The Vermilion Palace was silent.
Not the peaceful silence of meditation halls.
But the heavy silence of power.
Li Tian stood alone at the center of the grand hall. Rows of imperial officials lined both sides, their robes immaculate, their expressions controlled. Spiritual lamps burned with steady blue flames along the pillars, illuminating golden carvings of dragons climbing toward the ceiling.
At the far end, seated upon a crimson jade throne, was the Crown Prince Zhao Liang.
He did not release his aura.
He did not need to.
Authority itself seemed to flow from him.
"So," the Crown Prince said calmly, "you are Li Tian. The last disciple of Azure Sky Pavilion."
Li Tian bowed slightly. "Yes, Your Highness."
The prince's eyes were sharp, observant.
"You are at the Third Meridian Realm."
It was not a question.
"Yes."
"And yet," Zhao Liang continued, "you defeated demonic cultivators above your realm. Even forced back a commander of the Black Serpent King."
Murmurs spread faintly through the hall.
Li Tian kept his expression steady. "They underestimated me."
A faint smile touched the prince's lips.
"Underestimation is a luxury the Demonic Alliance does not often afford."
The words carried hidden meaning.
The prince leaned slightly forward.
"Tell me, Li Tian… what technique do you cultivate?"
The question fell like a stone into still water.
Every gaze in the hall sharpened.
Li Tian's heartbeat slowed deliberately.
"Azure Sky Pavilion's internal circulation method," he replied evenly.
Not a lie.
But not the full truth.
The Crown Prince watched him carefully.
Behind the throne, a thin old man stepped forward. His hair was white, his face wrinkled, but his eyes glowed faintly with spiritual light.
An imperial elder.
Foundation Realm… perhaps higher.
"Permission to examine him," the old man said softly.
Zhao Liang nodded.
"Proceed."
The elder raised his hand.
Invisible spiritual threads spread through the air, moving toward Li Tian like fine silk.
Li Tian felt it immediately.
A probing force.
Careful.
Precise.
If he resisted, it would reveal weakness.
If he allowed it too deeply, it might touch the golden mark.
He relaxed his shoulders and allowed the threads to brush his meridians.
The elder's eyes narrowed slightly.
"His meridians… are unusually wide for Meridian Realm."
A quiet stir passed through the hall.
The threads moved deeper.
Toward his dantian.
Toward the hidden golden core of reversed qi.
Heat flared beneath Li Tian's chest.
The Heaven-Defying Mark stirred violently.
Not in fear.
In resistance.
For a brief moment, golden light almost surfaced beneath his skin.
Li Tian inhaled slowly.
Instead of pushing the Heaven-Defying qi outward—
He compressed it.
Downward.
Into the deepest layer of his dantian.
The elder's spiritual threads touched nothing unusual.
Only dense qi.
Uncommon.
But explainable.
After a few long breaths, the elder withdrew his hand.
"He is Meridian Realm," the elder said calmly. "Talented. But within natural limits."
Li Tian did not relax.
Because he felt something else.
The Crown Prince's gaze had not changed.
Not even slightly.
Zhao Liang tapped the armrest of his throne once.
"Interesting," he said softly.
The hall emptied gradually after that. Officials withdrew. Guards stepped back into formation.
Soon, only Li Tian, the elder, and the Crown Prince remained.
Zhao Liang descended from the throne.
Up close, he seemed younger than expected.
But his eyes were ancient with ambition.
"Do you know why I summoned you?" the prince asked.
"To investigate my cultivation," Li Tian replied.
"That is only part of it."
The prince began walking slowly around him.
"The Demonic Alliance grows bold. The Five Kings unite. The Empire must maintain balance."
He stopped directly in front of Li Tian.
"Balance," Zhao Liang repeated. "Is maintained by control."
Silence.
"You are not under my control," the prince said plainly.
The honesty was startling.
Li Tian met his gaze. "I do not seek conflict with the Empire."
"But you seek strength," Zhao Liang replied.
"Yes."
"And strength," the prince said quietly, "always shifts balance."
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then the prince smiled faintly.
"I will not detain you."
Li Tian's expression did not change, but inside he was alert.
"Instead," Zhao Liang continued, "I will test you."
A small jade token appeared in his hand.
"In three days, the Imperial Capital will host the Meridian Trial. Young cultivators from all sects and noble families will compete."
He handed the token to Li Tian.
"You will participate."
The meaning was clear.
Public evaluation.
Public measurement.
Public exposure.
"If you are truly only Meridian Realm," Zhao Liang said softly, "then you will simply be another talented youth."
"And if I am not?" Li Tian asked.
The prince's smile deepened slightly.
"Then heaven will expose you."
As Li Tian left the hall, the palace doors closed behind him with a heavy sound.
Outside, night had fully fallen.
The Imperial Capital shimmered under starlight.
He looked down at the jade token in his hand.
Meridian Trial.
Three days.
He was injured.
Surrounded by enemies.
Watched by forces stronger than himself.
And somewhere in the darkness beyond the capital…
A serpent's eyes opened again.
The Black Serpent King had also felt the stirring in the palace.
The game was expanding.
And Li Tian—
Still only at Meridian Realm—
Had stepped onto the board.