In the heart of Earth's newly erected Psi-Dome—a realm layered with psychic currents, mental resonance fields, and dimensional barriers—Luo Feng stood in silence.
At 16 years old, his body had already surpassed the limits of ordinary human warriors. His physique was forged through bloodline awakening potions, enhanced by Civilization Evolution System gene therapy, and shaped by Hong's years of relentless dual-path training.
But this was different.
This was the beginning of the Soul-Forged Path.
Before him floated a sphere of compressed spiritual will, a creation of Hong's that represented the crystallization of psychic force in its purest form. The trial was simple: survive immersion inside it for one day—without your mind breaking apart.
Behind bulletproof-glass-like psychic fields, Xu Xin, Zuo Qiang, and a dozen elite instructors observed. Hong had ensured Luo Feng's journey would be monitored without interference—unless his life was truly at stake.
Inside the sphere, Luo Feng knelt, sweat pouring down his forehead.
"Pain is fleeting. Focus is eternal," he whispered, eyes burning with crimson psi-light.
His Spirit Blade Array, a trio of hovering mental daggers, spun around him. Each represented an aspect of his soul—Emotion, Logic, and Will. He'd named them: Heart, Mind, and Drive.
The sphere wasn't merely pressure. It echoed memories—failures, self-doubt, past pain. Luo Feng saw visions:
His younger brother dying in the original timeline…
Earth being crushed beneath alien rule…
Hong lying dead, shattered by betrayal…
"Illusions," he growled. "The real future is one I make."
Then it happened.
The Elemental Blade Resonance surged within his spine. The fire, wind, and thunder marks engraved in his bones flared, aligning with his psychic core.
A deafening chime echoed across the Psi-Dome.
From the sphere burst out six spectral wings, forged from pure mental energy, elemental wind, and blade law. His Spirit Blades crystallized into obsidian weapons suspended above him—radiating with spiritual law.
Outside the chamber, alerts triggered.
"S-Sir Hong!" a tech assistant gasped into the mic. "Luo Feng's soul output just spiked into the Star Level Psi-tier! And his fusion ratio with blade laws… is near 47%. That's impossible for this age!"
As the day ended, Luo Feng emerged barefoot, bleeding from the forehead but smiling like a predator.
"I saw my weaknesses," he told Zuo Qiang. "And I cut them down."
"You're ready," the old man nodded solemnly. "For the next trial: The Mirror Abyss."
"Let's delay the universe battle," Luo Feng said, wiping blood from his eye. "Let Earth see what I've become first."
Meanwhile… inside the System Nexus…
Hong reviewed Luo Feng's performance from afar. The system chimed:
"Cheat Awakening Tier 3 Complete: Mental Dominance Fusion Initiated.""Candidate 'Luo Feng' now unlocked: Abyssal Trial Pathway."
Hong smiled faintly. "He's finally stepping out of my shadow… good. The universe won't be ready."