The celestial gate towered above Tianming, a spiraling edifice of light and memory. Intricate runes etched into its surface pulsed in time with the universe itself, drawing from the infinite ley lines that crisscrossed the Pavilion's foundation. The Gate of Truth did not promise combat, glory, or even advancement. It promised something far more dangerous: clarity.
Tianming stepped into the light. The world twisted.
He emerged into a realm where time had no meaning. Stars blinked in slow motion across a velvet sky, and the horizon bent impossibly, looping back on itself like a serpent devouring its own tail. Below his feet stretched a platform of obsidian glass that reflected not just his body—but every version of him that had ever existed, and those that might have been.
> [System Notification: Gate of Truth activated. Initiating Soul-Reflection Trial. Warning: Memories may be altered. Mental resilience critical.]
"I am ready," Tianming spoke aloud, although the words were whisked away by the silence of the plane.
A figure emerged across the platform. Tall, with long black hair and a face sculpted from his own—yet older, colder, scarred in ways Tianming had never known. This version of himself wore no armor. Only a bloodstained robe, and eyes like twin galaxies collapsing.
"I am what you become," the reflection said. "Should you abandon love for power."
Another figure followed—shorter, more youthful, but surrounded by an aura of unbreakable kindness. "And I," it said, "am what you become if you protect everyone but never yourself."
Then came more—dozens, hundreds, a kaleidoscope of versions. Tianming as a tyrant king, a dead hero, a forgotten monk, a lost child.
Each stepped forward, speaking in turn:
"You feared letting them die." "You feared not being strong enough." "You feared love." "You feared being ordinary."
Their voices overlapped, building into a chant that rang across the timeless void.
Tianming dropped to one knee, clutching his head. The voices were within now. The system strained to compensate.
> [Mental Integrity: 65%... 47%... 38%] [Countermeasure Engaged: Anchor Soul Protocol. Initiating Companion Bond Stabilizer.]
A soft warmth flooded the space.
Yuelan appeared—not in body, but in essence. A phantom memory of her voice echoed.
"You are not alone, Tianming. You never were."
His hands steadied. His breath returned.
He rose.
"You're right," he said to the figures. "I feared all of those things. But fear didn't stop me then, and it won't now."
The figures stepped back.
One remained. His mother.
She smiled, sadness and pride wrapped into one. "Then come. Face your truth."
He walked to her, and she embraced him—not as a ghost, but as a truth given form. The embrace warmed his soul, then shattered his perception.
He fell—through memories, dreams, futures that could be.
Then he landed.
---
He stood in a village. Familiar.
The Tianming of age nine ran through the streets. His father stood at the forge. His mother cooked rice. It was a perfect day that had never happened.
A vision. A temptation.
Stay, the world whispered. You can live here. No pain. No war. No need to save anyone.
Tianming's heart ached. His younger self turned and smiled at him.
"Come play!" the child said.
His hand reached forward.
Then stopped.
"I choose to remember," he whispered. "Even the pain."
The village faded.
He stood once more at the center of the Gate of Truth's platform. Alone.
> [Trial Complete. Mental Integrity 100%. Memory Synchronization Enhanced. Fate Key Resonance Amplified.]
A pedestal rose.
On it, a mirror shard—carved from starfire.
> [Item Acquired: Shard of the Self. Use: Can reveal true intentions in others. Can disrupt illusions. Can amplify one chosen bond.]
Tianming took the shard. It vanished into his system interface.
---
He stepped out of the Gate.
Dawn light kissed the Pavilion. Awaiting him were the elders, the contenders, and the next Gate.
Yuelan stepped forward. Her eyes searched his.
"You… changed," she said.
"Not changed," Tianming replied. "Just more… me."
Zhao Yueyin studied him. "Then let's see if the next gate agrees."
The Gate of Power stood before them now—crimson, with chains binding its surface and symbols that shifted with every breath.
---
Meanwhile, across the Pavilion in the Hall of Records, a group of elders pored over ancient tomes. An old woman with silver eyes traced her hand across a prophecy.
"It is beginning," she said. "The Fate Key moves. The Origin Crown stirs."
Behind her, the head of the Pavilion appeared, cloaked in robes of starlight.
"And the boy?"
"He may live. He may ascend. Or… he may shatter the heavens."
---
In a chamber deep below the earth, the system core flared.
> [Gate of Power Status: Charging. Combat Simulation Field Initialized. Opponent: ??? (Randomized Based on Karma Weight)] [Contender: Tianming. Estimated Threat Level: Catastrophic]
The Gate vibrated with suppressed force.
Tomorrow, the battle would begin.
---
[End of Chapter 24: Through the Gate of Truth]