Formation Combat Trial — The Shifting Maze
The first rays of dawn painted Frostveil Peak in cold gold, casting long shadows across the icy expanse. The Formation Combat Trial was about to begin—a test not of strength, but of instinct, wit, and unity.
Elder Nian's voice reverberated across the crystalline courtyard:
> "All participants will form teams of five. Within the illusion array lies a shifting battlefield, laced with traps, phantom beasts, and spiritual formations. Reach the central altar and survive."
The disciples tensed. Weapons glinted. Breath clouded in the morning frost. Most glanced at Tiān Lán with thinly veiled doubt.
> "Outer disciple… doesn't belong here."
"He looks fragile."
Tiān Lán ignored them, his calm unshakable. He had already seen what lightning, frost, and blood could do. This trial was child's play.
---
The gate shimmered, then blinked—and suddenly they were elsewhere. The world had changed.
Twisted trees stretched into unnatural angles, blue fog curled like serpents, and ice paths shifted underfoot with each step. The terrain felt alive.
Kaì Zhěn immediately took charge, chest puffed with arrogance:
> "Northern path. Stay behind me. Tiān Lán—don't touch anything."
The first trap appeared: pressure plates triggering spirit flames. Kaì stepped confidently—but Sòng Fei nearly burned alive.
Tiān Lán reacted instantly, a flick of his wrist forming a frost seal that smothered the flames mid-air, the cold qi coiling precisely, elegantly.
> "You would've died," Tiān Lán said, plain and factual.
Kaì Zhěn's face darkened. Rage bubbled beneath the surface.
Phantom beasts struck next—Frost Wolves, shifting and flickering in the cold qi's haze. Kaì lunged blindly. Each swing passed through illusions, leaving him vulnerable.
Tiān Lán's eyes flickered with icy blue clarity. Two fingers traced an intricate seal.
> "Frost Veil Sense."
Lines of light danced across his irises. The illusions unraveled. The true wolf became visible—a pulse of frost qi shattered it.
The others, hesitant, followed his lead. Waves of beasts fell under coordinated strikes—but tension remained. Kaì's pride was a powder keg.
---
The maze's center revealed itself: a labyrinth of ancient ice mirrors, a hidden sub-array few could navigate.
Kaì Zhěn turned suddenly, sword flashing toward Tiān Lán.
> "You're in the way," he snarled. "You're too dangerous. I know your secret."
Mù Liuyun's cold voice interjected:
> "You'd sacrifice the trial just to feed your pride?"
Kaì laughed, voice sharp:
> "Let the illusions finish him off. He'll be gone by the time we report failure."
The mirrors warped. Shadows of beasts circled. Betrayal complete.
---
Alone, Tiān Lán's calm didn't waver. His soul stirred. Lingxiāo's voice whispered in his mind:
> "Master… awaken the Frost Mirror Labyrinth Array. It is yours."
Blue frost qi surged. Lightning arced faintly across his hair. Runic patterns etched themselves into the floor, spinning in a perfect spiral of ice and storm.
> "Frost Mirror Labyrinth Array — Echo Reversal."
The illusions fractured. Phantom beasts shattered into mist. Reflections confused themselves. The ancient maze bent to his will alone.
Mù Liuyun had followed, unseen. Her voice trembled:
> "That array… it hasn't been used since the fall of the Heavenly Frost Palace… Are you—?"
Tiān Lán only met her gaze for a heartbeat before turning away, unreadable as always.
---
Aftermath on the Outer Platform
The disciples returned—battered, shaken, some bleeding. Group Three emerged last.
Kaì Zhěn first—robe torn, sword shattered, rage visible.
Mù Liuyun—untouched. Eyes widened, absorbing the truth.
Tiān Lán—calm. Frost shimmered faintly at his boots. Threads of lightning coiled and vanished across his hair.
Whispers rippled through the elders. The Sect Master stirred. Elder Yao's eyes narrowed.
Kaì Zhěn reported, stiff and bitter:
> "Tiān Lán acted against orders. He endangered the team deliberately."
Tiān Lán's voice was flat, measured:
> "No. He attempted betrayal. I protected them all, reversed the phantom beasts, and neutralized the array."
Mù Liuyun confirmed it, her voice firm.
The Sect Master's eyes, ancient and piercing, finally focused fully:
> "Echo Reversal… from the lost Frost Scripture of the Heavenly Frost Palace."
A hush fell. Frostveil's history whispered through the snow-laden air.
> "Who are you?" he asked.
Tiān Lán bowed slowly. Calm. Silent. Snowlight reflected in his frost-blue eyes.
> "A disciple of Frostveil Peak."
Nothing more.
---
Nightfall — Secrets Stirring
Under moonlight, Tiān Lán sat beneath the frozen plum tree. Three objects floated in his palm:
A frost lotus pill, lightning veins pulsing.
A jade token, engraved 霜.
A shard of the Frostheart Cauldron, warm from the trial.
Lingxiāo stirred beside him, tiny wings vibrating faintly.
> "Master… they're starting to suspect. Shall we act?"
> "Not yet," he whispered. "Not until I know more."
And somewhere, a girl with silver-thread sleeves and a closed parasol had already recognized him:
> "…So it really is you."
---
Meanwhile, Forbidden Archives
Two elders moved through the shadows. Lanterns flickered against ancient murals.
> "That qi… it's the Frost Heir," one whispered.
"The line was thought extinct…"
A hand brushed away frost, revealing the mural: a tall youth, frost in his eyes, lightning on his blade, standing before a collapsing ice palace.
> "Yè Tíanshuāng… the Sky-Frost Calamity."
The name hung in the air like a storm waiting to fall.