The stars above the outer sect shone quietly, but Wang Lin's eyes were fixed on the stone stairs leading to the peak.
Those stairs.
In his heart, they were heavier than any mountain.
In his first life, he climbed them trembling. Hesitating. Hoping someone would believe him. Hoping someone would speak for him.
No one did.
Now, he would climb them not with hope… but with wrath.
He tightened the cloth wrap around his fists.
The bruises from Fan Yu had healed completely. Not because of medicine — but because of what now lived inside him.
That fire beneath his skin… that thing in his blood…
It wasn't just power.
It was transformation.
"System," he whispered, "how far am I from breaking into the next stage?"
"You are on the edge of Qi Condensation Stage 2."
"Three intense battles or one forced breakthrough will trigger advancement."
The voice was calmer than before. Less mechanical.
And... closer.
Wang Lin blinked.
The panel didn't float away this time. It shimmered softly in front of him, like a friend sitting beside a fire.
"I can feel you more clearly now," he muttered.
"That's because I've chosen to be more than a system," the voice replied.
"If you allow it… I will be your strength, your shield, and your brother in this path."
Wang Lin stood silent for a long time.
Then he smiled.
The first real one in a long time.
"Then don't disappear when it gets ugly."
"Never."
The Next Morning — Inner Sect Trial Gate
Hundreds of disciples gathered at the base of the trial stairs — the sacred stone path leading up into the main sect territory, where core cultivators, elders, and the sect masters resided.
A carved archway stood over the entrance. Glowing runes shimmered like fireflies — a formation that rejected the unworthy and tested the bold.
Wang Lin stepped forward, his robes still plain white. But there was nothing plain about his presence.
Heads turned.
Voices hushed.
"Isn't that…"
"Wang Lin?"
"I thought he was a cripple."
"I heard he broke Fan Yu's ribs."
"I heard he didn't even flinch doing it."
Wang Lin ignored them all.
The only voice he needed now was inside him.
"Ready, brother?"
"Always."
A senior trial official stood before the gate, bored and arrogant.
"State your name and cultivation," he said lazily.
"Wang Lin," he answered.
The elder didn't even look up from his scroll. "Cultivation stage?"
Wang Lin didn't answer.
He stepped forward and placed his hand on the gate formation.
Golden light surged. The runes spun violently. Wind howled.
The elder looked up, alarmed.
"What—?!"
Boom!
A shockwave exploded outward from the gate. Dust swirled. Disciples staggered back.
When the light cleared, the gate no longer shimmered.
It pulsed. Slowly. Like it had recognized him.
"Candidate accepted."
"Celestial Dragon signature recognized."
"Trial Gate opens."
Gasps erupted through the crowd.
The elder stared in stunned silence.
Wang Lin walked through the archway without a word.
The First Trial — The Mirror of Resolve
The moment Wang Lin stepped through the gate, the world changed.
He now stood in a vast stone arena, floating in the sky. A mirror the size of a palace hovered in the center, reflecting not light — but soul.
"This trial tests your resolve," the system said quietly beside him. "It will show you your fears. Your failures. It wants you to fall."
"I've already fallen once," Wang Lin muttered.
"I'm not falling again."
He stepped in front of the mirror.
It shimmered.
Then, it reflected his death.
Chains. Lightning. Screams. Betrayal.
Lan Xue, looking away.
His execution. Frame by frame.
He flinched — just for a second.
"Don't look away," the system said.
"Face it. Break it. Become more than it."
Wang Lin bared his teeth.
"I see it," he growled. "I remember it."
He reached toward the mirror.
"I don't fear it anymore."
His palm hit the glass.
It cracked.
Crack.
CRACK.
SHATTER.
The mirror exploded.
The arena trembled.
[Trial 1 Complete]
Resolve Rating: Unbreakable
Bonus Reward: Soul Fortification +1 Bloodline Resonance: +2% System Sync: 9% → 11%
New Passive: Battle Memory • Automatically adjusts to similar future threats • Faster response time under mental duress
Wang Lin stood amidst the broken shards.
Then, slowly, he smiled.
"I exist," the system said again, voice firmer now, "so you never kneel again."
"I'm glad I said yes," Wang Lin replied.
Outside the Gate — Moments Later
The crowd waited.
Dozens of disciples had entered and failed.
None had returned quickly.
But then—
BOOM!
A gust of spiritual force surged outward. Dust burst from the archway. A single figure emerged.
Wang Lin.
Unharmed. Unshaken. Unafraid.
Gasps again.
One elder stood from the pavilion above. "That boy… what spirit pressure is that?! It's barely at the first stage—yet it feels like an inner disciple!"
Another whispered, "He cracked the Mirror Trial? No one under the third stage has ever done that…"
Wang Lin didn't hear them.
He didn't care.
He looked at the next trial gate in the distance.
His path was just beginning.
Back inside his mind, the system spoke one last time before silence.
"You won't be alone anymore, Wang Lin."
"You and I… we rise together."
Wang Lin nodded once.
"Then let's climb."