The dawn that marked the start of the Selection was not a normal dawn.
Above the Imperial Capital, the heavens themselves split open.
From the void descended a river of light—flowing without water, soundless yet deafening. It wound through the skies like a celestial serpent, pouring spiritual radiance over the city until even the jade walls seemed to breathe.
Every cultivator in the capital felt it.
The will of Heaven had awakened.
Within the Eastern Quarter, Lin Xuan opened his eyes.
The jade token within his sleeve pulsed violently, as if answering a distant call. Threads of pale gold qi coiled from its surface, fading the instant they touched the air.
Yu Ling turned sharply. "It's reacting again."
He nodded, gaze calm but inwardly tense. "The domain is forming. Whatever lies beyond that gate… it recognizes this fragment."
Before she could answer, the sky roared.
A beam of golden light fell from the heavens, striking the central square where the Hall of Heaven's Mandate stood.
From that light, a door began to emerge—towering, ancient, carved with a thousand runes that flickered like stars.
Each rune carried an echo of the Great Dao; even Nascent Soul elders watching from afar felt their hearts tighten.
"The Gate of Heaven's Trial…" Chen Mu whispered, awestruck.
All across the capital, cultivators surged toward the square. Disciples in ornate sect robes gathered in lines, banners shining with qi-light.
From the palace balcony, the Emperor raised a single hand.
"Let the worthy step forth. May Heaven record their names."
The golden gate thundered open. A blinding light engulfed the plaza.
When it cleared—
Lin Xuan, Yu Ling, and thousands of others found themselves standing in a world entirely unlike the one they'd left behind.
The Preliminary Path was vast and boundless. Mountains floated in the sky, rivers ran backward through the clouds, and enormous trees—each hundreds of meters tall—dripped with luminescent dew that shimmered like liquid stars.
The very air was thick with spirit essence so dense it hummed against their skin.
Chen Mu swallowed hard. "It's… another world."
Yu Ling's eyes narrowed. "A constructed domain. Every mountain, every breath here is woven by formation arrays. The Empire truly commands the arts of Heaven."
But Lin Xuan said nothing. His spiritual sense brushed against the jade token—only to feel a faint whisper echo within his consciousness.
"Return…"
His pupils contracted slightly.
He'd heard that voice before—in dreams, on the night their sect was destroyed.
Suddenly, a deafening sound split the sky.
A cultivator screamed as a spear of crimson qi tore through him, scattering his body into motes of light.
From above, a cold voice drifted down.
"The weak should not covet Heaven."
A group of crimson-robed disciples landed gracefully on a cliffside—the Crimson Sect.
Their leader, a sharp-eyed youth with a scar over his brow, sneered at the corpse's fading glow. "If you can't even block a single blow, you're not worth keeping."
Yu Ling's expression hardened. "That's Ji Feng. One of the Crimson Sect's inner disciples."
Lin Xuan's gaze remained steady. "Let them act. Heaven will judge soon enough."
Far away, on another peak, a circle of golden fire erupted—Yan Zixian, the Blazing Sun prodigy, descended like a comet, flames rippling behind him.
He clasped his hands behind his back, eyes scanning the field of entrants. "So this is the competition Heaven has chosen? How… disappointing."
A dozen cultivators challenged him at once. None lasted a single strike.
The sky itself trembled under his aura.
Meanwhile, Lin Xuan's group moved deeper into the forested valley.
Strange spiritual beasts prowled in the mist—creatures of condensed qi, born from the domain's rules.
Each carried fragments of spiritual tokens—proof of kills that determined ranking in the trials.
Chen Mu fought to steady his breath. "We'll have to gather enough tokens before the three days end, right?"
Yu Ling nodded. "Only a hundred will advance. Tokens determine survival."
Lin Xuan's expression remained unreadable. "Then we'll begin."
As they advanced, the mists grew denser. The sound of the city faded, replaced by the low hum of ancient formations.
Every tree glowed faintly from the inside, veins of light pulsing like living flesh.
Then—a shadow crossed the ground.
Lin Xuan looked up.
From the clouds descended a colossal beast—half lion, half serpent, its scales carved with Dao patterns that shimmered crimson.
Its roar shook the valley, tearing through air and stone alike.
The weaker cultivators screamed, fleeing in panic.
Yu Ling's face turned pale. "A Domain Guardian… at the first stage?"
But Lin Xuan's jade token flared, casting a beam of gold into the beast's chest.
The monster froze mid-roar. Its eyes turned toward him—not in rage, but in something like recognition.
It bowed its head.
Gasps echoed across the field.
Even Yu Ling was speechless. "It… yielded?"
Lin Xuan didn't answer. His heart raced, though his expression stayed calm. The beast's body dissolved into motes of light, leaving behind a single ancient sigil floating before him.
He reached out—and the sigil merged with the jade token.
A low hum filled the air. Somewhere deep within the domain, something vast stirred awake.
"Bearer of the Fragment…" a voice whispered in the void. "…Heaven remembers you."
The mists trembled violently.
Mountains split.
And at the far end of the horizon, an unseen power began to gather—dark, boundless, and old.
Yu Ling's eyes widened. "Lin Xuan… what did you just awaken?"