The sun rose slowly over the City of Mists, tinting the rooftops with gold and silver hues. The air was cool, but there was something different about this morning—a strange uneasiness that ran through the hearts of every cultivator in the city. Rumors swirled through the streets: a Nascent Soul-level sect was on its way.
Meanwhile, within the Jun Clan, life continued with a peculiarly calm pace.
Gu Qingluo's POV
Gu Qingluo sat by the window of her pavilion. In her arms, a baby slept soundly—little Jun Lian, born just over a year ago. Her eyes, a soft violet, seemed to inherit something from her estranged older brother.
"Strange…" the woman murmured, looking up at the sky. "Even in her sleep, she seems to feel something."
Little Jun Lian squeezed her mother's finger, and for an instant, Gu Qingluo felt a wave of peace wash over her. It was different from the coldness that had always accompanied her.
Since the child's birth, she had rarely seen Jun Tian. She knew he spent his days reading, meditating, or playing ancient games in the quiet square. A boy who should have been a source of pride, but had become the object of sighs and whispers.
"Useless," they said.
But something inside her refused to believe it completely.
As she rocked the baby, the woman remembered an old scene: a younger Jun Tian, sitting under a tree, watching a leaf fall as if the whole world were in that moment.
There was something unsettling in that gaze—a quiet depth, as if her son had already understood something others never would.
She looked at Jun Lian once more and whispered,
"Perhaps one day, you will understand him better than I could."
Jun Xiao's POV
In another pavilion, Jun Xiao, the family patriarch, was reading a scroll with information about the approaching sect.
The official seals confirmed it: it was the Eternal Moon Sect, one of the most powerful in the region. They would be coming to recruit talent.
His heart raced with ambition.
"If Yun Xiang is chosen... our city will be recognized," he murmured. "But if..." he trailed off, frowning. "What if, by chance, Jun Tian does something stupid in the middle of this?"
He let out a heavy sigh.
To the clan, Jun Tian was a burden: he showed no results, didn't participate in training, and rarely spoke to anyone. Still, the patriarch couldn't help but feel uneasy when he thought of the boy.
He recalled an elder's report:
"He reads everything he can find, Patriarch. He spends hours studying ancient arts, formation diagrams, and even treatises on the Dao of the sword. At night, he seems to cultivate, but… there's something strange. The flow of energy around him isn't normal."
Jun Xiao tried to ignore the discomfort. "Just his imagination," he thought.
But deep down, he feared the unknown. Something about Jun Tian didn't fit in with the ordinary world.
He stood up, scanning the horizon. In the distance, dark clouds moved slowly—as if heralding the arrival of something grand.
Jun Lian—The Child of Light
In a corner of the garden, little Jun Lian played with flower petals. Her laughter echoed softly, like a bell. Although only a year old, she seemed to observe everything attentively, as if she understood more than she should.
Suddenly, the wind blew gently. The petals flew around her, forming a luminous spiral. The girl looked up at the sky, and for a moment, her violet eyes shone like crystals.
From atop a nearby hill, Jun Tian watched the scene in silence.
He didn't approach.
There was no need.
A faint smile appeared on his face. "She has a gentle aura… perhaps more awake than she appears."
The Lotus within his sea of knowledge remained still, but her voice sounded soft:
"The fate between you is tenuous, but real. Not all blood ties are cold, Tian."
Jun Tian closed his eyes and replied in his mind:
"I know. But I can't get attached. Not yet."
And then, he turned back to the secluded training ground he had created.
It was time to test the fluidity of the ethereal sword—one of the many forms he had been practicing in secret, guided by the Lotus.
Yun Xiang — The Scarlet Pride
Through the city streets, acclaimed by all, Yun Xiang, the purple jewel, strutted gracefully.
Already at the summit of the second stage, her self-confidence was evident to all who saw her.
Whispers echoed:
"She will be chosen by the sect!"
"She is the highlight of the Misty Metropolis!"
Yun Xiang smiled, already accustomed to the admiration. But as she crossed the square, she overheard a conversation between two young women:
"Did you hear? Heir Jun, the good-for-nothing… they say he trains alone at night."
"Nonsense! He must be playing with twigs. A weakling who calls himself a cultivator."
Yun Xiang, for no apparent reason, stopped.
Her chest tightened slightly.
She remembered an attempt at dialogue with Jun Tian. He had completely ignored her.
Once scorned, she had felt fury. Today, years later, uncertainty assailed her.
"Why didn't you look at me like the others? Disdain... or something more?"
Shaking her head, she took a deep breath.
"It doesn't matter," she stammered. "Tomorrow, the sect will arrive. I will prove my worth."
But even as she spoke these words, she couldn't forget Jun Tian's serene gaze—a gaze that seemed to transcend, not just see.
The Coming of the Perennial Moon Sect
At dusk, the sky changed.
Silver clouds appeared on the horizon, spiraling and splitting the sky. A distant sound, like a thousand bells in unison, echoed through the city.
The cultivators stopped. The air was suffused with pure spiritual energy, and the ground trembled slightly.
From the heavens, a colossal ship appeared, gleaming in the moonlight.
The symbol of the Perennial Moon radiated like a pale sun.
Everyone knelt, overcome with respect.
At the top of the hill, Jun Tian watched in silence, his eyes reflecting the cold lunar glow.
The Lotus, in its ocean of knowledge, opened a single petal—soft and brilliant.
"The world moves, Tian."
"And we with it," he replied calmly.
A chilly wind blew, ruffling his black hair.
And, deep in his soul, something awakened—a faint premonition that, under that sky, destinies would intersect.