Kai's steps echoed through the narrowing passage, the obsidian walls now laced with veins of gold that pulsed rhythmically—like a heartbeat. The atmosphere was heavier here, thick with spiritual pressure. Each breath felt like inhaling molten iron, and yet he pressed forward.
The voice returned, this time not as an echo but as a presence—every word vibrating in his bones.
"Trial Four: The Chains That Bind Heaven."
The path opened suddenly into a vast cavern illuminated by hanging lanterns that floated without flame. A great ring lay at the center—etched into the ground like an arena, its perimeter glowing with inscriptions too ancient to decipher. At the center stood a monument: a towering stone statue of a dragon, coiled and fierce, its wings outstretched and tail wrapped around a pillar of jade.
Kai approached slowly, his gaze drawn to the inscription at the statue's base:
"Those who fly must first know the weight of their wings."
The wind shifted. Chains slithered into view—thick, rusted iron links that began to emerge from the ground, the walls, and the very air. They twisted like serpents and lashed out.
Before Kai could react, they wrapped around his wrists, ankles, chest—binding him in mid-air.
He struggled.
The chains burned with spiritual fire.
And then the illusion took hold.
He was back in the sect.
But something was wrong.
Everything moved slower—like time itself was choking. Elders whispered behind closed doors. Disciples bowed before corrupt masters. The weak were crushed, not taught. Ambition rotted into tyranny.
Kai watched himself—another version—silently stand amidst it all. Powerful, respected… but complicit. He bowed to the Grand Elder. He turned away as injustice bloomed. He used his strength, not to fight the rot, but to preserve it.
Then a boy appeared.
Young. Angry. Burning with conviction.
Kai watched the boy stand up against this twisted version of himself.
Only to be struck down.
By him.
A blade through the heart. No hesitation.
Kai flinched. The chains around him tightened.
"What is this…?" he gasped.
A voice spoke—his own, but older, bitter.
"Freedom is chaos. Order brings peace. To lead, one must chain the sky, even if it means breaking wings."
The chains began to pull.
Kai felt his spirit being torn—not by force, but by justification. The illusion tried to convince him that sacrificing ideals was necessary. That compromise was survival. That power was best used in silence.
But deep in his core, something rebelled.
A memory—no, a promise.
To Long Wei, the first brother who taught him to fight with pride.
To the orphans he trained with, sharing scraps and dreams.
To Lin Yue, whose death became his first vow to never kneel to rot.
Kai roared—and the flame within him exploded.
The chains caught fire.
One by one, they shattered, unable to withstand his will.
The illusion fractured.
The bitter voice screamed.
Kai fell to his knees in the center of the stone ring, smoke rising from the scorched marks on his arms. But he was free.
The dragon statue cracked—its stone eyes glowing.
Then it bowed.
"Trial Four… passed."
Kai stood again, slower this time. His legs trembled. The trials were grinding down more than his body. They were digging into his soul.
But still, he walked forward.
"One trial remains."