Dawn arrived with a storm on the horizon.
The clouds above the Azure Sect stretched like cracks in the heavens, and lightning pulsed through them in steady rhythm — almost as if the sky itself was breathing.
Li Ming stood at the edge of the main courtyard, robe fluttering in the rising wind. Behind him, Lan Yue, Bai Guo, Yun Rou, and Xue Yan gathered, their gazes fixed on the same distant fissure splitting the heavens apart.
"The Sky Rift," Lan Yue said quietly. "It's really opening."
Xue Yan crossed her arms, her usual smirk fading. "Looks more like the heavens got angry and tore themselves in half."
Bai Guo bobbed his head. "And we're going in there? On purpose?"
Li Ming exhaled, watching the lightning dance along the clouds.
"The Sect Master said it'll only open once every fifty years. The Sky Rift isn't just a crack in the world—it's a battlefield left behind by the ancient cultivators of the Thunder Path. Every storm, every bolt, carries remnants of their will."
