By the pond, an old man fished in a straw raincape and bamboo hat.
Time always drifted by slowly amid endless waiting, like the water flowing through the pond before him.
The current bore up the lotus leaves, which swayed with the babbling stream.
Suddenly, an emerald-green lotus leaf began to tremble violently, stirring ripples across the water beneath it that spread outward.
The ripples startled the fish that was about to take the bait, and also caught the old man's attention.
The old man slowly turned his head, his eyes as still as an ancient well as they looked toward the trembling lotus leaf.
Then, a flicker of surprise appeared on his impassive face. "Oh?"
"Has this day finally come?"
The old man set down his fishing rod and slowly rose to his feet.
As he stood, an unrestrained aura naturally spread from him.
With a sweep of his wide sleeve, a withered yet powerful hand extended from within. He pinched his fingers together, then flicked them.
An imperceptible force shot from his fingertips and landed on the constantly trembling lotus leaf.
At once, golden light rose from the emerald-green leaf.
As the golden light dispersed, an enormous, shattered temple slowly emerged.
The various formation hubs of the temple turned. At its center, an altar slowly rose.
As the altar rose, the delight on the old man's face deepened!
"How many years has it been? I've finally waited for this day!" The old man was visibly agitated, his eyes brimming with boundless hope.
"It's time to enter the Lost Temple once more!"
The fourth God Seal had already appeared, and Jiang Feng, its holder, had become a Venerable not long ago.
Now, the temple's hubs were in motion, and the altar had opened.
It was time to enter the