Destiny

The Hidden Realm is a crack in space that opens once every 20 years. From the annals, it could be assumed that the Hidden Realm was a battlefield during the great war between the gods and the demons. Now, it's a vast ruin littered with divine treasures and fortuitous encounters, wreathed in constant danger.

Fu Ming's aim was not a godhead or a celestial weapon but a rare herb. His Master once ventured into the Hidden Realm and found the herb with another practitioner. The two were rivals with almost the same strength and when a victor could not be determined, they agreed to send their disciples when the herb was ripe for picking.

Curiously, the pair of beasts guarding the herb was never mentioned. Fu Ming's attempts at infiltrating the valley have been met with fierce resistance and resulted in multiple injuries.

Fu Ming was at his wit's end. If he does not acquire the herb soon he would have to give it up. He was planning a final assault when he felt the presence of another.

A woman flashed in between the two beasts and started chanting in an ancient language that Fu Ming does not recognize. The beasts tried to resist the lull of the mantra but the woman managed to forcefully subdue them.

"What are you doing?" The woman snapped irritably when Fu Ming stood, unmoving. "Harvest the herb! I cannot hold them off longer!"

Fu Ming snapped out of his dazed thoughts and immediately went to work. "I have it!" he called out once the herb was secured.

"Leave!" The woman responded weakly but resolutely. "I'll hold them off!"

It was then that Fu Ming noticed how frail she became. Holding off a pair of divine beasts was too much. If he leaves she will die. But if he saves her he would have to let go of the herb.

Fu Ming's indecision lasted a mere second. When he saw a beast aim for her chest, Fu Ming unceremoniously dropped the herb and flashed to the woman's side to block the attack. He grabbed her waist and moved them to safety.

"You're a fool…" The woman berated faintly.

Fu Ming did not respond as he flew towards the passage with her in tow.

Unbeknownst to them, the trial has been preordained by the heavens. The moment the two escaped, together, they passed the test.

The divine beasts turned into balls of light and embedded themselves on the red strings mysteriously etched in their ankles.

The herb secured within the ruins was not an ordinary herb. It was Yue Lao's flower, also known as the flower of destiny.

The end… or is it?