The road beyond the Hidden Valley stretched far and wide, etched into the earth like an invitation from fate. Wu Tian walked it with quiet resolve, his steps light, eyes calm, spirit unshaken. The world was vast—but he had never feared its size. Only its silence.
He sought places where the spiritual threads of the land twisted thick with qi. In the blistering heart of a volcanic canyon, he absorbed fire essence while meditating between rivers of flame. The heat was overwhelming, but his body endured—tempered like steel in the forge of heaven.
Next, he traveled to the Thunder Ridge, a high plateau shrouded in stormclouds. There, lightning split the skies every hour. He sat unflinching as arcs of thunder qi coursed around him. With each strike, his meridians widened. With each pulse, his soul refined.
His final destination was a hidden glade, ancient and alive with wood qi. Towering trees whispered with ancient voices. Roots coiled through the ground like the veins of the land itself. Beneath the oldest tree—whose bark bore the sigils of forgotten cultivators—Wu Tian stilled his breath and absorbed the qi of growth and rebirth.
And then—
Ding!
"Qi absorption complete. Phase One complete."
"Condensing Dou Qi vortex…"
Inside his dantian, a storm gathered. Elements collided, spun, and merged. Golden motes of refined qi formed a vortex that pulsed with increasing momentum, drawing from every spiritual reservoir he had carved open inside himself.
"Advancement successful: Host has entered One Star Dou Zhe realm."
"Reward attributes: Fire, Thunder, and Wood affinity awakened."
Wu Tian opened his eyes. A thin spiral of golden qi coiled up from his palm—light, potent, stable. Not just Dou Zhe… but a Dou Zhe formed through chaos-forged essence. His foundation was unlike any other's.
The System pulsed again.
"New directive: Proceed to Wu Tan City. Fate resonance detected."
Wu Tian raised his head. His next destination was clear.
Days passed. The forest path narrowed. Trees leaned inward like ancient sentinels. As he crossed a mossy stream and scaled a sloped ridge, a voice broke through the air.
A child's cry.
Soft, fragile. But filled with panic.
He froze. His senses spread outward. There—just beyond a thicket—qi fluctuations, shallow but chaotic. Beasts stirred.
Without hesitation, he ran.
In a narrow ravine, he found her.
A little girl, no older than five, her silk robes torn and dust-streaked, hair tangled with leaves. A cracked pendant glowed weakly at her throat, shielding her from the three spirit beasts circling her. They were low-tier—wolf-like, lean, eyes glowing with hunger.
But even low-tier threats were fatal to a child.
Wu Tian moved.
The first beast lunged. His palm flared with fire qi—he struck it mid-air, hurling it backward in a trail of flame.
The second pounced from the side. A flash of thunder qi lanced from his fingertips—crackling purple light struck true, dropping it in a heap.
The last paused—then fled, instinct overriding hunger.
Wu Tian knelt beside the girl.
"You're safe now," he said.
She stared at him, golden eyes wide. "You… you saved me…"
"Yes."
She clutched the pendant against her chest. "I got separated. There were guards, but we were ambushed. They told me to run." Her voice trembled. "I was going to the Xiao Clan…"
Wu Tian studied her. She was too calm for a child. Her qi signature, faint as it was, bore refinement. And her pendant… it held the Gu clan's crest.
"You're Gu Xun'er."
She blinked, startled. "How do you know my name?"
"I've seen it before." In dreams. In memories not entirely his own he not only knew of her name but everything about her.
"Who are you?"
"Wu Tian."
She tilted her head. "Are you from the Xiao Clan too?"
"No. I'm just passing through."
She lowered her gaze. "I don't want to be alone…"
"You won't be."
A few hours later, while Wu Tian stood atop a boulder scanning the perimeter, a figure landed lightly beside him. Clad in silver armor, his aura suppressed but vast—he was clearly a Dou Zong.
"Name?" the man asked, his tone clipped.
"Wu Tian."
The man nodded. "I'm Go Long. One of Gu Xun'er's secret guards."
"She's safe, down there."
"I saw. You held your ground. Impressive for someone so young." Go Long glanced at him again, this time more intently. "You're not from any major clan, are you?"
"No."
"Then you'd best keep moving. Gu Lin will arrive soon. And the Gu Clan… they don't forget faces."
Wu Tian gave a faint nod, turning to descend.
Before he left, Gu Xun'er rushed to him. "Are you leaving?"
"Yes."
"But… will I see you again?"
He paused, meeting her gaze. "If fate allows."
She reached out, her small hand brushing his. "I'll remember you, Wu Tian."
And then he was gone, vanishing into the trees.
Not long after, Gu Lin arrived with elite guards. Go Long greeted him with a brief report, and they found Xun'er sitting quietly beside the campfire, her pendant now glowing with restored light.
"You were very brave," Gu Lin said, embracing her.
She smiled softly. "He was like light, Uncle. He saved me… then disappeared."
Days later, Wu Tian arrived at the gates of the City. The Xiao Clan compound stood at its heart, walled and guarded but visibly diminished from its former glory.