Chapter 5: The Gate of the Heart Root
The ancient stone gate shuddered open, and Lin Fei stepped into a realm unlike any before.
The air was dense with spiritual power—so thick he could feel it pushing against his skin. Towering roots coiled through the cavern like the arteries of the world, glowing with elemental light: red fire, blue water, green wood, silver metal, and white wind. But at the center, wrapped in a cocoon of golden mist, was a root unlike the others.
It pulsed—slow and deep, like a slumbering heart.
He felt it in his bones.
The Heavenroot is calling.
Without words, the golden root spoke to him, beckoning him to step closer. As he moved, a tremor rippled through the cavern. Then came the guardian.
It descended from above—a massive being woven from the elemental roots themselves. Its eyes were hollow sockets of glowing qi, and its voice was a vibration in the soul:
"You who carry the Heavenroot… prove you are worthy."
The guardian raised an arm. Five blades of elemental force materialized, orbiting it in spirals. Fire. Water. Wind. Metal. Wood.
Then it struck.
Lin Fei barely dodged the first blade of fire, rolling across the root-covered floor. He summoned his qi and thrust his palm forward, forming a barrier of spiritual force—but the metal blade shattered it like glass.
He bled. But something inside him awakened.
He remembered the whisper from before: You are not the first… but you may be the last.
He stood, blood staining his robe. Calm.
Then he moved.
His Heavenroot pulsed, and instinct guided him.
He raised his hand, forming a thin line of golden energy between his fingers. With a breath, he released it.
"Withering Line of Memory."
The golden strand sliced through the air, striking the water blade mid-flight. It didn't shatter it—no. It unmade it.
The water dissipated, as if it had forgotten its form.
The guardian recoiled. Lin Fei's eyes widened. That wasn't just a technique—it was part of a deeper path. A forgotten legacy.
He weaved the golden qi again, forming a sigil beneath his feet.
"Root Reflection."
A mirror of roots erupted upward, forming a shield that reflected the wind blade back. The guardian staggered, caught off guard.
Lin Fei seized the moment. With a leap, he landed on the guardian's shoulder and plunged his qi-coated palm into its core.
A surge of resistance. Pain. Searing force.
Then silence.
The guardian crumbled, unraveling into elemental threads.
At the center of the chamber, the golden root bloomed. In its place: a crystalline seed the size of his fist, radiating pure, ancient energy.
He picked it up.
The third rune lit on his token: Instinct.
You have claimed a Fragment of the Forgotten Inheritance.
A voice echoed in his mind:
"Find the nine fragments. Awaken the Tree Beyond Heaven."