Han and Bai Ruoyue slipped into Moonview Mountain.


    “Little Junior Brother, are you serious about this?” Bai Ruoyue asked.


    “Totally,” Han replied. “We’re just twiddling our thumbs out there. Might as well come in and do something useful. Senior Sister, you’re not up for it?”


    “If you’re set on it, of course I’ll tag along,” she said with a shrug.


    The mist in the cavern wasn’t budging anytime soon, so Han had dragged Bai Ruoyue into the mountain to hunt for herbs. This was a spirit mountain, after all—once a Huang Family herb nursery, teeming with both wild growth and cultivated patches. Now that it wasn’t theirs anymore, Yuan Fang had told Han the place was fair game. Anyone here for the cavern could wander in, pick wild herbs, no restrictions.


    The folks who’d shown up weren’t small fry—limiting access would’ve been pointless. Plus, the big shots were still poking around, curious. A cavern had popped up next to Moonview Mountain—maybe there was more to find? Letting people roam was a low-risk gamble. If someone scored, great; if not, no big loss. The cultivated plots—now split among the eight other factions—were off-limits, guarded tight.


    Since they’d arrived early and the mist was still thick, Han wasn’t keen on loitering outside. Standing around, swapping awkward small talk with a bunch of strangers? Cringe city—makes my toes curl. Better to scour the mountain with Bai Ruoyue—keeps them busy. And with the cavern right beside it, Han figured the mountain might hold some secrets too. Yuan Fang had given him a little gadget to stay in touch, so no worries about missing the action.


    “Little Junior Brother, I’ve heard some herbs can’t even be sensed with spirit power. You sure you’re up for this?” Bai Ruoyue teased.


    “Don’t ever ask me that again—it’s insulting,” Han huffed. “Every ‘can’t’ comes from not being good enough. Yeah, there are herbs like that, but with strong enough soul cultivation, it’s no problem. I’m no master, but herbs dodging my spirit sense on this mountain? Rare as hen’s teeth.”


    No wild beasts roamed Moonview—just mundane critters, no threat to them.


    “Heard the moon looks bigger and rounder from this mountain at night?” Bai Ruoyue said.


    “Yup, that’s the word,” Han nodded. Weird phenomenon, sure, but in a world like this, anything seemed possible. He reckoned it might be some quirky feng shui or terrain quirk behind the rumor.


    Travel had eaten up most of the day, plus their cavern detour. Not long after entering the mountain, night fell, the full moon climbing high. Han glanced up—yep, it did look bigger than usual.


    Bai Ruoyue clapped his arm, buzzing. “Little Junior Brother, check it out—it’s huge now!”


    Sure, in theory, higher ground meant a closer, clearer view of the moon. But theory’s one thing—earth to sky, moon beyond that? You’d need to be skyscraper-high for a noticeable shift. Hard to fathom.


    “What’s causing it?” Han wondered, intrigued. Then his soul twitched, reacting to the moon overhead. A quick inner peek revealed the Moon God Seal glowing faintly. Something’s up here.


    “Senior Sister, let’s poke around some more.”


    Han hauled Bai Ruoyue across the mountain, even swinging by the Huangs’ old herb plots—though they didn’t step in. Eventually, he stopped at a peak overlooking a small pond, barely a foot and a half wide. The moon reflected perfectly in it, vivid as reality.


    Standing there, the Moon God Seal pulsed stronger than anywhere else.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    “Something here?” Bai Ruoyue asked, puzzled.


    Han shook his head, staring at the pond. Nothing stood out—not to his eyes or spirit sense. The county factions had surely combed this spot already, found zilch. That said something. But he trusted the seal. Moon God wouldn’t steer me wrong.


    “Moonview Mountain…” He looked up at the sky, then down at the “moon” in the water. “I’ll give it a feel.”


    Bai Ruoyue jumped in first, dipping her hand in. Ripples spread, the “moon” wobbling. Her fingers groped around—nothing.


    Han chuckled. “Senior Sister, ever hear the tale of the monkey fishing for the moon?”


    “Nope, what’s it about?”


    “It’s about a monkey thinking the moon in the water’s the real—” He cut off, struck by a thought.


    Then he went for it, reaching for the “moon” in the pond.


    What happened next was mind-blowing.


    The Moon God Seal flared, and Han actually pulled the “moon” out of the water! Bai Ruoyue’s jaw dropped. She checked her own hand, then Han’s, baffled. Same hands, different luck?


    The “moon” sank into Han’s body. He could feel something in his palm—real, tangible. Yet the pond still mirrored the moon like nothing had changed.


    Bai Ruoyue grabbed at it—empty-handed.


    “Little Junior Brother, try again!” she urged.


    “Probably won’t work,” he said, but gave it a shot. Nada—just a regular reflection now.


    “What is it?” she whispered, leaning in, thrilled.


    “No clue,” Han admitted. “It merged into my hand. Can’t do anything with it, can’t control it, and it’s not doing anything to me either.”


    She deflated a bit. “Thought we’d hit the jackpot or something.”


    “How’d you pull it off?”


    “Gotta be moon-related,” he said. “I’ve got a moon seal on my soul—probably triggered it.”


    After snagging the “moon,” the seal went quiet, cementing it as the source.


    “You’ve got so many weird tricks up your sleeve,” Bai Ruoyue marveled. These past months with Han? Nonstop surprises.


    “No one saw, right?”


    “Don’t worry, we’re clear,” he assured her.


    They left the pond, wandering the mountain, picking herbs here and there. Some weren’t ripe—mere sprouts the Huangs would’ve left alone. Han dug them all up, leaving zilch.


    Stuck on Moonview, exposed to the elements, growing solo for years with no pals? Nope—better off with him, fattened up, living cushy.


    As they hunted, Han mulled over the “moon.” If the cavern tied to the Destiny Sect, this might too. Their methods were unreal—unfathomable. Gone for who-knows-how-long, yet the cavern and this water-moon stayed hidden till now. Tianxu’s vastness aside, no wonder ancient texts crowned them the world’s top sect.


    No other faction—past or present—held that title. None dared claim undisputed supremacy, commanding all clans and races with zero defiance. None shrugged off a Mountain and River Life List powerhouse without a flinch. Eastern Zhou and the Sage Academy combined had the deepest roots and might, but “undisputed number one”? Overreach. The Four Seas, the Mountain-Sea Domain—all teemed with unfathomable forces and list-ranked titans who bowed to no one. Pale shadows of Destiny Sect’s glory.


    Back then, it wasn’t just humans or land—demons, seas, gods, ghosts—all quaked under Destiny’s thumb. Their relics screamed mystery and power. Yet a sect that mighty vanishing overnight? Chilling as hell. History’s biggest unsolved riddle.


    “Maybe the cavern’ll shed light on this moon thing,” Han mused. Midnight ticked past. Three days—thirty-six hours—till the Creation Pot refreshed with his next cheat code.


    The pot was a clutch tool, and Han had milked it dry. Three Yin Valley, the county, Ao Xuanwei’s haul—this month, he’d hustled to max it out. Hard work, huge payoff. The pot’s gains would carry him far, the best he could’ve squeezed from it. It’d reset soon, but its blessings lingered.


    Back at the peak pond, a breeze brushed by, moonlight bathing them. Bai Ruoyue hugged her knees, chin resting on them. “Wonder when Black Cloud Town’ll settle down. The old days were better—no drama, just happy, simple training.”


    Han patted her head—she swatted him off.


    “Little Junior Brother, you’re getting too bold,” she grumbled. “I’m the Senior Sister—my head’s not for you to mess with.”


    Such a diva complex.


    “Black Cloud’ll find peace someday,” he said. Just might not be in your lifetime, Senior Sister.


    Middle of the night, Yuan Fang’s gadget buzzed—no sound, but the message was clear. They ditched the mountain, returning to the cavern. Two new groups had rolled in—unfamiliar, young, brimming with talent and swagger.


    “From outside Tianyue County—big Tianzhou players,” Yuan Fang’s voice hummed through a sound transmission. “White robes with tripod patterns? Shenhua Sect disciples. Sword-and-blade chest embroidery? Dong Family from the state capital. They were headed for Black Cloud but detoured here after hearing about the cavern.”


    “Shenhua Sect? Dong Family?” Han asked. “How do they stack up to Heavenly Dragon?”


    “Not in the same league,” Yuan Fang replied. “Shenhua’s decent—got Yellow Spring Realm heavyweights. Dong’s a step down, just Yin God cultivators and True Blood martial artists on the books.”


    Not Heavenly Dragon’s level, but still big shots looming over vast swaths of land.


    Yuan Fang’s ping confirmed it: the cavern’s mist had mostly cleared. Time to dive in.