CHAPTER 9 — RUMORS IN THE DARK
Kael's heartbeat slowly steadied as Master Shen Rokan guided him back toward the Azure Sky tents. His body still buzzed with leftover Astral energy—an aftertaste of the realm he had just stepped into.
But standing behind him, Rokan felt only cold dread.
That voice… it followed him again.
Something ancient had taken notice of Kael.
Something no one in the Four Sects should ever provoke.
---
Whispers Spread Like Poison
By midday, every disciple in the valley was whispering.
"I saw his aura—like a star collapsing."
"He wasn't using qi. It was something else… something forbidden."
"Did you hear? One of the sect masters says he might be a vessel!"
"A vessel? For what—?!"
Kael heard none of it.
But he felt every eye on his back.
Even Azure Sky disciples kept their distance.
Except one.
Taron Blaze.
He stood with arms crossed, glare sharp enough to cut stone. Not hatred… but fear.
If Kael keeps rising… he'll surpass me. Me—the strongest of the Azure Sky juniors.
Taron's fists clenched.
I won't let that happen.
---
THE TRIAL OF THE FOUR SECTS — PHASE 2
The Valley of Echoes
When evening fell, a deep horn sounded across the mountains.
Master Dugu Shen's booming voice rolled through the valley:
"DISCIPLES! PREPARE YOURSELVES!
THE SECOND TRIAL—THE VALLEY OF ECHOES—BEGINS NOW!"
The ground vibrated under Kael's feet as thousands of disciples marched toward a canyon filled with silver mist.
Rokan spoke quietly beside him.
"Listen carefully. This trial tests one thing: mental fortitude. The Valley amplifies your fears, insecurities, and weaknesses. It will show you the things you want most—and the things you fear most."
Kael swallowed. "So… it's an illusion?"
"No."
Rokan's expression hardened.
"It is worse."
The silver mist at the canyon's mouth churned like a living storm, pulsing with faint whispers.
Some disciples stepped forward bravely.
Others hesitated—already trembling before they even entered.
Master Ru Ning raised a palm, and the mist parted just enough to reveal a narrow path.
"Inside the Valley of Echoes," he said softly, "your own voice becomes your greatest enemy."
A chill crept up Kael's spine.
Taron Blaze clicked his tongue behind him.
"Tch. Illusions or not, I'm not losing to some fog."
But Kael heard the strain beneath his tone.
He's afraid too.
Rokan placed a hand on Kael's shoulder—something he had never done before.
"Do not respond to the voices," he instructed. "If they mimic someone you know, ignore them. If they show you something you desire, reject it. And if they reveal something terrible…"
His jaw tightened.
"…walk forward anyway."
Kael nodded slowly.
The jade bell hanging above the canyon entrance chimed, vibrating the air.
"THE VALLEY OF ECHOES—BEGIN!"
Disciples surged in.
The moment Kael stepped past the mist, the world shifted.
---
A World Painted by Fear
Darkness swallowed everything.
No ground.
No sky.
Only endless black.
Then—
A whisper.
Soft.
Familiar.
"…Kael…"
He froze.
"Who's there?"
The voice came again, drifting in all directions at once.
"…You were never meant to exist."
Kael's blood ran cold.
The darkness flickered—and a shape appeared.
A silhouette of… him.
His own reflection stepped forward, eyes glowing dim silver.
"You shouldn't have survived that day."
Kael staggered back.
The mist swirled, forming memories he couldn't remember—yet somehow felt painfully familiar.
Ruined homes.
Screams.
A bleeding sky.
A giant shadow descending.
Kael clutched his head.
"What… what is this?!"
His reflection leaned close.
"You aren't special, Kael."
"You're a mistake."
Kael's breath trembled.
The ground cracked beneath him as Astral sparks bled from his fingertips—
—but then he remembered Rokan's words:
Do not respond to the voices.
He closed his eyes.
He inhaled slowly.
This is not real.
The illusions trembled.
He took a step forward.
Another.
And the silver-eyed reflection dissolved into dust.
---
Outside the Valley
Spectators gasped.
A pillar of faint silver light flashed inside the mist.
Master Lian Hu narrowed his eyes.
"His mental realm… is resisting with force? That shouldn't be possible."
Ru Ning's gaze darkened.
"No. It means something inside him is fighting back on its own."
Rokan said nothing.
Because he recognized that silver.
He had seen it once before.
And prayed to never see it again.
---
Meanwhile — Taron Blaze
Inside the valley, Taron's breath came in harsh bursts.
The mist curled around him, forming images—jeering faces of disciples, shadows pointing at him, whispering:
"Weak…"
"Second place…"
"Kael is beyond you…"
Taron's teeth gnashed.
"SHUT UP!"
The voices mocked him louder.
Then—
A faint pulse.
A spark.
Silver-white.
Deep in his chest.
He froze.
His head snapped down.
"What… what was that?"
The spark flickered—once—then vanished.
But the mist recoiled from him for a brief moment.
And Taron's eyes widened.
"…What was that inside me?"
---
Kael Emerges
Light burst outward.
Kael stepped out of the mist calmly, quietly—his face pale, but his eyes… steady.
A hush fell over the valley.
"He passed… in less than a minute?"
"No way…"
"What kind of mental strength is that?!"
Kael exhaled, relieved to be free of the whispers.
But he didn't notice the elders exchanging looks.
Or the fear beneath their calm expressions.
Only one person wasn't silent—Taron, who stumbled out moments later, sweat-drenched, trembling.
But his eyes were fierce.
He glared at Kael—not with hatred now, but with… something else.
Confusion?
Fear?
Curiosity?
Whatever it was, he turned away quickly.
"Tch… you think you're ahead now? Just wait."
But Kael didn't argue.
Because he felt it—
Something deeper inside him had stirred.
Something that should not awaken yet.
---
The Third Trial Approaches
The jade bell rang again, echoing through the mountains.
Master Dugu Shen roared:
"REST QUICKLY!
THE THIRD TRIAL—THE TRIAL OF MOTION—BEGINS AT DAWN!"
Disciples rushed to prepare.
Kael looked up at the night sky.
A strange feeling tugged at his chest…
A presence.
Calling him again.
Far away—deep in the Astral Realm—something enormous shifted.