The Elders' Council Chamber of the Jade Lotus Sect was a marvel of ancient cultivation architecture. Twelve high-backed chairs of white jade formed a perfect circle around a central dais, upon which rested a scale model of the mountain itself, crafted from the same luminous stone. Jade light suffused the chamber, emanating not from any visible source but from the very walls themselves. Lin Feng stood beside Liu Mei as Grand Elder Feng Tianhao—his grandfather—summoned the surviving elders. So far, only three had responded to the spiritual call that had resonated throughout the mountain complex. "Only four of twelve," the Grand Elder murmured, his face grave as he took his seat at what was clearly the head position. "I feared as much." The other three elders who had arrived—two men and one woman, all appearing to be in their fifties though Lin Feng now understood that physical age meant little here—regarded the newcomers with expressions ranging from suspicion to wonder. "Grand Elder," said one, a severe-looking man with a gray-streaked beard, "you cannot seriously believe this... this boy is Wuying's son. It's clearly a deception." His gaze shifted to Elder Lian. "And Lian Yueyin was a junior disciple when the time lock was enacted. Now she claims to be an elder?" "I claim nothing but the passage of time, Elder Zhou," Elder Lian replied evenly. "Three centuries have passed outside this mountain. I have lived each of those years, while you experienced perhaps months or years, depending on how the time distortion affected your section of the complex." "Impossible," Elder Zhou scoffed. "No time lock could maintain such a differential for three centuries." "And yet here we stand," Elder Lian said. "Living proof." The female elder leaned forward, studying Lin Feng intently. "The boy has the bloodline. I can sense it clearly—perhaps the purest manifestation I've seen in generations." Her gaze moved to Liu Mei. "But this one... she carries the taint of Phoenix qi." Liu Mei stiffened beside Lin Feng. "I am not of the Crimson Phoenix Sect," she said firmly. "I was betrothed to their young master against my will. I rejected that fate to help Lin Feng and Elder Lian." "A convenient claim," Elder Zhou muttered. "Enough," Grand Elder Feng Tianhao's voice cut through the tension like a blade. "I have verified Lin Feng's bloodline myself. He is indeed my grandson, carrying Wuying's blood. As for Lian Yueyin and the young woman Liu Mei—they risked everything to reach us, to warn us." His expression hardened. "The jade energy signature of their arrival has undoubtedly alerted our enemies. We have little time for squabbling amongst ourselves." He gestured to the central dais, where the mountain model had begun to pulse with jade light. "The time lock is dissolving rapidly now. Soon, this mountain will fully reintegrate with the outside world. We must determine who else has survived the temporal distortion and prepare for the conflict that surely awaits us." "What conflict?" asked the third elder, who had remained silent until now. "If three centuries have truly passed, perhaps the old enmities have faded." Elder Lian shook her head. "The Crimson Phoenix Sect has spent those centuries hunting down and eliminating any with jade energy. Their campaign against us has not diminished but intensified. They've bred their bloodline specifically to detect and counter our techniques." "As evidenced by this," Lin Feng added, stepping forward and producing the remnants of the Crimson Phoenix betrothal pendant that Liu Mei had discarded. "A detection device disguised as a betrothal token." The female elder took the pendant, examining it with evident disgust. "They've corrupted our communication talismans," she said. "Twisted them to serve as tracking tools." "And that is merely the beginning," Elder Lian continued. "Their young master, Ren Zhao, attempted to use the Blood Phoenix Binding against us before we escaped through the temporal doorway." This revelation caused visible shock among the elders. Even Elder Zhou's skepticism faltered. "The Binding was theoretical when the time lock was enacted," the female elder said softly. "A weapon they were researching but had not perfected." "They've had three centuries to perfect it," Lin Feng pointed out. "And they're not alone. The Crimson Phoenix Sect now leads a coalition of major sects, all believing that temporal manipulation violates the natural order of cultivation." Grand Elder Feng Tianhao's expression remained composed, but Lin Feng sensed the storm of emotions beneath the surface. Learning that your son had lived an entire life without you, that centuries had passed in what felt like moments, that enemies had spent those centuries preparing for your return—it would be enough to shatter a lesser man's resolve. But the Grand Elder was not a lesser man. "Then we must move quickly," he declared, rising from his seat. "First, we must restore communication throughout the mountain, determine who else has survived. Then, we assess our resources, our cultivation assets." He turned to Elder Lian. "Elder Lian, take two disciples and activate the mountain's defensive arrays. If the Crimson Phoenix forces attempt to breach our perimeter, they must meet resistance." Elder Lian bowed. "At once, Grand Elder." "Elder Ming," he continued, addressing the female elder, "examine the time lock mechanisms. Determine how stable our reintegration will be and what areas of the mountain remain affected by temporal distortion." Elder Ming nodded and departed without further comment. "Elder Zhou, Elder Wei," he said to the remaining two, "begin a systematic search of the disciple quarters. Any survivors must be gathered, briefed, and prepared." As the elders dispersed to their assigned tasks, Grand Elder Feng Tianhao turned his attention to Lin Feng and Liu Mei. "As for you two," he said, his voice softening slightly, "come with me. There is something I must show you. Something that may explain why you, Lin Feng, were able to connect with the jade lotus legacy despite growing up without knowledge of your heritage." --- The Grand Elder led them deep into the mountain, past training halls and meditation chambers, through corridors lined with murals depicting the history of the Jade Lotus Sect. As they walked, Lin Feng noticed that certain areas they passed through felt... different. The air would suddenly feel thicker or thinner, sounds would distort briefly, and once, a corridor they traversed seemed to shift subtly around them, its proportions changing between one step and the next. "Temporal aftershocks," the Grand Elder explained, noticing their reactions. "The dissolution of the time lock isn't proceeding uniformly. Some areas are still partially locked in different time streams." "Is it dangerous?" Liu Mei asked, eyeing a section of wall that appeared to be rippling slightly. "Not immediately," he replied. "But it is unpredictable. Best to move quickly and purposefully." Eventually they reached what appeared to be a dead end—a blank wall of white stone. The Grand Elder placed his palm against it, channeling jade energy into the stone. In response, the wall simply ceased to exist, revealing a chamber beyond. "The Ancestral Record Hall," he said, gesturing for them to enter. "Few outside the direct bloodline have ever been permitted here." Liu Mei hesitated. "Perhaps I should wait outside." "No," the Grand Elder surprised her by saying. "What you are about to see concerns you as well, though I did not realize it until I sensed the particular resonance between your qi and my grandson's." The chamber beyond was circular, its walls lined with jade tablets inscribed with names and dates—a genealogical record of the sect's founding bloodline. At the center stood a single pedestal upon which rested an object covered by a cloth of shimmering green silk. "The Jade Lotus Sect was founded over a thousand years ago," the Grand Elder began, moving to stand beside the pedestal. "Not merely as a cultivation organization, but as guardians of a specific legacy—the ability to perceive and manipulate the flow of time itself." He gestured to the jade tablets surrounding them. "Our bloodline was not the first to develop this ability, but we were the first to systematize it, to create techniques that could be taught rather than merely inherited. This made us both powerful and dangerous in the eyes of other sects." "But the Crimson Phoenix Sect in particular opposed us," Lin Feng said. "Why them specifically?" "Because their bloodline developed as a natural counter to ours," the Grand Elder replied. "Where we perceive the malleability of time, they see only rigid, unalterable progression. Their ability to detect temporal manipulation arose as a defensive mechanism, then was cultivated deliberately through selective bloodline enhancement." He turned to Liu Mei. "Which is why your presence here is so interesting, young Liu Mei. You wear a Crimson Phoenix detection pendant, yet you show no natural sensitivity to jade energy. In fact..." His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied her. "Your qi signature has an unusual quality. A dormant resonance." "What does that mean?" she asked. Instead of answering directly, the Grand Elder removed the silk cloth from the pedestal, revealing what lay beneath: a jade lotus identical to the mark on Lin Feng's chest, but carved in physical form, about the size of a man's palm. "This is the Original Jade Lotus," he said reverently. "The source from which all our techniques derive. The physical manifestation of our founder's insight into the nature of time." The carved lotus pulsed with jade light in perfect synchronization with the mark on Lin Feng's chest. Lin Feng felt a powerful connection to the object, as if it had been waiting for him. "When the time lock was enacted," the Grand Elder continued, "portions of the Original Jade Lotus's essence were scattered throughout the world in the form of energy fragments. These fragments sought compatible hosts—those with latent ability to manipulate time." He looked at Lin Feng. "One such fragment found you, recognizing your bloodline despite your father's sealing of it. It awakened your heritage, accelerated your cultivation, provided you with instinctive knowledge of techniques you had never formally learned." Lin Feng touched his chest where the lotus mark lay. "And other fragments? Did they find hosts as well?" "Most likely," the Grand Elder acknowledged. "Though without the bloodline connection, their influence would be more subtle." His gaze shifted to Liu Mei. "Sometimes manifesting as an unusual resistance to temporal manipulation... or an affinity for it that defies bloodline expectations." Liu Mei's eyes widened. "Are you suggesting that I...?" "I believe you may carry a trace of jade energy yourself," the Grand Elder confirmed. "Not through bloodline, but through resonance with a fragment of the Original Jade Lotus. It would explain your ability to communicate through the corrupted pendant, and your natural affinity with my grandson." Lin Feng and Liu Mei exchanged startled glances. The implication was clear: their connection was not merely one of friendship or even romantic attraction, but something deeper—a resonance at the level of their very qi. "This is why the Crimson Phoenix Sect fears us so deeply," the Grand Elder said, covering the Original Jade Lotus once more. "Not merely because we can manipulate time, but because our legacy can spread beyond bloodlines, can find those with natural affinity regardless of their sect or origin." He turned to face them fully, his expression solemn. "And this is why you two are so important to our future. Lin Feng, you represent the continuation of our bloodline, the direct inheritance. Liu Mei, you represent the possibility of a broader legacy, one that transcends the limitations of birth and blood." A subtle tremor ran through the chamber, jade tablets briefly vibrating against the walls. "The mountain continues to reintegrate," the Grand Elder observed. "We should return to the council chamber. By now, more survivors may have emerged." As they turned to leave, a much stronger tremor shook the chamber, causing several jade tablets to crash to the floor. The air itself seemed to ripple, visible distortions racing across the walls like waves. "Temporal backlash," the Grand Elder said sharply. "More severe than I anticipated. Quickly, we must—" His words were cut off as the chamber suddenly filled with blinding jade light. Lin Feng felt a wrenching sensation, as if his very being was being stretched and compressed simultaneously. Beside him, Liu Mei cried out, reaching for his hand. Their fingers brushed just as the light intensified to unbearable brightness, and then— Darkness. --- Lin Feng regained consciousness slowly, his head pounding with the worst pain he had ever experienced. He was lying on a cold stone floor, the familiar jade light of the mountain dimmed to a faint glow. With effort, he pushed himself to a sitting position, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He was still in the Ancestral Record Hall, but it looked... different. Several of the jade tablets that had lined the walls were missing, and the pedestal at the center stood empty, the silk cloth and the Original Jade Lotus nowhere to be seen. "Liu Mei?" he called, his voice echoing strangely in the chamber. "Grandfather?" No response. Struggling to his feet, Lin Feng moved to the chamber entrance, which now stood open to a corridor that seemed subtly altered from the one they had traversed earlier. The proportions were slightly off, the jade light a shade darker. "Liu Mei!" he called again, louder this time. "Grand Elder!" Only silence answered him. Fighting rising panic, Lin Feng reached for the jade lotus mark on his chest, seeking its reassuring warmth. To his relief, it responded immediately, pulsing with energy that helped clear his mind. Something had happened during that temporal backlash. Some kind of displacement. But where had the others gone? Or—the thought struck him with chilling clarity—when had they gone? Lin Feng closed his eyes, focusing on the techniques Elder Lian had taught him for perceiving temporal fluctuations. Immediately, he sensed that something was very wrong with the flow of time in this section of the mountain. It felt... fractured, as if different portions of reality were operating at different temporal rates. Opening his eyes, he made a decision. Standing here wouldn't solve anything. He needed to find the others, to determine exactly what had happened. Moving cautiously, he entered the corridor, following it back the way they had come—or at least, what he hoped was the way they had come. The mountain felt different, altered in subtle ways that made navigation challenging. After several minutes of walking, he heard voices ahead—raised voices, arguing intensely. Quickening his pace, Lin Feng rounded a corner and found himself facing a scene straight from the past. Elder Zhou and another man Lin Feng didn't recognize stood in a wide chamber, squared off against each other in obvious confrontation. Both wore formal robes bearing the jade lotus emblem, but the style was different—older, more elaborate than what the elders had been wearing earlier. "The time lock is our only option!" Elder Zhou was saying, his voice younger, less bitter than Lin Feng remembered. "If we face them directly, we risk everything!" "And if we hide like cowards, we concede defeat before the battle is joined!" the other man countered. "The Crimson Phoenix forces are still gathering. If we strike now—" "Excuse me," Lin Feng interrupted, causing both men to whirl toward him. "I'm looking for Grand Elder Feng Tianhao and Liu Mei. Have you seen them?" Elder Zhou's face registered shock, then suspicion. "Who are you? How did you enter the inner sanctum?" The other man studied Lin Feng with narrowed eyes. "That robe... those are Outer Disciple garments. Identify yourself immediately." Lin Feng realized with growing unease that neither man recognized him. And Elder Zhou appeared noticeably younger than he had in the council chamber. "My name is Lin Feng," he said carefully. "Grandson of Grand Elder Feng Tianhao. I arrived with Elder Lian Yueyin when the mountain began reintegrating with the outside world." The two men exchanged baffled looks. "Reintegrating?" the unknown elder repeated. "What nonsense is this? The mountain is under siege, young man, not... 'reintegrating.'" "And Lian Yueyin is a junior disciple, not an elder," Elder Zhou added. "As for being the Grand Elder's grandson—impossible. His son Wuying is barely into his teens." Lin Feng's blood ran cold. Under siege? Wuying a teenager? "What... what year is it?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. The unknown elder's expression darkened. "Is this some Crimson Phoenix trick? Some attempt at infiltration?" "The year is 1023 of the Imperial Calendar," Elder Zhou said impatiently. "Now explain yourself before we have you detained as a spy!" Lin Feng's mind reeled. 1023... three hundred years before his own time. Before the time lock was enacted. Before the mountain disappeared. He was somehow witnessing the original siege of the Jade Lotus Sect. Before he could formulate a response, a new tremor shook the corridor, jade light flaring briefly along the walls. The two elders glanced around in alarm. "Another attack on the outer barriers," the unknown elder said grimly. "We must return to the defense council." He fixed Lin Feng with a hard stare. "You will come with us. The Grand Elder will determine what to do with you." Lin Feng nodded numbly, still trying to process what was happening. Had he been thrown back in time? Or was this some kind of echo, a memory playing out due to the temporal distortions rippling through the mountain? As the elders led him through corridors now bustling with disciples rushing to defensive positions, Lin Feng caught glimpses through windows of the outside world. The mountain was surrounded by cultivators in red robes—the Crimson Phoenix Sect—along with six other distinct groups, each displaying different sect colors and emblems. The sight confirmed his worst fears. He was witnessing the beginning of the end—the siege that would lead to the time lock, to the disappearance of the mountain, to three centuries of his sect's absence from the world. But where were Liu Mei and his grandfather? Had they been thrown into different time periods within the mountain's fractured history? And more importantly—was there any way back to their proper time? As they approached what appeared to be a command center, Lin Feng felt the lotus mark on his chest grow unexpectedly warm. Glancing down, he saw jade light seeping through his robes, drawing curious and suspicious looks from passing disciples. "What is that?" Elder Zhou demanded, noticing the glow. Before Lin Feng could respond, the light intensified dramatically. The corridor around them began to waver, reality itself seeming to thin. "Temporal fluctuation!" the unknown elder shouted. "Everyone back!" But it was too late. The jade light from Lin Feng's chest expanded outward, enveloping him completely. The last thing he saw was Elder Zhou's face, twisted in a mixture of fear and fascination, before the light consumed his vision entirely. This time, the transition was less jarring. There was no pain, no sense of being torn apart and reassembled. Just a gentle shift, like stepping from one room into another. When the light faded, Lin Feng found himself in yet another iteration of the mountain—this one eerily silent, the corridors empty of the frantic activity he had just witnessed. The jade light was brighter here, steadier. And standing before him, their expressions a mixture of relief and concern, were Liu Mei and Grand Elder Feng Tianhao. "Lin Feng!" Liu Mei rushed forward, embracing him with unexpected force. "We thought we'd lost you!" "Where did you go?" the Grand Elder asked urgently. "One moment you were with us, the next you vanished." Lin Feng returned Liu Mei's embrace briefly before addressing his grandfather. "I think I went back in time. I saw Elder Zhou, younger, arguing about the time lock. The mountain was under siege by the Crimson Phoenix coalition." The Grand Elder's eyebrows rose. "You witnessed the original siege? Three hundred years ago?" "I think so," Lin Feng confirmed. "They said it was the year 1023." "Fascinating and concerning in equal measure," the Grand Elder murmured. "The temporal backlash must have momentarily connected different points in the mountain's timeline." "Where did you two go?" Lin Feng asked. "I returned to the Ancestral Record Hall but you were both gone." "We didn't go anywhere," Liu Mei said, still standing close to him. "You disappeared. We've spent the last hour searching for you." Lin Feng blinked in confusion. "An hour? It couldn't have been more than ten minutes for me." "Another temporal discrepancy," the Grand Elder noted grimly. "Time is still flowing at different rates throughout the mountain. This complicates matters significantly." A disciple hurried toward them from down the corridor—a young woman in the simple green robes of an inner disciple. "Grand Elder," she called, bowing quickly. "Elder Ming reports that the main time lock mechanism has been fully disengaged. The mountain has completely reintegrated with the outside world." "Good," the Grand Elder replied. "And the defensive arrays?" "Activated and functioning," the disciple confirmed. "But Elder Lian says there's something you should see at the main gate. Something... unexpected." The Grand Elder's expression sharpened. "Lead the way." As they followed the disciple through the now-stable corridors of the mountain, Lin Feng found himself walking beside Liu Mei, their shoulders occasionally brushing. She seemed reluctant to let him out of her sight after his disappearance. "Did you really see the past?" she asked quietly. "The original siege?" "A version of it," he replied. "Though I don't know if it was the actual past or some kind of echo created by the temporal distortions." "Either way," she said, "you've witnessed something no one else alive has seen. The beginning of the events that shaped the current cultivation world." Lin Feng nodded, contemplating the implications. If the temporal boundaries within the mountain remained porous, could they perhaps change the past? Alter the events that had led to the Jade Lotus Sect's disappearance? The thought was both tantalizing and terrifying. The power to change history carried responsibilities and dangers he could barely comprehend. They reached the main gate of the mountain complex—massive doors of white jade inlaid with green, designed to swing outward onto a plateau that, according to historical records, had once served as a reception area for visitors to the sect. Elder Lian waited for them there, along with a dozen disciples in defensive formation. Her expression was difficult to read. "Grand Elder," she greeted with a formal bow. "The mountain has fully reintegrated with the outside world. The defensive arrays are active and calibrated." "Then what is the concern?" the Grand Elder asked. In response, Elder Lian gestured to a viewing portal set into the wall beside the gate—a specialized formation that allowed those inside to see what waited outside. "Our unexpected visitors," she said simply. The Grand Elder stepped forward, peering through the portal. His face registered surprise, then a complex mixture of emotions too subtle for Lin Feng to interpret. "Well," he said after a long moment. "This is... not what I anticipated." Lin Feng and Liu Mei moved to look through the portal themselves. What they saw made both of them freeze in shock. Standing on the plateau outside the gate was not the attacking force of Crimson Phoenix disciples they had expected. Instead, representatives of every major sect in the cultivation world appeared to be assembled in formal delegation. Front and center stood the unmistakable figure of Ren Zhao, flanked by elders from what must be the Soaring Dragon Sect—including, Lin Feng noted with a chill, Master Han himself. But most surprising of all was the banner they had erected directly before the gate: a white flag bearing a universal symbol recognized throughout the cultivation world. The symbol for truce negotiations. "It seems," the Grand Elder said with measured calm, "that our enemies wish to talk before they attempt to destroy us again." "It's a trap," Elder Lian stated flatly. "The Crimson Phoenix Sect would never seek genuine negotiation with us." "Perhaps," the Grand Elder allowed. "But after three centuries, much may have changed." He turned to Lin Feng and Liu Mei. "You two have the most recent experience with the outside world. What do you make of this?" Lin Feng studied the assembled delegations carefully. "Ren Zhao tried to kill us less than a day ago. His master explicitly ordered him to ensure I didn't leave Cloudhaven alive. I find it difficult to believe their intentions are suddenly peaceful." "And yet," Liu Mei said thoughtfully, "such a public approach, with witnesses from all the major sects... it's not how they typically operate. The Crimson Phoenix Sect prefers to eliminate jade energy users quietly, maintaining the fiction that they're merely protecting the cultivation world from dangerous practices." She pointed to the Soaring Dragon representatives. "My sect's presence is particularly significant. The alliance between Soaring Dragon and Crimson Phoenix is recent and still fragile. If Ren Zhao acts openly against us now, it could jeopardize relations between their sects." "A political calculation, then," the Grand Elder surmised. "They cannot simply attack a newly returned sect without justification, not with witnesses from neutral parties." "So they seek to draw us into negotiations," Elder Lian concluded. "To learn our strengths and weaknesses, to assess how many of us survived the time lock." "Or," Liu Mei suggested, "to establish conditions under which the Jade Lotus Sect might be permitted to exist in the modern cultivation world. Perhaps with restrictions on temporal techniques." The Grand Elder considered this possibility. "A facade of reasonable accommodation while actually ensuring our powers remain constrained." He nodded slowly. "A clever approach, and one that would position them as reasonable actors should we refuse." "What will you do?" Lin Feng asked his grandfather. The Grand Elder's expression hardened with resolve. "We will accept their invitation to negotiate. Not because we believe in their sincerity, but because it buys us time—time to stabilize the mountain, to gather our surviving disciples, to assess our true strength." He turned to Elder Lian. "Prepare a formal response. We will meet their delegation in three days' time, at the Boundary Pavilion." He gestured to the smaller structure visible at the edge of the plateau. "Neutral ground, technically neither inside our mountain nor fully in the outside world." "And if it is a trap?" Elder Lian asked. "Then we will be prepared," the Grand Elder replied simply. "We did not survive three centuries in temporal exile only to fall to such an obvious stratagem." As Elder Lian departed to prepare the response, the Grand Elder turned back to Lin Feng and Liu Mei. "You two have unique perspectives that will be valuable in these negotiations. Liu Mei understands the political landscape of the modern sects. Lin Feng has both the bloodline and outside experience." His eyes reflected the jade light surrounding them. "Together, you represent the bridge between our past and whatever future awaits us." Lin Feng felt the weight of those words settle on his shoulders—a burden of responsibility he had never imagined bearing when he first set out for Cloudhaven as a failed disciple seeking one last chance. Now he stood as the grandson of the Grand Elder, a bearer of the jade lotus legacy, and potentially a key figure in determining whether his ancestral sect would rise again or fall once more to its ancient enemies. Beside him, Liu Mei's hand found his, their fingers intertwining in a gesture both reassuring and defiant. Whatever came next, they would face it together—bound by choice rather than bloodline, by loyalty freely given rather than obligation imposed. Outside, Ren Zhao and the assembled representatives of the cultivation world waited for their answer, unaware that within the time-fractured mountain, the Jade Lotus Sect was already preparing not just for negotiations, but for the possibility of a new kind of war—one fought with words and political maneuvering rather than direct confrontation. A war for the right to exist in a world that had spent three centuries learning to fear and hate everything they represented.