A stream of water ran down a cliff's edge. It roared as it coalesced with air while falling to the basin. The stream foamed as it crashed into boulders that adorned the cliff's base.
Rampant streams thinned to gentle flows as they seeped through the collection of boulders. In their calm approach, life bloomed.
Patches of moss grew against rocks in shallow waters, and insects chirped through the waterfall's expanse.
A man, a goat, and a dog sat by a gazebo as they admired nature's beauty.
Two cups of tea, placed against a polished wooden table, steamed into the air.
"Senior, why are we here?"
"Training."
"How is this training?"
"Noisy, brat."
"..."
Vera took a sip of his tea as he stared into the waterfall. His head empty and his tongue singed, the only thing he learned was to let tea sit for longer.
What am I supposed to be looking at here?
His eyes brushed over the fauna of the waterfall.
Frogs ate insects, and snakes ate frogs, and in time insects ate snakes.
But what does this have to do with the third rank?
Water seeped through the rock's edges. Its impurities ground away by its fall, it formed a clear stream that flowed into a lake.
"Vera... what would happen if a fish fought the water's rampant flow?"
"It would die from exhaustion."
Ezra's hooves clattered against the tea's ceramic cup. He took a sip of the tea, his face unchanging, even though he had also singed his tongue.
"What if it were a fish strong enough to escape the current?"
Vera blew at his tea before taking a sip.
"It would escape the current."
"Yes. But would that change anything?" Ezra spoke. His jaw was held slightly open to cool his burning tongue.
"... No."
Ezra walked to the gazebo's railing; his gaze met the pond born from the waterfall.
"Do you think the myriad fish in that pond would care if one had escaped the current?"
Vera set his cup down and accompanied Ezra. His elbows rested against the gazebo's railings; his eyes followed the stream's flow.
"They wouldn't. One fish couldn't change their lives."
In the years that had gone by, the stream's gentle flow shaped jagged rocks into smoothed pebbles.
Schools of fish followed the gentle stream, soon reuniting at the pond.
"Vera, why do the strong fight against the current?"
Vera stood quiet as he followed the stream.
Why do they resist...? The world beyond the stream is unknown to them.
The vibrant colours of myriad fish reflected against Vera's eyes. The stream showed all it held; its clarity turned all things transparent.
What is your attachment...?
Ezra stepped away from the railing, silently. His body turned to void as he left the gazebo.
***
Ezra's hooves pattered against a floor made of cold iron.
A dim light permeated across the far ends of the room; a colossal silhouette floated in its centre.
Ezra stood in front of the colossal body.
"Beast from beyond, when will you wake up...?"
The layers of waves that ensconced its body were long gone; only its frosted visage remained.
Every second mattered; the beast had been frozen solid, not just in flesh, but through every inch of its body.
From the moment of contact with the outside world, fissures had already emerged through its thick skin.
Beneath the beast's body were hundreds of golden engravings; each mark bore a dim golden shine.
While its body remained within the room, the room wasn't the only space within its body.
Millions of spaces were anchored to every inch of its body, making sure that all parts were warmed equally.
Ezra's eyes saw through the beast's flesh; his eyes were fixed to its core.
"In the years I spent watching you, I expected many things. But this... To think there are creatures born purely of yin qi..."
Three thousand years ago, Dao Tian asked Ezra a question.
'Why are we natives devoid of the five paths?'
In the years that passed, Ezra thought of this every day. That was until his precursor had taken root.
Things that I saw every day became the norm. At no point did I question why we natives were born purely of yang qi.
As the root grew into a tree, Ezra evolved. The very core of his body changed. A body built purely off yang qi intertwined with yin, his existence reached its completion.
At the end of his change, the dance of yin and yang gave birth to the five paths.
Each path mirrored one of the five elements.
If Dao Tian had met him after he had evolved, Ezra could have answered the question.
'We natives are devoid of the five paths, simply because we were incomplete from birth.'
And now that he knew the answer, his assumptions seemed all the more foolish.
If beings can be created purely of yang qi, why couldn't there be beings born purely of yin...?
The path to ascension didn't acknowledge challengers; it gave them what they needed to be complete.
***
Snow engulfed the earth; mud that birthed all things was hidden.
A simple room stood at the edge of a cliff; from its windows the Forest of the Forlorn was visible.
Two glasses of Hundred Year Ice liquor were placed on the table.
"Why are you here? If you are looking for Vera, he has gone to the Demon Continent." Leng spoke as he gazed out into the Forest of the Forlorn. Its pristine coat of snow would soon be dyed in blood and entrails.
"Stay at ease, Senior Leng. I haven't come to look for Vera. Rather, I've come here at Vera's behest," Danho responded to Leng, as he appreciated the liquor's aroma.
The chair's legs screeched against the floor as Leng turned to face Danho.
"Vera's behest...?" His eyebrows were creased as he glared at Danho.
"He's alright as far as I know. We spent a few days together in the Demon Continent."
Scraps of wood slipped from Leng's palms as he calmed down.
"Did you meet him on the continent?"
"Yes. I helped him fight off a horde of wildebeests. After that we travelled the continent for a few more days."
Leng's expression contorted. Finally a low breath escaped him; the creases on his brows loosened.
"After all the warning I gave him... That brat has always lacked awareness. Do you know how he has been as of late?" Leng's tone ran low; his arm reached out with his glass.
A shrill clink spread through the room as they tapped their glasses.
Words flowed as the wine did. The two spoke on matters of the martial world and Vera.
From the cold greeting of strangers, their conversation moved to that of men who had seen the vicissitudes of the world.
Soon the sun lay against the horizon; its blurred visage peeked over the window.
"Senior, Vera mentioned a blue ogre that lived in this forest. If it's alright with you, I'd like to participate in your sect's new year ritual and meet the demon in battle."
"Sure, I have no reason to reject the assistance of one of the strongest masters in the five planes. But remember this: that one has changed a lot since Vera defeated him. Strongest or not, never let your guard down against him."
"Hm..."
The setting sun marked the end of day.
The world beyond the edge was unveiled.
A meeting of the strongest beyond the plane of the demons had been arranged.
As the year's end approached, the crescendo of the chaotic era was to arrive.