The morning sun had only just crested the horizon, yet the courtyard of the Heavenly Dragon Sect compound was already alive with tension. Students filed in, their faces drawn but determined, bodies weary from the ordeals of the last two days.
Whispers rippled through the crowd.
"What will they test this time?""First strength, then heart… what's left?""Everything's been left."
At the center of the courtyard, an attendant raised a jade tablet. A pulse of qi spread outward, and the chatter died instantly.
"This is the third and final trial," the attendant's voice carried like rolling thunder. "The Trial of Clarity. Where the first tested your combat, and the second your heart, this one will test your perception and will. Step into the formation, and only those who can find the truth will emerge."
Murmurs flared again. Some students straightened with confidence, others faltered, dread flickering across their faces.
Li Wei inhaled deeply, steadying himself. The last trial had left its scars on his heart, but it had also sharpened his resolve. He knew better than anyone that cultivation was not simply force of arms — clarity of mind was as vital as strength of body.
The jade tablet flared, and the ground beneath them shivered. Runes surged into existence, forming a complex web that covered the courtyard. Columns of light spiraled upward, weaving a vast illusionary array.
"Enter," the attendant commanded.
One by one, students stepped forward. Li Wei followed, crossing the boundary.
The world shifted.
He stood in a boundless forest. Mist curled between towering pines, the air thick with moisture and silence. No trace of the courtyard remained.
A voice, neither male nor female, echoed in his ears.
"Find the exit. The path lies before you — but so do a thousand false trails."
The mist stirred, and countless pathways opened around him. Some narrow, some broad, all vanishing into the white haze.
Li Wei frowned. The array was designed to confuse, to scatter minds into endless wandering. Without clarity, one could wander forever, draining qi and spirit until collapse.
He closed his eyes, exhaling slowly. His qi stirred, circulating through his meridians. Instead of rushing into a path, he listened. The forest was not silent — beneath the rustling leaves and shifting mist was the faintest hum. The formation itself.
He stepped forward, not to the widest path, but to a narrow trail barely visible between the trees. The hum grew stronger.
Elsewhere in the formation, Mei bit her lip as she stumbled. Every path looked the same; her heart urged her forward, but doubt tugged her back. She pressed her hands together, remembering Li Wei's calm voice: "Breathe. Let your qi guide you."
She centered herself and, slowly, began to move.
Far off, Wang Zhao's teeth gleamed in the mist. He had no patience for subtle tricks. His qi roared outward, blasting apart the fog, forcing a way forward. Yet for every tree he felled, more mist surged back, denser than before. His face darkened.
"Damn this trial!"
Li Wei pressed on, each step deliberate. The forest twisted, phantoms flickering at the edges of his vision — shadows of his past, whispers of false promises. He ignored them. He knew illusions when he saw them.
But then the path split again, one trail glowing faintly gold, the other pulsing silver. Both hummed in rhythm with the array.
He hesitated.
Two truths? Or one truth wrapped in lies?
His breath slowed. He shut his eyes once more, sinking deeper into his qi. The hum was steady, but there — faint, almost imperceptible — was a discordant note. The golden path was too bright, too welcoming.
He turned and stepped onto the silver trail.
The golden road behind him shattered, revealing only empty void.
Li Wei's eyes sharpened. So it's a trial of discernment as much as perception.
Hours passed within the array, though only moments slipped by outside. Students stumbled, some collapsing under the pressure of endless false turns, others pushing through with grit or cleverness.
Finally, light broke through the mist. Li Wei stepped forward, and the forest dissolved. He found himself once more in the courtyard, the runes of the array fading beneath his feet.
Breathless, sweat clinging to his brow, he glanced around. Mei emerged soon after, her robes torn from unseen trials, but her eyes alight with relief. Across the way, Yao Lin strode out with unshaken composure, spear in hand as though she had faced no illusions at all.
Wang Zhao stumbled from the light, his jaw clenched, rage burning in his gaze. He caught Li Wei's eye, and for a heartbeat, the air between them sharpened like drawn steel.
One by one, the survivors emerged. Some staggered, some wept, some collapsed into attendants' arms.
At last, when the final student returned, the jade tablet dimmed. The array dissolved completely, leaving only the courtyard and the silence of exhaustion.
The Heavenly Dragon Sect elder stepped forward. His robes shimmered faintly with golden light, and though his expression was calm, his eyes swept across the gathered students like a blade.
"You have endured three trials," he said, his voice carrying across the courtyard. "Strength, heart, and clarity. Each has revealed much. From among you, sixteen shall advance. Only they are deemed worthy to take the final step."
The air trembled with anticipation.
The elder lowered the jade slip, its surface glowing faintly. His gaze swept the courtyard once more, and his voice rang clear:
"Those who have passed the judgment of the array… step forward when your name is called."
The first to be named was Wang Zhao. His lips curled into a thin smile as he strode out, arrogance radiating from every step.
A murmur rippled when Mei's name was spoken. Though her trial had left her pale, she moved with quiet resolve, taking her place without hesitation.
Then: "Li Wei."
He exhaled slowly and stepped out, the weight of eyes on his back.
More names followed — some familiar, like Yao Lin, some strangers, whose strength had only now been revealed. A tall youth with scarred knuckles who had torn through the first trial's illusions with sheer will. A girl in azure robes whose calm through the second trial had impressed even her rivals. One after another, the chosen gathered, until sixteen figures stood apart from the rest.
The elder let the silence stretch, the weight of the moment pressing down on all.
"These are the ones deemed worthy. Sixteen remain, but only four will ascend to the Heavenly Dragon Sect."