The Inner Sect's courtyard lay shrouded in mist, the jade tiles slick beneath Yao Yi's feet as he moved with cautious steps. His heart pounded—not just from exertion, but from the weight of expectations pressing down on him like a stone. Every new initiate faced the same trial, but none bore the legacy he carried. The whispered rumors of his bloodline followed him like a curse.
The elders had assigned him a mission: a test not just of strength, but of wit and spirit. He was to enter the Bamboo Grove alone at midnight, a place thick with legend and shadows. The task was simple in words but treacherous in practice—recover a stolen relic said to hold the power to bind the sect's fate.
As dusk bled into night, Yao Yi approached the grove's edge. The bamboo stalks stood tall and silent, swaying gently in a wind that carried no breeze. The air was thick with the scent of moss and ancient earth, and the faintest whisper of unseen wings. His grip tightened on the mirror's chain, its surface flickering like a heartbeat.
A sudden rustle shattered the silence—a shadow darted between the stalks. Yao Yi's senses sharpened, energy coiling within his limbs. The mirror pulsed, responding to an unseen force, its light dancing across the dark undergrowth.
From the shadows emerged a figure—a girl cloaked in silver-edged robes, her hair white as snow, eyes glinting like moonlit steel.
"You came," she said calmly, voice like a breeze over still water.
"Who are you?" Yao Yi asked, wary.
"I am Ling Yue, personal disciple to Elder Silvermoon," she replied. "He sent me to warn you. The powers you awaken are not meant for the faint-hearted."
She stepped closer, revealing a bloodstained parchment—marked with Yao Yi's name and the shattered emblem of ten suns.
"They know about your bloodline," she said softly. "And they are hunting."
Before he could react, a sudden roar tore through the night—the ground trembled as monstrous creatures, Riftspawn born from corrupted energy, burst from the earth. Their claws scraped stone, eyes burning with malice.
Yao Yi's breath caught, but he steadied himself. The mirror at his waist flared with radiant energy, forming a shield of pure light. The battle had begun.