"Li Chen, can your Lin Art pull something out of the water?" one of the children suddenly asked.
Li Chen froze for a moment, then thought about it.
"It should be possible… I think. My grandfather said that as long as your spiritual power is strong enough, you can influence things even through water. But I just started learning. I'm not sure if I can do it."
Lin Fei's eyes lit up.
He glanced around at the other kids before his gaze settled on a boy wearing a fine brocade robe. The boy was Zhao Liang, the young son of the wealthy Zhao family who ran the inn in the eastern district. A beautifully polished jade pendant hung from his waist.
"Zhao Liang, lend me your jade pendant for a second," Lin Fei said with a mischievous grin.
Zhao Liang blinked. "Why?"
"To test Li Chen's skills!"
Zhao Liang hesitated for a moment but eventually untied the pendant and handed it over.
Lin Fei walked to the lakeshore with the jade pendant in his hand. Turning back toward the others, he grinned.
"Let's see just how strong Li Chen's Lin Art really is! I'll throw this into the lake. If Li Chen can pull it back up with his Lin Art, we'll all admit he's the future Great Lin Master and follow him from now on!"
The children immediately burst into excited chatter.
"Li Chen! Show us what you've got!"
"Don't embarrass yourself!"
"Let's see your power!"
Li Chen scratched his head, a little embarrassed but clearly eager to try.
"Alright… let's do it!"
Lin Fei laughed and swung his arm.
The jade pendant traced a long arc through the air before splashing into the middle of the lake.
Plop.
It disappeared beneath the water.
"Alright!" Lin Fei said, turning toward Li Chen. "Your turn!"
Li Chen stepped forward to the lakeside and focused on the spot where the pendant had sunk. He extended his hand, palm facing down, silently reciting the incantation for the Stone Guiding Technique.
Spiritual power flowed out from his body and reached into the water.
Soon he sensed the jade pendant.
It lay quietly on the lakebed about twenty meters from shore, in water more than ten meters deep.
His spiritual power wrapped around the pendant and tried to lift it.
The jade pendant trembled.
It rose slightly—about an inch—before sinking back to the bottom.
Li Chen frowned. Sweat formed on his forehead.
He pushed more spiritual power into the spell and tried again and again.
But no matter how hard he tried, the pendant refused to rise from the water.
Finally he withdrew his hand and shook his head in frustration.
"It won't work," he muttered. "My spiritual power isn't strong enough. The water's too deep."
Zhao Liang panicked.
"Then what about my jade pendant? My mother gave that to me!"
The children began arguing all at once.
"Oh no! It's stuck at the bottom!"
"Lin Fei, this was your dumb idea!"
"Li Chen, didn't you say you were amazing?"
Li Chen looked awkward and didn't know what to say.
Lin Fei watched Li Chen's frustrated expression, then glanced at Zhao Liang, who looked like he was about to cry.
Suddenly, he began taking off his clothes and shoes.
"I'll go get it."
Li Chen was startled and grabbed his arm.
"What are you doing? The lake is deep!"
"Only about ten meters," Lin Fei said as he shook free. "I can swim."
"I heard there's a dragon in this lake!"
"That's just a legend," Lin Fei replied while pulling off his outer shirt.
Li Chen stared at him for a moment before finally letting go.
"Then be careful," he said seriously. "If anything feels wrong, come back up immediately. I'll keep watch."
Lin Fei nodded.
He walked to the edge of the lake, took a deep breath—
—and jumped.
Splash!
Cool water instantly surrounded him.
Lin Fei swam downward.
The lake was clearer than he expected.
Sunlight streamed through the water, forming wavering beams that illuminated everything below. Fish darted past him, and long strands of lakeweed swayed gently along the bottom.
He kept diving.
Five meters.
Ten meters.
The water grew colder. Pressure built around his ears.
But he continued downward.
Finally, he saw it.
The jade pendant.
It lay quietly on the sandy lakebed, glowing faintly white in the blue water. Its golden tassel drifted gently in the current.
Lin Fei swam closer and grabbed it.
Then he froze.
Next to the pendant, something was glinting beneath the mud.
He brushed away the silt.
A silver spear was buried deep in the lakebed, most of its body hidden beneath the mud, leaving only part of the shaft exposed.
The spear was covered in fine cracks, as if it had endured a devastating battle long ago and lost its former brilliance.
At the base of the spearhead was a sculpted dragon's head.
The dragon's head tilted slightly upward, its eyes closed.
Even covered in mud, it radiated a proud and majestic aura.
Lin Fei stared at the spear.
His heartbeat suddenly skipped.
For some reason, looking at the weapon filled him with a strange feeling.
It felt familiar.
Almost… intimate.
As if it had something to do with him.
He reached out and tried to pull the spear from the lakebed.
And then—
Roar—
A deep and ancient sound burst from the spear.
The sound cut through the water.
Through his body.
Straight into his soul.
It was a dragon's roar.
Lin Fei's entire body trembled.
A faint blue phantom appeared along the spear's surface.
It took the shape of a dragon.
The dragon coiled around the spear and slowly lifted its head.
A massive dragon head.
Blue scales.
Vertical pupils.
Its enormous eyes stared directly at him.
Lin Fei's heart nearly stopped.
He wanted to run.
But his body refused to move.
He wanted to scream.
But only bubbles escaped his mouth.
He floated helplessly in the water, staring into those giant eyes.
Time seemed to freeze.
After what felt like an eternity—
Perhaps only a moment—
The dragon phantom slowly faded.
The oppressive pressure vanished.
Only then did Lin Fei realize he could move again.
Clutching the jade pendant tightly, he kicked toward the surface.
Splash!
He burst out of the water and gasped for air.
"Lin Fei!"
Li Chen's anxious voice rang from the shore.
"You were down there forever! Are you alright?"
Lin Fei swam back to the shore. Li Chen grabbed his arm and pulled him up.
Zhao Liang rushed over nervously.
Lin Fei opened his hand.
The jade pendant lay safely in his palm.
Zhao Liang's face lit up with joy as he snatched it back and thanked him repeatedly.
The other children crowded around.
"Was it deep down there?"
"Did you see anything?"
"Why were you underwater so long?"
Li Chen pushed to the front and looked Lin Fei over carefully.
"You sure you're okay? Your face looks pale."
Lin Fei shook his head silently.
He had seen a spear.
And a dragon.
That spear rested at the bottom of the lake.
As if it were waiting for someone.
"Lin Fei?" Li Chen waved a hand in front of him. "What happened down there?"
Lin Fei came back to his senses.
He looked at Li Chen's curious face and opened his mouth.
But he didn't know how to explain.
In the end, he simply shook his head.
"Nothing."
Li Chen eyed him suspiciously but didn't press further.
He grinned and patted Lin Fei on the shoulder.
"Alright then. Let's go dry off in the sun. You're soaked—you'll catch a cold."
Lin Fei nodded.
They walked toward the sunlight.
After a few steps, Lin Fei suddenly turned around and looked back at the lake.
The water shimmered peacefully beneath the sunlight.
...
Far away, on a pavilion overlooking Fallen Dragon Lake, three figures stood side by side.
The man in the middle was an old man with a missing arm. His right arm ended at the elbow, the empty sleeve fluttering gently in the wind. His face bore the marks of time, yet his eyes remained sharp, piercing like a hawk's.
Li Changfeng.
Ten years ago, during that battle, a golden-masked assailant had severed his right arm. Though he barely survived, he lived on in this aged form.
His father—the true Ninth Lin Master, Li Shentong—had been killed in a sneak attack by a white-masked enemy, pierced through the heart.
That night, Giantwood lost two Lin Master leaders.
The Ninth Lin Master died in battle.The Tenth Lin Master's spiritual body dispersed, and his true body was imprisoned by the Star Palace.
To prevent other nations in the Lin Realm from discovering Giantwood's weakened strength—and to stop opportunists from taking advantage—Li Changfeng made a bold choice:
He disguised himself as his father, Li Shentong.
For ten years, he had maintained the illusion of being the Ninth Lin Master. Even his own son, Li Chen, did not know the truth. Li Chen believed his father had died ten years ago in the great catastrophe.
For ten years, he had called his father "Grandfather"—unaware that it was actually his father.
To Li Changfeng's left stood a middle-aged man, his temples lightly frosted with gray. His face was lean, and he wore a dark green martial uniform. He gazed at the soaked boy on the lakeshore with a complicated expression.
This was Wan Li, former personal bodyguard of the Ninth Lin Master, a witness to the entire battle ten years ago. He should not have appeared in this middle-aged form. Like Li Changfeng, he had fallen victim to the left eye of the golden-masked foe. That one eye could drain time and life, causing rapid aging; the other could heal grievous wounds and reverse death. One took, the other gave—it was known as the Eye of Life and Death.
Both Li Changfeng and Wan Li had lost years of their lives to that left eye. To conceal Lin Fei's identity, Wan Li posed as his uncle, secretly protecting the boy while traveling as a merchant throughout the Lin Realm, quietly investigating the whereabouts of the enemies from ten years ago.
To Li Changfeng's right stood a man under thirty, tall and graceful, with striking gray-white hair.
This was Li Luo, Captain of the Qingluo Guard of Giantwood—the last surviving member of the Wùlí Clan. Ten years ago, he had chased after the white-masked enemy as a young man, already at the semi-Transcendent stage. Now, fully a Transcendent, he had volunteered to secretly guard Lin Fei. For ten years, he had watched over the boy, seen him grow, laughed and played, and let him slip past his gaze time and again.
These three were among the few in Senluo City who knew Lin Fei's true origins.
The boy himself knew nothing. He did not know his father. He did not know his mother. He did not know what power lay sealed within him.
"That boy… he stayed at the bottom of the lake for a long time," Wan Li said, withdrawing his gaze, concern lacing his voice. "That commotion earlier…"
"Silver Dragon Spear," Li Changfeng said hoarsely. "The Tenth Lin Master's spear lies below. Though its spiritual essence has been exhausted, Lin Fei is Lin Feng's son. Naturally, he reacts when near it."
"And the dragon's roar…"
"The Tenth Lin Master is dead. That Azure Dragon is only a remnant soul. No one can awaken it—at least not now." Li Changfeng's voice carried a hint of regret.
"Have you gathered any news from Kunlun?"
Wan Li replied slowly, "No progress on the investigation. But Lin Zhou Qingyue of Kunlun did leave instructions."
"Oh? What does he intend?" Li Changfeng's brow furrowed.
"He wishes to send his son to Giantwood for study," Wan Li explained.
"The Kunwu Institute of Kunlun is famed as the greatest academy under heaven," Li Changfeng said slowly. "And yet, he chooses not to send his son there, but to my Giantwood Academy instead… What could this mean?"
"I dare not speculate," Wan Li said.
"Still, it cannot hurt to consider," he continued thoughtfully. "Perhaps… it is to mend alliances."
Li Changfeng did not respond, only gazing at the shimmering lake.
Mending alliances.
Such a simple phrase, yet loaded with meaning.
Kunlun lay at the heart of the surrounding nations—east bordering Giantwood, west adjacent to Shenwu and Tianye, south connecting Zhuque and Yunmeng, north reaching Longmai and Leiyin. Its position demanded constant balance and diplomacy. Lin Zhou Qingyue had maintained his rule in Kunlun for so long because of his keen political sense.
Now he suddenly wanted to send his son to Giantwood…
Li Changfeng spoke slowly. "The Lin Realm has been calm for ten years, but beneath the surface, currents stir. Every nation tests the others, seeking allies. Zhou Qingyue is shrewd. Sending his son here is both a gesture of goodwill and a wager."
Wan Li nodded. "What do you think we should do, Master?"
Li Changfeng fell silent for a long moment, his gaze returning to the boy on the lakeshore—already dry, chatting and laughing with Li Chen.
"Let him come," he finally said. "Since Zhou Qingyue wishes to show goodwill, we have no reason to refuse. Besides…"
He paused, letting the thought linger.
Indeed, Giantwood needed allies.
Ten years ago, that battle had greatly weakened Giantwood. With the Ninth dead and the Tenth's spirit dissipated, this 'fake Ninth Lin Master' could only barely maintain appearances. For all these years, he had walked on thin ice, fearful that others would discover the truth.
Having an external force like Kunlun would be of great benefit to Giantwood.
Wan Li nodded silently.
The three of them stood in silence, watching the lake.
In the distance, the group of children had dispersed. Lin Fei and Li Chen's figures walked along the bluestone path, gradually fading into the sunset.
The wind swept across the lake, stirring ripples in its quiet surface.
The future of Giantwood… perhaps rested in the hands of these two boys.