The storm had passed, but silence lingered.
Shen Li stood beneath the hovering phoenix spirit, the last echoes of the coliseum's roar fading behind him. The air smelled of ash and burnt spirit energy, but something else swirled beneath it—a pull. A call.
Lan Fei approached, her steps hesitant for once. "You... the phoenix accepted you. That hasn't happened in centuries."
He didn't answer immediately. His eyes were still fixed ahead, beyond the seventh ring, at the sealed obsidian door beginning to glow.
Yan Su landed beside him, panting from her own trials. "You broke the trial, Shen Li. You didn't just survive it. You redefined it."
Yue Qian caught up, brushing sweat from her brow. "Now what?"
The obsidian door cracked.
From the crevice poured out a strange wind—cold, ancient, humming with Dao.
The Sect Master appeared in a burst of flames above them, robes blazing crimson.
"The Trial by Flame was merely the surface," she said, her voice resonating across the arena. "Those who have proven themselves shall now walk the path of the Chosen Blades."
Lan Fei inhaled sharply. "The inner sanctum... the Blade Vault."
---
⚔️ The Blade Vault
The door opened fully, revealing a glowing passage lined with thousands of floating weapons—each one humming with a consciousness of its own. Swords, spears, whips, sabers, and artifacts forged with ancient Dao energy. The air inside was heavy with pressure, time itself seeming to slow.
Shen Li stepped inside. Each footstep echoed across dimensions.
A voice greeted him.
> "Only those bound to destiny may choose. But beware: the blade chooses too."
As he passed, countless weapons ignored him. Others shook. One sword cracked in half just as he neared. But then—
It appeared.
A black and silver twin-blade, hovering in a vortex of cold flame. Etched into its hilt was a yin-yang pattern that seemed to move.
He reached out—and the blade surged forward.
BOOM!
Energy exploded outward. The wind howled. A circle of silence formed around him.
The blade hovered inches from his hand, then slowly descended.
The moment his fingers closed around it, symbols flared across his arm. Ancient runes. Forgotten words.
[You have bonded with the Soulblade: Duality Fang.]
Yue Qian stared. "That sword... it's alive."
Lan Fei, watching from the threshold, paled. "That blade was sealed by the last Ancient Heir. It was said no one would ever wield it again."
---
🗡️ Other Chosen
Yan Su bonded with a jade whip that could split into spirit snakes.
Yue Qian was chosen by a pair of mirrored daggers, each amplifying her stealth and speed.
Ten other disciples earned their own sentient weapons, but none had reactions as violent as Shen Li's.
One disciple, Han Bo, tried to force a blade to obey him.
The weapon backlashed.
His arm turned to ash.
The Sect Master simply said, "He was warned."
---
🛡️ Secrets in the Vault
After the bonding, Shen Li noticed something odd. The vortex around his sword didn't fully dissipate. It lingered, whispering.
He followed it.
Beyond the racks of weapons, he found a sealed gate. Symbols across it glowed faintly in the presence of his blade.
Yue Qian and Yan Su followed. "What are you doing?"
"I think this sword remembers something."
The gate opened.
Inside was a mural—an ancient battle.
A man stood holding Duality Fang. Behind him, thousands followed. Before him—an army of darkness. A massive rift in the sky. Tentacles. Shadows. Eyes that didn't blink.
Yan Su whispered, "That's not history. That's prophecy."
A final line glowed beneath the mural:
> "When the blade awakens, so too shall the Abyss."
---
⚠️ Shadows in Motion
Far away, in the deepest chamber of the Masked Enclave, a bell rang.
The robed leader turned to the others. "It has begun. The Chosen Blade has awakened."
"What now?" another asked.
The leader reached into a pool of dark flame. A map appeared, marking Shen Li's position.
"Now, we prepare the Devourer. The Abyss will open sooner than expected."