Mo Jingyi stood at the edge of the scrying platform, her arms folded behind her back, her gaze fixed on the floating jade mirror. It shimmered with ripples of qi, reflecting scenes from deep within the Root Hollow. The fog obscured most views, but one image remained clear:
Lin Fei.
She watched as he stepped over the roots of the Withered Bridge and vanished into the pulsing dome.
"Again," she whispered.
The mirror obeyed, replaying the sequence—his fight with Wu Shen, the use of golden qi, and that final sigil: Root Mirror: Reflection Break.
That technique didn't exist in any modern manual.
Not in her sect.
Not in any known archive.
Not even among the sealed forbidden arts the elders kept locked away.
And yet, Lin Fei had used it instinctively—not as an echo of some ancient training, but as if it had grown from within him.
She narrowed her eyes.
"That boy is either possessed… or chosen."
A breeze stirred the long silken curtains behind her as Elder Wei stepped into the pavilion.
"You're still watching him?" His voice was light, but it carried the weight of a man who had seen a hundred prodigies rise and fall.
Mo Jingyi nodded. "He's already passed five gates. And now holds two fragments."
Elder Wei raised a gray brow. "Ambitious. Foolish. Or lucky."
Mo Jingyi didn't smile. "None of the above. He's… emerging."
The elder stepped closer, peering into the mirror. "The Heavenroot has been dormant for centuries. Buried, broken, suppressed. If it stirs now, it means the seals are cracking."
Mo Jingyi didn't respond. Her gaze was locked onto Lin Fei's reflection.
"He doesn't even know what he carries," she said.
"Then someone should relieve him of it."
At that, she turned. Her eyes glinted like obsidian.
"No. Not yet."
🔍 Elsewhere, in the Inner Sanctum…
The Sect Master of Skyvale Temple sat in meditation, surrounded by nine jade disks spinning in the air. They hummed with divine resonance—each one tied to a legacy trial within the Hollow.
One disk glowed gold.
He opened his eyes.
"Lin Fei."
He tapped a finger against the disk, and an arcane sigil surfaced.
"Born of mortal stock. Unremarkable spirit root. But…"
He frowned. The qi signature didn't match his recorded talent profile. Something had changed. Mutated. Or… awakened.
He stood and walked toward the Spirit Flame Pillar. With a flick of his sleeve, he summoned a second projection: Mo Jingyi.
Still watching. Still waiting.
"You see him too," he murmured.
The Sect Master closed his eyes. He sent a pulse of divine sense into the Hollow, reaching not for Lin Fei… but for the seed he had taken.
The response struck like a gong in his soul.
Ancient. Incomplete. Sleeping. But hungry.
"The Tree stirs again…"
He sighed.
Then he turned to the shadows.
"You may intervene."
From the dark stepped two cloaked figures—silent, faceless, masked in soul-concealing veils.
"Observe him," the Sect Master said. "But do not interfere."
He paused. Then added:
"Not until the system activates."
🔁 Back in the Root Hollow
Unaware of the eyes upon him, Lin Fei descended the spiral tunnel beneath the Heartroot Dome. His token pulsed quietly—five golden runes now circling its surface.
Resolve.
Legacy.
Instinct.
Self.
Burden.
Each one heavier than the last.
The air here was thin. Not from lack of oxygen, but from too much memory.
He heard voices. Echoes. Dreams. His own thoughts warped by the Hollow's spiritual density.
The roots grew tighter, forming narrow passageways, sometimes brushing his arms or face as he walked. They pulsed faintly—alive, aware.
"I feel like I'm being tested even when I'm resting," he muttered.
But somewhere, far behind him, deeper in the fog…
A second set of footsteps followed his.
💠 Meanwhile – Mo Jingyi's Private Chambers
That night, after dismissing the elders, Mo Jingyi entered a sealed vault beneath her quarters.
Only one artifact lay within: a cube of black jade suspended in mid-air, surrounded by a ring of silver talismans.
She reached out and touched the cube.
It rippled like water—and projected a glowing interface into the air.
[Awakening Protocols: 87% Synchronicity Detected]
[Primary Vessel Located: Candidate 03 - Lin Fei]
[System Uplink Estimated Activation: 2 Trials Remaining]
Her breath caught. She hadn't been wrong.
The System was coming online.
And he's the host.
🧭 Chapter End: The Storm Ahead
Mo Jingyi turned to the screen and whispered:
"You better survive, Lin Fei. Or everything will collapse again."
She extinguished the jade mirror, and the room fell into darkness.
Somewhere in the depths of the Hollow, a golden rune began to flicker—just once. Then again.
And in the deepest core of the Root Hollow, something smiled in its sleep.