Six months have passed since that historic day. The new balance between the world of humans and the gods was established in a fragile yet beautiful harmony. At the rebuilt Temple of the Five Elements, Jihan often spent time in the meditation garden, observing the dimensional crystals that now served as a bridge between the two worlds.But this night was different.Jihan woke up with cold sweat drenching her body. The same dream had haunted her for the past week - the image of a figure in a white robe, standing between crystal pillars she had never seen before, whispering in an ancient language she could strangely understand:“The balance you have created is only the beginning. There is something older than the gods, deeper than the dimensions you know...”“You can't sleep anymore?” Lin Mei's soft voice startled him. Her mentor and best friend stood in the doorway, carrying a steaming cup of herbal tea.“That dream...” Jihan sighed, accepting the proffered cup. “It gets clearer every n

It was late at night in the White Lotus College. In a hidden room beneath the Crystal Hall, Ming Hua sat cross-legged before a cracked jade tablet, sweat beading on her forehead despite the chill in the air.“Focus,” Li Wei instructed in a low voice. “Feel the flow of energy, but don't try to control it. Let it flow like water.”In a corner of the room, Zhang Lao observed with a serious face. A week had passed since their meeting, and time seemed to be moving too fast.Ming Hua closed her eyes, trying to feel the energy flowing from the jade tablet. Unlike the natural energy she was used to, this felt... older. Deeper. Like peering into a bottomless well.“I see... something,” she whispered. “Like shadows moving in the darkness. And there's... a sound?”Li Wei and Zhang Lao exchanged glances. This was the first progress after seven days of fruitless experiments.“What sound did you hear?” Zhang Lao asked cautiously.“Like... singing? But in a language I don't understand. And there was

The Valley of Purple Mist was indeed worthy of its name. After two days of tense travel, the three travelers were now standing on its edge, staring at the purplish mist moving like slow waves below them.“There's something strange about this mist.” Li Wei muttered, observing how the mist was moving downwind. “This isn't an ordinary natural phenomenon.”Ming Hua nodded, feeling the jade tablet and necklace in her bag vibrate more strongly than usual. “Like... like something is breathing down there.”Chen, who was tying their horse to a nearby tree, paused for a moment. “Are we sure this is a good idea?”“No,” Li Wei answered honestly. “But it's the only way we've got.”Ming Hua took out her jade tablet, surveying the cracks that now clearly formed a map. In the dim twilight, she could see how the pattern of the cracks seemed to point towards the valley before them.“Look at this,” he pointed to a spot on the tablet. “There's some kind of... vortex here. And if my calculations are corre

“He started to wake up,” Wu Ling's voice was drowned in the hardening rumble, ”and when he opened his eyes fully...”Her sentence never finished. A wave of energy swept down from the mountain peak, carrying a strange scent - like ozone after a storm, but somehow more... ancient. Ming Hua felt her jade necklace tremble so strongly that it nearly fell off.“Take cover!” Li Wei shouted, pulling Chen behind a boulder. Ming Hua was about to follow when something held her back - a sensation that was both familiar and unfamiliar.Fog. But not the purple mist she was used to controlling. This was an older, more... fundamental mist. Like the raw substance that made up reality itself.“Ming Hua!” Chen shouted frantically, but his voice sounded distant, muffled by the thickening mist.“Don't move!” Wu Ling exclaimed. “That mist... that's the guardian's memory leaking out!”Ming Hua was rooted to the spot, feeling the mist creep over her skin like water flowing backwards. And with each touch, she

The mist that enveloped the mountain slowly faded away, leaving behind a strange sensation that electrified the air. Ming Hua could still feel the remnants of the conversation with the Guardian in her every breath - as if reality itself had changed at the most fundamental level.“We must move,” Wu Ling broke the silence, his eyes still fixed on the crystal that was now glowing with a calmer light. “The Seekers may have failed to awaken the other Guardians, but they will not give up so easily.”Ming Hua nodded slowly, but her mind was still dwelling on what had just happened. The evolution in the Guardian's consciousness was no small thing - this was a change that would reverberate throughout time.“Ming Hua?” Chen touched her shoulder gently. “Are you alright?”“Yes, just...” she paused for a moment, searching for the right words. “There's something different now. Like... a new melody in the song of the world.”Li Wei, who had been silently observing his surroundings, suddenly pointed