That was all the time Li Xuan had before stepping into the Inner Pavilion’s secret realm—the trial that would decide his place in the true power structure of the Heavenly Sword Sect.
But before the storm, came the ripples.
Word of his rise had long outgrown the outer sect. Now, the inner peaks whispered his name. Disciples trained harder, elders watched closer, and hidden forces stirred.
On the fifth night, Li Xuan meditated at the edge of Forgotten Peak. The wind was cold, the stars clear.
A presence landed behind him without a sound.
“You’ve changed,” Lin Qingxue said.
“I chose Soul,” Li Xuan replied without turning.
She stepped beside him, arms folded. “I figured. That aura around you... it's deeper. Like staring into a well that reflects things even you don’t want to see.”
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He looked at her. “Why are you here?”
She pulled a sword from her back—long, black, and etched with a crescent mark.
“I’m not allowed to interfere in the trial,” she said, “but I can lend you this.”
Li Xuan raised an eyebrow. “This is…”
“Moonvoid. A soul-bonded sword. It reacts to thought and spirit more than force. Not many can wield it.”
He accepted it silently. The blade pulsed faintly in his hand.
Elsewhere, behind veils and incense, an old man sat cross-legged in a dark chamber. Candles flickered. Scrolls floated.
“He chose Soul…” he murmured. “The Void stirs again.”
Another voice echoed from the shadows. “Should we stop him?”
“No,” the elder said. “The real question is… can he survive what’s waiting inside the trial?”
The day before the trial.
Li Xuan stood before a waterfall, sparring with three projections of himself. Each fought with different intentions—speed, strength, precision.
Sweat drenched his robe. His breaths were long, calm, and deep.
[Thoughtform Projection – Proficiency 38%]
The system chimed:
[New Trait Discovered: Mirror Discipline – Enables self-combat feedback learning]
He smiled. “Good. I’ll need it.”
That evening, a letter arrived. Simple. No seal.
He opened it.
“There are those who fear you. In the realm, not all enemies will be beasts. Beware the blade behind the smile. —A friend.”
Li Xuan folded the note carefully.
Then looked at the moon.
“One day left.”