Chapter 5: "The Awakening Storm"

Xian Shun didn't know how long he had been unconscious, drifting through endless darkness. When he finally stirred, the familiar sense of ground beneath him was gone, replaced by a strange, floating weightlessness. He blinked his eyes open, his vision blurry and mind disoriented, but as his surroundings came into focus, he felt a sharp jolt of clarity—and terror.

He was suspended in a vast, seemingly infinite void. Around him was an expanse of endless blackness, punctuated only by constant bursts of black lightning streaking across the darkness. Each bolt crackled with a strange energy, illuminating the void with brief flashes of ominous light. He realized he wasn't on solid ground; he was floating, held aloft by some unknown force in a realm that defied everything he understood.

Heart pounding, Xian Shun tried to sit up, but his movements were sluggish, as if he were trapped in water. He could feel the pull of both his Wind and Water elements within him, somehow connected to this strange place, as if they resonated with the very fabric of the realm. The lightning continued to flash around him, and strangely, it didn't harm him. Instead, it coiled around him, pulsing as if it were studying him, testing his presence.

"What… where am I?" he whispered, his voice barely audible in the vast emptiness.

The void offered no answers, only the haunting echo of his own voice reverberating back to him. In every direction, the endless darkness stretched out, the black lightning illuminating brief glimpses of an environment without boundaries. He could feel the energy in the air, charged and alive, vibrating with a power he had never felt before. It wasn't like the energy of his city or the wild lands beyond. This was something primal, something that felt ancient and incomprehensible.

Just as he began to gather his scattered thoughts, a sound broke through the silence—a voice, deep and resonant, as if carried on the storm itself. It was faint at first, barely a whisper, but unmistakable in its clarity.

"Xian Shun…"

The sound of his own name, spoken in this strange realm, sent a chill through him. He looked around frantically, searching for the source of the voice, but all he saw was the endless void and the arcs of black lightning.

Again, the voice echoed, this time closer and more powerful.

"Xian Shun…"

It was a voice filled with age, heavy with authority and wisdom. It resonated with the thunder that rumbled across the realm, seeming to merge with the storm's intensity. His heartbeat quickened, and he struggled to calm his mind, trying to make sense of what was happening. Who was calling him? How did this voice know his name?

With effort, he steadied himself and rose shakily to his feet, his legs trembling as he stood on the nonexistent ground. Despite the unfamiliar terrain and the disorientation, he knew one thing: he couldn't afford to show fear. Swallowing his unease, he called out into the void, his voice wavering but resolute. "Who's there? How do you know my name?"

For a long moment, there was silence. The thunder rumbled in the distance, and the black lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the realm with its brief, spectral light. Then, the voice returned, stronger, closer, echoing with a depth that seemed to reach through the fabric of space itself.

"You have been chosen, Xian Shun."

The words hung in the air, their weight pressing down on him like an unmovable force. His breath caught in his throat. Chosen? For what? His mind raced with questions, but he knew that this presence, whatever it was, was not to be taken lightly.

As he stood there, the storm around him began to change. The arcs of lightning converged, gathering into a single, swirling point, a storm of black fire and lightning coalescing before him. The flames danced with an eerie life of their own, casting long shadows in the void, until they began to form a shape—a human form, tall and imposing, crackling with dark energy.

The figure fully emerged, standing before him, wreathed in black flames that pulsed and shifted with a life of their own. His eyes glowed with a dark, intense light, like lightning trapped within, and his expression was stern, ancient, and unreadable. Power radiated from him, filling the space with an energy that made Xian Shun's heart pound in his chest. He had never encountered anyone like this, someone who seemed to embody the very forces of nature he'd only begun to control.

"This is the Skyfire Dragon Ancient Realm," the figure intoned, his voice low and resonant. "And I am its guardian, tasked with finding a disciple worthy of inheriting the legacy of my master, the Skyfire Dragon."

Xian Shun's eyes widened. The name of the Skyfire Dragon was one he knew well—a legend passed down through generations, a dragon that had once reached Level 14, Bó Fán, before ascending beyond mortal comprehension. The Skyfire Dragon was spoken of in hushed tones, revered as a creature that had touched godhood itself. But to hear that name here, in this place, was almost too much to comprehend.

"The… Skyfire Dragon?" Xian Shun stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. He struggled to grasp the enormity of what he was hearing. "But that's… that's impossible. The Skyfire Dragon is just a myth."

The guardian's eyes sparked with amusement, a faint smile touching his otherwise stern face. "A myth?" he repeated, his voice tinged with dark humor. "Perhaps to you, but to me, he is my master—the one who transcended this world and reached the realm of gods." His gaze sharpened, his dark eyes piercing. "And I am here to ensure that only the worthy will carry his legacy."

Xian Shun's mind spun. The weight of the guardian's words settled heavily upon him, and he felt his heart race. Why him? He was just a young cultivator, still struggling to reach even modest heights. "Why… why me?" he managed, his voice barely steady. "Why was I chosen? I'm not… I'm not worthy of such an honor."

The guardian's expression grew serious, the humor fading from his eyes. "You may not see your own potential, but my master does," he replied, his voice resonating with an unbreakable conviction. "The strength you seek lies within you, yet it remains dormant. My master has foreseen it. But before we proceed, you must face a test. Only those with the will to endure can bear the weight of his legacy."

Xian Shun's breath came in shallow gasps as he stared at the guardian, his thoughts racing. He felt a surge of fear and awe, but also a strange, quiet thrill that stirred deep within him. He had dreamed of achieving greatness, of breaking free from the limits others had placed upon him, but this—this was beyond anything he had dared to imagine.

The guardian's gaze turned icy, his eyes locking onto Xian Shun with a gaze that sent a chill through his spine. "There is only one test," the guardian declared, his voice as cold and unyielding as the void itself. "A test of mindset. It will push you beyond fear, beyond pain, and if you fail… you will die."

The guardian's words struck him like a thunderbolt, and a shiver ran through his body. But despite the fear, Xian Shun's resolve grew. He couldn't back down, not now, not when he had been given this chance to touch the impossible. Clenching his fists, he took a deep breath, standing tall in the face of the black flames and dark lightning that surrounded him.

"Then I'll face it," he said, his voice filled with newfound strength. "I don't fear death if it means proving my worth."

The guardian's eyes narrowed, a hint of respect glinting within the dark lightning. With a nod, he raised his hand, and the black flames around him surged, coiling into a vortex of energy that spiraled toward Xian Shun.

"Then prepare yourself," the guardian intoned. "For only those who embrace the darkness within can carry the legacy of the Skyfire Dragon."