeves.
He looked at the recruits without expression.
The entire room became silent.
The man finally spoke.
"My name is Zhu Han."
His voice was calm.
That somehow made it more intimidating.
"I am responsible for evaluating new members."
He slowly walked past the recruits.
"You have not joined the Black Moon Sect yet."
Several recruits exchanged nervous glances.
Zhu Han noticed.
"Don't misunderstand your situation."
He stopped.
"Entering this place is not an achievement."
He pointed toward the ground.
"It is an opportunity."
His eyes became colder.
"Whether you leave here as disciples, corpses, or nothing at all depends on what you do next."
Nobody spoke.
Zhu Han continued.
"The Black Moon Sect does not care about your background."
A pause.
"We care about results."
Han Feng remained expressionless.
That's convenient.
The elder turned toward a massive stone door at the back of the chamber.
"Your first test begins now."
The stone door slowly opened.
A wave of cold air swept through the chamber.
Beyond it was a long corridor covered in black mist.
Several recruits instinctively stepped backward.
Zhu Han noticed.
"There are Rank One spiritual beasts inside."
He raised one finger.
"There are also formations."
A second finger.
"And traps."
A third.
"Some of them were created by the sect."
He smiled faintly.
"Some were not."
The recruits' expressions changed.
Zhu Han pointed toward a black crystal embedded in a stone pedestal beside him.
"Your objective is to retrieve a Black Soul Crystal."
He held it up for everyone to see.
"One crystal per person."
A young recruit raised his hand.
"Elder, what happens if two people find the same crystal?"
Zhu Han looked at him.
"Then the faster one leaves with it."
"And the other?"
Zhu Han's expression didn't change.
"That's your problem."
The room became silent again.
Han Feng understood immediately.
This wasn't simply a test of strength.
It was a test of judgment.
The sect wanted to see how recruits behaved when rules became unclear.
Would they cooperate?
Betray one another?
Panic?
Or think independently?
That made the test much more dangerous.
Han Feng's eyes narrowed.
Interesting.
The recruits entered the corridor.
The moment Han Feng crossed the threshold, the atmosphere changed.
The black mist immediately covered his vision.
His spiritual perception weakened.
Even his sense of direction became unreliable.
Han Feng slowed his breathing.
An illusion formation.
He didn't activate the Celestial Diagram.
That would be too risky.
Instead, he used a small amount of ordinary Qi and relied on his senses.
One step.
Then another.
He noticed something immediately.
The mist wasn't equally dense everywhere.
There were currents.
Tiny movements in the air.
Some paths were completely still.
Others carried a faint coldness.
The formations have gaps.
He memorized their positions.
Then he heard footsteps behind him.
Three recruits were following the same path.
One of them whispered:
"Stay together."
Han Feng didn't turn around.
He continued walking.
A few seconds later—
Click.
Han Feng stopped.
The recruits behind him froze.
A thin metallic sound had come from beneath the floor.
Han Feng looked down.
A nearly invisible line crossed the stone.
A trigger mechanism.
He stepped over it.
One of the recruits behind him wasn't as careful.
Click.
The stone floor suddenly split open.
The young man barely managed to jump backward.
Several black needles shot from the wall.
Shhk! Shhk! Shhk!
The needles struck the ground where he had been standing.
The recruit's face went pale.
Nobody spoke.
Han Feng continued walking.
He didn't look back.
But he memorized the mechanism.
The sect isn't exaggerating.
This place really can kill people.
A scream echoed through the corridor.
Then another.
Han Feng stopped for a moment.
Something large moved inside the mist.
A pair of pale eyes appeared.
A spiritual wolf emerged from the darkness.
Its body was thin and covered in dark gray fur.
Unlike ordinary beasts, its movements were unnaturally silent.
It lunged.
A young recruit raised his arm too late.
The wolf struck him and sent him crashing against the wall.
The other recruits scattered.
Han Feng moved with them.
He didn't help.
Not because he couldn't.
Because helping would reveal too much.
The wolf attacked again.
The recruit screamed.
Then everything became quiet.
Han Feng's expression remained calm.
But inside, he was calculating.
The beast isn't hunting randomly.
He observed the wolf.
It attacked whoever moved the fastest.
The others were simply reacting to it.
It's being guided by sound.
Han Feng picked up a small stone.
He threw it into a side passage.
The stone struck the wall.
Clack.
The wolf immediately turned toward the sound.
Han Feng slipped away.
No one noticed.
He didn't need to kill the beast.
He only needed to understand it.
That was enough.
After several minutes, Han Feng separated completely from the other recruits.
The corridor became narrower.
The mist grew thicker.
But the farther he went, the more obvious the formation became.
Eventually, he reached a small underground chamber.
At its center stood a stone altar.
A faint black glow pulsed from its surface.
The Black Soul Crystal.
Han Feng approached slowly.
He did not touch it immediately.
Something felt wrong.
He crouched.
There were scratches around the altar.
Fresh ones.
Someone had already been here.
Then a voice came from behind him.
"You noticed."
Han Feng turned.
A young man stood at the entrance.
He was around Han Feng's age, perhaps slightly older.
His face was pale.
His eyes were unusually calm.
A short black blade rested in his hand.
"I saw the marks," the young man said.
He smiled.
"You didn't."
Han Feng remained silent.
The young man took another step.
"I'll make this simple."
He pointed toward the crystal.
"Leave."
Han Feng looked at him.
"And if I don't?"
The young man's smile widened.
"Then only one of us leaves with the crystal."
Han Feng sighed inwardly.
Of course.
There was always someone who misunderstood a test like this.
Or perhaps—
He's doing exactly what the sect expects.
Han Feng couldn't be sure.
That was the problem.
He lowered his stance.
The young man attacked.
The black blade flashed toward his neck.
Han Feng leaned backward.
The blade passed barely an inch from his face.
Another strike.
Han Feng stepped aside.
Another.
He retreated.
The young man's attacks were fast.
Fast enough to appear dangerous to an ordinary cultivator.
But not fast enough to threaten Han Feng.
First-stage Qi Gathering.
His footwork is better than his cultivation.
Han Feng deliberately allowed his breathing to become heavier.
He stumbled once.
The young man's eyes brightened.
"You're weaker than I thought."
Han Feng said nothing.
The blade came again.
This time, Han Feng barely dodged.
The young man became more confident.
Exactly as Han Feng wanted.
Another attack.
Han Feng stepped backward.
His heel touched a stone tile.
He felt something beneath it.
A mechanism.
His eyes narrowed.
So that's why the scratches were here.
The other recruit had deliberately activated the trap earlier.
He wasn't trying to kill Han Feng directly.
He was trying to force him onto the trigger.
Interesting.
Han Feng suddenly changed direction.
The young man's blade followed.
Han Feng ducked.
The blade passed above his head.
At the same moment, Han Feng kicked a loose stone beneath the young man's foot.
The young man shifted his weight.
Click.
His expression changed.
The trap activated.
Several iron spikes erupted from the floor.
The young man barely avoided the first two.
The third pierced his thigh.
He fell with a grunt.
Han Feng immediately stepped backward.
He didn't attack.
He didn't need to.
The young man stared at him with disbelief.
"You..."
Han Feng looked toward the mechanism.
"You knew."
The young man's face darkened.
Han Feng finally understood.
The other recruit hadn't accidentally walked into the trap.
He had been trying to lure Han Feng onto it.
Han Feng had simply turned the plan around.
He approached the Black Soul Crystal.
Before touching it, he looked back.
"You should stop moving."
The young man glared at him.
"Why?"
"Because the second mechanism is still active."
The young man's face went pale.
Han Feng pointed toward the wall.
A series of tiny holes had opened.
Poison needles.
The young man immediately stopped moving.
For the first time, genuine fear appeared in his eyes.
Han Feng took the crystal.
Then he turned away.
He didn't kill him.
That was intentional.
A corpse would create questions.
A wounded competitor was easier to explain.
And if the sect was observing them through the formation...
Han Feng wanted them to see that he could win without unnecessary killing.
The journey back was harder.
The labyrinth had changed.
Han Feng noticed several passages were no longer where he remembered them.
The illusion formation was rotating.
So the path isn't fixed.
He slowed down.
Instead of relying on memory, he followed the movement of the mist.
After nearly half an hour, he found the entrance.
Only six recruits remained.
When Han Feng stepped outside, several eyes immediately turned toward him.
Some were injured.
One recruit was missing an arm.
Another had blood covering half his face.
Nobody asked what had happened.
They already understood.
Elder Zhu stood beside the entrance.
His eyes moved to the crystal in Han Feng's hand.
"Hand it over."
Han Feng placed it on the table.
Elder Zhu examined it.
Then looked at Han Feng.
"How did you obtain it?"
Han Feng paused.
"I found it."
A few recruits looked at him strangely.
Elder Zhu's expression didn't change.
"That's all?"
Han Feng nodded.
"I encountered another recruit."
"And?"
"We fought."
"Who won?"
Han Feng glanced at the blood on his sleeve.
"The trap."
A brief silence followed.
Then Elder Zhu smiled.
Not approvingly.
Not disapprovingly.
Just knowingly.
"Interesting answer."
He waved his hand.
The crystal was placed inside a storage box.
Han Feng stepped back.
Elder Zhu addressed the remaining recruits.
"Remember this."
His voice echoed throughout the chamber.
"The purpose of the test was never simply to retrieve the crystal."
He looked at the survivors.
"It was to determine who could survive when nobody told you what the rules really were."
His eyes stopped on Han Feng for a moment longer than necessary.
"Some of you relied on strength."
"Some relied on numbers."
"Some relied on luck."
"And some..."
His gaze sharpened.
"...understood the purpose of the test."
Han Feng lowered his eyes.
He said nothing.
That evening, the survivors were taken to the outer disciple quarters.
Han Feng received a simple black robe, a wooden token, and a small room carved into the mountain wall.
There was almost nothing inside.
A stone bed.
A table.
A water jar.
That was all.
Han Feng closed the door.
Only then did he allow himself to relax.
He sat on the bed and examined the wooden token.
A small formation was engraved on its surface.
A tracking formation.
His expression became slightly colder.
So that's how they monitor us.
He could feel a faint spiritual mark attached to the token.
Removing it immediately would be stupid.
Destroying it would be worse.
Instead, he left it untouched.
Then he looked inward.
The Celestial Diagram slowly rotated within his consciousness.
The Celestial Transmutation Gu remained silent.
The Dual Chaos Larva pulsed gently beside it.
Han Feng smiled faintly.
He had entered the Black Moon Sect.
But he had not truly become one of them.
Not yet.
He was still being watched.
And he intended to keep it that way.
Because there was something even more valuable than the sect's resources.
Information.
He needed to know who controlled the Black Moon Sect.
Why Elder Mo had allowed him to stay.
What the sect wanted from wandering cultivators.
And, most importantly—
Who was the mysterious "Shadow Lord" that the cultivator from the cave had mentioned?
Han Feng opened his eyes.
The peaceful expression on his face disappeared.
For the first time since arriving at the sect, his thoughts returned to the broken chrysalis in the cave.
Someone had wanted that Gu.
Someone powerful enough to send cultivators after it.
And now Han Feng had taken the Gu for himself.
If the Black Moon Sect was connected to that mysterious organization...
Then he might have walked directly into the enemy's territory.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Then I'll find out."
Outside his room, footsteps stopped.
Han Feng's smile vanished.
Someone was standing outside.
A few seconds passed.
Then the footsteps continued.
Han Feng remained completely still.
He waited.
Ten breaths.
Twenty.
Only after the sound had disappeared did he release the tension in his body.
His eyes became cold.
I'm being watched already.
He lay down on the stone bed.
Sleep would have to wait.
The Black Moon Sect had given him a place to stay.
But it had also given him something far more dangerous.
Enemies he couldn't yet see.
And Han Feng had learned long ago that the most dangerous enemies were not the ones who attacked you.
They were the ones who watched you quietly while pretending not to care.
The whispers in the darkness had only just begun.