Echoes of the Veilwalker
The air at the Rootspire remained thick with tension. The Veilwalker's retreat was not a defeat but a whispered threat hanging over the Threadborne like a storm cloud.
Li Shen knew this was only the beginning of a greater conflict. The Sovereigns would not relent, and neither could he.
The Moonwoven Blessing pulsed faintly at his chest, its light flickering like a fragile heartbeat. It had awakened something inside him — a connection not just to the roots of their world but beyond it.
The Fractured Threads
That night, as the cultivators rested, Li Shen sat alone beneath the ancient Rootspire tree.
His fingers traced the glowing silver thread left by the Veilwalker, its cold sovereign Qi still humming softly.
Suddenly, the thread vibrated violently, weaving itself into a pattern — a sigil, a gateway.
A voice echoed in his mind, distant but clear.
"The path you seek lies beyond the Veil. To fight the Sovereigns, you must first cross into the New Realm."
The New Realm — a whispered legend among the Threadborne — a parallel dimension where the laws of cultivation twisted and new powers awaited.
Preparing the Passage
Li Shen summoned Jinhai and Yue Han.
"The Veilwalker's thread is more than a warning. It's a beacon, a key to a threshold between worlds," he explained.
Jinhai's eyes widened. "Crossing the Veil is dangerous. Few have returned."
"But if we don't act, the Sovereigns will strike here, and we will be torn apart," Li Shen said firmly.
Yue Han nodded, resolve to burn in her eyes. "Then we must prepare."
Ritual of the Moonwoven Veil
In the heart of the Rootspire, beneath the light of the full moon, the Threadborne gathered.
Li Shen led the ritual, weaving his Root Threads with the silver Sovereign Qi from the Veilwalker's thread.
The air shimmered, space bending as a swirling portal tore open—a gateway to the New Realm.
Crossing into the New Realm
Taking a deep breath, Li Shen stepped forward, followed by Yue Han and a select group of elite cultivators.
The moment their feet crossed the Veil, reality shifted.
The sky pulsed with shifting colours — strange hues that defied earthly description.
The ground beneath was alive with energy, vibrant roots glowing in blue and violet.
The rules of cultivation felt fluid here; power surged unpredictably.
A World Reforged
Li Shen could feel the Moonwoven Blessing reacting strongly.
"This realm... it amplifies the Threadborne's essence," he murmured.
But danger lurked. Sovereign Qi twisted like venom in the air, and shadowy figures watched from a distance — agents of the Sovereigns, waiting to strike.
First Contact
Before they could proceed, a figure emerged — a mysterious cultivator robed in shifting light.
"I am Faelan, Keeper of the New Realm," he said, voice calm but commanding.
"You who cross the Veil must prove your worth. This realm is not a refuge but a crucible."
Li Shen stepped forward, eyes steady.
"We seek strength to save our world. We accept your trial."
Trial of the Weave
Faelan raised his hand, and the ground erupted into a living web of roots and light.
"Survive the Trial of the Weave, and the New Realm's power will be yours. Fail, and be lost between worlds."
The cultivators braced themselves. The weave twisted, roots lashing, light blinding, testing their strength, will, and unity.
Li Shen's Moonwoven Blessing flared, and with a cry, he launched into the fr