As the remaining contenders emerged from the Dragon Pulse Maze, the air in Crimson River City grew taut with expectation.
Only four had reached the heart chamber.
And the next trial would decide who would stand at the gates of the finals.
---
Elder Hua's voice rang out as storm clouds gathered above the Sky Vine Court.
> "Fifth Trial—The Veil of Flames. A battle of endurance and will. You will each face your inner demon within the heart of the Ember Lotus Array. Conquer it, and you will step forward. Fail, and your spirit will fracture."
He raised a hand.
> "Enter the flame."
---
The Ember Lotus Array was unlike anything Li Fan had encountered.
He stepped through a circle of burning sigils—and in an instant, the world fell away.
---
Flames.
Everywhere.
Red lotus petals drifted in the air, turning to cinders the moment he touched them. The sky pulsed crimson. The ground cracked with each breath he took.
And in the distance—a figure stood atop a molten cliff.
Li Fan walked forward. The closer he drew, the clearer the figure became.
It was himself.
But different.
This Li Fan was wreathed in black lightning. His eyes were hollow voids. Chains made of broken cauldrons coiled around his arms like parasites.
The doppelgänger smiled.
"You thought delaying would save you."
Li Fan said nothing.
"You thought restraint was wisdom."
Still, Li Fan remained silent, taking slow, measured steps.
"You're a coward."
Then it charged.
---
The battle wasn't physical—it was soul-deep.
Each strike from the demon clone shook Li Fan's spirit sea. Every parry dragged up memory after memory—his father's death, the clan's shame, the weight of expectation, the ache of each cauldron forged in blood and pain.
"You think the Fifth Cauldron will make you strong?" the clone hissed. "It will destroy you. Just like it destroyed the others who dared to chase the Hegemon Body Arts."
Li Fan faltered for one breath.
And the clone pounced.
Crack! A punch landed cleanly into Li Fan's sternum, sending him crashing into the ashen ground. He gasped, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth—both in illusion and reality.
Outside the array, Mu Qiu tensed.
"He's shaking. His spirit's fraying."
Elder Hua's brow furrowed. "If he doesn't conquer it soon, he may become a cripple."
---
Inside the illusion, the clone raised its hand, black lightning gathering into a blade.
"This is mercy."
Li Fan looked up—his voice quiet, yet steady.
"You're right."
The clone paused.
"I'm afraid. Of breaking through. Of what I'll lose. But I'm more afraid… of standing still."
He gritted his teeth. "I will not fall here."
And then—he stood up.
He raised both fists. They glowed, not with Qi, but with the raw, relentless force of his will.
With a roar that split the flaming sky, he punched forward.
His fists met the clone's blade—and shattered it.
The illusion fractured like glass.
---
Outside the array, a pulse of white-hot light exploded.
Li Fan stepped out—burned, bloodied, but standing.
The crowd gasped.
The Fifth Cauldron had not ignited.
But the heavens stirred again.
Only three trials remained before the finals.
And the storm was coming.
---