The morning after his victory, Shen Zian awoke not to applause or celebration—but to silence.
A heavy one.
The kind that wraps around bone and breath alike.
The Spirit Realm Gate loomed nearby, its surface no longer dull jade but a swirling vortex of pale mist and flickering symbols. It had become… aware.
The elders said nothing, but even they stood farther back now. The Gate didn't just open; it hungered.
"It's watching us," Mei whispered, as they stood at the edge of the cliff overlooking the altar. "Choosing."
"Let it," Zian said, voice steady. "I've already been consumed once. It won't frighten me now."
Behind him, rogue cultivators nodded in quiet reverence.
The match with Shen Liang had spread like wildfire. Even disciples from the great sects now looked at Zian not with scorn, but with uncertainty. Fear. Respect.
Some even bowed when he passed.
"You made your name," Mei said. "But you also made enemies."
"Good," Zian replied. "Now they'll stop underestimating me."
Central Arena – Judges' Pavilion
Judge Xun stood beneath the ironwood canopy, twin-faced mask gleaming with qi. Elders from the Azure Sun Sect, the Northern Willow Pavilion, and even a masked emissary from the Emperor's Inner Court sat nearby.
"The ten chosen will enter tomorrow," Xun announced. "Their cultivation level is irrelevant. The Gate respects only one thing—will."
He gestured, and a floating jade slip spun through the air, projecting the names of the ten chosen.
Jin Yue – Crimson Plume
Shen Zian – Rogue
Zhao Ruin – Thunder Bone Sect
Mei Xuan – Rogue
Hua Fen – Mist Orchid Pavilion
Bai Qiren – White Fang Clan
Lan Zhi – Radiant Saber Hall
Wei Kun – Heaven-Shaping Sect
Linya – Eternal Jade Sect
Ren Fei – Black Tortoise Pavilion
Zian's eyes narrowed as he read them.
"They chose him too," he muttered.
Mei followed his gaze to Jin Yue, who stood across the courtyard, cloak fluttering in the wind, scarlet-eyed beast resting beside him like a shadow made flesh.
Jin Yue smiled faintly.
Nodded.
And turned away.
Later That Night – Edge of the Plateau
Zian sat cross-legged in seclusion, refining the last of his recently consumed cores. He'd integrated six now, each representing a piece of a future greater whole.
But as he concentrated, something shifted.
A flicker of consciousness stirred inside him.
"…who… devours…"
Zian's eyes snapped open.
He looked down at his chest—his core region. The absorbed beast cores had begun to shimmer, pulse… react. Not just to each other, but to something beyond.
He reached inward with spiritual sense—
And found a shape.
Not a beast.
Not a core.
A gate.
Faint. Shadowed. Buried in the deepest pit of his soul-sea.
"…You are the vessel… of the Broken Cycle… devour… awaken…"
Zian recoiled. Blood dripped from his nostrils.
"What… was that?"
The corpse flame within him danced erratically, then settled—calmer than before. Stronger.
More certain.
Whatever it was… it was tied to the Spirit Realm Gate.
And it had just spoken to him.
Elsewhere – Imperial City
Far from the Skyroot Plateau, deep in a palace surrounded by formation arrays and soul lanterns, a thin man in gold silk knelt before a wall of mirrors.
Each mirror showed a different disciple.
But one mirror flickered.
Then cracked.
"He's awakened it," the man said, trembling. "The Gate fragment within the boy's soul…"
A deep voice echoed from the shadows behind him.
"Let it unfold. We've waited long enough."
"But… my lord. If he enters the full Realm—"
"Then he may awaken the true Sovereign Beast Core. And if he does… we will claim it."
Back on the Plateau – Midnight
The wind howled like a wounded spirit as Zian opened his eyes.
He wasn't afraid.
The beast inside him had stirred, and for once, it did not hunger—it listened.
Tomorrow, the Gate would open.
And something on the other side was waiting for him.
Not prey.
Not treasure.
But a truth long buried.