The storm in Yang Xin village has passed, leaving an indelible mark of destruction. Jihan and Han Yi limped away from the rubble of the village, carrying only the few supplies they had managed to salvage. Their bare feet tread the rocky ground, piercing through the morning mist that still hangs low.‘Dad, rest for a while,’ Jihan said when she saw her father's increasingly heavy breathing. They had been walking for three days without stopping, avoiding settlements in favour of lonely forest paths.Han Yi shook his head weakly, his pale lips trembling as he spoke. ‘We have to keep going, Jihan. This place is... not safe.’Jihan looked at her father with worry. Han Yi's normally warm face now looked deathly pale. The dry cough that had haunted him since they left Yang Xin's village was getting worse. Jihan's hands clenched tightly as he recalled the villagers' frightened stares, the hateful whispers accusing him of being the bringer of doom.‘At least have a drink, Father,’ Jihan offere

Blood dripped from Jihan's fingertips, falling onto the rocky ground of Mount Hua Shan. A week had passed since he left Wei Zhang, but the screams from the village still haunted him every night. Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see were flashes of golden light-the last signs of his teacher's resistance.“True strength is in your heart,” Jihan repeated Wei Zhang's words, her voice hoarse from lack of use. His bloody hands gripped tightly the scroll his teacher had given him. Seven days of climbing this mountain without stopping, and he still hadn't found Lin Mei.The sun was sinking into the western horizon when Jihan reached a small plateau. His burly body trembled with fatigue, but his blue eyes still burned brightly. Before him stood a half-collapsed old temple, almost hidden by the mountain mist.“Who dares set foot on this holy ground?” a feminine yet cold voice broke the silence.Jihan turned quickly, but there was no one behind her. Her instincts screamed danger. The

The darkness of night enveloped the Five Elements Mountain when Jihan woke up drenched in sweat. It was that dream again-the same dream that had haunted him since they left the underground temple three days ago. In his dreams, he always saw the sadly smiling figure of his mother, standing at the edge of a cliff with an ancient scroll in her hand.“Forgive mom, Jihan,” Li Wei always said in the dream. “But this is the only way...”Then Li Wei would jump into the abyss, taking the scroll with him. And each time, Jihan would wake up with a scream caught in her throat.“Another nightmare?” Lin Mei's voice came from the corner of the cave where they were staying. The woman sat cross-legged, her eyes closed in meditation.Jihan nodded, knowing Lin Mei didn't see her. “I saw mom... and a scroll.”Lin Mei's eyes opened slowly. In the dim light of the campfire, her bi-colored irises-ice blue and fire red, exactly like Jihan's eyes now-flashed meaningfully. “The Second Scroll of Destiny,” she m

A thick mist shrouds the ancient forest as Jihan follows the clues in Lin Mei's map. Every step was cautious, remembering the warning about Kai Wen's spies who might be lurking. Leaves moved without wind, and occasionally there were unearthly whispers from the darkness.“There should be signs around here,” he muttered as he examined the worn map in his hand. The ancient symbols engraved on the map seemed to move, changing every time she tried to make sense of them. But there was one symbol that was fixed - the image of a phoenix burning with black flames.Suddenly, the sound of a twig snapping broke the silence. Jihan froze. Her fighting instincts sharpened, sensing an unwanted presence. With a smooth motion, he took a deep breath, feeling the duality of his powers - fire and water - churning within him.“Come out,” she commanded firmly. “I know you're there.”A soft chuckle sounded from behind the trees. A young woman stepped out of the shadows, her hair white as snow, her eyes shini

Jihan felt her body floating in a sparkling void. The crystals around her reflected shadows from the past, present, and possibly the future. Each reflection showed a different version of her - some filled with light, others drowned in darkness.“This is the final test,” the voice of the First Guardian echoed in her mind. “To achieve true balance, you must accept all possibilities within yourself.”The first image showed him standing beside Kai Wen, wearing the same black robe, his eyes radiating boundless ambition and power. In this image, she had accepted her destiny as the vessel of the gods, mastering powers that even the strongest Guardians couldn't imagine.“This...” Jihan whispered, “one of my possible futures?”“Yes,” the First Guardian replied. “A future where you choose power above all else. Where you become what your father envisioned.”The next image showed a different version of herself - standing among the runaway Guardians, leading the resistance against the tyranny of t