The moment Shen Ziyan agreed to enter the Stone Dragon Trials, Scholar Xuan wasted no time.
Before dawn broke, Ziyan was dragged from bed, handed a robe of dark-blue spiritual fiber, and led deep beneath the scholar's humble residence. What looked like a modest tea house on the surface was, in truth, built atop a forgotten cultivation sanctum—a secret the old man had never shared with anyone.
"We don't have years," Xuan said, as they descended a spiral staircase of jade bricks, "but what you lack in time, you must compensate for in intensity."
Ziyan's muscles were still sore from the previous night's divine awakening, but his resolve burned brighter than ever.
The staircase opened into a hidden chamber, filled with ancient formation circles, glowing symbols etched into every surface. At the center of the room sat a lotus-shaped stone platform.
"This is the Resonance Chamber," Xuan said, waving his sleeve. The runes on the walls lit up, casting the room in a soft golden glow. "Here, the body can be pushed to its limits without destroying itself."
Ziyan raised an eyebrow. "This isn't going to kill me, right?"
Xuan grinned. "It might. Sit."
He obeyed, crossing his legs atop the stone lotus. As soon as he did, the symbols began to stir, channeling earthly Qi into his body in a focused torrent.
At first, it was refreshing.
Then the pain hit.
His muscles screamed as foreign Qi surged through his meridians—meridians he hadn't even known existed until a few days ago. The energy felt thick and wild, like trying to drink molten iron.
He clenched his teeth and focused.
"Breathe in. Circulate. Let the energy move naturally," Xuan instructed.
Ziyan obeyed. The pain dulled slightly.
The scholar nodded, pleased. "You're adapting quickly. Good. But now comes the real test. We must determine how your body interacts with the Qi of the world."
He tossed Ziyan a round stone engraved with five elemental characters: 金 (metal), 木 (wood), 水 (water), 火 (fire), and 土 (earth).
"A Soul Affinity Stone," Xuan explained. "When you channel Qi into it, it reveals your elemental resonance. Most cultivators have one or two affinities."
Ziyan gripped the stone, focusing his breath.
He pushed Qi into it.
The characters lit up—one by one.
金. 木. 水. 火. 土.
All five shone with equal brilliance.
The scholar's eyes widened. "All five…?"
Then something impossible happened.
A sixth rune appeared—天 (Heaven).
It blazed above the others, radiant and unnatural, glowing with the same hue as the divine mark on Ziyan's palm.
Xuan dropped his teacup. "Heaven Affinity… That's—no, that's not even a recognized element anymore. That's… That's a god's trait."
Ziyan stared at the stone. "What does it mean?"
"It means your body is no longer fully mortal," Xuan whispered. "It's becoming a vessel of divine law."
---
With only days left before the Trials, Ziyan's life became a cycle of agony, meditation, and revelation.
Each day began with brutal physical conditioning—running atop water, holding stone slabs with spiritual inscriptions over his head, and leaping between pressure arrays that triggered with fatal force if misstepped.
Each evening was spent absorbing Qi in the Resonance Chamber, guided by Xuan's meticulous control of ancient formations.
But the most difficult sessions were the ones where Ziyan was made to stand in front of a black mirror.
"This," said Xuan, "is a Soul Reflection Mirror. It reveals weakness—not of body, but of will."
When Ziyan stood before it, he saw images of his past:
Himself, as a boy, crying in the rain while his parents' corpses lay behind him.
Himself, scavenging in dirt to survive.
Himself, touching the golden hand—and screaming as his body burned from the inside out.
"Fear," Xuan said softly. "It anchors the soul. If you cannot face it, it will chain you forever."
Ziyan clenched his fists. Each image tried to break him, to send him running—but he endured.
By the end of the third day, he no longer flinched.
---
Each night, as Ziyan lay alone in the scholar's guest room, he began to hear the voice again.
Faint. Dreamlike. But clearer than before.
> "We built the stars… we broke the heavens…"
He asked questions, but it only ever answered in fragments:
> "The Gate of Aeons lies shattered… Seek the Breath of the Forgotten…"
> "They hunt the fragments… They fear reunion…"
Each time he heard the voice, the golden mark on his palm would glow faintly.
One night, he placed his hand against the window, watching it reflect in the moonlight.
"I don't know what you are," he whispered, "or what I've become… But I won't run from it."
--
On the fourth day, near midnight, Scholar Xuan burst into the room with an uncharacteristically grim expression.
"We have visitors," he said. "Powerful ones."
Ziyan was already dressed. "Enemies?"
"Perhaps. Sects, more likely. They've sensed your divine Qi. It's faint, but enough to draw interest."
They climbed to the rooftop, crouched behind a spirit barrier.
Below, three cultivators in embroidered robes were walking the streets. Their movements were casual, but Ziyan could feel the immense pressure they exuded.
"From the Heavenly Radiance Sect," Xuan whispered. "One of the five great sects hosting the Trials."
The lead cultivator stopped and looked directly at the barrier.
For a terrifying moment, Ziyan thought they had been seen.
But the man simply smiled. "Interesting… something stirs in the city tonight."
Then he walked away.
When the trio had vanished, Xuan released a long breath. "We're running out of time. If they get suspicious before the Trials begin…"
Ziyan nodded. "Then I'll need to be ready."
By the morning of the fifth day, Shen Ziyan was transformed.
Though still far from an established cultivator, his body now crackled with untamed power. His senses had sharpened. His stamina had doubled. And most of all—his soul had begun to awaken something deeper.
Xuan handed him a robe stitched with sealing formations. "To hide the divine resonance. It won't last long if you use too much power—but it'll get you through initial inspections."
Then he gave Ziyan a ring.
"A spatial ring," he explained. "Inside are a few talismans, a basic Qi blade, and a soul-locking pill. If someone tries to take your memory or soul, bite down hard."
Ziyan slipped it on. "Will you be there?"
"I'll be watching," Xuan said. "But not interfering."
He nodded.
Then Ziyan stepped out into the sunlight.
The plaza before the Grand Arena was packed with thousands of cultivators—young geniuses from every corner of the Eastern Province. Flying swords hovered overhead, banners bearing sect insignias flapped in the wind.
And high above them all, floating in the sky, was a massive stone dragon coiled around a floating island. Its eyes glowed blue. Its roar shook the heavens.
The Stone Dragon Trials had begun.
Ziyan walked forward, heart steady, eyes fixed on the sky.
> "Let them come. I will not flater.