Zhen Lu was climbing the well-known route to Li Chen's mountain hideaway when the first light of morning discovered her. The happenings at the spatial fissure had left him profoundly troubled—not only by the manifestation itself but by its exact resonance with his own energy signature. The divide seemed to have been calibrated just for him.
Practicing an ancient sword form Zhen knew from five centuries ago, Li Chen was already outside his cave. Before greeting his guest, the elderly farmer finished his routine.
Li Chen noted, sheathing his basic blade, "Your energy is turbulent." The journey uncovered anything noteworthy.
Zhen detailed the spatial rift's violet energy signature, pulsing pattern according to Ye Qingqing's breathing method, and most crucially, the glimpses of what seemed to be Endless Sword Sect from five hundred years earlier.
Li Chen's worn face stayed expressionless, but his eyes gave away worry. This is neither accidental manifestation or leftover energy. She is trying direct temporal breach.
Could such a thing be possible? Zhen inquired, already assuming the response.
Ordinary cultivators, no. Before her treachery, though, Ye Qingqing was testing methods of time control. In the dirt, Li Chen followed a complicated pattern. Should she encode her awareness with particular temporal markers prior to her physical death...
Zhen said she might maybe tether herself to those markers when they next line up. Five hundred years of cyclical activity.
Exactly. Should your reincarnation is as I believe controlled, you might have been created as the physical anchor point-the vessel supposed to accept her.
A junior disciple on the path below yelling Zhen's name with fervor interrupted their conversation.
Zhen Lu, disciple! Grand Elder Yun wants you right now at the Elder Pavilion!
Zhen bowed formally in response to Li Chen's meaningful look. Master, we will carry on with this talk later.
Li Chen gently cautioned, "Proceed with extreme caution." Now the pieces start to move more quickly.
At the core of Celestial Sword Sect, the Elder Pavilion was a nine-sided building reflecting the sect's fundamental values. Inside, Grand Elder Yun Wuhen waited, looking over a clear crystal map of the sect's lands. Zhen entered and knelt politely, so he sent his attendants away.
Yun remarked, his voice friendly, "Rise, Disciple Zhen." Your performance throughout yesterday's inquiry has been reported to be quite remarkable.
Zhen said humbly, "This disciple just followed Senior Sister Mo's direction."
Yun grinned faintly. A junior follower should be modest, yet false humility hinders development. Your friends were saved by the defensive strategy you used. Such fast thinking merits praise.
Every phrase had hidden thrusts, so the discussion seemed like fragile swordplay. Yun went across the crystal map while Zhen kept deliberate neutrality.
Yun went on, "Your team's energy disturbance calls for more investigation. Designed to safely capture energy samples without causing instability, my particular collecting equipment is
He pointed to a nearby table's elaborate metal box. Zhen instantly identified its surface as intricate patterns masquerating as normal energy containment runes, therefore part of the Soul Reclamation procedure.
Yun said, "Return to the location and gather these samples." Your shown love for handling this specific energy qualifies you perfectly for the job.
Though declining would expose his doubts, the request was obviously a trap. Your confidence, Grand Elder, honors me. When should I leave?
At daybreak tomorrow. Take just one friend—preferably one with complimentary energy management. Senior Sister Mo would fit.
Zhen left with measured steps after being dismissed and given thorough directions. Movement close to the restricted area drew his notice as he circled outside the Elder Pavilion toward Sword Heart Peak hoping to locate Mo Yu. Two senior disciples were escorting Mo Yu herself into the inner sanctum of the peak, a location only accessible to peak masters and their direct appointees.
Zhen turned around and headed to his room to examine his situation. The collection device was obviously meant to interact with the spatial rift in some particular manner—perhaps to enlarge it or stabilize it for longer durations. Its true goal may be whatever, but it helped Yun Wuhen's ambition instead of the sect's protection.
The jade token in Zhen's pocket unexpectedly heated as dusk fell. He turned on the link to Yun Yao after locating a quiet area in the training grounds.
"Two vital finds," her voice came through rapidly. First, our old writings say Soul Reclamation calls for a temporal convergence point—just like your spatial rift. Second, my pendant—" her voice momentarily broke, " it's been replaced with a copy. The original holding your essence piece must have been seized by my uncle.
When exactly?
Lately. I only saw since the replica failed to resonate in reaction to particular alchemical testing. Her voice fell lower. There is more. Under our alchemical compound, I found a hidden chamber—a ritual place with forms pointing straight at your Celestial Sword Sect. The forms respond to energy changes matching those recorded at your spatial rift.
The consequences were obvious. Both sites are concurrently preparing the ceremony.
Indeed. Whatever my uncle intends, it's unavoidable. Her voice was full of both dread and will. Any tool he gives you should be handled carefully. It's probably meant to catalyze instead of hold.
Zhen stayed in meditation following their conversation, charting links between these insights. The parts for Soul Reclamation were almost assembled if Yun Wuhen had both his essence fragment and a gadget to control the spatial fissure. The only thing left was timing—when would the ceremony start?
A gentle step interrupted his focus. When he opened his eyes, he saw Mo Yu standing in front of him, her face concerned.
Grand Elder Yun has called for you, she said flatly. "For a unique task concerning the spatial rift."
Zhen agreed. He asks me to gather energy samples. You've been suggested as my friend.
I had my suspicions. Peak Master Feng grilled me on yesterday's happenings—especially on your defensive approach. Voice dropping, she sat next to him. He appeared to be worried about Grand Elder Yun's interest in you.
I didn't see this coming. "Peak Master Feng questions the Grand Elder's motives?"
Not publicly. He told me to watch closely and tell him straight away, skipping usual procedures. She looked at him closely. The sect is not as united as it seems. Some people doubt recent choices, especially about how these anomalies are handled.
The discovery that factions could be present in the sect leadership opened up fresh strategic options. Peak Master Feng, do you trust him? Zhen inquired cautiously.
Since I was brought to the cult as a child, he has been my mentor. He has always been dedicated to the ideals of Sword Heart Peak. She was unsure. "He said something odd: sometimes history has to repeat to fix itself.
Zhen felt a flash of awareness. That statement had been one of his own guiding principles during his former existence, something he had often talked about with his closest disciples—including the young farmer who would later establish Sword Heart Peak.
Mo Yu went on, "Regarding the task for tomorrow." I think somehow we're being tested. Grand Elder Yun's collecting equipment holds configurations I don't identify from our usual procedures.
Have you already witnessed it?
She agreed. "Peak Master Feng showed me a similar design, warning me to be vigilant about its actual function."
This validated Zhen's concerns and exposed something fresh—not everyone among the sect leadership shared Yun Wuhen's goals. It also implied Peak Master Feng could have his own agenda about the spatial oddities.
Zhen said, "We should carry on with the mission." Though with caution and our own circumstances.
Mo Yu consented. Should it be required, I will make protective talismans to interfere with the device.
Zhen observed a slight change in their dynamic as they planned for the next day. Mo Yu was no longer just a skilled senior disciple steering a junior; she had become a genuine ally with her own goals and insights. Her small lean toward him as they spoke and her implicit trust in challenging sect authorities suggested a burgeoning friendship beyond formal sect ties.
"Remember that not all inside the sect would sacrifice its values for power, whatever happens tomorrow," she added as they wrapped up their plans. Many of us still respect the first lessons.
Zhen answered instinctively, "The true path of the sword," only to remember he had cited his own five-century-old proverb, which had been carved above the original training sites.
Mo Yu blinked a little. Indeed, precisely. Daily, Peak Master Feng says those remarks. She looked at him again with interest. Your mountain hermit appears knowledgeable about the founding principles of our group.
Zhen grinned weakly. Some knowledge crosses time.
Zhen experienced a strange feeling of completion as they said goodbye for the night, both conscious of the impending hazards. Five hundred years ago, he had confronted Ye Qingqing's treachery alone, with even his closest students dispersed by her first strikes. Now, as her comeback approached again, he discovered possible allies in Mo Yu and Yun Yao, links to his past via Li Chen, and maybe even sympathetic seniors in the sect hierarchy.
Maybe this time, confronting his old foe would have a different result. But first, he had to know—and probably undermine—any ritual Yun Wuhen had started utilizing his own essence pieces.