The pit trembled.
A low hum echoed through the stone beneath Shen Liun's feet as he and Xiao Ning'er stepped into a new chamber. The air shifted—denser, older. Cracks in the floor pulsed with faint red light, like glowing veins of fire buried beneath the earth.
"This is it," Ning'er whispered. "A trial zone."
Liun nodded. "Aoshen?"
> "You've reached a Forgotten Domain," came the voice of the ancient flame within him. "A place from before the great sects. Before the heavens shattered. A grave that remembers power... and pain."
Just then, the stone door behind them slammed shut. The sound echoed like a falling mountain. Red light surged from the center of the chamber as a circular platform rose from the ground. It bore nine rings of glowing symbols, etched deep into the stone.
Ning'er stepped closer. "These markings… they're from a lost era. My clan once forbid us from even speaking of them."
The air around them tightened. Then, a deep voice—not Aoshen's—boomed through the chamber.
> "You who carry the flame of defiance. Step forward."
Liun clenched his fists.
> "This is the Trial of Bone and Flame. Step forward, and there is no return."
He looked once at Ning'er. She met his gaze and nodded. No fear. No hesitation.
Liun stepped onto the platform.
Instantly, fire erupted around the outer ring. Symbols flared to life, and from the ground rose a figure—tall and broken, its body wrapped in scorched armor. Its eyes glowed faintly beneath a cracked helmet, and in its hand appeared a blackened sword.
"A memory," Aoshen warned. "One who failed to walk the Ashen Dao. Defeat it, or be forgotten."
The warrior moved.
Its first swing was brutal—fast, precise. Liun barely dodged in time. He countered with a burst of Ashen Flame, hurling it toward the warrior's chest.
The flames struck—but did nothing.
The figure stepped through them, unfazed. The fire was absorbed into its armor.
> "He shares your path," Aoshen said. "Your flame alone cannot defeat him. You must evolve."
The enemy's sword slashed again. This time, it grazed Liun's side, tearing through flesh. He stumbled, blood dripping down his ribs.
"Liun!" Ning'er shouted from outside the ring. She couldn't enter—the platform only recognized one challenger.
He dropped to one knee, breath ragged. The pain was sharp, but familiar. His Ashen Flame surged to his defense, slowing the bleeding—but he was weakening fast.
The warrior advanced, step by step.
Liun looked into the figure's hollow eyes—and for a moment, saw his own reflection. Hard. Lost. Alone.
> "You do not fight to rise," the figure spoke. "You fight to burn. To destroy."
Liun gritted his teeth.
Was that true?
All this time, he'd burned for survival. For vengeance. For anger.
But was that enough?
Then he remembered his mother's gentle smile. His father's quiet strength. The promise he once made under the cherry blossoms to Ye Ruoxi—
"I'll always protect you."
He had lost them all.
But even ashes could still smolder.
Liun stood. Fire bloomed around him—not wild, but focused. Calm.
"I burn because I must," he said. "But I'll choose what to burn."
He charged forward.
This time, his flame took shape—a spear of black-gold light that pierced straight through the warrior's chest. The figure staggered, then dropped its sword.
Its head lowered, and slowly, it bowed.
Then it crumbled into dust.
> "Trial complete," Aoshen said. "You have earned the first mark of the Ashen Path."
A ripple passed through Liun's core. A new ring formed around the Ashen Flame inside him. His wounds closed. His body felt lighter.
He had entered the Ashen Initiate Realm – First Stage.
Ning'er rushed forward as the ring dimmed.
"You're not bleeding out this time," she said with a wry smile.
Liun returned it. "Give it a moment."
Behind them, the sealed door rumbled open again.
But far above—miles away, within a high temple—a jade mirror flickered. A single ember of black-gold fire sparked on its surface.
A golden-robed elder opened his eyes from meditation.
And whispered, "Impossible. The Ashen Dao… lives again?"