The metallic tang of Star-Fall dust lingered in the back of Han Sen's throat. It was a cold, bitter taste that refused to wash away. He sat in the center of his new laboratory, the ten blue needles floating in a slow, silent circle around his head.
He could feel their weight. Even though they were small, each needle felt like it was pulling on his very soul.
[HP: 6/10]
[Status: Soul-Bond Resonance in progress.]
He needed to control these needles without touching them. If he had to reach out and throw them, he would be too slow. A Level 50 warrior could close the distance and shatter his 10 HP ribs before he could blink.
He opened his skill list, his eyes landing on [Basic Control].
[Allocating Skill Points: 12,000,000]
[Basic Control has evolved into: Puppet Master's Sovereign Strings (Max Level).]
Han Sen twitched his fingers. Ten invisible, glowing threads of mana snapped into existence, connecting his fingertips to the eyes of the needles.
The circle of needles stopped. Then, with a sudden hiss of displaced air, they vanished.
There was no sound of them hitting the walls. Instead, ten perfect, microscopic holes appeared in the reinforced stone blocks across the room. The needles didn't just pierce the stone: they erased the matter in their path.
"Too slow," Han Sen whispered.
He moved his hands again, his fingers dancing like he was playing a silent piano. The needles became a blur of blue light, weaving a web of death so dense it looked like a solid sphere around him.
The door to the lab vibrated as someone knocked. The sound was soft, but in the silence of the lab, it felt like a thunderclap.
Han Sen didn't stop the needles. He flicked his wrist, and the needles settled into a protective formation behind his back, hovering like the stings of a metallic hornet.
"Enter," he said.
The door opened, and Zhao Ling stepped inside. She had changed into a simple traveling tunic of deep crimson. Her gaze was heavy, sweeping over the scorched marks on the walls before settling on Han Sen.
"The Heavenly Beast Sect has arrived at the city gates," she said. Her voice was steady, but he could see the slight tremor in her hands. "They didn't bring just one champion. They brought three."
She walked toward the stone table and unrolled a scroll. "The first is 'Stone-Crusher' Tie. He is Level 52 and has a body made of enchanted granite. The second is 'Snake-Tongue' Lin. She is Level 50 and uses a poison that can melt bone."
She stopped, her eyes meeting his. "The third is their young master, Su Chen. He is Level 58. They say he has never lost a match because he can see three seconds into the future."
Han Sen looked at the scroll. His mind was already calculating the trajectories. Tie was a wall, Lin was a trap, and Su Chen was the predator. Against a Level 1 boy with 10 HP, any one of them was a nightmare.
"They are calling for your execution before the trial even begins," Zhao Ling whispered. "My father is holding them back, but the pressure is rising."
"Let them talk," Han Sen said. He raised his hand, and one of the Star-Fall needles drifted to his fingertip. "Su Chen can see three seconds into the future? Then I will give him a future that doesn't exist."
Zhao Ling looked at the needle, then at Han Sen's pale, determined face. She felt a strange vibration in the air, a pressure that made her own Level 30 mana feel small and insignificant.
"You're bleeding again," she said, reaching out a hand before stopping herself.
Han Sen wiped the red from his lip. "It's a fair price for what I'm about to do."
He turned back to the wall, his fingers beginning their rhythmic dance once more. Zhao Ling watched him for a long moment, the silence between them filled with a respect that didn't need words.
She left as quietly as she had entered. Han Sen didn't look back. He had five days left. He needed to make sure that when he stepped onto the Trial of Stone, the only thing the Heavenly Beast Sect saw was their own end.