Tianyuan Trial

At the end of the rolling mountain range, a majestic gate stood amidst the clouds. On the white jade archway, the three gilded characters "Tianyuan Sect" gleamed beneath the morning sun, a faint halo seeming to flow across them as though they were alive. Bottomless cliffs lay on either side of the gate, connected only by a stone bridge less than three feet wide. Clouds churned beneath it, a sight that inspired dread.

"So this is... Tianyuan Sect?" Ning Xiaochuan raised his head, his mouth falling open unconsciously. They had climbed three thousand stone steps from the foot of the mountain to the gate. Though he was panting heavily, the sight before him made him forget his exhaustion.

Su Linger adjusted the lapels dampened by the morning dew, a trace of homecoming ease flashing through her eyes. "This is only the outer sect. The real Tianyuan Sect lies above the sea of clouds."

"Above the sea of clouds?" Ning Xiaochuan's eyes widened. Only then did he realize that the pavilions and towers flickering in and out among the clouds were not illusions, but real buildings. "How do we get up there?"

"Pass the trial, and you'll naturally find out." Su Linger stepped onto the stone bridge. "Stay close to me. Don't look around."

Ning Xiaochuan swallowed and carefully followed her. Though the bridge looked narrow, it was remarkably steady beneath his feet. Halfway across, the Little Dragon source soul suddenly poked out from his collar, chirped "Goo Chu!" excitedly, and plunged toward the sea of clouds!

"Little One!" Ning Xiaochuan hurriedly reached out to grab him, but caught nothing. The Little Dragon rolled and played in the sea of clouds as if he were a fish in water, entirely unaffected by the great height.

Su Linger glanced back and, for once, did not scold him. "Sacred Spirit Young Dragons are born able to ride clouds and mist. This height is nothing to him."

Sure enough, after playing to his heart's content, the Little Dragon flew back onto Ning Xiaochuan's shoulder and affectionately rubbed against his cheek, his body still damp with cloud mist.

Once they passed through the mountain gate, the view suddenly opened up. A sprawling complex of buildings stretched along the mountainside, upturned eaves and pointed roofs half-hidden among ancient trees. Hundreds of disciples in blue-and-white robes practiced martial arts in the square or discussed the Dao in pavilions, orderly yet filled with the air of an immortal sect.

"Senior Sister Su is back!" A young disciple sweeping the ground noticed them first and cried out in delight. At once, the surrounding disciples gathered around them.

"Senior Sister, you were down the mountain for so long this time. Did you complete some mission?"

"And this is...?"

"What an adorable source soul!"

Amid the barrage of greetings, Su Linger merely nodded faintly and pulled Ning Xiaochuan through the crowd. "I'm taking him to see Master. We'll talk later if there's anything."

After leaving the noisy square, the two climbed along a secluded stone path. Ning Xiaochuan could not help asking, "You seem pretty popular in the sect."

Su Linger did not slow her pace. "There aren't many disciples on Xuanbing Peak. I'm considered Master's final disciple, so..."

Her words abruptly stopped, because a tall young man stood ahead on the stone path. He looked to be just over twenty, dressed in a dark blue robe. His face was handsome, but his eyes were gloomy and sinister. A pitch-black longsword hung at his waist.

"Senior Brother Han." Su Linger's voice noticeably turned colder.

The young man pulled his lips into a false smile. "Junior Sister Su, I heard you gained quite a bit from your trip down the mountain." His gaze landed on Ning Xiaochuan, and when he saw the Little Dragon source soul, his pupils contracted slightly. "Is this the boy with the Sacred Spirit Young Dragon?"

Ning Xiaochuan felt an invisible pressure bearing down on him, as though a massive stone were crushing his chest. The Little Dragon source soul immediately raised his scales in alarm and let out a low "goo roo."

"Han Li, move aside." Su Linger stepped forward and blocked Ning Xiaochuan. "We're going to see Master."

Han Li chuckled. "What's the rush? According to sect rules, outsiders who wish to enter Tianyuan Sect must first pass the entrance trial." He pointed toward the mountaintop. "Today happens to be the monthly trial day. As the chief inner sect disciple, I can personally arrange it for him."

Ning Xiaochuan felt Su Linger's fingers tighten slightly. She said softly, "Don't fall for it. He's deliberately trying to make things difficult for you. Normally, the trial only requires passing the Path of Heart's Inquiry, but he'll definitely arrange the hardest challenge."

"What? Afraid?" Han Li sneered. "Or are you saying that the host of the so-called Sacred Spirit Young Dragon cannot even pass a basic trial?"

At some point, quite a few disciples had gathered around them, whispers rising from all sides. Ning Xiaochuan took a deep breath and gently freed his hand from Su Linger's. "I accept the trial."

Su Linger abruptly turned to him, her eyes full of warning. But Ning Xiaochuan only smiled at her. "I can't make you lose face, can I?"

Han Li clapped and laughed. "Good! You've got backbone!" He turned and headed toward the mountaintop. "Follow me. The trial begins at once."

The Tianyuan Sect trial grounds lay on a huge platform halfway up the main peak. Twelve stone pillars carved with dragons and phoenixes stood around it, while complex and profound patterns covered the ground. More than a hundred disciples had already gathered at the edge of the field. Clearly, the news had spread quickly.

"I heard someone is challenging a trial personally arranged by Senior Brother Han?"

"Seems like it's the boy Senior Sister Su brought back."

"Is that the Sacred Spirit Young Dragon on his shoulder? He looks so weak..."

Ning Xiaochuan stood in the center of the field, all sorts of discussions filling his ears. Su Linger had been stopped outside the grounds and could only give him a look that said, "Be careful."

Han Li walked over to a control stone tablet at the edge of the grounds and announced loudly, "According to the rules, the entrance trial consists of three stages. The first stage is the Source Qi Affinity Test!"

He struck a rune on the stone tablet. Four stone pillars at the edge of the field lit up at the same time, firing four beams of different colors that converged above Ning Xiaochuan's head to form a complex array of light.

"This is the Five Elements Source Array. It can test a cultivator's affinity with the Source Qi of heaven and earth," Han Li explained. "Based on changes in the colors of the light pillars, we can determine..."

Before he could finish, a sudden change erupted in the field!

The Little Dragon source soul suddenly flew toward the array of light and chirped happily, "Goo Chu!" He actually began absorbing the Source Qi within the array! The four beams dimmed at a visible rate, while the Little Dragon's body swelled like an inflated balloon. In the blink of an eye, he grew from the size of a housecat into an imposing creature as large as a calf!

"This... this is impossible!" Han Li's expression changed drastically. "How can the Source Qi in the Five Elements Source Array be absorbed?!"

The crowd erupted in an uproar. Ning Xiaochuan was stunned as well, but quickly recovered and tried to communicate with the Little Dragon. "Little One, come back!"

The White Dragon turned to glance at him, then flew back reluctantly, shrinking as he did so. But the array of light had already failed completely, and the four stone pillars were dull and dark.

"You cheated!" Han Li shouted sternly. "You dared to destroy the trial array!"

Ning Xiaochuan spread his hands innocently. "Your array attacked first... uh, I mean, my source soul."

A few suppressed laughs came from the edge of the field. Han Li's face turned livid. "You pass the first stage. The second stage is the Combat Test!"

With a wave of his hand, a burly young man leaped into the field. His bare upper body was covered in scars, and a vicious tiger was tattooed on his right arm.

"Inner sect disciple Zhao Hu, third stage Source Master. I'll play with you." The young man grinned viciously and rolled his wrists, his bones cracking like popping beans.

Ning Xiaochuan's heart tightened. He was only at the fifth stage of Source Warrior, separated from Zhao Hu by an entire major realm. This was not "playing" at all. Zhao Hu clearly wanted his life!

"This is unfair!" Su Linger protested from outside the field. "Entrance trials have always been fights between opponents of the same realm!"

Han Li sneered. "Shouldn't someone with a Sacred Spirit Young Dragon receive a little special treatment?"

Before anyone could announce the start, Zhao Hu had already thrown a punch! His fist wind howled, carrying the faint sound of a tiger's roar. He had clearly used a source technique.

Ning Xiaochuan dodged in haste, but his shoulder was still grazed. A burning pain immediately flared through it. The Little Dragon source soul angrily sprayed out a cloud of milky mist, but Zhao Hu had been prepared. A talisman flew from his sleeve and turned into a wall of fire, evaporating the mist.

"Useless, boy." Zhao Hu pressed forward step by step. "Senior Brother Han gave me talismans specifically meant to restrain your source soul."

At the edge of the field, Su Linger's hand was already resting on her sword hilt, prepared to intervene at any moment. But Ning Xiaochuan stopped her with his gaze—a steady look that said, Trust me.

Ning Xiaochuan suddenly changed tactics. He stopped dodging and stood still, forming seals with both hands. Zhao Hu was overjoyed and threw his full-force fist straight at Ning Xiaochuan's chest!

"Ice Heart Art—Condense!"

Just as the fist was about to strike, an ice crystal shield suddenly formed before Ning Xiaochuan's chest. Zhao Hu's fist smashed heavily into the shield. The ice crystals shattered, but the backlash also forced Zhao Hu half a step backward.

Ning Xiaochuan seized that half-step opening. He drove all the Source Qi in his body and guided the Little Dragon source soul to attack. "Sacred Spirit Breath!"

The Little Dragon opened his mouth, spraying out a milky white beam of light. Zhao Hu hastily activated another fire talisman, but this time, the beam pierced straight through the wall of fire and blasted him several yards away!

The entire field fell silent.

Zhao Hu climbed to his feet in a sorry state, his chest scorched black. He had clearly suffered serious injuries. He roared and was about to charge again, but Han Li stopped him. "Enough! The second stage... counts as passed."

Ning Xiaochuan let out a long breath. More than half of the Source Qi in his body had been consumed. The Little Dragon source soul was also much weaker, listlessly returning to his shoulder.

Han Li walked to the center of the field with a dark expression. "The third stage: the Path of Heart's Inquiry!"

He stomped hard. The patterns on the ground lit with dazzling white light, and the stone slab beneath Ning Xiaochuan's feet suddenly vanished. His entire body fell into endless darkness!

"Ning Xiaochuan!" Su Linger's startled cry came from far above, then disappeared completely.

Darkness. Eternal Darkness.

Ning Xiaochuan felt himself floating in a void. There was no up, down, left, or right. He could not even sense his own body. Only his thoughts continued to move, yet he was like an insect trapped in amber, unable to budge.

"Where... is this?" He tried to speak, but no sound came out.

Suddenly, a faint glimmer lit up in the distance. The Light Spot rapidly expanded and transformed into a massive white dragon—the very dragon he had seen in his dreams. The giant dragon looked down at him, its eyes containing endless age and wisdom.

"Your bloodline... has finally awakened..." The dragon's voice sounded directly in Ning Xiaochuan's mind, shaking his soul.

"Who are you?" Ning Xiaochuan struggled to "think."

"I am the Primal Dragon, ancestor of all sources." The dragon's body wound through the darkness. "My power flows within your bloodline. Though thin, it truly exists."

Ning Xiaochuan's heart jolted. "So my mother really was from the Sacred Origin Tribe?"

The dragon did not answer directly. "Darkness is returning, and balance will break. The Sacred Spirit Young Dragon chose you. This is both an opportunity and a responsibility."

It suddenly raised its head, as if sensing something. "Time is up. Remember: when the Twin Moons are in the Sky, go to the Land of Origin..."

Before its words could finish, the dragon's form began to fade. Ning Xiaochuan desperately tried to ask more, but darkness swallowed everything once again.

"Wake up! Ning Xiaochuan!"

A familiar voice pulled him back to reality. Ning Xiaochuan opened his eyes and found himself lying in the center of the trial grounds. Su Linger was anxiously patting his cheek. People stood everywhere around him, all staring at him with strange expressions.

"What... happened to me?" Ning Xiaochuan struggled to sit up.

"You stayed in the Path of Heart's Inquiry for an entire hour." Su Linger lowered her voice. "Everyone thought you had failed, but..." She pointed to a testing stone pillar beside the field. At that moment, it was blooming with unprecedented colorful light.

Han Li stood beside the pillar, his expression as ugly as if he had swallowed a fly. "Path of Heart's Inquiry test... passed."

Cheers erupted around the field. Ning Xiaochuan looked at Su Linger blankly. "What does that mean?"

"It means you have made history in Tianyuan Sect." A gentle elderly voice came from beyond the crowd. The disciples automatically parted to make way for an old man in white robes. His hair and beard were entirely white, his face kind and benevolent. He held a white jade whisk, and a peaceful aura that made others feel comfortable radiated from him.

"Master Xuanyu!" Su Linger hurriedly bowed.

Ning Xiaochuan's heart skipped a beat—this was the person the woman in green had told him to find!

True Man Xuanyu walked before Ning Xiaochuan and examined him carefully, his gaze lingering particularly long on the Dragon Soul Jade and the Little Dragon source soul. "Child, what did you see in the Path of Heart's Inquiry?"

Ning Xiaochuan hesitated. "A white giant dragon. It said... it said that its power exists within my bloodline."

The sound of sharp breaths filled the surroundings. A trace of shock flashed through True Man Xuanyu's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. "So that's how it is." He turned to Han Li. "The trial is over. Do you have any objections?"

Han Li lowered his head. "This disciple does not."

"Then disperse." True Man Xuanyu waved his whisk, and the disciples bowed and withdrew. He looked at Ning Xiaochuan and Su Linger. "You two, come with me."

Xuanyu Peak lay deep within Tianyuan Sect and was the quietest of the seven main peaks. Only a few simple thatched cottages stood at its summit, surrounded by lush purple bamboo. When the breeze passed through, the leaves rustled softly.

Ning Xiaochuan sat on his knees atop a meditation cushion in one of the cottages, holding a cup of hot tea with both hands, still somewhat dazed. Su Linger sat beside him with a proper posture. The Little Dragon source soul flew curiously around the room, occasionally using his claws to fiddle with the hanging bamboo wind chimes.

True Man Xuanyu sat cross-legged opposite them. After resting with his eyes closed for a moment, he finally said, "Take out the jade slip the woman in green gave you."

Ning Xiaochuan was startled and quickly took out the jade slip he had kept close to his body. True Man Xuanyu accepted it and lightly tapped it with his fingertip. The jade slip immediately projected a light screen covered in dense writing.

True Man Xuanyu scanned it quickly, his expression growing increasingly solemn. Once he finished reading, he let out a long sigh. "Just as I thought..."

"Master, what does it say?" Su Linger could not help asking.

"The secrets of the Sacred Origin Tribe, and..." True Man Xuanyu looked at Ning Xiaochuan. "Your mother's whereabouts."

The teacup in Ning Xiaochuan's hands fell to the ground with a snap, splashing tea everywhere. "You knew my mother?"

"Twenty years ago, a woman in white came to Tianyuan Sect to seek an audience with the sect master at the time." True Man Xuanyu recalled, "She claimed to be from the 'Land of Origin' and had ended up in the outside world while fleeing pursuit. At the time, I was the sect master's junior brother and had the fortune of meeting her several times."

He rose and took a scroll from the bookshelf. After opening it, they saw a painting of a breathtakingly beautiful woman. She wore white robes and stood above the clouds, holding an infant in her arms. Her tranquil face bore a faint trace of sorrow.

Ning Xiaochuan's entire body trembled—the woman's brows and eyes were seventy percent similar to his own!

"This is..."

"Your mother, Bai Li," True Man Xuanyu said softly. "Before she left, she entrusted this painting to me. She said that if her child ever came to Tianyuan Sect, she wished for me to care for him in her stead."

Ning Xiaochuan's throat tightened. "Is she... still alive?"

True Man Xuanyu shook his head. "I don't know. She only said she was going somewhere far away to fulfill her mission." He paused. "But she left you a gift."

"The Dragon Soul Jade?"

"Not only that." True Man Xuanyu pointed at Ning Xiaochuan's chest. "The Sacred Spirit Young Dragon has always been the guardian source soul of the Sacred Origin Tribe. Only those with Sacred Source Bloodline can fully awaken it. What your mother left you is the hope of the entire Sacred Origin Tribe."

Ning Xiaochuan's mind was in chaos. His mother, the Sacred Origin Tribe, the Primal Dragon... too much information had flooded in at once, leaving him at a loss.

Su Linger spoke up at the right moment. "Master, why is the Dark Source Soul Hall so obsessed with the Sacred Spirit Young Dragon?"

"Because the Sacred Spirit Young Dragon is the only being capable of purifying Soul Devouring Source Qi." True Man Xuanyu's expression was grave. "The master of the Dark Source Soul Hall cultivates a forbidden technique that requires him to devour all manner of rare source souls to sustain his power. The Sacred Spirit Young Dragon's purification ability is precisely his nemesis."

He stood and walked to the window. "What is even more troublesome is that Tianyuan Sect may have their spies within it as well."

"Han Li?" Su Linger asked sharply.

True Man Xuanyu shook his head. "We can't be certain. But there have indeed been some abnormalities within the sect recently." He turned to Ning Xiaochuan. "Child, from today onward, you are officially a disciple of Tianyuan Sect and will enter my Xuanyu Peak as my disciple. Ling'er will be responsible for guiding your foundational cultivation."

Ning Xiaochuan solemnly kowtowed. "Thank you, True Man, for taking me in."

"No need for such ceremony." True Man Xuanyu helped him up. "Remember, do not spread word of the Sacred Spirit Young Dragon for now. I will publicly claim that you are merely a disciple with an ordinary dragon-type source soul."

He handed Ning Xiaochuan a green jade token. "This is your identity token. With it, you may enter and leave most areas of the sect. But never approach the forbidden grounds behind the mountain. Do you understand?"

Ning Xiaochuan nodded. Just then, the Little Dragon source soul suddenly flew before him and urgently chirped, "Goo Chu, Goo Chu," his little claws pointing toward somewhere outside the window.

"What is it?" Ning Xiaochuan looked in that direction and saw only another distant mountain peak.

But True Man Xuanyu's expression changed slightly. "He's pointing at... Xuantian Peak?"

Su Linger explained, "Xuantian Peak is where the Grand Elder cultivates in seclusion. Disciples are normally forbidden from approaching it."

True Man Xuanyu looked thoughtfully at the Little Dragon source soul. "The Sacred Spirit Young Dragon is extremely sensitive to Source Qi... Could there be something unusual on Xuantian Peak?"

After pondering for a moment, he suddenly made up his mind. "Ling'er, take Ning Xiaochuan to get settled. I have some matters to investigate."

Ning Xiaochuan and Su Linger bowed and withdrew. As they walked along the bamboo forest path, Ning Xiaochuan could not help asking, "True Man Xuanyu seems very concerned about the Little Dragon's reaction?"

Su Linger lowered her voice. "The Grand Elder of Xuantian Peak has never gotten along with Master. If he is colluding with the Dark Source Soul Hall..."

She did not finish, but Ning Xiaochuan already understood the severity of the matter.

"We're here." Su Linger pointed toward a small courtyard deep in the bamboo forest. "This is where I usually cultivate. You'll live in the room next door from now on."

The little courtyard was quiet and elegant. Three bamboo houses stood in a triangular arrangement, with a small practice field in the center. Though Ning Xiaochuan's room was simple, it was clean and tidy. A clear spring lay outside the window, making for an excellent environment.

"Rest well today." Su Linger handed him a set of blue-and-white disciple robes. "Starting tomorrow, I'll train you strictly. Tianyuan Sect is not like the outside world. Dangers and opportunities coexist here."

Ning Xiaochuan accepted the clothes, then suddenly remembered something. "Right, the dragon in the Path of Heart's Inquiry also mentioned the 'Twin Moons in the Sky' and the 'Land of Origin.' Do you know what they mean?"

Su Linger's pupils contracted slightly. "Twin Moons in the Sky is a celestial phenomenon that occurs once every thirty years. The next occurrence will be... three months from now. As for the Land of Origin..." She hesitated. "It is said to be the most mysterious secret realm on the Open Source Continent. Only the Sacred Origin Tribe knows its exact location."

She looked deeply at Ning Xiaochuan. "It seems the mystery of your origins is far more complicated than we imagined."

Night fell. Ning Xiaochuan lay in an unfamiliar bed, unable to sleep for a long time. Everything that had happened today replayed in his mind like a revolving lantern—the trial, the Path of Heart's Inquiry, news of his mother...

The Little Dragon source soul curled up beside his pillow, making soft snoring sounds. Ning Xiaochuan gently stroked his scales and muttered, "Little One, what kind of whirlpool have we gotten caught up in...?"

Outside the window, in the direction of Xuantian Peak, a dark figure silently swept across the moonlight and disappeared into the depths of the forest.