Li Xue stepped forward, her gaze flickering between the two paths before her. One led into a dimly lit corridor, lined with aged scrolls and incense burners. The other, wide and ominous, opened into a vast training ground where monks practiced their martial arts beneath banners embroidered with golden lotuses.
Jiang Feng sighed. "Let me guess—the quiet path is 'understanding,' and the one that looks like a battlefield is 'war'?"
The elder monk nodded. "That is correct."
Li Xue hummed thoughtfully. "And if I refuse to choose?"
The elder studied her, then turned his gaze to Jiang Feng. "Then fate will choose for you."
Jiang Feng folded his arms. "That sounds suspiciously like a threat."
The elder smiled faintly. "It is merely the truth. No one carries the mark of the heavens without consequence."
Li Xue considered this for a moment before turning to Jiang Feng. "What do you think?"
Jiang Feng arched a brow. "Why are you asking me? You're the one they're calling a celestial maiden."
She smirked. "And yet, I find your opinion entertaining."
Jiang Feng exhaled. He didn't trust the temple. Didn't trust fate. And he certainly didn't trust a choice that felt too simple. But if they were walking into something they didn't understand, then understanding was probably the better path.
"Let's go with the quiet one," he said. "Less chance of someone trying to kill us."
Li Xue nodded. "Agreed."
With that, they stepped onto the path of understanding.
—
The corridor smelled of old parchment and burning sandalwood. Golden lanterns lined the walls, casting a soft glow over the intricate carvings that ran along the stone. The deeper they walked, the heavier the air became—not with danger, but with something unseen, something ancient.
Jiang Feng glanced at the murals carved into the walls. They depicted celestial beings descending from the heavens, their hands outstretched toward kneeling mortals. Beneath them, the world burned in both divine light and chaos.
He frowned. "These don't look like peaceful gods."
Li Xue traced her fingers along the stone. "No… they don't."
The elder monk walked beside them, his voice calm. "Power is neither good nor evil. It simply exists. The question is—how will you use it?"
Li Xue's steps slowed. "And what if I don't want it?"
The elder looked at her with something almost like sympathy. "It is not a matter of wanting. It is a matter of being."
Jiang Feng exhaled sharply. "I hate riddles."
The elder chuckled. "Then allow me to be clearer."
He gestured toward a massive wooden door at the end of the corridor.
"Beyond this door lies the truth of your power."
Li Xue hesitated.
Jiang Feng eyed her. "Are you ready for this?"
She smirked. "Are you?"
Jiang Feng sighed. He walked into that one.
The elder raised his hand. The door groaned as it slowly swung open, revealing a vast chamber bathed in golden light.
And at its center, floating above a raised platform, was a mirror of mist and jade.
Li Xue stepped forward. The mirror rippled, as if sensing her presence.
Jiang Feng had seen a lot of strange things in his life. But something about this mirror—this thing—made his skin crawl.
The elder monk lowered his head. "It will show you who you are. And who you might become."
Li Xue stared at the shifting mist within the mirror's surface. Slowly, she reached out a hand.
The moment her fingers touched the glass—
The world shattered.
—
Jiang Feng wasn't sure what happened. One second, they were standing in the temple. The next, he was somewhere else.
The air smelled of rain. A field of endless white lotus flowers stretched before him, their petals swaying in a wind that didn't exist. The sky above was black, dotted with distant stars.
And in the center of it all stood Li Xue, dressed in flowing white robes embroidered with gold. Her long hair floated around her, weightless, as if the heavens themselves refused to let gravity touch her.
But something was wrong.
Her eyes were golden, glowing like twin suns.
Jiang Feng took a step forward. "Li Xue?"
She didn't move. Didn't blink. It was as if she wasn't entirely there.
Then she spoke.
Or rather—her voice spoke, but not her.
"The balance is broken."
Jiang Feng tensed. "What?"
"The cycle repeats. The heavens awaken."
The wind howled. The lotus petals lifted into the air, swirling around her like a storm.
And then—the world cracked.
Jiang Feng barely had time to react before the lotus field vanished, and the real world snapped back into place.
He was back in the temple. Back in the chamber.
Li Xue stumbled back from the mirror, her breath ragged.
Jiang Feng caught her before she fell. "Hey—are you okay?"
She clutched his arm, fingers trembling. Her eyes were back to normal, but for a moment, he swore he still saw a faint golden glow deep within them.
The elder monk was watching them closely. "You saw, didn't you?"
Li Xue's breathing slowed. "What… was that?"
The elder closed his eyes. "The will of the heavens."
Jiang Feng frowned. "That doesn't tell us anything."
The elder turned to Li Xue. "What did you hear?"
She hesitated. "Something about… the balance being broken. And the heavens awakening."
The elder exhaled. "Then it is as we feared."
Jiang Feng narrowed his eyes. "You knew this would happen."
The elder didn't answer immediately. Then, softly, he said, "The celestial maiden does not exist to be worshiped. She exists because the world is on the brink of change."
Li Xue's grip on Jiang Feng's arm tightened.
Jiang Feng exhaled. "So what happens now?"
The elder opened his eyes. "Now… you prepare."
Li Xue swallowed. "For what?"
The monk's gaze darkened.
"For war."