The chamber began to change.
The floating runic plates rearranged themselves, forming bridges of light that connected to the central platform. The golden rivers surged upward, linking sky and earth into one seamless flow of power. Every rune, every pulse of energy in the air now moved in sync with Tian Lei’s heartbeat.
He looked down at the pendant—it was no longer just an object. The jade had transformed, transparent like crystal, and the runes inside it shifted and flowed like liquid light.
A final whisper echoed through the vast chamber, the voice of the First Formation Emperor fading like the last note of an ancient song.
"The Thirteenth Hall is not a place. It is a living will. You have awakened it—and bound yourself to it. From this moment on, its strength is yours to command, and its burden is yours to bear."
The light in the chamber surged once more, then scattered like stars returning to the heavens.
When Tian Lei opened his eyes again, he was back at the summit gate. The golden light had vanished, and the sky above was calm, painted in the colors of dawn. But the mountain felt different—alive, aware, and connected to him.
Elder Huyan was standing nearby, his expression unreadable. "You returned," he said finally.
Tian Lei nodded. "The Thirteenth Hall has accepted me."
The elder studied him closely, sensing the faint hum of formation energy radiating from his body. "So the bond is complete..." He let out a slow breath. "Then Harmony Heaven Peak has found its new guardian."
"What happens now?" Tian Lei asked.
Elder Huyan looked toward the horizon where the morning sun began to rise. "Now, you lead. Whether you wish to or not, the mountain listens to you. Its ley lines will follow your will. The sect will depend on you to protect its foundation."
Tian Lei turned his gaze toward the landscape below—the disciples training in the courtyards, the towers pulsing faintly with spiritual energy, the endless clouds drifting beneath the peak. He could feel it all—the flow of power through every rune and array, as if the entire sect had become an extension of his own being.
He closed his eyes for a moment. "Then I’ll make sure it never sleeps again."
Elder Huyan smiled faintly. "Spoken like a true inheritor." He turned to leave but paused after a few steps. "Remember this, Tian Lei—the mountain chose you, but it will also test you. Its will is vast, and not always kind."
"I’ll be ready," Tian Lei replied.
The elder gave a brief nod and disappeared down the steps.
Tian Lei stood alone at the summit for a long time, the wind brushing past him, carrying whispers of runic resonance. He touched the pendant on his chest, feeling its pulse steady and strong.
From the deepest roots to the highest clouds, the mountain breathed with him.
And as the sun fully rose over Harmony Heaven Peak, a faint golden light shimmered across its slopes—proof that the Thirteenth Hall, lost for centuries, had awakened once more.
Tian Lei looked toward the distant horizon, his expression calm and resolute.
"The legacy of the Formation Emperor lives again," Tian Lei whispered, his voice calm but edged with quiet fire. "And this time... it won’t fade."
The golden light around him pulsed once—then surged outward. In an instant, it swallowed him whole.
When his vision cleared, he was no longer in the Thirteenth Hall. The runic sky, the floating platforms, the divine presence—all gone. He now stood once again before the Trial door of the formation.
In his right hand, another broken jade piece gleamed softly—its markings different from the previous three.
"Four now," he murmured, pocketing it carefully. "Only six more trials left."
By the time he descended to the lower terrace, Haiyun and Elder Lin were already waiting, both looking as though they had expected this outcome.
Haiyun let out a low whistle and crossed his arms. "Another one down, huh? At this rate, I swear you’ll soon catch up to—or even surpass—the record-holder."
Tian Lei gave a small, tired smile. "Who held the record before me?"
Haiyun tilted his head thoughtfully. "That’d be Ming Jorei. He cleared seven trials before getting defeated on the eighth one. Never made it past it... poor guy vanished before the sect could even react."
"Some said the loss hit him so hard he went mad," Elder Lin added quietly. "The sect merely claimed he vanished."
"Anyway," Elder Lin continued, straightening his robe, "what will you do now? You’ve already completed more than we expected. Will you go tonight, or should we return for now?"
Tian Lei looked toward the mountain’s peak, eyes steady. "I’ll continue... until I’m defeated."
Both elders exchanged a glance, then nodded silently.
Tian Lei rested briefly before moving on to another door—this time, one engraved with the image of a soaring dragon and chained beasts.
"The next one," he murmured, placing his hand on the glowing runes, "is Beast Taming."
The moment his palm touched the door, light enveloped him—brilliant and consuming. When it faded, Tian Lei found himself standing in a different world altogether.
He looked down and blinked. His body was smaller—no taller than a child of five or six.
"Damn," he muttered. "They really made me start from scratch again."
He sighed. ’It seems, Elder Haiyun was right, with each passing Trial next one is more difficult.’
Tian Lei glanced around. He was standing in a vast city surrounded by towering cliffs and boundless wilderness. The world’s spiritual pressure was faint—wild, untamed.
Just as he was wondering, he got some message in his mind.
First, he can’t use any cultivation or any technique he already know, or the world will kick him out and he will loose the trial.
Second, he is now in the weakest continent, the Eastern Wasteland and he have to go to the central continent where he will be given the last phase of this trial to pass the Trial of Beast taming.
And lastly to survive and reach the Central Continent.