Path of the Forgotten.

The path up the mountain had never felt so quiet.

Lin Feng walked alone, summoned by a scroll bearing no seal — only three cold characters: "Appear by dusk."

No threats. No reasons.

But even he knew what it meant.

The peak was distant from the bustling sect. A place of judgment and memory, unused since the last inner disciple rebellion nearly twenty years prior.

As he approached the steps, Lin Feng paused.

Above, thunder cracked faintly.

No clouds.

Just the sky… watching.

---

Somewhere Else — A Cliff Overlooking the Sect

Han Yu sat cross-legged on a lonely crag, eyes closed, hair swaying gently in the wind.

He had watched the duel.

He had seen the unnatural heat — the way the arena bent, the way space seemed to breathe around Lin Feng as he collapsed.

But he had also seen something no one else had.

> "That moment... the air curved. Reality folded away from him."

He had only ever read about such things in broken Starseer records — cycles of reincarnation, paths lost to Heaven's favor, beings rejected by fate itself.

Han Yu opened his eyes, their depths shining faintly with silver starlight.

> "He isn't awakening," he whispered. "He's returning."

---

Judgment Hall – Dusk

Seven elders.

One disciple.

Lin Feng stood barefoot, unarmed, in the center of a circle carved with ancient arrays. His body ached — not from pain, but containment. The sigils restrained the Qi around him, forcing it to obey… but something in his body stirred in protest.

The Seventh Elder watched in silence.

Another elder stepped forward.

> "Name."

> "Lin Feng."

> "Age."

> "Seventeen."

> "Cultivation realm."

> "Body Refinement. Peak stage." A pause. "Half-step Qi Condensation."

Murmurs.

Someone scribbled notes. Another raised an eyebrow.

But none spoke of the real issue.

Not until the Third Elder leaned forward.

> "What technique did you use during the duel?"

Lin Feng didn't answer immediately.

Because he didn't know.

> "I… didn't use a technique."

> "Impossible," said a voice to his left. "Your veins ignited. You crushed an inner disciple's core."

> "Then it crushed itself."

That answer made even the Seventh Elder's brows rise.

But the silence that followed was worse.

> "You're not lying," someone whispered.

Because the array surrounding him pulsed green — the color of truth.

The air turned colder.

The First Elder stepped forward at last. His voice was low, but weighty.

> "Then let me ask one final time."

> "What are you, Lin Feng?"

The array dimmed.

Because this time, Lin Feng didn't answer.

Not because he wouldn't.

But because the array didn't register anything.

No thought.

No lie.

No truth.

Just… nothing.

The First Elder stepped back.

Even the sky outside seemed to blink.

---

Moments Later – As He Was Leaving

The Seventh Elder walked behind him in silence, hands folded.

As they neared the outer steps again, Lin Feng asked:

> "Why help me?"

The elder stopped.

> "You're not from here, are you?" he asked, not unkindly.

Lin Feng didn't reply.

The elder smiled faintly.

> "Then allow me to ask in return… what do you remember?"

> "I remember pain."

> "Good. Keep remembering it. It's the only shield you'll have left."

And with that, the old man disappeared.

---

Elsewhere – That Same Night

Han Yu opened an ancient scroll, laying it under starlight.

Each word glowed faintly with cosmic resonance.

It spoke of a "Devourer of Paths." A being not blessed by the Dao, but feared by it. Not forgotten — but buried by force, in every cycle.

> "Primordial Nihility," he whispered, almost reverently.

> "You're waking up again, aren't you?"

And then… he smiled.

> "I wonder… will you recognize me first, or will I have to remind you?"

---