By ArkGodZ | DaoVerse Studio
The bells of dawn still echoed through the mountains as Jian Yu stepped through the gates of the Northern Hall. The jade floor beneath his feet felt like freshly formed ice, and the air carried the metallic scent of mist mixed with the faint aroma of incense burning on the altars.
The hall's walls were lined with ancient tapestries depicting cultivators taming dragons and touching the heavens. Symbols engraved in gold shimmered subtly with spiritual energy. Amidst these echoes of the past, the eyes of the disciples gleamed with fear, admiration... and doubt.
He said nothing. And no one dared approach.
Yuan, walking a short distance behind him, kept her hands clasped behind her back, seemingly relaxed — but he knew she saw everything. Every whisper, every sideways glance, every held breath.
"They're still trying to understand what they saw yesterday," she said, eyes drifting to a tapestry where a phoenix was consumed by a sea of flame.
Jian Yu stayed silent.
"Some think it was a secret technique. Others say you awakened an ancient spirit. And there are those who swear you're a vessel for a sleeping demon," she continued, smirking. "Well... at least they don't say you're just a lucky bastard anymore."
He paused, gazing up at the gray sky above the sect's towers, where the clouds spiraled with unease.
"And what do you think, Yuan?"
She turned to him, serious this time.
"I think... something inside you answered the world. And the world... listened."
The silence between them grew heavier than any spoken word. Only the sound of banners rustling in the high winds filled the space.
Later, in the training courtyard, Jian Yu repeated sword movements with a wooden blade. The grounds were encircled by obsidian pillars, each engraved with the crests of great cultivator families.
Every cut through the air was an attempt to regain control. Every deep breath, a desperate effort to remember who he was.
But... who was he, really?
He remembered the blood. The fire. The darkness. The death.
And after that? Only flashes. The touch of Yuan's hand. The sound of his own name whispered. And that strange feeling of not truly being himself — yet still being alive.
This isn't just a new beginning... it's something that was waiting for me, he thought.
"Jian Yu!"
The sharp voice shattered his thoughts like glass. It was Instructor Wei, one of the cultivators in charge of mid-stage disciples. A stern man with narrow eyes, a short beard, and a blue-gray robe marked with the sigil of discipline.
"Come with me. Now."
Without hesitation, Jian Yu sheathed his sword and followed. They passed through two stone corridors lined with rice paper screens before entering a silent room, where the trickling of water from a stone fountain was the only living sound. Small bells hung from the ceiling, chiming now and then from subtle energy flows.
Wei turned with arms crossed.
"What you did yesterday... wasn't a sect technique. There are no records of anything like it in our manuals."
"I know."
"Then what was it?"
Jian Yu hesitated. Not because he wanted to lie — but because even he didn't know.
"It was... instinct. A pulse. Like my body knew what to do before I did."
Wei narrowed his eyes.
"Do you remember what you felt?"
Jian Yu took a slow breath.
"Desire. But not in the ordinary sense. It was more than wanting to win. It was... like I needed to be felt. As if the world around me had to recognize me."
The instructor remained silent for several long seconds, then spoke:
"Some elders want your immediate expulsion. Others... are too curious to let that happen."
"And you?"
Wei turned his back, staring at the fountain.
"I'm still deciding."
When Jian Yu left the room, twilight was already creeping over the sect. The gardens were aglow with spiritual flowers that only bloomed at dusk, casting soft lights and releasing calming fragrances.
He found Yuan sitting on the outer wall, eating a shimmering translucent fruit under the golden sky.
"So... you were interrogated, questioned, threatened, and possibly marked for death. Not bad for a morning," she said, offering him a piece of the fruit.
"And you... still pretend not to care."
She smiled.
"I don't pretend. I just like to see how far you'll go before you break."
He took the piece, bit into it, and said nothing. Yuan studied him.
"You feel it, don't you? That something's wrong with this body."
Jian Yu looked at his hands. They trembled slightly.
"Sometimes, I feel like I'm not the only one inside me. And sometimes... I'm not even the one in charge."
She leaned forward slightly, her voice a whisper.
"What if that desire... isn't only yours?"
He looked at her, but Yuan was already watching the sky again.
"Maybe that's why the heavens answered. Maybe what's waking up in you... isn't waking up alone."
Jian Yu said nothing. But within, a new question took root — not about the power.
But about what he had become.
Or... who else might be waking up with him.
End of Chapter.
Next Chapter: Beneath the Veil of Desire
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