The wind howled across the Ruin Marshes as Su Chen stepped onto the teleportation platform. His robe was torn at the hem, mud clinging to his boots, but his grip on the black shard in his palm was firm.
Another fragment.
Another piece of the puzzle.
The platform hummed to life, surrounding him with a ripple of azure light. Moments later, the twisted landscape vanished, replaced by the clean, sharp air of the Heaven's Gate Sect.
Su Chen stepped off the array—and found someone already waiting for him.
A slender figure in deep crimson robes, arms folded, face cold.
Elder Li.
"Welcome back, Su Chen," Li said softly. "I trust your little excursion was… enlightening."
Su Chen said nothing, eyes flicking to the corners of the courtyard. Two inner sect disciples stood nearby, their auras barely suppressed. A message—you are being watched.
Li continued. "The Shadow Hall moves fast. Faster than I would have advised. But perhaps this is a chance for us to come to… an understanding."
Su Chen tilted his head. "An understanding?"
Li smiled thinly. "You've caught their attention. That means you are useful—but also dangerous. Too many eyes on you may ruin both your path and theirs."
"And you propose to… manage those eyes?"
Li chuckled. "Manage? No. I propose to shield you. If you cooperate."
Su Chen's voice was calm. "And if I refuse again?"
Li's gaze sharpened. "Then the road ahead becomes… considerably more perilous."
The threat hung in the air like a blade.
But Su Chen smiled. "You must think I'm afraid of danger."
He brushed past Li without another word, steps measured.
Behind him, Elder Li's smile faded. "Very well. Let us see how long you can dance in the dark."
By the time Su Chen reached his quarters, the sun was nearing its zenith. He sealed the room with a personal ward and finally sat cross-legged.
> [Origin Fragment Acquired – 2/7]
[New Skill: Spatial Rend (Minor) – Allows short-distance space tear attacks. High qi cost. Cooldown: 30 seconds.]
He exhaled slowly.
Two fragments. Five more remained. And with each one, the System stirred—as if awakening from a long slumber.
He glanced at the jade slip Elder Yue had given him. No further instructions. Which meant the next move was his.
And that's when the knock came.
Knock. Knock.
Su Chen rose cautiously, sensing no killing intent—but something... strange.
He opened the door.
A young man stood there, clad in silver and green robes embroidered with the crest of the Emerald Sky Sect—a powerful force from the Western Realms. His hair was bound in a jadeclasp, his face pale but handsome.
Most striking were his eyes—sharp, knowing, ancient.
"Su Chen," the man said with a faint smile. "We've never met. But I have been waiting to speak with you."
Su Chen's gaze sharpened. "You are?"
"Lin Xuehai. Envoy of the Emerald Sky Sect." He bowed politely. "But more importantly… I am a scholar of time."
Su Chen's pulse quickened.
"May I come in?"
After a tense pause, Su Chen nodded.
Inside, Lin Xuehai took a seat with graceful poise, scanning the room. His gaze lingered briefly on the faint traces of void qi that clung to Su Chen's aura.
"You've already found two fragments," Xuehai said softly. "Impressive."
Su Chen's eyes narrowed. "You know about them?"
"Oh yes." Xuehai smiled faintly. "Our sect has records of the ancient Reset Sovereign. A legend long dismissed… until your awakening."
Su Chen sat opposite him. "Why come here now?"
"Because others will move soon," Xuehai said, voice growing serious. "The Tribunal. The Celestial Vault. Even factions within your own sect. They all fear the Reset Path."
"Good." Su Chen's voice was like steel. "Let them fear."
Xuehai studied him. "That is why I am here. To offer… not alliance, but understanding. Knowledge."
He leaned forward, voice low.
"The Reset System was not forged by gods or man. It is a remnant of the First Cycle. A mechanism left behind by beings who shaped the very laws of reality."
Su Chen's breath caught.
First Cycle. The primordial age before even the realms had names.
Xuehai continued. "Seven fragments exist to complete the Origin Matrix. Once whole, it will either grant you ultimate freedom—or trap you in a final reset that not even time can unwind."
"And you?" Su Chen asked. "Why tell me this?"
"Because the last time the Reset Sovereign rose… he nearly broke the heavens." Xuehai's eyes gleamed. "This time, perhaps he will succeed."
Silence hung between them.
Finally, Su Chen said, "Why warn me?"
Xuehai's smile returned. "Because if you fail, I would prefer you fail aware—not blind."
He stood gracefully. "I will not interfere further. But know this: the next fragment lies beyond this sect's borders—in the shattered city of Jadefall, where time itself is broken."
He handed Su Chen a jade map.
"Many will seek it. Some already do. Move swiftly, Su Chen."
And with that, the envoy bowed once more and left.
As night fell, Su Chen remained seated, staring at the map.
Jadefall.
A ruin untouched since the War of the Eternal Kings. A place where even time itself had fractured—a perfect hiding place for a fragment of the First Cycle.
He clenched his fists.
More enemies would come. More truths would be uncovered. But he would not stop.
Not now.
Not ever.
> [New Mission: Path of the Third Fragment – Travel to Jadefall and retrieve the Origin Shard.]
Su Chen rose, cloak settling over his shoulders.
"The world wants to bury me," he whispered. "But I will burn my mark into the stars."