## Chapter 18: The First Trial of Heaven
The first light of dawn washed over the Moonlight Orchid Pavilion like a breath of serenity. Golden rays broke through misted peaks, casting long shadows on the marble bridges and crystalline pools. But within the Pavilion's sacred temple, the air hung thick with anticipation.
Jin Yue stood at the center of the Sky-Severing Courtyard, flanked by the sect's Elders and disciples, with his women standing nearby—Yue'er now closer than ever, her presence quiet but resolute; Lianhua, recovered but shadowed with guilt; Meimei, fierce as always, clutching her staff with knuckles pale.
Before them stood Master Tianxu, robes rippling with cosmic qi, eyes like voids that saw into fate itself.
"The time has come," Tianxu intoned. "The Heavens acknowledge your rise, Jin Yue. But they demand proof."
A thunderclap rolled across the sky.
"The First Trial of Heaven will descend upon you now. You may accept it... or flee and be forgotten."
Jin Yue stepped forward, his soulflame glowing in his chest like a second sun.
"I will face the trial."
Tianxu raised his hand.
Lightning split the sky.
The courtyard cracked. Space twisted, folding in on itself as a gateway formed—a celestial rift of jade and flame, hovering in midair like an eye.
"Step forth," the voice of Heaven boomed.
Jin Yue turned to his companions.
"No matter what happens, don't follow me. This is mine to face alone."
Yue'er nodded solemnly. "Return. Or I will come for you."
Lianhua stepped forward, pressing a kiss to his palm. "Burn bright. Burn true."
Meimei smacked his arm. "Don't die. I will not mourn you twice."
With a final breath, he stepped into the rift.
---
### The Celestial Trial Realm
Jin Yue emerged into a vast expanse of floating islands suspended in a sea of stars. Time warped here; gravity swirled strangely. Each island pulsed with ancient power.
A voice echoed across the void.
"You, mortal, stand at the threshold of Ascension. Prove yourself worthy."
A staircase of light unfurled ahead.
**Trial One: Reflection.**
Jin Yue found himself in a mirror chamber. Each reflection showed a different version of him: angry, broken, lustful, vengeful, proud.
A thousand voices screamed.
"You want power to protect them? Or to possess them?"
"You enjoy their devotion, their bodies... do you not?"
"Are you *better* than the men you despise?"
He gritted his teeth. "I am not perfect. I am not pure. But I choose to rise. I choose to burn."
His soulflame ignited, and the mirrors shattered.
---
**Trial Two: Sacrifice.**
A battlefield spread before him, blood and ruin everywhere. His harem knelt in chains: Yue'er, Lianhua, Meimei, and others not yet met—women whose hearts had not yet touched his timeline.
"Choose one to save," a voice said. "The rest shall perish."
He stepped forward. "No."
"Defy the trial, and fail."
"Then I will fail by your standards. But not by mine."
He plunged his soulflame into the chains of *all* of them. The flames erupted—white-hot, defiant.
The scene shattered.
---
**Trial Three: Ascension.**
Now he stood before the Celestial Furnace—a spiraling vortex of divine fire. To pass, he must offer what he valued most.
He pulled forth his soulflame.
*Not part of it. All of it.*
As he stepped into the vortex, pain shredded his body. Memories flashed—of Yue'er's kiss, of Lianhua's trembling fingers, of Meimei's laughter.
*Will they remember me if I fall here?*
He screamed. Not in fear. But in *release*.
His flame became *two*.
A duality of **light and shadow**, **fire and frost**, **desire and duty**.
He did not die.
He transcended.
---
### Return
The rift reopened above the Pavilion. Jin Yue descended slowly, naked from the furnace, his body surrounded by twin halos: one silver, one gold.
The women gasped.
Yue'er stepped forward. "You... changed."
He smiled faintly. "No. I became what I was meant to be."
He now bore the mark of the **Soul Sovereign**, a title lost for 10,000 years.
The Elders knelt. The sky rumbled.
And far away, the Demon King felt the shift.
"So... the boy *ascended*. How\... entertaining."
Lady Raksha purred. "Then we shall send him a *congratulation* soon... with blood and betrayal."
---