A gate of translucent thought-crystal pulsed ahead, its surface shifting like water. Carved above the arch was a phrase in an ancient psionic script:
"Enter with truth, or perish in delusion."
Asura stepped through without hesitation. Soul steel Edge hummed at his side, bound by his thoughts. But this place wasn't made of stone. It was built from memory, emotion, and guilt.
The Mind-Spirit Labyrinth was once the spiritual sanctuary of the Psion Clan — cultivators who walked the Mind Realm's deepest layers. After their extinction, the labyrinth remained... hungry.
🌌 Inside the Labyrinth
The moment Asura crossed the threshold, his surroundings shifted.
He was no longer in the ruins.
He was standing in a dim hospital hallway.
Cold fluorescent lights. White walls.A single metal door stood ajar.
And behind it... sobs.
"No..." Asura muttered."Not this memory."
It was March 2025, back on Earth.
He was 8 again, clenching a worn-out copy of Swallowed Star, as doctors whispered outside his parents' ICU.
"Why did I live… and they die?""Why did monsters only come for us?"
🧪 Labyrinth Illusion Protocols Engaged
SystemAlert:System Alert:SystemAlert:Psionic Influence DetectedInitiating Reality Lock Protocols…
But even the system couldn't fully override the Mind Mirror projection. Asura's thoughts had triggered a trap — the Echo Illusion. The deeper the trauma, the stronger the enemy born from it.
Suddenly, the door burst open.
And from the shadows walked Asura himself — 8 years old, dressed in hospital scrubs, eyes full of loss.
"You abandoned me," the illusion whispered."You chose power. I chose to love. Why am I the weak one?"
⚔️ Mind Duel Initiated – Thought Realm Tier 1
The illusion lifted a blade — a reflection of Soulsteel Edge, warped by doubt.Asura's system responded:
MindRealmCombat:UnityofThoughtRequiredMind Realm Combat: Unity of Thought RequiredMindRealmCombat:UnityofThoughtRequiredBattle Type: Emotion SyncWin Condition: Reintegration or Severance
🧠 Inner Conflict: Unity of Mind Trial
Asura's thoughts raced. He couldn't just kill the illusion — it was his own inner child.
Instead, he focused.
Unity of Body — Steady breath. No fear.Unity of Mind — Accept truth. Not guilt.Unity with Heaven and Earth — Feel the echo, absorb it.
"I didn't abandon you," he said, lowering his sword.
"I became you. And now, you'll become me."
The two forms glowed. Mind-crystal shivered. And with a flash of brilliant blue—
They merged.
💎 Trial Complete: Mental Resonance Stone Acquired
The illusion faded. The labyrinth shuddered and cracked. At its heart, a single glowing item hovered — shaped like a floating neuron, pulsing in harmony with Asura's thoughts.
MentalResonanceStoneAcquiredMental Resonance Stone AcquiredMentalResonanceStoneAcquiredClass: Psion-GradeEffect: Enhances Mind Realm ClarityUnlocks: Weapon-Sync Phase 2, Martial-Psionic Integration, Emotion Layer Calibration
System Update: Civilization Codex (Psionic Path) Unlocked
🌟 Aftermath
Asura left the labyrinth, changed.
Not just stronger, but lighter.
For the first time since transmigration, he'd faced his past not as a victim, but as a cultivator. His Unity of Mind had matured.
"The past no longer chains me," he whispered."It forges me."