The smoke began to clear.
A figure stepped forward — not flesh and bone, but a storm held together in human form. Its body flickered with arcs of white-blue lightning, every movement buzzing with destructive force. It didn't speak. It didn't have to.
Shen Hao's eyes narrowed. His breathing was rough, his legs tense. He'd felt power like this once before — in the deep crater where he and Mo Han first encountered the Elemental Race.
Behind him, Mo Han's voice rang out, sharp and urgent.
"Shen Hao! Be careful — that's one of the Elementals we encountered before! But this one… it's stronger! It's one level above you!"
Even Lingfeng fell silent.
The lightning being stepped onto the platform with soundless weight, each motion cracking the air around it. Sparks danced along the floor. The very space around it vibrated.
Shen Hao didn't speak. He knew what this meant.
This was a final guardian — the last test.
And he was alone.
He raised his hands, taking a steady stance. His Qi flowed through his limbs. Burns still marked his robe. His shoulder stung from one of the earlier traps. But his resolve? Unshaken.
The lightning elemental raised one hand — and then vanished.
CRACK!
Shen Hao barely dodged as a bolt of electricity split the air where he had been standing. A second bolt came from the left — he ducked, rolled, and kicked off the ground to gain distance.
"Fast…" Shen Hao whispered. "And sharp. No wasted movement."
Another crack — the elemental reappeared in front of him, slamming a palm forward. Shen Hao blocked, but the force launched him across the platform.
His boots slid across the stone, almost tipping him into the lava. He stopped himself just in time.
His arms were tingling. His vision was blurry for a second.
"Focus," he muttered. "I've done this before."
He summoned wind to steady his stance and rushed forward. The elemental met him head-on.
Clash. Step. Counter. Parry. Bolt. Dash.
Shen Hao weaved between attacks like a dancer dodging spears. But each strike was faster than the last — and each one hurt more. Sparks exploded against his skin. His Qi barrier cracked.
One wrong step, and it would all be over.
The elemental raised both hands — lightning converged between its palms.
BOOOM!
A bolt of pure energy shot toward Shen Hao. He jumped, spinning mid-air and deflecting the edge with a wave of wind.
He landed hard, panting.
His hands were trembling.
"I can't match its speed… and if I take one more direct hit, I'm done."
Then his fingers curled.
"But I don't need speed… I need time."
He reached deep inside himself.
The purple glow began to return — slowly, steadily — forming around his right palm like a blooming rose made of light and fire.
The elemental didn't wait.
It moved again.
Shen Hao moved too — not forward, not backward — but in circles. He dodged, using every inch of the platform, drawing out the fight. Every breath was precious. Every second bought him more Qi.
He took a hit to the side. Sparks exploded. Pain rushed through him. But the rose grew.
He tumbled, rolled, and stood again.
The elemental paused, watching, puzzled by this sudden pattern.
"Almost there…" Shen Hao whispered. "Just a little more…"
Then — it charged.
Shen Hao stepped in.
A feint to the left. Duck low. Let the hand graze his shoulder. Spin behind.
"NOW!"
He thrust his palm forward.
The purple rose shone bright — brighter than ever before.
"Crimson Core Detonation: First Form — EMBER BLOOM!!"
Shen Hao launched the rose straight right into the guardians chest.
A massive column of fire and wind erupted from the blast.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The platform cracked. Lava waves rippled around it.
Lingfeng screamed from the distance, "WOAHHH!! That's not a bloom — that's a sunflower of destruction!"
The explosion faded… slowly.
Ash floated through the air.
And standing at the edge of the platform… was Shen Hao.
Barely on his feet.
His robe was shredded. His arms burned. His lips bleeding.
But he was standing.
Across from him, the lightning elemental stood still — and then, like a shattered statue, broke into fragments of glowing light… and vanished.
Gone.
For real.
Shen Hao exhaled. His knees buckled. He dropped to one knee, gripping the edge of the pedestal.
"It's over…" he whispered. "I did it…"
The seal surrounding the scroll began to glow — then crack — then shatter into faint golden dust.
The scroll floated upward.
A gentle hum filled the chamber.
Mo Han's spirit floated beside him, a rare smile on his face. "You've passed the final test, Shen Hao."
Shen Hao reached out.
His fingers wrapped around the scroll.
The moment he touched it, he felt something vast — not power, but weight. History. Purpose.
"This is it…" he whispered. "This is the technique my journey has led to."
And the chamber fell silent — glowing with the light of triumph and legacy.