The Gate of Power loomed like a bleeding wound in the sky, forged from blood-iron and divine jade, bound by chains that hissed with lightning and arcane fire. Its towering presence exuded authority, daring those who approached to step forward and prove their worth. Unlike the Gate of Truth, which tested the soul in silence, the Gate of Power made its demands clear: fight, dominate, or be erased.
Tianming stood at its threshold, eyes narrowed. The memories of the Gate of Truth still pulsed behind his thoughts, but the time for introspection had passed. Before him, the platform extended like a bridge through the clouds, wide as a battlefield and rimmed with ancient glyphs glowing crimson.
Yuelan and Zhao Yueyin stood at a distance, each silent, each marked by their own trials. Though they had not yet entered, the tension in their expressions made it clear: this gate would reveal more than just combat ability. It would test loyalty, resolve, and the balance between heart and blade.
> [System Notification: Gate of Power Active. Scanning Contender's Karma Path… Threat Matrix Calculated.] [Opponent Selection: Titanborn Warlord - Constructed from Soul Residue of Ancient War Champions. Class: Supreme. Level: Transcendent.]
A deep rumble cracked the air as the battlefield trembled.
Chains on the gate snapped, and the structure unfolded into a massive arena suspended in the sky. Runes formed into barriers—sealing the battlefield and keeping all interference at bay.
Tianming exhaled slowly. The scent of ozone and burning steel filled the air.
He stepped forward. The gate swallowed him in a burst of lightning.
---
The arena was colossal. Mountains of obsidian jutted from the floor. Rivers of molten spirit-essence flowed beneath transparent platforms. In the center, a towering figure took shape—nearly four stories tall, armored in dragonbone and obsidian, with six arms each holding a different weapon.
The Titanborn Warlord.
Its face was a fusion of beasts and men, etched with countless scars from wars across timelines. It bore no eyes, only a single, glowing core embedded in its forehead. Its presence crushed the air like gravity intensified.
> [System Alert: Opponent Energy Signature Exceeds Standard Limitations. Initiating Emergency Mode. Enhancing Contender Attributes for Balance. Temporary Access to "Heavenshatter Protocol." Duration: 15 Minutes.]
Tianming's body pulsed as power surged through him. Every vein shimmered with energy. The Heavenshatter Protocol unlocked a portion of the system's hidden reservoir, flooding him with raw celestial force. His blades elongated, his movement accelerated, and even his spiritual sense widened, allowing him to see in spectrums unknown.
The Titanborn let out a guttural roar that split the sky. The battle began.
It lunged, slamming a hammer forged of star-iron into the ground. Shockwaves radiated across the field. Tianming dodged, twisting mid-air, his blades carving through plasma-infused wind.
He struck—once, twice, then vanished, reappearing behind the Titanborn with a flurry of blows that left smoking gashes across its back.
But the Titanborn's wounds healed instantly. A counterstrike hurled Tianming across the arena.
He rolled mid-air, stabilizing. Blood dripped from his lips.
> [Time Remaining on Heavenshatter Protocol: 13:02]
He gritted his teeth. "I need to go deeper."
He activated the Void Spiral Technique—a movement method combined with spatial folds that allowed him to slip between attacks. In a blur of violet shadows, he darted in again.
This time, he targeted the Titanborn's core.
A blast of raw energy burst from the warlord. Tianming countered with Sevenfold Mirage Thrust, a technique he hadn't yet used in any real battle. The technique multiplied his presence sevenfold, confusing even advanced spiritual senses.
The Titanborn slashed at six false Tianmings.
The seventh struck home.
The blade plunged toward the glowing core.
But the Titanborn laughed—a sound like dying worlds.
From its chest opened a second core, revealing its true weak point was a decoy.
The blade shattered on impact.
Tianming was blasted back.
> [Heavenshatter Protocol Cooldown Drop: -20%. Contender Resilience Trait Triggered. Spiritual Willpower Buff Initiated.]
His body repaired faster than before. The system was adapting.
He rose, blinking blood from his eyes.
"You want power?" he shouted. "Then take mine!"
He reached inward—not to the system, but to himself.
Images of Yuelan, Zhao Yueyin, his fallen brothers, his father at the forge, his mother's embrace—they flooded his mind. Not as weaknesses, but as anchors.
His spiritual energy flared.
> [New Technique Unlocked: Soulbinding Requiem - Converts emotional resonance into pure destructive force. Efficiency: 130%]
He struck again.
This time the blade glowed white-hot, charged with memory and purpose. It carved through the decoy core like paper. The Titanborn reeled. Tianming used the opening to leap atop its shoulder, driving his sword downward into the true core within its back.
The impact created a rupture that ignited the air.
The Titanborn exploded into fractals of light, howling in anguish as its spirit was torn apart.
The arena dissolved.
Tianming collapsed to one knee, exhausted but conscious.
> [Gate of Power Trial Completed. Combat Rating: Ascendant Tier. Karma Resonance Increased. Spiritual Trait Evolved: Bond-Forged Will. System Unlock: Weapon Soul Integration Available.]
A new blade hovered before him. It looked ordinary—but pulsed with emotion. It was his will, crystallized.
> [Item Acquired: Blade of Resonant Echoes. Binds to Contender's Soul. Cannot be lost. Increases in power with emotional milestones.]
He took the blade.
---
Outside the gate, Yuelan and Zhao Yueyin waited.
When Tianming emerged, silence fell.
He was changed again—not just stronger, but more resolved. Every step he took left a trail of stabilized qi. The air around him bowed as if he had become gravity.
Yuelan stepped forward, unspeaking, and placed a hand on his chest.
His heartbeat echoed like a war drum.
"You found something," she whispered.
"I found many things," he replied. "But none as valuable as why I fight."
Zhao Yueyin met his gaze. "Then you'll survive the third gate."
He looked to the sky.
The final gate loomed: The Gate of Sacrifice.
It pulsed with white light tinged with sorrow. The runes around it shifted faster than the eye could track. The air tasted like tears.
> [System Notification: Final Gate Opening Soon. Only one may pass. Condition: Must relinquish what you value most.]
The three stood in silence.
None of them spoke. They didn't need to.
Each knew what they would face—and what it might cost.
---
Meanwhile, deep beneath the Pavilion, in the hidden sanctum of the Origin Matrix, alarms flared.
A cloaked figure hovered before a screen of soul-flame.
"He's already made it this far?"
Another figure stepped forward. Her voice was wind through shattered glass. "Then the Origin Crown is awakening. But so is the Devouring Path."
The screen showed a crack forming in the Gate of Sacrifice.
"If he reaches the end," said the figure, "he'll change everything. The system. The world. The cycle."
"Or destroy it all."
The shadows stirred.
The storm was not over.
It was only just beginning.
---
[End of Chapter 25: Gate of Power—The War Within]