The deeper Su Chen ventured into Jadefall, the stranger the world became.
The once majestic city lay in shambles, its towering spires now crooked skeletons of stone.
Cracked marble streets snaked through toppled temples and fractured bridges that spanned rivers of frozen time. Every few steps, Su Chen's surroundings would subtly shift—tiles aging and cracking beneath his feet, shadows crawling in reverse, voices from the past drifting through the air.
> [Temporal Field Intensity: High. Caution advised.]
Even the System's tone seemed wary.
Su Chen paused beneath a broken archway, eyes narrowed. A faint pulse of power guided him onward—the Third Origin Fragment was close. But so were other presences.
He knelt beside a shattered statue, brushing dust from an inscription in ancient script.
"Here fell those who defied the tyranny of time."
A grim smile tugged at Su Chen's lips.
"They weren't the last."
He stood and continued deeper, body tense. His senses whispered of a watcher—a thread of killing intent so faint that even seasoned cultivators might have missed it.
But Su Chen was no ordinary cultivator.
He came to a courtyard drowned in moonlight, though the sky above was overcast. Time was unraveling here more severely—moss that grew and withered in seconds, vines twisting like living things.
At the center lay a stone pedestal, cracked and half-buried. Resting atop it, encased in a cocoon of shimmering energy, was the Third Origin Fragment—a shard that pulsed with deep violet light.
Su Chen approached cautiously.
"Finally."
But before he could step forward, the killing intent sharpened.
A voice rang out from the shadows.
"You move well for one so young."
Su Chen turned swiftly.
From the crumbling balcony above, a figure emerged—a man in silver-black robes, lean and wiry, with sharp features and cold eyes that gleamed like twin stars.
"You are?" Su Chen asked, voice calm.
The man smiled faintly.
"Wei Lun. Envoy of the Shadow Hall."
Su Chen's expression didn't waver, though his heart quickened. The Shadow Hall—an ancient organization of assassins and spies. Their presence here confirmed that news of the fragments had spread faster than he'd hoped.
Wei Lun spoke again.
"You've already claimed two fragments. Impressive. But here your path ends."
He leapt gracefully from the balcony, landing without a sound. The air around him darkened, shadows lengthening unnaturally.
Su Chen's eyes gleamed.
"You're welcome to try."
Wei Lun wasted no words.
In an instant, dozens of shadow tendrils lashed out, their tips sharp as blades, aiming to bind and slice.
Su Chen's void Qi flared.
Spatial Rend.
He wove a rift between himself and the tendrils, causing them to warp and sever mid-strike. At the same time, he shot forward—closing the distance with frightening speed.
Wei Lun's eyes widened.
"Fast!"
He pivoted, spinning a dagger in each hand, their edges coated with a strange, flickering toxin that disrupted Qi flow.
Their blades clashed—a dance of light and darkness.
Wei Lun fought with fluid grace, each strike calculated, each feint a trap. But Su Chen moved with cold precision, his experience drawn not from this life alone, but from countless cycles of battle and betrayal.
Blades met palms, space rippled, and the ancient stones beneath them cracked from the force of their exchange.
Wei Lun grimaced.
"You're not what the reports claimed."
Su Chen smiled darkly.
"Neither are you."
With a burst of power, Su Chen unleashed a wave of void energy that sent Wei Lun skidding back.
The assassin landed lightly but was breathing harder now.
He flicked a glance toward the fragment—still untouched, still pulsing.
Su Chen stepped forward.
"I'll give you a choice. Leave now, or fall here."
Wei Lun's gaze flickered—not with fear, but with calculation.
Then, to Su Chen's surprise, the assassin sheathed his blades.
"I see why the Tribunal fears you," Wei Lun said coolly.
"But this isn't my true mission."
He tossed a small black token onto the ground—a spider-shaped sigil of the Shadow Hall.
"Consider this a message," Wei Lun continued.
"Others will come. Stronger than me. You've made powerful enemies."
With a faint smile, he faded into the shadows—gone as swiftly as he'd appeared.
Su Chen stood still for a moment, senses alert, but no further attacks came.
Only then did he approach the pedestal.
He extended his hand, weaving a protective veil of void Qi around his palm. Carefully, he grasped the Third Origin Fragment.
> [Origin Fragment Acquired – 3/7]
[New Ability Unlocked: Temporal Anchor (Minor) – Allows the user to temporarily stabilize time flow in a limited radius.]
A slow breath escaped his lips.
Another piece reclaimed.
But Wei Lun's warning rang in his mind.
Others will come.
Su Chen stared at the fragment, eyes cold.
Let them come, he thought. I'll break them all.
He turned toward the exit of the courtyard, cloak billowing behind him.
The true game had begun.