CHAPTER 7 — THE TRIAL OF THE FOUR SECTS
Silence.
A heavy, suffocating silence wrapped around the Azure Sky courtyard as the four sect masters stepped forward in unison. Kael felt dozens of gazes pierce through him—curious, hostile, amused, predatory.
The Trial of the Four Sects had begun.
A crimson flare burst into the sky with a loud BOOM, forming the symbol of Shen Tian Shou Academy.
Master Shen Rokan's robe fluttered as he raised his voice.
"Disciples of Azure Sky, Crimson Flame, Silent Cloud, and Iron Vein—assemble! From today onward, you stand on equal ground. Strength alone will decide your fate."
Disciples from every sect marched forward, each group standing beneath their sect banner.
Crimson Flame disciples radiated blazing heat.
Silent Cloud disciples moved like fading shadows.
Iron Vein disciples stomped the earth with brutal confidence.
Azure Sky… was quiet. Small. Underdogs.
Kael stood at the very front of the Azure line, hands clammy, heartbeat unstable.
Taron Blaze stood behind him.
Kael could feel Taron's stare—sharp, simmering, venomous.
Fear mixed with jealousy, swirling like oil over fire.
He wants me to fail, Kael realized.
He will make sure I fail.
Rokan stepped up beside him.
"Do not look back," he murmured. "Enemies behind you are less dangerous than the ones you'll meet ahead."
Kael swallowed hard. "Yes, Master."
A gong thundered.
Master Dugu Shen of the Iron Vein Sect stomped the earth.
"Trial One—THE GATE OF ENDURANCE!"
The ground trembled. The courtyard cracked open, revealing a vast stone arena beneath them. Spires of rock shot from the earth, forming a path like the spine of a giant beast.
Lian Hu of the Crimson Flame Sect smirked.
"Cross the path. Endure the pressure. Only those who reach the far pillar pass."
Ru Ning of Silent Cloud added softly,
"You will feel the weight of your own potential. Many collapse. Some break."
Kael exhaled sharply.
This wasn't just a trial.
It was a hunt.
The disciples rushed forward.
Kael followed—only to feel an invisible force slam into his shoulders.
BOOM.
His knees nearly buckled.
"What is this… pressure?" Kael gasped.
Rokan's voice echoed behind him. "The Gate of Endurance reveals the weight of your own future. The stronger your potential… the heavier the burden."
Kael gritted his teeth.
Then why is mine so crushing?
Sweat dripped down his temples. His bones strained. His muscles quivered. Each step felt like lifting a mountain.
He wasn't alone.
Many Azure disciples were already falling to their knees.
But Kael pushed forward.
Taron Blaze watched this… and smirked.
"Kael," he whispered, "watch your feet."
Taron's hand flicked.
A small stone—infused with fire qi—rolled beneath Kael's heel.
Kael stepped—and his ankle buckled violently.
"Ugh—!"
He crashed to the ground, pain shooting up his leg.
Taron walked past him with a satisfied smile.
"So fragile."
Kael clenched his fist.
His ankle throbbed.
His breath came short.
He couldn't feel his toes.
I can't fail… not here.
He tried to rise—
—and suddenly froze.
The world around him blurred.
The arena dissolved into shimmering particles.
The pressure vanished.
The wind stopped.
Then—
Darkness.
Silence.
Stars.
Kael stood in a vast astral void.
The same place he had touched before.
The same place where a voice had spoken to him.
A chill ran down his spine.
"Not again…"
A faint ripple of light gathered in front of him, swirling into the shape of a figure—vast, tall, undefined, like a constellation wearing the semblance of a man.
Its eyes glowed like twin stars.
"Child of the Astral Vein…"
The voice shook Kael's bones.
"You stand on the threshold once more. But this time, you bleed. You suffer. Good."
Kael's breath trembled.
"W-What… what do you want from me?"
The entity's cosmic form leaned closer.
"I offer guidance."
Kael's heart raced.
"Guidance… why? Who are you?"
The stars around the figure pulsed.
"I am a shade of what once was. A memory. A guardian. A warning."
Its voice turned sharp, ancient, resonant.
"You walk the Path of the Eternal Fist… a path that only one before you ever dared to walk."
Kael's eyes widened.
"One… before me?"
"Yes. And his fists shattered heavens."
The astral wind roared. Constellations swirled like storms.
The entity extended a hand of starlight toward Kael.
"Do you wish to stand… or do you wish to fall?"
Kael clenched his shaking fists.
"I want… to stand."
"Then listen."
The entity touched Kael's forehead—
BOOM.
Kael's mind burned with symbols—circular, rotating, orbiting around a blazing star.
Astral Fist Phase — Fifth Spark.
Awakened.
His eyes snapped open.
He was back in the arena—
—but this time, the pressure felt lighter.
His ankle felt healed.
His limbs surged with energy.
Kael slowly rose.
Disciples all around stared with shock.
Taron's smirk faded instantly.
"Impossible," he whispered.
Kael stepped forward—
Step.
Step.
Step.
Every footfall shook the path.
Kael advanced, not stumbling, not bending—
but rising like a star breaking through the clouds.
Rokan's eyes widened with restrained pride.
The three rival sect masters leaned forward.
Crimson Flame's Lian Hu muttered,
"This… child…"
Silent Cloud's Ru Ning whispered,
"His potential… it's changing."
Iron Vein's Dugu Shen clenched his jaw.
"Azure Sky… what monster have you awakened?"
Kael crossed the final pillar.
And the gong rang.
Azure Sky erupted into cheers.
Kael passed the first trial.
Not by luck.
Not by talent.
But by stepping once more…
into the Astral Realm.