Chapter 4: The Hidden Temple of Aetherwind
The wind carried the scent of rain as Xiao Lian and Yun Mei traveled deeper into the mountains. His shoulder ached from the wound he had sustained in battle, but he barely noticed it. His mind was still consumed by the fight—the way he had felt the wind, how he had broken free from the assassin's technique.
More than that, he had awakened something within himself. The Windblade had responded to him, not as a mere weapon, but as an extension of the wind itself.
But he was still far from understanding its true power.
"The temple is close," Yun Mei said as they approached a jagged ravine. "It is a sacred place, hidden from the world for centuries. Only those chosen by the wind may enter."
Xiao Lian studied the landscape. There was no bridge, no visible path across—only sheer cliffs and the bottomless chasm below.
Yun Mei turned to him. "The first test begins here."
Xiao Lian frowned. "Test?"
She gestured toward the abyss. "Cross."
He blinked. "How? There's no way across."
Yun Mei smiled faintly. "The wind will guide you."
Xiao Lian's heart pounded. He had trained in lightness techniques before, but this gap was far greater than anything he had attempted. He hesitated, then took a deep breath.
Trust the wind.
He stepped forward, summoning the energy he had felt in battle. The Windblade hummed in his grasp.
Then—he leaped.
Step of the Aether
For a moment, Xiao Lian was weightless, carried by momentum. But halfway across, he felt himself falling.
Panic surged through him. His instincts screamed at him to reach for something—anything.
Then, a voice echoed in his mind. You are not bound by the earth.
The wind caught him.
He felt it wrap around his body, lifting him. He barely touched the air beneath him, his feet skimming over the wind itself.
Then—his foot touched solid ground.
Xiao Lian stumbled forward onto the other side, his breath ragged. He turned to Yun Mei, his pulse still racing. "I… walked on air."
Yun Mei nodded. "That was your first lesson in the Aetherwind. You are beginning to understand."
Xiao Lian swallowed, his heart still hammering. This was unlike any lightness technique he had ever seen. It was something greater.
Yun Mei gestured forward. "Come. The temple awaits."
The Gates of Aether
They walked in silence, the wind growing stronger. Finally, they reached an ancient stone archway carved into the mountain itself. The gate was weathered by time, its surface covered in runes that pulsed faintly with energy.
Xiao Lian felt a strange pull in his chest as he approached.
"This place…" he murmured.
Yun Mei placed a hand on the stone. "The Temple of Aetherwind. A place of learning, but also of trials." She turned to him. "Here, you will either awaken your full potential—or be consumed by the wind."
Xiao Lian tensed. "Consumed?"
"The Aetherwind does not accept the unworthy. This temple will test your soul. If your will falters, the wind will scatter you like dust."
Xiao Lian exhaled slowly. He had already come this far. There was no turning back now.
Yun Mei pressed her palm against the gate. A deep hum resonated through the air, and the stone shimmered before vanishing like mist.
Beyond the gate, an endless sky stretched before them, vast and open—yet somehow contained within the temple walls. Floating platforms of stone drifted in the air, connected only by the currents of the wind.
At the very center, atop the highest platform, a single sword hovered, its blade pulsating with a soft, golden glow.
Xiao Lian's breath caught.
"The Windblade's true spirit," Yun Mei whispered. "The next trial is yours alone."
The wind stirred.
The temple had awakened.
And Xiao Lian's true test had begun.
---