Chapter 14: The Tenfold Trial
After an hour-long rest, the Bright Blade Subsect disciples gathered once more in the training coliseum. A tense anticipation settled over the grounds, still humming with the energy of previous rounds. Nearly two hundred disciples stood ready—blood still hot, spirits still high—awaiting the next trial.
Elder Rengor, with his long gray beard flowing in the breeze and piercing eyes scanning the field, raised a hand. Silence fell like a sheet.
"For this phase," he announced, "you will each be given a formation talisman—ten stages in total. Each layer must be broken through with your Ki Essence or Arcane Essence. The deeper you go, the more profound the resistance. You have one hour. Begin."
With a pulse of golden energy, hundreds of formation talismans floated in front of the disciples. Elton took a deep breath, rolling his shoulders as his inner Ki Essence churned. The others followed suit, activating their energies and striking forward.
Six disciples. Six distinct perspectives.
Elton Solman moved with careful focus. He was composed, thinking each step through. His strikes were precise, efficient, and calculated. "Observe, analyze, strike," he murmured like a mantra.
Zoro Tatsumaki attacked with cold determination, his Dark Ki Essence coating his strikes with a violent hum. He wasn't thinking—he was feeling. Pure instinct and silent fury.
Christy Hucklebare stood still for a breath, then flicked her palm forward. A beautiful ripple of energy danced across the talisman. Her Gentle Palms of Chaos carved effortlessly through the first two layers. Her expression remained light, but her eyes gleamed with sharp calculation.
Cedric Vanthor, a Silver Tier 2 fire user with a wild flair, smirked as he bombarded the formation with burning spirals. "Let's see what these old papers can take!" he said, confident and carefree.
Mira Vonn, a calm and reserved wind-element cultivator, approached the challenge like a moving poem. Her strikes were elegant and smooth, yet firm.
Thorin Bellgrave, a prideful disciple with a background in martial formations, scowled. "I'll get to the tenth layer and show these idiots who the real genius is," he growled, already flooding his talisman with too much essence.
The first stage crumbled easily for most. The second posed a noticeable resistance, but still, the majority broke through within minutes.
By the third, everything changed.
Dozens of disciples were suddenly slowed. Some sweated. Others cursed. A few panicked. The energy required surged significantly, demanding deeper understanding and cleaner essence manipulation.
Even Cedric's flames flickered at the barrier. "Tch… this one's a real bastard."
By the time most were still stuck on stage three, Elton had moved past it, sweat clinging to his brow as he chipped away at the fourth.
Zoro was beside him, his breathing deeper, energy more refined. Dark Ki snaked around the talisman like chains, cracking the formation gradually.
Christy's expression was serene. She didn't force the layers—she unraveled them. Her seventh sense, her unique energy vision, let her detect weaknesses in each seal. She flowed past the fourth and into the fifth.
Hunter H. Helmsley, the enigmatic fourth prince, held one hand behind his back, flicking his finger forward repeatedly. He passed the fifth with almost no expression, already working on the sixth.
Twenty-five minutes remained.
Elton now faced the sixth talisman. It pulsed like a living thing, resisting him harder than anything before. He closed his eyes, breathing slowly, his inner essence coiling tightly.
Zoro stood opposite, face grim. His katana hovered over the talisman, energy vibrating dangerously. He wasn't moving fast anymore. It was a war of attrition.
Christy and Hunter were ahead—both now working on their seventh talismans. A small group of ten other disciples, including Mira and Cedric, had reached the same level.
In the elder pavilion, conversations hummed.
"Impressive control from the fourth prince."
"That Christy girl… she's from that wandering clan, isn't she? Her control is beyond her years."
"Zoro and Elton… those two are rising stars. But look—Elton seems to be on the verge of something."
Three of the senior elders nodded in unison, their eyes glued to the sixth-stage talismans being shattered one by one.
With five minutes remaining, two talismans shattered like thunderclaps.
Gasps erupted.
Two disciples—Ramius Vale and Talia Ferrowind—both fifteen years old, Silver Tier 4, and veterans of the subsect for three years, stood calmly after completing the tenth talisman. Ramius, a stoic earth essence cultivator, bowed respectfully. Talia, a fire-wind hybrid specialist, merely gave a sly wink at the stunned crowd.
"These two were expected," murmured one elder.
Then—without fanfare—Hunter crushed the tenth talisman with one final push. A silent snort followed, and he sat cross-legged, as if bored.
Moments later, a soft breeze flowed. Christy's final talisman disintegrated.
With a heavy sigh, she offered a tired smile toward Elton and Zoro, then also took a meditative seat.
Elton's heart pounded. His muscles screamed. Yet something in him clicked. Like a puzzle finally solved.
Crack!
The ninth talisman burst, and he exhaled sharply, his body trembling. He placed his hand on the tenth. No more time to destroy it—only to understand.
Zoro, grit written across his face, broke through the ninth with a final grunt. "Damn thing…" he muttered, planting himself in front of the tenth talisman to study it.
Their Ki flickered like candle flames in a storm—exhausted but unwilling to quit.
A loud gong echoed.
Elder Rengor appeared once again at the center.
"All hands off your talismans," he commanded. "The trial is over."
A collective exhale surged through the disciples. Some slumped in exhaustion, others beamed with pride. A few wept quietly, having failed to go beyond the third or fourth stage.
But among them… twelve disciples had broken through the tenth talisman.
Dozens made it to the seventh. Fewer reached the ninth.
And standing—or sitting—among them were the names that would soon echo through the subsect.
Elton.
Zoro.
Christy.
Hunter.
Talia.
Ramius.
And others who would either become allies… or rivals.
The competition wasn't over.
But already, the stars had begun to align.