Sun Radiance Alliance, Hurricane Province.
Beyond a small border city, barren mountains rolled on without end. With a Danger Zone nearby, fierce winds battered the region year-round, leaving its vegetation desolate.
Yet atop one barren mountain, life flourished.
A middle-aged man in blue robes stood with an otherworldly grace, one hand behind his back and an ancient bamboo flute held to his lips. Its clear, ethereal melody drifted slowly outward, winding around the entire mountain.
The lilting notes seemed imbued with a mysterious meaning, taking root wherever they fell, nourishing all things without a sound.
As the music drifted past, the withered yellow grass across the mountain sprouted and grew at a visible pace, until it became luxuriant.
Green buds emerged from the dry branches of cracked old trees. Vines spread across the mountain, and a hundred flowers bloomed.
In mere breaths, this perpetually barren mountain became a sea of vibrant green, brimming with life, utterly unlike its desolate state moments before.
When the tune ended, Su Shui lowered his flute, his expression calm. The faint, mysterious aura around him slowly receded into his body.
Just then, a crisp jingling of bronze bells approached from afar, piercing the mountain winds. Hurried yet orderly, it crossed a hundred miles of wilderness in an instant and settled steadily upon the summit.
A dark-skinned figure with resolute features stepped forward, dressed in a foreign robe patterned with beasts.
He held a weathered Beast-Bone Staff, while the string of Ancient Bronze Bells at his waist had already fallen still. He was Bo Di, High Priest of the Wild Horse Tribe.
"Brother Su, it has been some time. Your Origin Power has grown even more refined, and your bearing surpasses its former splendor." Bo Di cupped his hands slightly in greeting and offered his praise.