The sun had barely risen when a bell echoed across the Emberleaf Sect. Deep and resonant, it tolled three times—a signal known to all disciples: a sect-wide trial was beginning.
Lin Fei stood just outside his quarters, tightening the belt of his robe. His body still tingled from the night's cultivation. He had broken through to the First Layer of Qi Gathering, but that alone wasn't enough. Cultivation was not just progress—it was survival.
At the training square, hundreds of outer disciples had already gathered. Elder Mo stood at the front with several instructors in green-trimmed robes. His gaze swept over the crowd like a blade.
"Disciples of the Emberleaf Sect," Elder Mo began, "today begins the Trial of Roots."
A ripple of murmurs passed through the assembly.
"You will enter the Root Hollow—a spiritual domain created by the founders. Inside, your spirit roots will be tested. What you encounter will reflect your soul's potential, your fears, and your true will. You may exit at any time by biting your jade token. But those who leave early… will never advance within this sect."
A servant stepped forward, distributing bone-white tokens etched with an ember rune.
Lin Fei accepted his, his fingers closing tightly around it.
Elder Mo raised a wooden staff and struck the ground.
A formation lit beneath the square, runes unfurling in spirals of red and gold. The air twisted, and space itself warped. A moment later, the disciples were gone—swept into the Root Hollow.
Inside the Root Hollow
The world reformed in fire and ash.
Lin Fei found himself standing in a barren field beneath a blood-colored sky. Massive roots jutted from the ground, twitching like the legs of buried beasts. In the distance, screams echoed faintly.
A whisper drifted past his ear. "Face yourself… or fall."
He took a step forward—and the ground opened beneath him.
He fell into darkness.
Then… silence.
Lin Fei stood in a forest of black trees. Each tree bore faces—twisted, suffering, weeping. Shadows loomed between the trunks, whispering every fear he had ever buried.
"You are nothing," one hissed.
"You will die alone," another moaned.
He clenched his fists, teeth grinding. "These voices… aren't real."
A shadow leapt from a tree, taking shape—his own form, but twisted, robed in black, eyes burning with crimson flame.
"I am what you'll become," it snarled. "Power without mercy. Cultivation without humanity. Is that not what you desire?"
Lin Fei didn't answer. He drew the short blade he had been issued on his first day—iron, dull, but sharp enough to cut illusion from truth.
The doppelgänger lunged. Lin Fei parried, spun, and slashed through its chest.
The thing staggered back, laughing. "Then prove it."
It exploded into smoke. The trees began to crack. Light poured through them. His spirit surged.
A voice whispered from above: "First Gate Passed. Potential recognized."
A golden rune appeared on his token. One of nine.
Outside the Hollow
Elder Mo opened his eyes. "He passed the first gate."
A masked figure beside him nodded. "Most don't."
"His soul is firm. But will it remain so?"
"The Hollow will answer that."