When Lian opened his eyes, he found himself in a vast hall. All around him stood the other children who had entered the Black Box alongside him, yet less than a third were present now. There were familiar faces… and many new ones.
Surrounding them were masters seated in elevated positions, each staring down with cold, assessing eyes.
"This batch seems better than the last," some whispered among themselves.
"What do you think?"
Bo lounged in his chair, tilting his gourd back as he took a long drink.
"Let the fun begin."
A powerful voice boomed through the hall, emanating from a throne set atop a raised platform before them.
"You are all likely wondering why you have been brought here," the voice said.
"You are here because you have been allowed to become stronger."
The pressure in the air deepened.
"Serve my sect, and you will be given even the chance to reach the Supreme within two years."
At those words, the participants' ears perked up. Excitement and disbelief rippled through the crowd.
Lian listened intently, yet doubt lingered in his mind.
"If it were truly that easy, he thought, why force us to slaughter each other for the Martial Roots of the Supreme? This whole trial feels like wasted effort…"
"To join," the voice continued, "you must do two things."
"First, you must denounce the sect or family you once belonged to and accept the Heavens-Gate as your only home from this day forward."
A massive cauldron appeared at the centre of the hall, its surface dark and cold, with an old inscription written on it.
"Those who agree," the voice concluded,
"Step forward—and place a single drop of your blood into the cauldron."
"They'll probably kill us anyway if we don't do as they say—what's the point of even giving us a choice?"
Lian stepped out from the crowd and began walking forward. He could feel it immediately, the countless eyes of the masters locking onto him from every direction.
"Damn it, why are they staring at me so much… one wrong move and I'll be crushed"
He kept walking, pushing through the invisible pressure bearing down on him. Deep within his dantian, the Lotus stirred again, slowly turning. Warmth flooded through his body as his Qi rapidly stabilised, flowing with unprecedented smoothness.
For a brief moment, he saw it.
A door.
The threshold to the next realm.
"Not now… why now—damn it."
"This thing really does whatever it wants…"
By the time he reached the centre of the hall, the cauldron loomed before him.
"Damn it… I lost the opportunity again." He clenched his fists.
"What am I missing? What's stopping me from breaking through?" The door had disappeared.
He exhaled and looked at the cauldron.
"Oh?" a voice echoed. "Seems we've got a gutsy one this time, pushing through our Martial Intent like it was nothing."
"Yeah, for sure, I thought he would lie face-first on the ground a few times. This one has some potential, at least," another master commented.
Behind him, the remaining children watched in silence, their faces tense and uncertain, as they waited to see what would happen.
"I hope you'll be okay," Huǒ Yànhuā whispered, her eyes fixed on Lian's back.
Reaching the cauldron, Lian bit into his thumb and let a drop of blood fall.
The moment it touched the surface, the cauldron gleamed crimson.
"Ah—!" Lian hissed, clutching his arm as searing pain spread. A deep sigil burned into his flesh, carving itself into place before solidifying.
"I knew it…" he thought grimly.
"This whole thing was so they could place a restriction on us."
"I took a gamble… now I just hope the Lotus absorbs it."
Ever since he began cultivating, the Lotus had been analysing every new form of Qi it encountered, breaking it down, refining it, making it its own. I hope this restriction is not too much for it." He took a deep breath and stood up.
"Let's see, right now I possess more than five natures—including the lightning Qi I got from that creep, Yang.
"Well done, boy, that's great. Welcome to Heaven's Gate. From this moment on, you are a true disciple of my sect. You will be treated as one of us, and your master will explain how the sect operates."
The elder's voice echoed through the hall.
Lian took a bow, finally allowed himself to breathe, letting out a long sigh of relief.
But before that breath could fully settle.
His body lifted off the ground.
"What—"
Bo had one hand raised casually, fingers curled as if gripping invisible threads, dragging Lian through the air. A moment later, Lian landed hard in front of him.
"How does it feel?" Bo asked with a grin.
"Restricting, aye? Hahaha—don't worry about it."
Bo leaned forward slightly, eyes gleaming.
"It only stops you from blabbering sect secrets. Oh—and from running. If you try to escape…"
He shrugged. "You die."
Lian said nothing. He simply looked up at him.
"This humble disciple greets Master," Lian said calmly, finally certain.
"So it really was him… the one who warned me to retract my Will Qi."
Bo's grin widened.
"I knew it," he laughed. "We're going to get along quite brilliantly."
He waved a hand dismissively. "Come on, let's wait a bit. I'll introduce you to your juniors if there are any with talent like yours, that is."
"What an odd person," Lian thought.
"I expected him to be terrifying like the others… but he seems almost normal, though he reeks of Liquor."
Before the thought could settle,
"Don't be fooled," a voice echoed beside him.
"He's vicious."
Lian turned.
A large, broad-shouldered young man stepped forward. His muscles were tightly packed, his presence heavy, and a massive sword rested across his back.
"Hello, junior brother," the man said with a grin.
"I'm your senior—and the only other disciple under Master."
He extended his hand.
"Name's Bo Yung. Since we're disciples of the same master, we share the surname, Bo. So yeah—Bo Yung."
"Nice to meet you, younger brother."
"Ah… yes," Lian replied, taking a short bow before shaking his hand.
" The younger brother Lian greets, Senior Brother. Bo Yung"
"Hahahaha!" Bo Yung laughed loudly and clapped Lian on the back.
CRACK—
Lian stiffened, pain shooting through his spine.
"…Damn it," Lian thought, forcing himself to stay upright.
"This guy's a monster."
Bo Yung blinked. "Oh—uh, sorry about that, I forgot that you were from the lower realm, your body is weak, right…?"
Lian smiled thinly.
"It's… fine."
Behind him, the other contestants were taken one by one.
Lian caught a glimpse of Huǒ Yànhuā—and then Shéyǎn. They, too, were claimed by other masters, pulled away into different paths. At the corner of his vision, he saw the demon.
"Surely they will kill him, Lian thought."
But he was wrong.
The demon, too, was taken in by a master.
The sorting continued, and before long, three more people were assigned alongside Lian.
"Well then," Bo said lazily, stretching, "since the ceremony's over, let's go."
Once again, Lian felt his body lift from the ground. The world felt light as they were carried through the air, flying out of the grand hall and toward an unknown.