Night descended slowly over the Azure Lotus Sect, but the stars above seemed brighter, closer. Lin Sheng stood beneath the Starlight Pagoda, a divine monument that served as a connection point between the mortal world and the upper celestial realms. The victory he claimed in the Grand Sky Trials had shaken the cultivation world, but it also awakened ancient powers beyond imagination.
Elder Qiyan's words echoed in his mind: "Prepare. Your real test begins in the Outer World Realms."
Before dawn, the sky rippled like water, and a giant formation emerged over the sect. Dozens of disciples and elders gathered at the central platform. It was time.
High above, a gate formed from celestial jade and obsidian lightning shimmered into existence. Ancient runes rotated around its edge, pulsing with the authority of the heavens. This was the Void Ascension Portal—a gateway that appeared only for those qualified to walk the Path Beyond Realms.
Elder Qiyan approached him, her gaze stern but proud.
"Only those recognized by the Heavenly Mandate may pass. Few survive the transition. And fewer still return."
Lin Sheng stepped forward. "Then I must be the exception to all rules."
As he entered the portal, time and space twisted. His body felt like it was being torn apart and reconstructed simultaneously. The system activated emergency protocols.
[System Notification]
Realm Lock Deactivated
Access Granted: Outer World Interface
System Upgrade Commencing…
Light overwhelmed his senses, and when it faded, Lin Sheng found himself in a new world.
The realm was vast. Floating continents drifted above endless oceans of silver mist. Immortal beasts soared through skies filled with two suns and three moons. This was Tianxu Realm, one of the lower Outer Worlds, and even here, power rivaled that of entire sects back on Earth.
Lin Sheng stood at the edge of a cliff, breathing in spiritual energy so rich it crackled around him. Yet he sensed danger—not just from the realm, but from the very laws of existence. The system confirmed it.
[Alert: World Law Divergence Detected. Host will undergo Stability Trials within 7 days.]
He needed allies. Resources. Knowledge.
A distant city caught his eye—Starcloud Citadel, a hub for outer realm cultivators. He walked for days, observing wild creatures and absorbing fragments of chaotic essence to attune to the realm.
At the gates of the city, he was stopped by guards in gleaming soulsteel armor.
"Proof of entry token?" one demanded.
Lin Sheng raised a brow. "I've just arrived. There was no token issued."
The guard sneered. "Then you fight in the entrance arena. Survive three rounds, and you earn your token."
The arena was built into a crater. Thousands of spectators cheered as challengers rose and fell in bloodsport. Lin Sheng stepped into the ring as cultivators whispered about his unfamiliar presence.
"Just another outer world fool," someone muttered.
His first opponent was a dual-blade cultivator with wind and metal affinities. Fast and deadly.
The duel began.
In a blur, the opponent charged with spinning strikes. Lin Sheng calmly shifted.
"Twilight Fang: Whispering Edge."
His sword moved once. Just once. The dual-blade cultivator collapsed, unconscious. The crowd went silent.
The second opponent was a beast-tamer riding a thunder-scaled drake.
"Storm Judgment!" the tamer cried.
The sky darkened. Lightning rained.
Lin Sheng summoned his Origin Flame and condensed it into a blazing spear.
"Return to ash."
He hurled the spear. It pierced both beast and rider, disintegrating their forms into motes of Qi.
The final challenger was different.
A silent monk with three eyes and celestial chains wrapped around his wrists. He bowed before engaging.
Their battle lasted longer. Fists met flames. Words of Dharma clashed against Dao-infused swordplay. In the end, Lin Sheng activated a technique he had never used before.
"Divine Echo: World Reverberation."
A wave of sound erupted from his core, tuned to the frequency of universal truth. The monk halted, bowed again, and forfeited.
The crowd erupted in thunderous cheers. A black-robed figure observed from the shadows, his expression unreadable.
"Interesting. The Lord of Immortality walks among mortals."
Now a citizen of Starcloud Citadel, Lin Sheng found lodging at the House of Astral Blossoms, a sanctuary for elite cultivators. He began gathering information.
He learned that Tianxu Realm was merely the gateway realm to greater worlds: The Sky Spiral Domain, the Immortal Abyss, and the Heavenly Clockwork Empire.
But none of that mattered until he completed his Stability Trials.
The first trial was spiritual: confronting past and future versions of himself. He stood in a hall of mirrors, each reflecting a different choice, a different life.
One showed him as a mortal still on Earth, broken and forgotten. Another showed him as a tyrant, consumed by power. A third revealed him as a martyr, slain by those he trusted.
Lin Sheng drew a breath. "I choose none. I forge my own path."
The mirrors shattered. His spiritual foundation solidified.
The second trial tested his control over chaos. In a plane where nothing obeyed the laws of physics, he had to maintain balance while fighting off shapeshifting horrors.
He activated the Eternal Incarnate Body in full. Light and shadow coalesced around him, and with calculated steps, he struck each horror down.
Finally, the third trial was a choice.
A being of pure will—shaped like Lin Sheng himself—offered him power beyond comprehension. "Take the mantle of Void Sovereign now. Forsake your humanity."
Lin Sheng shook his head. "I haven't transcended to forget where I came from. I'll earn that power the right way."
The apparition nodded. "Then you are ready."
He awoke outside the trial realm. Above his head, a golden crown of flame floated for a moment before vanishing.
[System Upgrade Complete. Title Acquired: Flame Heir of the Outer Path]
And so, Lin Sheng's name began to spread once more. Not just on Earth or in the sects—but across the realms.
Next: The Assembly of Immortal Lords...