Seven-Colored Vortex

The guardian spirit's voice rang out once more.

Chu Ming looked toward the golden portal.

The final trial... the final gift...

He recalled the fleeting words on the ancient tree in the courtyard.

But at that moment, the Star-Moon Unity Pendant in his embrace suddenly sent out a rapid, warning pulse!

Something had happened outside!

Chu Ming's gaze sharpened, and he made his decision at once.

"I choose to leave."

The golden portal slowly closed.

The pure white space began to warp, and the power of teleportation enveloped Chu Ming.

In the final instant before he left, the guardian spirit's voice imprinted one last message into his mind:

"Successor of the Order Setter, remember this: the true essence of order lies not in rigid preservation, but in balance and evolution.

"You have obtained the foundational inheritance. The road ahead must be explored by yourself. Once you reach the fourth step, you may return here. Then, you will behold a broader vista..."

Light and shadow shifted.

Chu Ming felt his body grow light. The next moment, he was outside the obelisk.

The instant he appeared, deafening explosions, furious roars, and the piercing clang of weapons crashing together assaulted his ears!

Looking up, he saw that the battle in the plaza was brutal!

Blood seeped from the corner of Dao Master Qingwei's mouth. Her greenwood barrier was more than half shattered, and she was struggling to fend off the combined assault of three Heaven-Burning Valley cultivators at the peak of the second step.

Dao Master Leihuang was drenched in blood, yet he still gripped his axe in his right hand and hacked madly at a gaunt old man from Corroding Bone City. Every blow split the ground apart. Su Li was in slightly better shape, but her face was pale as paper.