The morning after the academy's grand examinations, the courtyard of Xiontian was louder than ever.
Students gathered in clusters, gossiping, whispering, and staring at the tall crystal pillars that displayed the results.
> "Staryo, first again."
"He beat even Aru, the Emperor's daughter?"
"What kind of monster is he?"
"Maybe that's why she likes him…"
Giggles and murmurs filled the air. Aru, standing near the result board, gave a small sigh and turned away from the noise. But beside her, Staryo simply smiled faintly, gazing up at the morning sky.
The peace didn't last.
A sudden vibration rippled through the ground—low and resonant, like the growl of the heavens themselves. The clouds split open. A golden chariot descended from above, surrounded by ethereal banners that shimmered with divine light.
Every student froze.
The teachers immediately bowed.
> "The Royal Crest… It's His Majesty!"
From the chariot stepped Emperor Arken Valen, ruler of the continent and Aru's father.
The air around him distorted with divine pressure. His very gaze could crush a man's spirit.
Aru's heart skipped a beat.
> "Father… what are you doing here?"
But Arken's eyes didn't shift to her. They were fixed entirely on Staryo.
> "You," he said, his deep voice cutting through the crowd like a blade.
"You stand beside my daughter, yet I know nothing of you. Tell me, who are you, boy?"
Before Staryo could answer, a voice interrupted—sharp, mocking.
> "He's no one, Your Majesty," Kaelith sneered, stepping forward. "Just some arrogant fool who thinks too highly of himself. He even claims he's… been reborn or something ridiculous."
Laughter rippled through the crowd.
> "Reborn? Hah, what's next, he'll say he's a god?"
"Maybe he came back from death itself!"
But Staryo didn't laugh.
He looked straight at the Emperor, his eyes steady.
> "They're right," he said quietly. "I did return from death."
The courtyard fell silent.
Then came another round of laughter—louder this time, echoing off the marble walls.
Kaelith clutched his stomach, grinning.
> "You what? Returned from death? Are you trying to impress Aru, or write a fairy tale?"
Even Emperor Arken gave a low, amused chuckle.
> "A bold claim, boy. Death isn't something one escapes. Do you mean to say you defy even the gods?"
Staryo's gaze never wavered.
> "No, Your Majesty. I don't defy them."
"I simply walked where they never dared."
That line silenced everyone.
For a heartbeat, the Emperor's eyes narrowed. Something in that tone—something ancient, too old for a boy's voice—unsettled him.
> "Very well," Arken said finally, his voice regaining its authority. "Then let us see if you truly returned from death."
He raised his hand, and the sky split once more.
Golden runes swirled, forming a massive circle of flame high above the arena.
> "I, Emperor Arken Valen of Xiontian, decree the Three Trials of Worthiness.
The first—Trial of the Celestial Flame.
You will step into the fire that judges souls. If you truly came from death, let us see if even the heavens recognize you."
Aru's voice trembled.
> "Father, stop! This isn't necessary—"
> "Silence, Aru," he said coldly. "If he is worthy of you, this trial will not harm him."
---
The Trial Begins
Staryo stepped into the burning circle.
The flames rose, gold turning to white, then blue, then violet. They didn't just burn — they spoke.
Each flicker whispered divine truth, testing his body and his soul.
The instant they touched him, agony exploded.
Every nerve screamed, every bone cracked. The flames were not meant for mortals.
> "AaaAAHHHHHH!"
The sound tore through the courtyard. Aru cried out, pressing against the invisible barrier that held her back.
> "Father, he'll die! Please—make it stop!"
But Arken's gaze stayed fixed on Staryo.
> "Let the fire decide."
---
The Cart Method Awakens
Inside the inferno, Staryo's body crumbled—then began to dissolve into light.
His heartbeat faded, his breath vanished.
And then—something inside him broke open.
The ancient system etched deep in his being, the Cart Method, awoke.
It was not magic. It was not cultivation. It was creation itself awakening within destruction.
From the ashes of his body, motes of silver light began to swirl, pulling the flames inward.
The pain grew unbearable—his voice cracked, twisted, but he didn't scream anymore. He endured.
He embraced the pain.
The flames that tried to burn him were now being devoured.
The Celestial Fire trembled, shrinking back in fear.
A shiver ran through the Emperor's spine.
> "This… this can't be."
The Cart Method surged. His body was reborn—not remade, reborn from nothingness itself. His hair shimmered with cosmic hues, strands of silver and deep starlight blue.
His eyes opened—now burning like galaxies themselves, vast and endless.
> "Impossible…" whispered Kaelith.
"The flames… they're bowing to him," muttered another student.
The fire bent low, swirling gently around him as if worshipping the boy it had once tried to destroy.
---
Aru's Tears and the Emperor's Fear
The barrier vanished. Aru rushed forward, throwing herself against Staryo's chest.
> "You idiot!" she sobbed. "You could've died!"
He smiled faintly, lifting her chin.
> "Death already took me once. I won't let it take me again."
The Emperor stepped closer, his composure cracking slightly.
> "What are you, boy?"
Staryo looked at him, quiet and unshaken.
> "You called this the fire that judges souls, didn't you?"
"Then look closely, Your Majesty. Even the fire knows who I am."
The Emperor's breath hitched. He looked up at the Celestial Flames—and saw them kneeling like sentient beings before Staryo.
He muttered softly to himself:
> "The flames only kneel before their creator… or their end."
---
The Shock That Shook Xiontian
By nightfall, the entire academy was in chaos.
Students whispered in corners, wide-eyed and trembling.
> "He survived the Emperor's trial."
"The fire feared him!"
"They say he came back from death—and now everyone believes it."
"If he's not human, what is he?"
Even Kaelith, Staryo's rival, sat in silence, his fists clenched.
> "So, you really did return from death," he muttered bitterly. "Then I'll drag you back there myself."
Far above them, in the royal tower, Emperor Arken stood alone, gazing at the night sky.
> "He… shouldn't exist," he whispered.
"Yet the world itself bends around him. If this continues…"
His reflection in the window wavered, shifting into Staryo's silhouette for the briefest instant—smiling back at him.
---
Suspense for Chapter 11
That night, as Staryo lay awake, his vision blurred.
A faint voice echoed in his mind—ancient, vast, and hollow.
> "The first flame bows. The second awaits."
He sat up sharply, cold sweat tracing his neck.
The air rippled before him, and a mirror appeared—thin, ghostly. His reflection stared back, but then… smiled.
> "Who are you?" he whispered.
His reflection moved, speaking without sound. The words appeared in his mind instead:
> "I am the you that never died."
The mirror cracked, splitting across the center.
A whisper followed, colder than death:
> "The next trial begins at dawn… The Trial of Endless Mirage."