A stillness blanketed the Grand Pavilion. Not one leaf stirred on the ancient trees lining the celestial courtyard. The wind held its breath. Even the clouds above seemed suspended in time.
All eyes turned toward the final gate.
It rose like a temple to sorrow—a towering arch of pale stone, wrapped in silver vines that glowed with mournful energy. The Gate of Sacrifice pulsed with a heartbeat of its own, as if it were alive and waiting. Its surface reflected memories: laughter, love, pain, loss. It was beautiful—and terrible.
Tianming stepped toward it.
> [System Notification: Final Gate Initialized. Trial Type: Sacrificial Path. Requirement: Surrender of Core Emotional Anchor.] [Warning: Trial May Result in Permanent Loss of Chosen Element. Proceed?]
He paused.
Yuelan took a step forward, her eyes unreadable. "Do you know what it will ask of you?"
"No," he said. "But I can guess."
Zhao Yueyin nodded slowly. "The Gate doesn't ask for what you are willing to give. It asks for what you cannot bear to lose."
"I'm aware."
He touched the gate.
Light exploded.
---
He stood in a field of white blossoms that stretched into infinity. Above, a sun hung low, casting warm golden rays across the quiet world. There were no runes. No weapons. No enemies.
Only choices.
The system interface flickered erratically. Even its functions seemed subdued here.
> [Welcome, Tianming. This is not a trial of combat, but of heart.] [You must surrender something you value above all. Only then may you pass. Choose wisely. The consequences are real.]
Three pedestals appeared before him, each holding a shimmering crystal orb.
The first held an image of Yuelan, smiling gently as she bandaged his wounds.
The second held a blade—the Blade of Resonant Echoes, his soul-forged weapon from the Gate of Power.
The third held a child—a boy with silver eyes, laughing in a vision of a future that might be.
> [Choice One: Sacrifice Your Bond With Yuelan. All emotional connections and memories will be severed. She will not remember you.] [Choice Two: Sacrifice Your Weapon Soul. Your ability to resonate with spiritual force will be reduced permanently. Blade of Resonant Echoes will vanish.] [Choice Three: Sacrifice Future Possibility. The child will never be born. All fate lines connected to that potential will be erased.]
He staggered backward.
"No," he whispered. "You want me to choose between love, power, and legacy?"
> [Yes.]
He sank to one knee. Sweat beaded on his forehead. His mind reeled.
"Is there no other way?"
> [No.]
He stood slowly. Eyes burning.
"I want to see them."
One by one, the visions expanded. He saw Yuelan as she had been during their travels, fierce and caring. He saw his blade, forged in soul fire, pulsing with the echo of every battle. He saw the child again, older now, practicing sword forms in a field of plum trees. The boy looked up, as if sensing his gaze, and smiled.
Tianming felt his heart breaking.
He stepped toward the blade.
Then paused.
He looked at Yuelan's image.
His lips trembled.
Finally, he walked to the third pedestal.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
He placed his hand on the crystal holding the child.
It shattered into dust.
The sky wept light. The world dissolved.
> [Choice Recorded. Gate of Sacrifice Passed. Emotional Weight Registered: 98%. Residual Sorrow Calculated. Fate Trajectory Altered.]
Tianming dropped to his knees, weeping silently. He had given up a future he had only glimpsed.
Not love. Not power. But the possibility of legacy.
---
He emerged into the real world.
Yuelan caught him as he stumbled. "What did you give?" she asked.
He looked into her eyes. "A future that will never happen."
Her breath hitched. She said nothing, but held him tighter.
Zhao Yueyin turned away, giving them space. "The final gate accepts only honesty. You made your choice."
> [System Notification: All Three Gates Passed. New Access Level Unlocked: Fatekeeper Protocol.] [New Trait: Sacrificial Will. Effects: Immune to Mind Control, Resistance to Fate Distortion, Unlocks Rare Event Trigger Paths.]
From the base of the gates, a spiral stair of light appeared, rising into the sky. It pierced the heavens, disappearing into clouds shaped like dragons coiled around constellations.
"The Path to the Origin Crown," Zhao Yueyin whispered. "Few have seen it. None have walked it in the last thousand years."
Tianming stood, still broken, but resolute.
"Then let me be the first."
He ascended.
---
The stairway took him beyond clouds, beyond the atmosphere. Into the Void Sky.
Here, stars whispered secrets. Planets hummed with rhythm. The universe watched.
He reached a floating shrine carved from the bones of dying gods. At its center, a throne of light awaited.
> [System Notification: Initiating Final Trial: The Origin Crown.] [Warning: Power exceeds containment. Only one may inherit.]
In the shadows beyond, others gathered.
Contenders. Hidden beings. Guardians of the old order.
And someone Tianming had not expected.
"Hello, brother," said a voice like shattered steel.
A man stepped from the void—wearing Tianming's face, twisted and cruel.
"I am the one who walked the darker path. And I came here, too."
The final confrontation had begun.
---
[End of Chapter 26: Gate of Sacrifice—The Choice Beyond Strength]