The moonlight filtered in through the broken wooden blinds. Lin Xuan sat cross-legged in meditation, his breathing calm yet deep. A heavy stillness surrounded him, not of peace—but of pressure, as if the very air around him had learned to respect his presence.
He had returned from his breakthrough, changed. There was something sharper in his gaze, something colder in his presence. The mark of power—born of struggle and sealed in flesh—glowed faintly on his back, hidden beneath his robes.
Liu Yue approached quietly, a bowl of medicine in her hands. "You said your back was burning earlier," she said softly, avoiding eye contact. "I... brought the salve."
Lin Xuan nodded. "Apply it."
Her hands trembled slightly as she dipped her fingers into the cool ointment and gently touched his back. But the moment she saw the intricate mark—swirling patterns of gold and shadow inked into his flesh—her breath caught.
"What… is this?" she asked, almost in a whisper.
Lin Xuan was silent for a moment, then spoke without turning his head. "It appeared after I practiced your father's cultivation art. That technique is more than what it seems."
"You mean… that simple scripture?"
He turned his head slightly, just enough for his voice to carry. "That scripture was a key. There is a greater art behind it—The Scriptures of Severed Unity. A cultivation path that can be practiced by both righteous and demonic cultivators."
Liu Yue's eyes widened. "That's impossible… both paths?"
"I told you, it's not ordinary." His voice was low. "And it was your father's… Liu Ren's."
From the side, Luo Shuang, who had been listening silently, suddenly gasped.
"I remember now…" she murmured, her voice heavy with emotion. "That night… before he vanished, he held a strange pendant—half dark, half golden. He said, 'The boy with the mark will either save or destroy the clan.' Then he showed it to me… and I never saw it again."
The room fell into silence.
Then Lin Xuan stood and looked at Liu Yue. "Only two people can practice this art. One who walks the demonic path. One who walks the righteous. I need you to be the second."
Her eyes met his—confused, overwhelmed—but she nodded.
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