The sun was warm, but countering that was the chilling whip of wind around Liu Yinuo. His heated clothes and the sting of cold on his cheeks made for an interesting combination. It was much different from the blazing heat in the deserts of the Baian Sect.

He grunted as he hauled himself up onto another rocky ledge. All his time learning how to fly on a sword and he couldn't use one for his excursion. The leaders basically gave Liu Yinuo a training stick. But that shouldn't stop me, any good cultivator will make do with what they have.

Five years. It was only five years he had to be away from home, then he could earn his right to be a teacher. It was only four years, ten months, and twelve more days to go. Simple enough. He couldn't stay in villages he came across, always having to be on the move. The spell on him gave the sect leaders his location anyway.

Liu Yinuo pushed back strands of hair that stuck to his face. Getting up this mountain was more difficult than he thought. He knew the Xuehai sect had mountains, just not how far they extended. He needed a rest. The sun and wind were getting to him slowly, but surely.

He adjusted his hold on another rock, but his foot slipped beneath him. Liu Yinuo scrambled to grab a hold of anything to prevent himself from losing progress. He couldn't fall. He couldn't.

He caught his breath when he regained his balance. The small mistake had left his body buzzing with nervous adrenaline. "Okay, okay..." Liu Yinuo whispered to himself. Steeling his nerves, he pushed himself up and caught the edge of what seemed to be the peak of a mountain.

It was a hassle to get over; his robes snagging on pebbles, dust was blowing into his eyes.

Once over the ledge, Liu Yinuo dusted off his robes, even though there was no saving them after climbing up a damn mountain. When he looked out to what he stumbled across, the mountains created a barrier around a valley.

There were patches of grass, a large pond in the middle, and dustings of snow. It was a perfect place to rest before continuing beyond the mountains.

Liu Yinuo shrugged off his outer robes, the hems grey and dirtied from his earlier travels and near death experiences. He kneeled by the edge of the pond and cupped his hands into the cold, crystal clear water. Splashing water onto his face felt heavenly, the cooling liquid soothed his throat from the dry air.

The moment seemed like a good time to rest. He set his substitute sword on the gravelly ground and crossed his legs. He closed his eyes to focus on the sound of water and wind. The rumble of a single pebble tumbling into the pond, the small bloop that would follow.

Liu Yinuo's moment of silence would be disturbed when he sensed a presence near him. Where the sky was sunny, had suddenly turned darker as shadows fell over his still-closed eyes.

His fingers found the hilt of his sword, and with a swift motion he unsheathed it, pointing it toward to the pond. He opened his eyes to find another pair looking back.

He shot up, stepping away from the edge of the pond. A chill ran down his spine, and it wasn't from the mountain wind. "Who are you?" He asked coolly. There were horns, a scaly tail, a stranger in the mountains. He must be hallucinating, the climb up the mountain took more out of him than he expected. Suddenly, there was a click. Liu Yinuo's mind raced with images and recollections.

The stranger wasn't just a stranger, he was a dragon. A figure that was depicted in scrolls and pamphlets, Liu Yinuo was graced with a flicker of recognition. He said in disbelief. There was no way a dragon could be here. Right now. In front of him.

He was frozen, unsure of whether to bow or cower.