The morning mist clung to the earth like breath on cold glass. The disciples stood gathered at the edge of the Flame Mirage Forest — a wild, ancient place where the trees seemed to breathe and the ground pulsed with warmth.
Lin Yan tightened his grip on his sleeves. His heart thudded like a war drum beneath his robe. Behind him, a hundred other new disciples stood silent, each one waiting for their name to be called.
In front of them, the elders of the Azure Phoenix Sect hovered in the air on floating jade platforms. Their robes rippled with invisible spiritual energy. Elder Wu stood among them, arms folded behind his back, watching quietly.
"The Flame Mirage Trial will test your will," a stern voice called. It was Elder Guan, the Trial Overseer, his eyes sharp like cold steel. "What you see inside may not be real — but what you feel will be. Your fears. Your regrets. Your desires. They will come alive."
The disciples shifted nervously.
"You will each enter alone. You may remain inside for up to one hour. Survive… and you earn your place in the Azure Phoenix Sect."
He raised his hand. "Begin!"
One by one, names were called. One by one, disciples stepped forward and vanished into the forest — swallowed whole by its flickering light and shadow.
"Lin Yan," the elder called.
Lin Yan stepped forward, heart pounding. Bai Qian, standing a few paces away, gave him a glance — calm, unreadable. Wei Feng smirked but said nothing.
Lin Yan took a breath and walked into the forest.
---
The moment he crossed the treeline, the air changed. It shimmered — warm and heavy, like a fevered dream. The trees pulsed faintly with orange-red light, and distant whispers brushed against his ears.
He walked carefully, eyes alert. The forest floor was soft beneath his feet, and fireflies — or something like them — hovered in the air, glowing blue and gold.
Then the whispers grew louder.
"Lin Yan..."
He froze.
"Come back to me…"
The voice was familiar. So familiar it made his chest ache. He turned—
And saw her.
His master. The old woman who had raised him, her back hunched, her eyes kind but fierce.
"Master?" he breathed.
She stood at the edge of the trees, holding a basket of herbs. "You left me, child," she said softly. "You abandoned me."
"No—" Lin Yan took a step forward. "You told me to go. You said—"
"Liar." Her voice turned cold. "You wanted power. You wanted to be something. You left me behind to die."
"No!"
He reached for her—but she vanished into ash.
---
He fell to his knees, the world spinning. The forest darkened, and new figures emerged from the shadows — villagers he had once helped, laughing at him.
"Who are you now, Lin Yan? A sect dog?"
"Your parents didn't even want you."
"You're nothing."
The voices echoed, multiplying, drilling into his head.
Then the ground cracked beneath him, and flames burst upward — golden and blue.
From the fire, a figure rose.
A woman. The same one from his dreams.
Silver eyes. Horns like curved moonlight. Scales gleaming across her collarbone. Her voice was soft, yet it echoed louder than the forest itself.
"You are not weak, Lin Yan."
"You are my heir."
The fire spiraled around her like a crown. Her gaze met his, piercing and ancient.
"Remember… the blood in your veins is not mortal."
"Awaken."
Suddenly, the jade pendant around his neck flared with light — hot, blinding. Lin Yan cried out as a surge of warmth exploded in his chest, flooding his limbs. His vision went white.
---
When he opened his eyes, he was lying on the ground just outside the forest. The sun had risen higher. Disciples and elders were staring at him.
He had made it out.
But he wasn't the same.
His robe was scorched at the edges, and his hands trembled with power he didn't understand. Elder Wu knelt beside him, eyes wide.
"What did you see?" the old man asked softly.
Lin Yan opened his mouth — but couldn't speak.
Because he didn't know what he had just become.
---
Meanwhile, from a high balcony overlooking the trial ground, a man stood in silence. His long black hair swayed in the breeze, and the phoenix crest on his robe shimmered.
Another elder stepped beside him. "Sect Master. The boy… he awakened something in the forest. We detected a surge of ancient qi."
The Sect Master's eyes narrowed. "Ancient qi…?" He turned slowly, eyes dark.
"Watch him closely," he said. "That boy may bring more than just talent to our gates."