The golden chamber vanished like a puff of smoke, replaced by a blinding white light that stretched endlessly in all directions. For a moment, Zhen Ruhan thought he had gone blind. His limbs were weightless, like drifting in a dream.
Then gravity returned soft, not jarring. He landed on a patch of mossy ground, damp and cool beneath his palms.
As his eyes adjusted, the surreal beauty of the world around him unraveled.
A violet sky stretched overhead, where constellations danced in real time stars forming and dying within seconds. Floating islands drifted lazily above, waterfalls pouring from their edges and vanishing midair. Crystalline trees shimmered like liquid mirrors, and rivers ran in reverse in some places.
He was no longer on Earth.
No longer in the cave.
This was somewhere far beyond time.
A soft wind rustled the glowing grass, carrying a faint floral scent. Ruhan stood cautiously, muscles tense. "Where... am I?"
"You've crossed the first threshold," a familiar voice answered behind him.
He turned sharply.
The woman from the chamber stood barefoot upon a flat stone, robes flowing like smoke. Her eyes held galaxies deep, ancient, unreadable. She stepped closer, hands behind her back.
"I am Mei Lin," she said, "a Keeper of the Veil. Your guide for now."
Her voice was neither cold nor warm, but timeless. As though it had echoed through epochs.
"This world is known as Tianxu Realm. A fragment realm anchored outside the flow of ordinary time. A crucible for those chosen by the Chrono Dao."
Ruhan's head spun. "I was just in a cave on Earth… then the altar, the disk…"
"You crossed through the Veil of Moments," Mei Lin explained. "It separates your world from realms where time is pliable fluid. This is where your training begins."
The sky darkened slightly, and shadows lengthened around them.
Mei Lin gestured, and the air shimmered before Ruhan's eyes.
A transparent blue panel unfolded, floating like a hologram.
> [Timeflow System Activated]
Welcome, Zhen Ruhan.
Initiate Tier: Temporal Initiate (Stage 1)
Skill: Temporal Echo [Unlocked]
Task List:
— Survive 24 Tianxu hours
— Awaken 2 time fragments
— Resist Time Beast intrusion
Rewards: +5 Temporal Points, Memory Bead (Common), Qi Thread x2
"This is the interface of your system," Mei Lin said. "You are now connected to the Chrono Current. Everything you do here echoes through timelines."
Ruhan's eyes widened at the list. "Time Beast?"
"You'll meet it soon enough," she replied calmly. "Now your first challenge begins."
A thunderous roar split the sky.
Ruhan looked up just as a black blur tore through the clouds, descending at terrifying speed.
A massive beast part lion, part eagle its wings made of swirling sand and bone, eyes burning gold. Time Beast.
"RUN," Mei Lin said flatly.
Without hesitation, Ruhan sprinted toward the woods.
Branches whipped past him. His mind raced faster than his feet.
Temporal Echo… I can use that.
He skidded to a stop and activated the skill.
A faint double of himself appeared beside him, mimicking his actions.
As the Time Beast landed, its roar shook the trees.
Ruhan darted left his echo went right.
The beast hesitated, slashing through the copy.
It vanished.
Ruhan hurled a stone at the beast's eye and dashed again, heart pounding.
Suddenly, a prompt flashed in his vision.
> Task Update: Survived Time Beast encounter (First Strike).
+1 Temporal Point
He didn't stop to cheer.
Hours passed like days. The realm distorted time cruelly. Hunger gnawed at his gut. The river he tried to drink from flowed backward.
He found shelter beneath a warped tree whose bark shimmered with runes. As he rested, another panel appeared.
> New System Skill Unlocked:
Moment Step ,Allows short-range time shift dash (Cooldown: 2 mins)
"Thank the heavens," Ruhan gasped.
He stood and tried it.
His body flickered and he blinked five meters ahead.
Incredible.
At sunset, Mei Lin appeared again.
"You survived. Good."
"That thing almost killed me."
"And many more will try. But you're adapting. That's rare."
She handed him a Memory Bead a smooth crystal that pulsed softly.
"Use this when you dream. It will awaken a time fragment."
"What's a time fragment?"
"A sliver of memory yours, or someone else's. Some grant skills. Others... revelations."
Before he could ask more, she vanished.
Night fell.
Ruhan leaned against the tree, breathing slow, gaze lifted to the stars.
This world was terrifying but also… freeing.
No past burdens. No graves. No expectations.
Just survival. Power. Purpose.
He took the bead and held it close.
As sleep claimed him, the bead dissolved and his dreams flooded with visions:
A battle on the moon… a silver-haired man freezing time itself… a voice calling his name from a thousand years away.
And in the distance… a mountain that bled light.
End of Chapter 3