The Flame Emperor, Yang Hao, stood tall upon a colossal platform forged entirely from condensed, primordial fire. Behind his majestic figure rolled an infinite, boundless ocean of blazing flames. High above the distant divine throne, that tiny, solitary flame burned with an aura that felt even more cryptic and mysterious than it had yesterday.
Slowly, he raised his right hand into the air.
In that single instant, innumerable fire-runes scattered across the vast expanse of the Flame Domain ignited simultaneously! The obsidian earth trembled with a subtle rumble as a massive, circular Formation Matrix slowly materialized before the group.
The Formation spanned nearly a hundred meters in width. Across its radiant surface, thousands of ancient, luminous runes rotated in intricate, mesmerizing orbits. Crimson, golden, and faint azure lights blended seamlessly together, creating a visual spectacle so profound it felt as though time itself was flowing through the veins of the spatial array.
The Flame Emperor's deep, thunderous voice reverberated across the entire realm—
"This is the doorway to the first test. The first trial is hereby named—The Trial of the Heart."
He paused for a fleeting moment, his piercing gaze sweeping over each of the young cultivators.
"In this trial, your sharpest sword will offer you no aid. Neither will your Martial Soul, nor your Cultivation Realm, nor any of your supreme Martial Techniques. Here, your heart alone shall serve as your ultimate weapon."
An absolute, heavy silence fell over the domain.
Ye Fang stared blankly at the massive glowing Formation, complaining internally—
'Ah... fantastic. So before the game even starts, my entire optimized build has been officially declared completely useless.'
He continued to stare at the rotating runes for a few more seconds, his mind racing.
'Though... looking at this setup, why does it strongly remind me of the Yaksha-Yudhishthira episode from the Mahabharata? Don't tell me this Heart Trial is going to be something similar?'
Right on cue, a subtle pulse of blue light flickered, and the Little System materialized right in front of his vision.
"Yes, Host. I am sensing something remarkably similar as well."
Ye Fang let out a faint, amused smirk internally. 'So you feel the exact same way, huh?'
"Indeed," the System replied smoothly. "For your information, I am well aware of that legendary dialogue between the Yaksha and King Yudhishthira."
Ye Fang nodded casually. 'Well, good for you... at least you possess some decent knowledge regarding ancient Indian epics.'
The Little System proudly lifted her chin up. "Host, I am directly bound to your very soul. I hold continuous access to a vast portion of your personal memories and stored knowledge. Therefore, many cultural references from your original world are hardly new to me."
Ye Fang went entirely still.
Then, his eyes widened in sudden realization.
'Wait... hold on a second... does that mean... you have full access to ALL my memories?!'
The System answered in an entirely nonchalant, matter-of-fact tone—
"I possess as much information as is strictly necessary for the performance of my System duties, Host. There is no need to look so dramatically flabbergasted."
Ye Fang glared at her floating form for several tense seconds, before muttering under his breath in deep dismay—
'Unbelievable... I literally don't have a single shred of privacy left in this life.'
Without breaking expression, the System fired back instantaneously—
"Host, right now, your single most pressing crisis is not your lack of personal privacy... it is the daunting ancient trial standing directly in front of your face."
Ye Fang glanced back toward the looming 100-meter Formation Matrix and let out a long, heavy sigh.
'Point taken... let me actually survive this Heart Trial first. We can have a detailed debate about my privacy rights later.'
The Little System let out a soft, satisfied smile.
Over on the high platform, the Flame Emperor, Yang Hao, slowly extended his burning palm toward the giant Formation.
The grand opening of the first trial was officially at hand.