The sound of the ancient bell lingered long after it fell silent.
Its echo rolled through the valleys like thunder trapped within mist, shaking the very marrow of the mountain.
No disciple of the Azure Veil Sect spoke. They knelt in uneasy reverence, faces pale beneath the lantern light. Even the birds had gone silent, as though the heavens themselves dared not breathe.
Lin Xuan stood in the courtyard, hand pressed against his chest.
That sound… it had resonated through him — not as mere vibration, but as if something deep within had answered.
Golden light had briefly flickered across his veins, then faded. Now, only silence remained.
Beside him, Yu Ling's gaze was fixed on the bell tower above the main hall. "That sound," she murmured, "it didn't just warn us. It… called something."
Lin Xuan didn't answer. The ringing still pulsed behind his ribs. Each beat of his heart felt like it carried another voice, whispering in a language he couldn't understand.
Sect Master Ming Zhao emerged from the shadows, his white hair fluttering in the faint night breeze. His eyes, ancient and steady, swept across the gathered disciples.
"The bell tolls for the first time in a thousand years," he said quietly. "The last time it rang, the heavens cracked open and the veil between realms bled light."
He looked to Lin Xuan. "And now, it tolls again — for you."
The words froze the air. Disciples exchanged uneasy glances. Yu Ling stiffened, her hand brushing the hilt of her sword.
"What do you mean?" Lin Xuan asked, his voice low. "Why would it toll for me?"
Ming Zhao did not answer immediately. Instead, he gestured for them to follow him toward the rear of the sect, past cascading waterfalls and glowing stone lanterns that burned with steady blue flames.
They entered an ancient chamber — its ceiling painted with stars, its floor etched with an intricate formation that hummed faintly with power.
"This," Ming Zhao said, "is the foundation of Azure Veil Sect. We were never meant to be a great power. Our task is not to rule, but to guard."
He raised a hand. Spiritual light bloomed from the formation. A vision unfolded in the air — nine pillars of light piercing through clouds, each connecting to a realm beyond sight.
"The Nine Veil Seals," he said. "Each one anchors a boundary between our mortal realm and what lies beyond — the Outer Dominion. As long as they stand, the heavens remain divided, and chaos cannot spill across the worlds."
Lin Xuan's breath caught. "And one of those seals…"
Ming Zhao nodded slowly. "Is beneath this mountain."
Silence.
Yu Ling's expression hardened. "Then that assassin… he wasn't sent only for Lin Xuan."
Ming Zhao's gaze flickered with grim understanding. "No. He came to test the seal. Lin Xuan's awakening — his strange power — it's tied to whatever sleeps beyond it."
Lin Xuan looked down at his hands. His fingers trembled faintly. "Then… am I the cause of this?"
Ming Zhao smiled faintly. "Cause? No. Catalyst, perhaps. But never the cause. The heavens move according to designs even we cannot fathom."
His tone softened. "You are part of that design, Lin Xuan. But to what end… I cannot yet see."
That night, Lin Xuan could not sleep.
The bell's echo haunted him still, threading through his dreams.
He saw flashes of light — cities of gold floating in endless skies, titans of flame and shadow clashing across broken heavens.
And among them, a figure cloaked in starlight — eyes filled with sorrow, whispering a name he didn't know.
He awoke drenched in sweat, his breathing ragged.
Outside, the moon hung low, half-shrouded in mist. Yu Ling sat nearby, her sword resting across her knees.
"Bad dreams again?" she asked quietly.
He nodded.
"Do you ever wonder," he murmured, "if all this is just punishment? Maybe whatever's inside me shouldn't exist."
Yu Ling didn't answer at once. Instead, she looked toward the distant mountains where the bell tower stood.
"When I was young," she said softly, "Elder Ji once told me — those who carry heaven's mark will never find peace. But… he also said they're the ones who change the fate of others."
Lin Xuan turned toward her. The firelight flickered across her face, highlighting the faint scar at her jawline, the exhaustion in her eyes — and the quiet strength beneath it.
"You sound like you believe that," he said.
"I don't know what I believe anymore." She smiled faintly. "But I know that running won't stop what's coming."
Their eyes met — a heartbeat too long.
Then Yu Ling stood, breaking the silence. "Rest. Tomorrow, we ask the Sect Master what happens next."
But when dawn came, the mountain was no longer silent.
A cloud of golden light descended from the horizon — a flying war chariot, bearing the insignia of the Xu Empire.
Ming Zhao was already waiting in the courtyard as it landed, robes fluttering in the morning wind. His disciples stood tense, hands on their weapons.
From the chariot stepped three figures: an armored envoy bearing the Empire's crest, a scholar in green robes, and a woman with silver eyes who radiated quiet, terrifying power.
"By decree of His Majesty and the Elder of the Outer Dominion," the envoy declared, voice echoing across the valley, "all youths aged fifteen to twenty-five are summoned to the capital for the Heavenly Selection. Those who possess spiritual anomalies will be tested for apprenticeship beyond this realm."
The words struck Lin Xuan like thunder.
Beyond this realm.
Yu Ling's expression hardened instantly. "This is a trap," she whispered under her breath. "They're searching for you."
The envoy's eyes found Lin Xuan among the disciples. A faint smirk crossed his face — too knowing.
Ming Zhao stepped forward, his tone calm. "Azure Veil has already pledged its disciples to seclusion. None here shall join the selection."
The woman with silver eyes tilted her head slightly. "Seclusion?" Her voice was cold, melodic. "Or are you hiding something the heavens wish to see?"
For the first time, Lin Xuan felt genuine pressure — not killing intent, but the weight of divinity itself. The air rippled faintly around her, bending the light.
Ming Zhao's hands tightened in his sleeves. "Azure Veil obeys the heavens," he said quietly. "But it bows to no empire."
The envoy's smirk faded. "Then you defy imperial decree?"
"I protect what must not yet be revealed," Ming Zhao replied. "If the heavens wish to punish me, let them."
A long silence followed. Then the silver-eyed woman smiled faintly.
"Very well. But remember this, Sect Master Ming Zhao — the heavens forget no defiance."
She turned, and the chariot lifted into the sky once more, vanishing into the morning light.
When they were gone, Yu Ling exhaled sharply. "They know," she said. "They'll come again — with more than just words."
Ming Zhao nodded gravely. "They will. And when they do, this place may not survive their wrath."
He looked at Lin Xuan, eyes softening. "The path before you is no longer one of choice. Whether you go to the capital or hide in the shadows, your fate has already drawn the eyes of worlds."
Lin Xuan clenched his fists. "Then I'll stop hiding."
Yu Ling turned to him sharply. "You can't—"
"I can," he interrupted. "If they want to find me, I'll face them. But on my terms."
For a moment, no one spoke. Then Ming Zhao smiled — faintly, sadly.
"Very well," he said. "Then the Azure Veil shall help you walk this path — until the heavens themselves forbid it."
Outside, thunder rumbled across a clear sky.
The bell atop the mountain swayed once more — not by wind, but by destiny.
And somewhere far above the clouds, beyond the mortal realm, unseen eyes opened — watching.