The two Li Shens stood facing one another at the summit of the Peak of Echoes.The real one — weary, scarred, trembling from the climb.The other — flawless, calm, eyes like still water.
The wind no longer moved. Every falling snowflake hung suspended, frozen between one heartbeat and the next. The sky glowed dimly, neither night nor dawn — a space between worlds.
"Who are you?" Li Shen demanded, though part of him already knew.
The shadow version smiled faintly. "I am what you buried — your fear, your pride, your longing to be seen."He raised his hand, and black Qi rippled from his palm, darkening the air."The Codex awakens what you hide. You opened the page — now you must read yourself."
Li Shen clenched his fists. "If you are me, then you can be broken."
The shadow's laughter was soft, like silk tearing. "Then come. Let's see which of us deserves the name Li Shen."
The duel began in silence.
The shadow moved first — fast, fluid, each strike more perfect than humanly possible. Li Shen parried with instinct, his scabbard sparking against the shadow's dark blade. The impact sent waves of Qi spiraling across the mountaintop, cracking stone and scattering frozen snow like shards of glass.
He tried to match rhythm for rhythm, strike for strike, but every move he made was already countered — as if the shadow knew his thoughts.
Of course it does, he realized bitterly. It's me.
With each clash, the runes on his palm burned hotter. The same symbols blazed on his twin's arm — reversed, inverted. Two forces feeding from the same source.
The shadow circled him, voice echoing through the stillness."You train to master your Qi, yet you fear what it can do. You call it power, but you want control. That's why you'll never surpass me."
Li Shen struck, fury in his eyes. The shadow caught the blow effortlessly and hurled him backward. He crashed against the altar, blood flecking the snow.
He staggered up, clutching his side. "You fight with hatred."
The shadow smiled. "I fight with truth."
Their Qi collided again — one pale, one dark — swirling into a storm of light and shadow that lit the whole peak. The ground split; ancient runes awakened beneath their feet, glowing brighter with each clash.
Then, amidst the chaos, a whisper rose — the same voice that had guided Li Shen since the beginning.
"To master the Void, you must embrace it — not destroy it."
He froze mid-strike. The shadow lunged, blade aimed for his heart — but Li Shen didn't block. Instead, he opened his palm.
The blade stopped an inch from his chest, trembling. The black Qi surrounding his twin began to unravel like smoke in the wind.
"I see now," Li Shen said softly. "You're not my enemy. You're the part of me that's afraid to let go."
The shadow's expression faltered. The dark Qi hissed, resisting, but the light from Li Shen's palm grew stronger — a calm radiance rather than a blinding force.
"You cannot destroy darkness," he whispered. "You can only bring it home."
The shadow screamed — not in pain, but in release. Its form broke apart into a storm of black petals that swirled around him, then sank into his body.
Light and dark merged. For a moment, Li Shen floated in utter stillness. No sound. No breath. Only the rhythm of his heart and the whisper of the Codex.
When he opened his eyes, the markings on his palm had changed. The crimson lines were now faint silver, flowing like gentle rivers. The chaos inside him was gone — replaced by something vast, serene, and infinite.
The voice returned, clearer than ever:
"The first veil has fallen. The Codex does not grant strength — it reflects understanding. Seek the second veil, where Yin meets Yang."
Then the light faded. The mountain wind returned, carrying snow and silence. Li Shen stood alone on the peak once more.
By the time he descended, dawn had broken. Elder Xu Wen and Mei Lian waited in the courtyard.
He knelt before them. "I faced myself," he said simply.
The elder studied him, eyes sharp. "And who won?"
Li Shen met his gaze. "Neither. We became one."
Xu Wen smiled faintly — the first true smile Li Shen had ever seen from him. "Then you've taken your first step beyond fear. But understand this — the deeper truths of the Void Codex lie within the sects that destroyed it. And they will not welcome you."
Mei Lian sheathed her sword, still wary but thoughtful. "If the Five Sects learn he carries the Codex, they'll send assassins before sunset."
"Then we move before they do," Xu Wen said. "There is one who can guide him — an exile known as the Silent Crane. She dwells beyond the Iron Marsh, where Qi itself decays. If Li Shen survives that journey, perhaps he will survive the truth that follows."
The elder turned toward Li Shen. "Rest for today. At dawn, your path continues."
Li Shen bowed deeply. "Thank you, Master."
As he walked away, Mei Lian's voice stopped him.
"Li Shen."
He turned.
She looked at him for a long moment. "You're still dangerous," she said softly. "But maybe not just to others."
He smiled faintly. "Then I'll try to be dangerous for the right reason."
She didn't smile back — but for the first time, she didn't look away either.
Above them, the bell of the ruined monastery tolled once more, though no one had touched it.The sound echoed across the mountains — low, ancient, and filled with warning.
And somewhere deep in the mist, a hidden figure listened — cloaked, patient, holding a fragment of the Codex glowing with the same light that now pulsed in Li Shen's palm.
"So," the figure murmured, "the Void awakens again."