Li Yan stood amidst the quiet of the training grounds, his breathing peaceful but his mind whirling. The golden power that had flowed through him a moment ago still vibrated, a remnant of something ancient and strong. He looked at his fists, flexing them. He had not mastered the Lost Techniques, yet they flowed through him as if they were always a part of him.
Master Shen stepped closer, his sharp eyes measuring. "You have a power of another time," he said. "The Lost Techniques are not merely forms or techniques; they are traces of a long-lost era."
Li Yan swallowed, his pulse slowing. "Then why do they come so naturally to me?" he queried.
Silent until now, the older Jian responded, "Because they used to be yours."
The burden of those words fell on Li Yan, and it weighed heavily on his conscience. His earlier self had studied these arts, and something had gone horribly awry. What had he done wrong? What had he omitted?
---
The next day, Li Yan was taken down to the secret rooms beneath the sect—a region not visited by many of the disciples. The walls were lined with old, dusty books, the scent of age and dust clinging in the air. The lanterns threw long shadows, giving an ethereal light to the room.
Master Shen led him to a pedestal in the center of the room. On it was an ancient scroll, its surface inscribed with gold letters that shone with power.
"This is the Scripture of the Golden Path," Master Shen declared. "One of the last remnants of the period leading up to the Great Collapse. It refers to techniques and intelligences beyond the usual cultivation."
Li Yan stopped, and he put out his hand. The moment his fingers touched the paper, his mind was sucked into a tide of memories that weren't his.
He seized glimpses of a temple far, far up in the clouds, its spires glowing like molten gold against a fire-scorched sky. He saw knights in armor that glittered like the stars, their arms humming with power, battling beasts spawned from darkness itself. And he saw himself—or, at least, the man who bore his face—standing at the heart of it all, his arms raised as he cried out words that rang through existence.
Next, the vision collapsed. Li Yan screamed out as he fell backward, his head thudding.
Elder Jian supported him. "The past is returning to you in fragments. Don't struggle. Let it in."
Li Yan nodded, but his head still spun. He clenched his fists. If he had been offered a second opportunity to ride this road, he would not squander it.
---
He trained rigorously for weeks, sharpening himself to unprecedented heights. During the day, he sparred with the sect's strongest disciples. At night, he practiced the Scripture of the Golden Path, reverse-engineering maneuvers that defied the laws of logic and reason.
He trained to concentrate his golden power, shaping it into weapons of pure will. He trained to walk on air, to extend his senses beyond the world of mortals. And above all, he began to understand the ultimate nature of his power—not as power, but as a burden.
But his progress was not left unnoticed.
There were rumors going around like wildfire among the sect. Some of the disciples spoke in awe, and others envied him. Even the elders had grumblings of dissatisfaction. Such power as his was not meant to return to the world so easily.
One night, while Li Yan was about to meditate, Luo Qing stood before him. Her customary boldness was mixed with shyness.
"You're changing," she said. "Faster than anyone should."
Li Yan regarded her. "This is not just my way, Luo Qing. It is one I was meant for."
She studied him for an instant before she sighed. "Just don't lose yourself during the journey."
He nodded, though unconsciously he wasn't sure he even knew who he actually was anymore.
---
On the break of dawn in his third month of training, Master Shen summoned him once more. They were on the highest mountain of the sect, where the wind howled like a chorus of a thousand.
"It is time for your final test," said Master Shen. "Beyond this ridge lies the Forbidden Abyss—a region where only the pursuer of ultimate enlightenment would ever venture. You must enter it alone. If you return, you will not only have tested yourself but perhaps finally be able to uncover the rest of your lost past."
Li Yan took a deep breath. His heart was not pounding in fear, but determination. His own words of long ago had carried him this far.
Now, he would directly face them. With a final glance at the cult that had been his family, Li Yan stepped forward—into the void, into fate.