Whispers of the Jade Saber

The Moon Tower

They walked until the soil beneath their feet turned silver with frost-rimed sand, and the sky hung low like a cracked mirror.

At the center of a forgotten basin stood the Moon Tower—a silver spire once used by astrologer-cultivators to chart celestial prophecy and spiritual destiny.

Tian Mian bowed slightly. "Built by the Starborn Sect over a thousand years ago. Abandoned after the Mirror Sect razed their knowledge archives."

Only rumors remained: that those who stepped into the Moon Tower saw fragments of the future—and sometimes never returned the same.

"Let's find out who we're really becoming," Lin Feng said.

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The Tower's Gift

The group entered cautiously.

Inside, the chamber was ringed with mirrors that reflected not light—but memories. Each step sparked an echo, a glimpse, a question.

When Lin Feng reached the top platform, the mirrors shifted. No longer past.

They showed possible futures.

One reflection showed him cloaked in ash, standing alone with a burned world behind him. Another showed him with a child, smiling beside Liang Yue, peace returned.

And one… showed his death, struck down by someone wearing his own face again—another clone? A corruption?

His saber pulsed wildly. His soul trembled.

The mirrors cracked—and fire burst from his core.

---

Lin Feng's Breakthrough

The room filled with golden flame spiraling upward.

Tian Mian shouted, "He's entering Soul Echo—the mirrors are reacting!"

But this wasn't just a normal breakthrough.

The Ashen Saber began humming as if in tune with his heartbeat. Every memory Lin Feng carried—of pain, of sacrifice, of hope—fueled his soul's resonance.

Then…

> "Ashen Flame Technique: Soul Echo Phase I – Memory Incarnate."

A blazing silhouette stepped beside him, formed from fire—his younger self, fierce and wide-eyed. The projection fought in unison with Lin Feng, mirroring his intent.

Yan Zhen watched in awe. "He… manifested a memory into a fighting spirit."

Liang Yue's voice was quiet. "Not just a memory. A belief."

When the flame calmed, Lin Feng stood taller.

His eyes clearer.

His presence imprinted.

> Lin Feng had entered the Soul Echo Realm.

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Liang Yue's Vision

While Lin Feng recovered, Liang Yue remained at the top of the tower.

One mirror had not cracked.

It showed a lone woman surrounded by frost-covered graves. Her blades were sheathed. Her eyes were old.

She recognized her own face.

Older. Hardened. Alone.

And beside her—an unmarked grave.

She fell to her knees.

"Is that… what happens if I fail to protect him?"

The mirror didn't answer.

But the tower whispered:

> "Your heart is a blade. It will either sever fate… or carry it."

Liang Yue rose with shaking hands.

Her eyes now burned with purpose—and a hint of fear.

---

A Crimson Visitor

As night fell and the group made camp outside the tower, a figure approached on foot. Calm. Graceful.

She wore red robes embroidered with fallen petals. Her face was veiled. She carried no weapon—but her qi bent the grass in her wake.

Jun Feilan narrowed her eyes. "Who in the Nine Hells walks alone into our fire?"

The woman removed her veil.

Liang Yue stood. "You…"

It was Lady Ruqin, former right hand of the Crimson Mirror. Thought dead during the Cradle battle.

She bowed deeply.

"I come not with blade or mirror," she said, "but with an offer that may stop the world from tearing itself apart."

Lin Feng didn't reach for his saber.

But he didn't relax either.

"Then speak."

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End of Chapter 21