CHAPTER 40 — RESONANCE TRIAL: THE THIRD ECHO (THE HEART OF FATE)
Jason Wu felt the world unravel around him as the silver realm crumbled into countless shards of light. His breath steadied, his pulse deepened, and the resonant hum inside his blood intensified—stronger, richer, more ancient than ever.
He had survived the Second Echo.
Dominion over his blood.
He had faced the weight of countless past generations—warriors, emperors, conquerors, tyrants, saviors—and their collective will had accepted him. Not fully. Not completely. But enough to let him stand without collapsing.
Yet the air now felt different.
Heavier.
Colder.
More ancient.
Longwu Sword vibrated nervously in his hand.
["Boy… listen carefully. The Third Echo is unlike the first two. This one isn't about strength, control, or resistance. It's about something far worse."]
Jason swallowed. "Meaning?"
["The Third Echo tests your heart."]
Jason blinked. "Heart, as in emotions?"
["Heart, as in everything you fear, everything you hide, everything you deny. If you fail, you won't die physically."]
Jason frowned. "Then what happens?"
["Your heart collapses. Your path ends. Your cultivation stagnates forever. You'll never surpass the mortal realms. Never ascend. Never reach your destiny."]
Jason's eyes widened.
["In short: worse than death."]
Jason groaned. "Wonderful."
The silver mist coiled tighter around him, compressing like a cocoon preparing to burst. The faint silhouette of Wu Jian—the Silent Monarch—stood unmoving as the world shifted.
He spoke.
**"The Third Echo is the Trial of Fate."**
Jason stiffened.
Wu Jian lifted his hand, and the silver realm shattered like a mirror struck with a hammer.
A new world replaced it.
---
### THE WORLD OF FATE
Jason landed on soft soil.
A breeze brushed past his cheek.
Birds sang.
Clouds drifted lazily through a serene blue sky.
He stood at the entrance of a small village—a peaceful, humble settlement surrounded by rolling green hills and gentle streams. Children chased each other. Farmers tended rice paddies. Merchants argued over prices. The air smelled of warm bread and fresh grass.
It was… beautiful.
Too beautiful.
Jason blinked. "Where… is this?"
Longwu Sword's tone darkened.
["A world that never was. A world that could be. A world built from what your heart desires most."]
Jason froze.
["Jason. This trial shows the life you secretly wish for. Without war. Without death. Without burden. Without destiny."]
Jason's breath hitched.
"But… I don't… wish for—"
["DO NOT LIE."] Longwu's voice snapped sharper than Jason had ever heard.
["Every cultivator carries a hidden longing. Even your ancestors. Even you. The stronger your destiny, the heavier your desire to escape it."]
Jason looked away.
He didn't want to admit it.
But part of him—some tiny, shameful, quiet part—wanted peace. A simple life. No assassins, no trials, no bloodline conspiracies. Just… stillness.
He had never said it aloud, not even to himself.
Jason whispered, "Is this… really my desire?"
Longwu Sword muttered,
["We're about to find out."]
The peaceful village shimmered.
Jason felt the pull.
A faint tug on his heart.
As if the world itself whispered:
*Stay.*
"Jason Wu."
Jason turned.
Wu Jian stood only a few steps away, though Jason hadn't sensed him arrive. His calm face remained neutral—neither approving nor judgmental.
**"The Third Echo reveals your true fate. And asks only one question."**
Jason waited.
Wu Jian pointed toward the quiet village.
**"Do you walk this path?"**
Jason blinked.
Wu Jian's gaze was steady.
**"Do you choose peace?"**
Jason's pulse faltered.
"Choose… peace?"
**"Yes."**
Wu Jian's tone did not waver.
**"Abandon your destiny.
Stay in this world.
Live quietly.
Grow old without war.
Love without burden.
And die without being chased by fate."**
Jason felt his throat tighten.
Wu Jian continued.
**"Your cultivation will stagnate.
Your bloodline will remain dormant.
You will never ascend.
You will never face the forces hunting you."**
Jason's breath grew uneven.
Wu Jian's voice softened.
**"But you will be free."**
Jason closed his eyes.
His chest trembled.
Longwu Sword was silent for a long moment.
Then—
["Jason… the Third Echo is not about seducing you with illusions. It exposes truth. If there is ANY part of you that chooses this path… the trial will know. And you will fail."]
Jason felt sweat gather at the edge of his brow.
Wu Jian stepped closer.
His voice was low. Quiet. Almost gentle.
**"There is no shame in choosing peace.
Many of our blood were broken by destiny.
Some wished they had chosen differently."**
Jason's heart tightened painfully.
He imagined waking every morning in this quiet place. Training children in swords for sport, not war. Returning home to a small house. Eating warm meals. Growing old with someone he loved—
He thought of Xueyin.
Her quiet smiles.
Her patient eyes.
Her clever mind.
Her warmth.
Couldn't they be happy here? Together?
Jason's stomach twisted.
*Is this what I really want?
A life where she is safe?
Where no one chases us?
Where no one dies because of me?*
Wu Jian watched silently.
Then he said:
**"Walk forward to accept this life.
Walk backward to reject it."**
Jason stiffened.
Longwu Sword whispered urgently.
["Jason… think carefully. This decision shapes your entire path."]
Jason looked toward the peaceful village—children laughing, families smiling, peace everywhere.
He stepped forward.
His heart thundered.
He took another step.
Longwu Sword gasped.
["Jason—!!"]
Jason whispered,
"I'm not choosing peace."
He turned around.
And took a step backward.
Away from the village.
Wu Jian's eyes widened slightly.
Jason's voice shook.
"I won't run from destiny.
I won't abandon the people who need me.
I won't pretend the world isn't burning behind me."
He raised his sword.
"And I won't abandon Xueyin. Or Lan Yuren. Or Wei Qing. Or anyone who believes in me."
His voice grew firm.
"I reject this path."
The peaceful world trembled.
The sky cracked.
The hills crumbled.
The village dissolved into dust.
The entire illusion shattered like a broken dream.
Wu Jian stepped forward slowly, expression unreadable.
**"Then you have chosen the harder path."**
Jason exhaled. "I choose reality."
Wu Jian nodded.
**"And reality chooses you."**
The world dissolved fully.
Jason found himself standing once more on a floating platform of silver light.
Wu Jian faced him, eyes glowing with quiet pride.
**"You have passed the Third Echo."**
Jason's chest tightened with relief.
But Wu Jian raised his hand.
"However."
Jason froze.
Wu Jian's voice echoed with a new weight—one that felt older than the stars themselves.
**"The Final Echo begins now."**
Jason's eyes widened.
"Final Echo? There's a fourth?"
Wu Jian nodded solemnly.
**"The Fourth Echo tests not your strength.
Not your control.
Not your heart."**
He pointed directly at Jason.
**"It tests your fate."**
The platform beneath Jason cracked.
A vortex of swirling silver and red erupted from below, pulling him down like a cosmic storm.
Longwu Sword screamed—
["JASON—THE FOURTH ECHO IS THE ONE ONLY *ONE* OF YOUR ANCESTORS EVER SURVIVED—!!"]
Jason reached out as the abyss swallowed him.
And the world went dark.