The icy wind that whipped around Jinn's face was a constant, almost comforting presence.
For years, it had been the sole witness to his contemplation on this desolate ledge overlooking Xinzhou, a city that glittered with deceit as much as it did with light.
The familiar panorama, though breathtaking, felt like a cage, a constant reminder of the life he hasn't chosen. Master Wu, a silhouette etched against a fading twilight, approached with his usual, deliberate pace. The limp, a consequence of a youthful ambition gone awry, served as a constant reminder of the sacrifices made in the name of a fading ideal.
"Jinn," Wu's voice was raspy, a sound that carried the weight of decades spent in silent discipline. "Still wrestling with the city, I see. It remains unmoved by our solitary vigil."Jinn didn't turn. "It's a fool's errand, Master. Clinging to these old stones, these outdated ways… What good is all this training, this knowledge, if it remains locked away within these walls?".
Wu sighed, the sound barely audible above the rustling pines. "The halls hold more than just echoes, Jinn. And the five pupils we nurture, though few, possess a dedication you undervalue. Furthermore, within the tomes are the tenets passed down for generations, wisdom you must now inherit and preserve.".
Jinn scoffed, a sound swallowed by the wind. "Inherit? Preserve? What's there to inherit but poverty and disillusionment? What's there to preserve but a legacy of violence and misplaced loyalty?"
Wu winced, a flicker of pain momentarily clouding his weathered face. "The legacy is the wisdom and the techniques, nothing more, the rest are simply choices.".
Jinn finally turned, his jade-colored eyes locking onto Wu's. "The 'choices' of my great-grandfather? Jian, who turned the Azure Dragon Sect into a personal blade for the Emperor? An elite squad of assassins disguised as righteous protectors?"
Master Wu held his gaze, his expression a mask of stoicism.
"Jian believed he was safeguarding the realm from chaos, acting where the Emperor's hand could not directly reach. His methods were… pragmatic. He sought to maintain order, as corrupted as it might have been.".
The Azure Dragon Sect. A name steeped in myth and whispered secrets. Jinn envisioned his great-grandfather, a figure shrouded in legend, carving a path through the shadows, shaping destinies with lethal precision. A legacy built on blood, betrayal, and the hollow promise of a greater good."Tell me again," Jinn said, his voice low and laced with a familiar bitterness, "about why that 'greater good' crumbled."
Wu hesitated, the shadow deepening on his face. The story of Jinn's parents was a wound he rarely dared to touch. "Your parents… were sent to infiltrate Gao's court. Gao was gathering power, defying the Emperor. Your parents were… skilled. Masters of deception, infiltration, and… if necessary, elimination."
Jinn clenched his fists, the familiar rage simmering beneath the surface. He knew the story, the sanitized version Master Wu usually offered, a narrative designed to spare him the full horror.
"They were discovered. Gao was ready. It was a carefully laid trap. They were captured, tortured… executed." Wu's voiced cracked.
"Their bodies… were returned, a stark message, a warning". The betrayal. The agonizing deaths. The turning point. Jinn's grandfather, consumed by grief and a burning sense of injustice, severed the Azure Dragon Sect's ties to the Emperor. He saw the rot at the heart of the empire, the callous disregard for human life, the insidious corruption that had claimed his children's lives.
"So, he spat in the Emperor's face," Jinn said, his voice heavy with scorn. "And then? The lifeblood drained away. The money vanished. The esteemed Azure Dragon Sect became… this." He swept his hand to encompass the crumbling sanctuary, the decaying training grounds, the faded dreams of glory.
Master Wu nodded, his gaze fixed on the distant city. "The Emperor responded with swift retribution. The coffers closed. Support evaporated. Students fled, seduced by the allure of wealth and influence in the Imperial Guard. The Azure Dragon Sect became an outcast, a pariah, abandoned by those it once served."
The scarcity was a constant, gnawing emptiness that permeated every aspect of Jinn's life. They lived a life of near-subsistence, relying on meager gardens and the occasional handout from sympathetic villagers.
The Azure Dragon Sect, once a force to be reckoned with, was now reduced to a pathetic shadow, clinging desperately to survival.
Jinn felt a surge of resentment, not only towards the Emperor and his corrupt officials, but also towards his grandfather, the man whose actions, however well-intentioned, came at the cost of the life of his parents and condemned them to this impoverished existence.
"And you want me to lead this?" Jinn asked, his voice laced with disbelief. "You want me to inherit this legacy of failure, of isolation, of.. irrelevance? Why? What's the point?"Wu turned to him, his eyes shining with an unwavering conviction.
"Because you are the best, Jinn. The most gifted warrior this sector has ever known. You possess the skill, the strength, the discipline, the…potential.".
"You have the ability to steer it back to greatness."
Jinn laughed, a dry, mirthless sound. "Greatness"? In Xinzhou? Look at it, Master! Justice is a commodity for the wealthy, and compassion is a weakness that gets you killed."
He gazed down at the city, a panorama of contrasts, the glittering mansions of the powerful, the desperate struggles of the downtrodden, the opulent casinos where fortunes were made and shattered in a single night.
Xinzhou was a festering wound, a place where the strong preyed on the weak."Besides," Jinn continued, his voice softening, "even if I desired it, what can we do? We barely scrape by. We have no funds to even attract the youths, let alone train new disciples."
Wu's lips curved into a subtle smile. He shook his head and placed a hand on Jinn's shoulder, his grip surprisingly firm for a man of his age. "The strength of the Azure Dragon Sect lies not in these stones, but in the spirit within. Come, I'll show you."
He turned and began to walk away from the familiar precipice, deeper into the sprawling martial sector.
Jinn followed, a sense of unease mixing with curiosity. He'd spent his entire life within these walls, training, meditating, honing his skills. He knew every dojo, every training ground, every weathered stone. Or so he thought.
Wu led him through the familiar training grounds, past the weapon racks worn smooth by generations of use, past the libraries filled with ancient scrolls containing forgotten techniques.
But then, he veered off the well-trodden path, leading Jinn towards the dense, ancient forest that formed eastern of the sector."Where are we going?" Jinn asked, his voice laced with apprehension. He'd always been forbidden from venturing too deep into the forest, told that it was reserved for advanced drills and meditative retreats.
Wu didn't answer, his face set in a determined expression. He pushed aside thick branches, revealing a narrow, overgrown path that Jinn had never noticed before.
They followed the path for what seemed like an eternity, the trees growing denser, the air growing colder, the silence broken only by the rustling leaves and the occasional hoot of an owl.
Finally, they reached a clearing. In the center stood a massive, ancient tree, its gnarled roots anchoring it firmly to the earth.
Jinn had seen this tree before, from afar, but he'd never realized its significance. Wu approached the tree and placed his hand on its trunk, his fingers tracing a series of hidden symbols etched into the bark.With a low rumble, the ground beneath their feet began to shake.
A section of the forest floor, hidden beneath a thick layer of leaves and moss, slid open, revealing a dark, gaping maw leading down into the earth.Jinn stared in disbelief.
"What…what is this?""This, Jinn," Wu said, his voice filled with a strange reverence, "is the heart of the Azure Dragon Sect. A secret known only to a few."
He descended into the darkness, his silhouette disappearing into the depths.
Jinn hesitated for a moment, then followed, drawn by an irresistible force of curiosity and destiny.The passage was narrow and damp, the air thick with the scent of earth and decay.
Torches flickered to life along the walls, casting eerie shadows that danced around them as they descended. Finally, they reached a large, circular chamber.