The moment Lu Fan stepped through the Gate of Heaven Breaker, the world turned to fire.
The air trembled with power.
Mountains bled molten rivers, and the sky burned with twin suns. Each breath scorched his lungs, each step weighed like iron. But the White-Haired Sovereign did not waver.
His boots struck molten stone, and the world answered with thunder.
> [Heaven Breaker Realm — Trial One: Sovereign Flame]
The words blazed across the horizon in letters made of light and heat.
Lu Fan's eyes narrowed. "A trial realm… then show me your will."
He spread his fingers, channeling the Void Path. Silver-black runes spiraled from his palm, forming a dome that split the flame winds. But even so, the inferno pushed back — alive, aware, ancient.
From within the fire, a voice echoed — deep, unyielding, carrying the weight of eternity.
> "White hair, void eyes… the mark of one who defied destiny."
"Tell me, mortal Sovereign — what will you break first? Heaven, or yourself?"
The flames parted, revealing a colossal figure seated upon a throne of lava. His body was made of fire itself, yet his features were unmistakably human — proud eyes, crimson hair, and armor that shimmered like burning steel.
Lu Fan bowed slightly. "You must be the Sovereign of Flame."
The being laughed, his voice shaking the volcanoes.
> "Once, perhaps. Now, I am only a remnant — the last spark of a Sovereign who once burned brighter than suns."
He rose from his throne, the ground melting beneath his steps.
> "If you seek the Heaven Breaker's path, you must prove your flame burns hotter than despair itself!"
Without another word, the world ignited.
A tidal wave of fire surged toward Lu Fan, swallowing the horizon.
He didn't flinch. His white hair whipped through the heat, his hand rising calmly.
"Eternal Reversal Art — First Form: Void Mirror."
The flames struck him — and vanished.
In the next instant, they reappeared behind the Flame Sovereign, turning upon their master.
The remnant's eyes widened. "You reversed my own flame?"
Lu Fan's aura deepened, his voice cold. "I return all things to their origin."
The Flame Sovereign roared, his laughter echoing like thunder. "Good! Then face my true fire — the Heartflame of Sovereigns!"
He pressed his palm to his chest, pulling forth a sun — a pure, blazing sphere that radiated both creation and destruction. It wasn't just fire. It was will.
Lu Fan's veins glowed with silver light as the Eternal Reversal Art reached its limit.
The Heartflame engulfed him — searing through his soul.
He screamed, but he didn't yield. Instead, he clenched his fists, absorbing the pain into his dantian. The Void Path pulsed violently.
> "Pain is the price of control," he whispered. "And control is my Sovereignty."
With a burst of light, he drew the Heartflame into his own body. The fire fused with his veins, turning his once-silver aura to white-gold.
When the blaze faded, Lu Fan stood tall — unharmed. The Flame Sovereign's form flickered, his face filled with awe and relief.
> "So… the Library chose well."
"You have not merely inherited fire… you have rewritten it."
He raised his hand, forming a seal of pure flame.
> [Flame Authority Fragment — Acquired.]
The seal floated into Lu Fan's chest, merging with his core. The temperature of the realm cooled instantly.
> "White-Haired Sovereign," the remnant said softly, "beyond this trial lies truth. But remember — every Sovereign who walked the Heaven Breaker path faced their own destruction. Yours… will not be different."
Lu Fan met his gaze, calm and resolute.
"If destruction is the end, then I will make it my beginning."
The remnant smiled — and faded into ash.
The molten realm trembled once more. Another gate appeared before Lu Fan, engraved with shifting light and shadow.
> [Trial Two: The Sovereign of Shadows.]
He turned his back to the dying sun and walked toward it, the flames bowing before his passage.
As he vanished through the gate, the Universal Library whispered faintly within him:
> "You are no longer reading history, Lu Fan. You are writing the last chapter of the Sovereigns."