The valley lay at the foot of the Eternal Mist Mountains, where the morning air was always cold and damp. A thick fog, known as the "Qilin's Breath" by the locals, blanketed the valley at every dawn, created from the meeting of cold mountain air and the warm river flowing below. Tall silara trees silver-leaved giants that only grew at high altitudes stood proud, their leaves dripping dewdrops like pearls.
In the distance, the Imperial City appeared as a faint silhouette beyond the mist, its towering white spires touched by the first rays of sunlight. The path that Gu Tian and his entourage would take meandered through cornfields and passed clusters of moonbloom flowers blossoms that only bloomed under a full moon and were still closed this morning, waiting for nightfall.
The valley dwellers believed the morning fog was the cloak of the dawn goddess, Bixie Yuanjun, hiding the world from the memory of night. Gu Tian might have seen carvings of the goddess's symbol three spiral lines in a circle etched on old stones along the road, symbolizing fertility and protection.
Gu Tian's entourage traveled with a brass-plated horse carriage, its lanterns glowing faintly with bioluminescent light, powered by rare fireflies from the southern forests. Some members of the group wore cloaks lined with the fur of ice wolves, mythical creatures said to walk silently through the mist.
By the roadside, the ruins of a checkpoint from the Zhang Dynasty began to appear, its walls overgrown with blood-red moss a sign the place had once been a battlefield. Only the Stone Guardian statue remained, its face weathered by time but still holding a drawn sword pointed north a warning to all who passed.
Whispereon birds, small creatures with translucent wings, chirped as they flew by, their calls like rustling leaves. Behind the bushes, a mist foxa creature able to blend into the fog peeked out, its eyes glowing pale green before it vanished. If Gu Tian looked closely, he might have spotted the claw prints of a Terra Dragon, a legendary beast said to sleep beneath this very valley.
The air was not only cold but rich with the scent of wet earth and wild valerian roots. The sound of a distant stream blended with the whisper of wind moving through crystal wind chimes hanging from tree branches. There was a sense that nature was watching them, as though the valley preserved the memory of every event, even if humans forgot.
As the group moved forward, the fog gradually parted like a curtain, revealing the Bridge of a Thousand Shadows an ancient stone bridge with pillars carved into the faces of guardian spirits. At its end, the path inclined toward the Sun Gate, the entrance to the Imperial City, adorned with statues of winged lions whose eyes were made of amethyst.
Inside the carriage, Gu Tian sat meditating, focusing his energy for the upcoming tournament. Several members walked alongside, staying alert. Elder Gu Zhong, seated in the same carriage, wore a deeply worried expression. Whether from fear or anxiety, it was unclear. Yet Gu Tian paid him no mind, fully immersed in cultivation with his eyes closed, radiating serenity.
At last, Gu Tian opened his eyes and spoke to Elder Zhong.
"Why do you look so worried, Elder Zhong?"
Startled, Elder Zhong furrowed his brows and replied,
"Gu Tian, aren't you worried about the upcoming tournament in the Empire?"
"Why should I be worried?" Gu Tian responded, wearing an expression that showed he had no intention of losing.
Elder Zhong sighed heavily.
"You do remember that we were attacked last night by the Reversed Blood Sect, right? I fear that something even more dangerous might await us in the Empire."
"Don't worry. I'll make sure nothing major happens once we arrive at the Empire."
"…Very well. I'll trust your words," Elder Zhong said with cautious confidence.
Their journey continued until they reached the city gates, guarded by two cultivators of the Radiant Soul level. The entrance to the Empire was grand, tall and massive. The city buzzed with the voices of visitors and citizens alike. As Gu Tian's group passed through the gates, they were watched closely by several people from powerful sects. All eyes eventually landed on one person—Gu Tian. Those gazes were filled with a deep, seething grudge.
Gu Tian ignored them all. He was focused solely on his purpose. Vengeance against him was not his greatest concern. What occupied his thoughts was how to break the chains of fate and time that bound him.
As he pondered his path, suddenly, everything froze time itself came to a halt. A figure appeared, cloaked and white-haired, with a crack of temporal energy running down his arm. Gu Tian realized, with shock, that time had been stopped and even more shockingly, someone else had the power to do it. He stepped out of the carriage.
"Who are you, and how are you able to stop time?" Gu Tian demanded.
The figure said nothing at first.
"If we have no connection, then let me go," Gu Tian added.
At last, the figure responded.
"Me? I am no one. I am not even alive. You could say I am merely a fragment… of time itself."
"Then why have you come to me?"
The figure finally spoke again.
"I came only to say one thing, Gu Tian the Chosen Successor of the God of Time."
Gu Tian frowned.
"I am no one's successor. I am who I am. No one in this world shares my character."
The figure smiled. His eyes, lacking pupils, glowed with a pale blue light glimpses of past and future within them.
"Perhaps you do not remember… but know this: fate and time are not fully bound. And you are already part of both."
Before fading, Gu Tian voice echoed:
"If fate writes the story, then I am the stain on its pages.
That stain can be erased… or it can rewrite the entire tale."
The figure began to dissolve into grains of time-sand, but before he vanished completely, he left Gu Tian with a final message:
"Remember, Gu Tian, you were chosen by it. Be cautious don't let your thirst for revenge consume you and lead to your downfall."
Gu Tian smiled coldly.
"Revenge is a mirror. Gaze into it too long, and you lose yourself you won't even recognize your own face."
The figure vanished completely, leaving behind only a trace of temporal aura. After a few moments, time resumed as if nothing had happened. No one noticed the strange event—no one but Gu Tian, now gripping his sword tightly, a new fire of determination in his eyes.
Elder Zhong and the rest of the Gu clan were confused. They felt as though something momentous had just occurred, yet nothing seemed out of place except that Gu Tian was now outside the carriage, staring up at the sky as if he knew something the others didn't.
Elder Zhong approached and asked,
"Gu Tian, why are you outside the carriage? And why are you staring at the sky?"
Gu Tian exhaled.
"I just stepped out for some air. I felt that the sky was so beautiful, so enchanting… yet full of unanswered mysteries."
"Very well then, let's get back in the carriage and head to the inn before we gather at the Empire's main assembly hall," Elder Zhong replied.
And with that, the two of them returned to the carriage and continued their journey toward the inn.