The shattered remains of the puppet still lay smoldering behind Chen Yu as he stepped down from the dueling platform. Azurefang was once again at his hip, its blue glow subdued, as though satisfied with the kill. His robes fluttered in the wind, black and white threads woven like storm and calm.
He passed by stunned candidates—some in awe, others in disbelief.
"Did he really... destroy the puppet in under ten moves?"
"That sword... it wasn't ordinary. Even the elders noticed."
"I heard his name is Chen Yu. Never heard of him before. Which clan is he from?"
But Chen Yu paid them no mind. His gaze was fixed, his footsteps steady. A dragon need not explain its flight to the birds below.
The exam overseer, a middle-aged cultivator with sharp eyes and a jade plaque on his chest, stepped forward with a scroll. He spoke with a composed, yet surprised tone.
"Chen Yu. Candidate 309. You have passed the first trial. Your performance has been recorded and elevated to 'Exceptional' status. Please proceed to the Pavilion of Qi."
He handed over a silver token engraved with the symbol of the Gathering of Sects—a rising sun between twin peaks.
Chen Yu gave a slight nod and moved on.
Meanwhile, in the elders' viewing chamber, debates had already begun.
"He's too calm. A youth of that age shouldn't wield killing intent like that without hesitation."
"That movement technique he used… it's not from any known sect in this region. And that blade..."
"Blue steel core. Enchanted breath. That's a spirit weapon of at least Tier 3."
The silver-haired cultivator from the Thousand Rain Sect remained silent, his arms folded.
Then he spoke: "Let the second trial judge him. If he excels again, we extend an invitation."
Elsewhere, under the canopy of trees outside the main arena, two figures watched from the shadows.
A boy with golden eyes and pale robes smirked. "That's him? The one they're talking about?"
Beside him, a girl with short hair and a strange fox spirit perched on her shoulder whispered, "He's... different. Not in strength alone. There's something hidden."
Back at the Pavilion of Qi, the second trial was being announced.
"The second trial," the overseer declared, "is one of insight and control. You will enter the Illusory Cloud Garden, where each candidate must confront their own spirit resonance."
Murmurs rose. Illusory trials were rare—and dangerous. A test of the mind, not the body.
Chen Yu looked ahead.
He knew what was coming. The system had already whispered it:
> [Heaven's Chronicle: Second Trial - Trial of Mirrors Activated.]
Objective: Overcome the shadow of your former life. Resist illusion, affirm purpose.
He stepped through the gate into the garden. Fog curled around him like coiling snakes. Flowers bloomed in impossible colors. Somewhere within this dreamlike realm, his past awaited.
But Chen Yu walked forward without fear.
Because to him, the past had already been burned into the blade he now carried