The sky above Dawnmist Peak was calm.
Too calm.
The birds hadn't returned since the duel. The trees stood still, their branches unmoving despite the faint mountain winds. Something unseen had settled over the peak—an invisible curtain stretched tight, waiting to tear.
Luo Feng felt it.
He stood at the edge of the clearing, staring down at the valley below, eyes narrowed.
A-Yan trained with quiet concentration behind him, her form smoother with each flicker of movement. Bai Xueyin practiced near the pond, ice spreading beneath her feet like a breath exhaled by winter itself.
They were improving. Fast.
But so were the dangers.
Ding! Host has reached synchronization with the "Legacy Wellspring."The Wellspring is a timeless space where Celestial Mentors refine their path.Time dilation active: 1 hour outside = 3 days within.You may bring 1 disciple. Entry available once per 7 days. Do you wish to enter now?
Luo Feng didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
He turned to A-Yan, who paused mid-step.
"You're coming with me."
She blinked. "Where?"
"To a place that shouldn't exist."
The world twisted.
One blink—stone and grass.
The next—stars.
They stood on a circular platform that floated in the void, suspended over a sea of constellations. Light danced along the edge of the marble ring. Pathways of gold energy stretched into the distance, vanishing into clouds that shimmered like liquid thought.
A-Yan gasped. "What… what is this?"
Luo Feng exhaled slowly.
"The Wellspring. A training ground for Mentors. A place to shape thought into technique."
At the center of the platform stood a silver monolith etched with thousands of miniature runes—each one shifting constantly, like the words were alive.
Welcome, Celestial Mentor.Current resonance: Voidwalker (Minor), Human (High), Leadership (High).Available Functions: Memory Replay, Spiritual Combat Simulation, Void Path Tempering.Limitations: Power must be earned. No external intervention permitted.Initiating first disciple training module…
A flash of white.
Then—
A new arena appeared around them.
It was an infinite hallway of mirrored walls, each one reflecting A-Yan's form—but differently.
In one, she looked older. In another, broken. In one, she was surrounded by corpses. In another, glowing with silver fire.
She recoiled. "What is this?!"
"Projections," Luo Feng said. "These are what you could become."
The system spoke again.
Trial 1: Face the Future. Defeat your strongest projected self.Success will awaken deeper access to your Voidwalker constitution. Failure… will fracture it.
Luo Feng turned to her. "You don't have to do this."
A-Yan clenched her fists.
"No," she said. "I want to."
From one of the mirrors stepped a version of herself—slightly older, her eyes colder, her movements effortless. She wore a cloak made of shadow. Her steps didn't make sound.
The real A-Yan raised her fists. "That's me?"
"That's the you who never trusted anyone again," Luo Feng said. "A blade with no handle."
They fought.
And at first, A-Yan was overwhelmed.
Her double moved perfectly—anticipating every flicker, every dodge, every strike. She was faster. Cleaner. Merciless.
But she lacked heart.
And that's where A-Yan found her edge.
"You're not me!" she shouted, catching her clone's wrist in a wild counter. "I fight because someone believes in me. You're just... empty!"
She drove a fist into her projection's chest, and the clone shattered into silver dust.
Ding! Trial cleared.Voidwalker Constitution evolved: Echo State unlocked.Passive: "Temporal Afterstep" acquired — occasionally delays enemy perception by 0.2 seconds in combat.Host receives: Insight bonus, +5% to Void-type comprehension.
A-Yan dropped to one knee, panting, sweat dripping from her brow.
Luo Feng caught her by the shoulder.
"You did well."
"I—I thought she was going to win," A-Yan gasped.
"She almost did. But you didn't flinch."
Time Remaining in Wellspring: 30 minutes.
"Come," Luo Feng said. "Let me show you what this place is really for."
They moved to the edge of the platform, where a path of golden threads stretched outward into the void. At the center was a lone stone tablet—simple, unmarked.
Luo Feng approached it, and the system spoke again:
You may store or forge 1 legacy fragment per visit.Would you like to imprint a teaching for future disciples?
He closed his eyes.
A memory surfaced.
Him—years ago on Earth—teaching a scared, angry teenager how to pivot on her heel without breaking form. "It's not about speed," he'd said, "it's about how fast you return to balance."
He etched that principle into the tablet—not just with qi, but with memory.
Legacy Imprint Created: "Balance Step Doctrine – Beginner."Disciples who train here may attempt to inherit your teachings across generations.
Luo Feng exhaled.
Then the stars began to dim.
Time expired. Exiting Wellspring…
Back in the real world, the sun had barely moved.
But the moment Luo Feng and A-Yan reappeared on the peak, Bai Xueyin was waiting—eyes cold, posture tense.
"They came," she said simply.
"Who?"
She nodded toward the edge of the woods.
Luo Feng stepped forward—and saw it.
A silver thread stretched across the treeline—nearly invisible. It shimmered briefly, then snapped and vanished.
He recognized the technique.
Silent Needle Hall.
Assassins. Silent. Precise. Always used for political removals that couldn't be traced.
Luo Feng turned to Bai.
"How many?"
"Three. Maybe more in the trees."
"You didn't engage?"
"They didn't cross the peak's boundary. Just marked it. Watched. Then left."
Ding! Stealth formation breached. Killing intent signature identified. Targeting code embedded in the environment.Threat level: Critical. Attack window estimated within 48 hours.
"They're testing our defenses," Bai said.
"No," Luo Feng replied. "They're measuring our timing. Waiting for when I'm weakest."
A-Yan looked up. "Then we strike first?"
He didn't answer right away.
But he looked to the top of the mountain—where a carved eagle statue had stood since before his time.
"No," he said finally. "We don't strike."
He turned to them, his eyes sharper than ever.
"We teach."