The wind shifted. Somewhere deep within the tower, a bell rang, soft at first, then louder, as if echoing through time itself. The moment it sounded, a pressure fell over me like a mountain had dropped onto my shoulders. My knees nearly buckled. Seris didn't move. She only whispered, "Stage Three begins now."
The system pulsed violently in my vision:
[Trial of the Broken Tower - Stage 3: Core Reckoning]
[Objective: Stabilize your Spiritual Core under pressure]
[Failure Consequences: System Lockdown, Qi collapse, permanent cultivation loss]
[Timer: 15 minutes]
My breath caught. This wasn't a fight. This was survival at its rawest. I sat cross-legged in the heart of the chamber as the door slammed shut behind me, locking out Seris and the world. A glowing circle flared beneath me, ancient runes spiraling like veins of fire. The jade embedded in my palm pulsed violently. The heat from the Ascension Tree flared as if it were trying to burn its way out of my chest. Pain erupted behind my eyes. The system spoke again, monotone but urgent:
[Initiating Core Restoration Sequence...]
[Unstable fragments detected: 17]
[Spiritual contamination level: 43%]
[Repair Path: Forbidden Method - Extreme Risk]
I laughed bitterly. "When have I ever played it safe?"
I selected [Proceed: Forbidden Method], and it began. First came the memory flood. Faces from the past - my father's disapproving eyes, the Sect Master's cold silence, my so-called brothers laughing when I was declared broken. Each image hit like a blow to the chest. Blood trickled from my nose. The system's warning blared.
[Mental Integrity: 51%]
[Core Stability: 85% → 77%]
[You must face the anchor: Origin Sin]
Suddenly, a mirror formed in the air before me. And from it, I stepped out. Or rather, the version of me I might have been, powerful, arrogant, eyes gleaming with disdain.
"Look at you," it spat. "Scavenging scraps. Running like a rat."
"I'm alive," I said through clenched teeth. "And I'm not done."
The reflection charged me. No weapons. Just fists and fury. We clashed in a battle that wasn't physical, yet every strike felt real. He was faster. Stronger. But I was desperate. I activated Spirit Chain, locking us in close. I unleashed Flame Roar, engulfing both of us in searing fire. Pain seared through me. The system screamed.
[Health: 18%]
[Origin Sin: Severed]
[Core Fragments Reforged: 12/17]
The mirror self shattered into ash. I dropped to my knees, vision swimming. But the jade pulsed one final time, steady and warm.
[Core Stabilization Complete]
[Forbidden Ascension Tree Expanded]
[New System Features Unlocked]
A new interface bloomed before my eyes, clearer, more intricate:
[Unlocked: Loot Matrix - Converts defeated enemies' powers into skill nodes]
[Unlocked: Core Echoes - Permanent stat boosts based on trial performance]
[Unlocked: Titles - Equip up to 2 Titles for passive bonuses]
And then:
[New Title Acquired: Broken No More]
+10% Recovery Speed, +5% Core Resistance
The chamber walls began to shift and fall away. The tower was collapsing. Trial passed. Time to move. The system flared again as Seris dragged open the collapsing door and pulled me out into the forest's bleeding dawn. She looked at me, eyes wide.
"You made it."
I didn't speak.
The tower behind us crumbled into dust. And inside my chest, my core burned like a star finally born. The tower behind me lay in ruins, buried beneath rubble and time. I stood in its fading shadow with my core whole for the first time in years, no pain, no cracks, no emptiness, just power. It thrummed beneath my skin, alive, wild, and waiting to be used.
Seris studied me, expression unreadable. "You've changed."
"I'm not the one who should be worried about that."
I opened my system screen:
[Core Stability: 100%]
[System Integrity: Restored]
[Forbidden Ascension Tree - Active Branches: 2]
[New Ability: Loot Matrix - 1 Slot Unused]
[Titles: "Broken No More" (Equipped)]
A cool, tingling sensation ran through my limbs. The forest felt clearer. Every leaf, every sound, sharper. The pressure in my chest - gone. My breathing? Effortless.
"We should move," Seris said, already turning away. "You've passed the tower's trial, but now your light will draw predators."
She was right. I could feel it. The world had… noticed me. We moved fast, Silent Step masking our trail. Still, birds scattered from the trees above us. Somewhere distant, a beast howled, then fell silent, unnatural, wrong.
We reached a moss-covered outcropping, overlooking a wide valley soaked in Qi fog. That's when I saw it. A tear in the sky - a crack like lightning, frozen mid-flash. And through it stepped a man. No, a figure. His robe was white, but smeared with crimson handprints. His hair floated as if underwater. And around his neck hung a chain of glowing spirit cores, like trophies. Seris paled. I tensed.
The system pulsed:
[Name: ???]
[Affiliation: Heaven's Judgment Sect]
[Threat Level: Unclassified]
[Warning: This entity exceeds your level by 12 tiers]
Twelve tiers? The air turned cold. Every part of me screamed to run.
Seris whispered, "That's a Sky Executor."
"Of what?"
"Of sinners."
The figure turned toward us as if hearing her, even across the valley. He smiled, and stepped forward. The forest between us withered. I grabbed Seris.
"We run."
"Too late."
He raised a finger. The entire ridge exploded. Shadow Step. We blinked away mid-air just as fire and stone rained around us. I hit the ground rolling, blood in my mouth. Seris wasn't so lucky - she lay crumpled near a shattered tree, barely breathing. I turned toward the Executor. He hovered over the valley now, floating, waiting.
System options flashed:
[Engage - Certain Death]
[Escape - Minimal Chance of Success]
[Trigger Emergency Ascension?]
WARNING: May cause unpredictable mutation of core.
I hovered over the third. Emergency Ascension. It might destroy me. It might save us both. I slammed the choice. My jade burned white-hot. My core tore open again, no pain, just pressure. Like the world pressed in from all sides, trying to crush me back into dust. But I held, I screamed, and the power… answered.
[Emergency Ascension: Tier 1.5 Achieved]
[Loot Matrix Activating…]
[Skill Slot Absorbed: Spirit Pulse Blade - Range: 10m, Damage: High]
[System Mutation Detected - Core Echo Layer Formed]
My body snapped upright. New power surged through my arms, through my blood. The Executor stared, one eyebrow raised. I pointed at him.
"You want a sinner? Try me."
The first clash wasn't a clash at all. He moved so fast the ground vanished beneath me. But my blade was already formed, Spirit Pulse, humming in my hand. It caught his strike mid-air. Shock spread across his face, then glee.
"A true Ascender," he whispered. "Finally."
But that's when I understood. He wasn't here to kill me. He was here to test me. And if I failed... He'd erase everything I ever was. The Spirit Pulse Blade shimmered in my hand, ten meters long, forged from raw Qi, and humming like a living thing. It wasn't just a weapon. It was an extension of my core.
The Sky Executor hovered above the shattered valley, blood-red chain of spirit cores swaying in the wind. He wasn't charging anymore. He was watching, studying, like I was prey worth dissecting.
"Your mutation is… irregular," he said calmly. "But not unworthy."
He raised a single finger again. This time, it glowed with golden light. I could feel it, celestial Qi. The kind that burns through lower realms.
[Warning: Tier Gap still active. Damage resistance reduced.]
[Loot Matrix recommends evasive strategy.]
I didn't wait. I Shadow Stepped right as the finger shot forward like a spear of light. A tree behind me exploded into ash. Seris, barely conscious behind the ridge, groaned. She wouldn't survive another blast. This wasn't just a duel anymore. I had to win. Or we both die. I channeled everything into my spirit weapon and swung. The air screamed. My blade cleaved through Qi itself, leaving a scar in the sky.
To my surprise, the Executor blocked it. Barehanded. Sparks exploded from the clash. My arms shook, bones straining. But I didn't let go.
[Skill Adaptation Triggered: Spirit Blade Clash → Core Echo Stored]
[Title Potential: "One Who Dares the Heavens" - Progress: 7%]
He raised an eyebrow. "You adapt. Good. Let's see what breaks first - your blade or your will."
He countered, fists wrapped in golden aura. I blocked again. Then dodged. Then activated Flame Roar, forcing him to back off with a wall of fire between us.
[Cooldown: Flame Roar - 60 seconds]
My system flickered, offering a new interface:
[Loot Matrix - New Node Available]
[Choose Skill to Claim from Spirit Clash]
➤ Voidstep (Rare) - Instantly teleport to any point within 15 meters. No line of sight required.
I didn't hesitate.
[Skill Acquired: Voidstep]
[Skill Limit Reached - Replace?]
➤ Replace Shadow Step (Common)?
"Do it."
Shadow Step vanished. And Voidstep pulsed to life. The next time he struck, I blinked out of reality - reappearing behind him with my blade already mid-swing. I felt it connect. A shallow slice across his shoulder. Blood shimmered like starlight. He turned slowly, then smiled.
"You've earned a name."
The chain of spirit cores around his neck snapped loose, and he threw it at me. Each core ignited in midair, like miniature suns. I triggered everything I had.
[Title: Broken No More - Active]
[Spirit Pulse Blade: Overload Mode]
[Core Echo - Tier 1 Mutation Stabilized]
[HP: 41% → 23%]
The blade exploded forward in a final arc of light. The sky split. The chain shattered. The explosion knocked us both back - him into the air, me into a tree trunk that cracked on impact. I hit the ground hard, but I was still breathing. The system buzzed.
[Victory Condition Met - Duel Inconclusive]
[Sky Executor Withdrew]
[Heaven's Judgment has marked you: WANTED - Status Tier S]
Above me, I saw the Executor disappearing into the same rift he came from. His voice echoed through the crack in the sky:
"Live, Jin Ranziel. Rise. We will meet again - and next time, I won't go easy."
Then the rift sealed, the world went quiet, I collapsed beside Seris, every muscle burning. She stirred weakly. "You… survived?"
"Barely."
"I told you... you weren't broken."
The jade pulsed warm in my chest.
[Core Status: Stable]
[Tier Ascension Progress: 34%]
[New Title Earned: Heavenmarked Rebel]
+5% Loot Yield, +10% System XP
And then - as if to top it all off:
[Global System Notice - First Mutated Core Achieved]
[New Realm Achievement: "The Broken One Who Fought the Sky"]
[All hostile sects alerted]
[Bounty Updated - Tier 5 Reward: Core, Alive or Dead]
I'd survived the trial. Defied a god. Claimed a skill that shouldn't exist. But now the real game was getting started. Because every hunter in the realms had just seen my name.
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