Victor's left leg buckled as he blocked two strikes and evaded a third.
However, the fourth rammed into his ribs.
He coughed out blood as he got launched across the air once more.
It didn't matter that the guardian was scaled to his realm. The techniques it used were too advanced, too polished. Like fighting someone who had seen every variation of combat a thousand times over.
Victor rolled away from a killing strike and looked at his trembling hand.
"I need more power..."
He reached into his ring and pulled out one of the silver vials given to him by Lady Li Yang months ago as a reward.
He instantly drank it and the effect was immediate.
[ Consumed: Refined Soul-Spirit Elixir ]
Qi burst from his core, flooding his meridians with a violent surge. The earth cracked beneath him and the skies dimmed.
The guardian spirit paused.
The elders jolted to their feet.
"He's breaking through?!"
Victor roared as his eyes emitted a silver glow and spiritual energy burst from him like a dam.
[ Cultivation Breakthrough Initiated: Nascent Soul Realm ]
[ Core Formation (99%) → Nascent Soul (Early Stage) ]
<[ All Techniques Have Undergone A Threefold Increase ]>
His spirit core shattered.
In its place, a condensed soul seed began to bloom.
A surge of Void Qi exploded from his body, forming a storm of dark, flowing energy.
In the real world, Victor's body trembled.
In his dorm room, Kairo had just walked in just and paused when he noticed the flickering lights.
A surge of energy burst out from Victor's bed.
Kairo blinked. "He's getting stronger... just by sleeping?"
Back in Ascendant Realms, Victor screamed as his cultivation broke through the final threshold. His aura grew sharper, deeper and more rooted in power.
The guardian spirit moved again, sensing the change.
Victor met its blade with his own this time and wasn't pushed back.
He struck once and the spirit staggered.
He dashed forward and swung his sword multiple times, clashing against the guardian spirit.
Soon the sound of clashing steel reverberated across the ancient trial grounds.
Victor was no longer just reacting to the guardian spirit's blows. He was meeting them. Countering. Striking with clarity and conviction.
His blade spun through the air, sheathed in Void Qi and slammed into the spirit from another angle.
The guardian slid a couple of feet backwards but something had change. Its stance wasn't as fluid—
For the first time since the battle began, the spirit was having trouble keeping up.
'I should probably put an end to this quickly before it raises its cultivation level to meet mine...'
Victor vanished and reappeared behind the spirit using Shadow Blink... he immediately followed this up with a rising arc of his blade.
[ Technique: Phantom Moon Slash ]
His blade tore through the guardian's ethereal shoulder, dispersing the upper arm in a mist of spiritual particles.
The guardian turned and unleashed a powerful counter.
But Victor met it head-on with Wind Barrier.
[ Wind Arts Activated (300% Increase In Power) ]
The sword failed to move any further due to the concentrated wind wall and began to trembled.
Vicror stepped forward, threw his sword into the air and slammed his palm into its chest.
[ Wind Gale Activated ]
A concentrated burst of wind exploded forth from his palm point-blank, the instant it rammed into the guardian's chest.
The guardian's form rippled and destabilized as it got sent flying over twenty feet across the air.
[ Shadow Blink Activated ]
Victor pointed forward and reappeared up ahead at the exact position of his blade in mid air.
He grabbed his dark blade and with one final horizontal swing, Victor brought down the blade in a wide arc of darkness upon the guardian whose ethereal form was still flying across the air.
The guardian fell to the ground and shattered.
[ Trial of Combat Passed ]
The courtyard instantly went silent.
A gentle wind rustled through the carved stones.
Then, the notifications came.
[ Rewards Granted: Trial of Flame Passed ]
+ New Passive Skill: Ember Tempered Flesh - Physical Defense Increased by 15%
+ Item: Spirit-Flame Forged Undershirt (Auto-adapting to cultivator's qi)
[ Rewards Granted: Trial of Insight Passed ]
+ New Passive Skill: Mind Bastion - Mental Resistance Increased by 20%
+ Item: Mirror Fragment of Self - Usable once to dispel illusion-based techniques
[ Rewards Granted: Trial of Combat Passed ]
+ Technique Scroll: Flowing Form Blade Dance (Mid-grade Sword Technique)
+ Stat Boost: Strength +10, Speed +10, Perception +10
[ Advancement Complete: Fang Chen is now a Core Disciple of the Violet Spring Sect ]
Victor exhaled as he landed smoothly and slowly lowered his blade.
His body was drenched in sweat and his muscles ached but he felt as energized as ever.
The elders remained quiet for a moment. Then, one of them finally stepped forward.
"You... passed all three trials," he voiced with both disbelief and awe. "And broke through in the midst of battle. Truly phenomenal..."
Elder Mo who had his arms behind his back, nodded silently.
One by one, the disciples—many of whom had mocked him just days before—began to approach.
"Congratulations..." one said.
"I didn't think you'd survive the furnace... but you really did it."
Another inner court disciple, previously smirking behind Zhan Kui, gave a reluctant bow.
Victor returned the gesture with a nod.
He didn't need their approval.
But it was still satisfying.
Some of the younger disciples whispered about how they'd underestimated him. Others looked away, too ashamed to meet his gaze. But they all saw it now—he wasn't just some outsider receiving favoritism. He was a cultivator who had earned his place.
Back in the Real World...
A faint mist lingered in the room. The faint smell of char and metallic steam clung to the air like a whisper of past danger.
The mist made the room feel unusually damp.
He had stepped into the room a while ago and sensed the energy radiating from Victor's side of the room but now he was glancing around even more suspiciously after noticing the confusing state of the room.
Victor's body was still under the sheet which had tiny holes due to the flames from earlier.
Kairo moved toward it while narrowing his eyes.
"Why's it so... muggy in here?" he muttered.
He reached down and grabbed the corner of the blanket... he slowly started to lift it—