[Scene: Inner Sanctum – Aftermath of Ascension]
The brilliance faded slowly, leaving a soft, surreal stillness in the sanctum.
Max stood at the center, shoulders rising and falling, bathed in soft violet light. His skin was glistening with residual qi vapor, and his long black hair floated briefly as the last of the crystalline shard's energy merged into him.
He had ascended.
Lian Yue stood a few paces away, her gaze unsure, a gentle frown creasing her lips.
"You're… different," she finally said.
Max opened his eyes—still glowing faintly with a celestial hue. The iris shimmered like a pool reflecting a starless night.
"I feel it too," he whispered. "Like a veil was lifted… like I've stepped into a deeper current."
He clenched his fists, the qi coursing through his meridians more freely than ever before. The oppressive bottleneck he'd struggled with for days had shattered, and in its place surged a stability—a foundation reborn.
But it wasn't just strength.
It was awareness.
He could feel the pulse of the sanctum. Its heartbeat. Its ancient breath curling through its every stone.
⸻
[Scene: The Shard's Echo – Communion of Will]
As the room dimmed, the crystalline shard—now translucent—rose slightly from Max's palm. It hovered there like a sleeping flame.
And then, words began to etch themselves into his consciousness.
"Bearer of the Origin Flame… You have touched the memory of the Architect. One of Five Echoes scattered before the Great Collapse. Preserve it, for it preserves you."
His vision blurred, and in the next instant, he stood elsewhere.
A memory projection. Not his own.
In this space—swirling with black stars and fractured celestial rings—a figure floated, arms outstretched, hair woven with galaxies. The Architect.
"If you've found this… then the seal has weakened. And they will come."
"Preserve the Path, O Flame Bearer. Or all returns to the Void."
With a flash, Max was back in the sanctum, staggering slightly.
"Max!" Lian Yue caught him by the shoulder, steadying him. "What happened?"
"I… saw him," he muttered. "The one who made this sanctum."
He stared at his palm. The shard had vanished. But the resonance it left behind now burned in his soul like a seed of cosmic flame.
One of Five Echoes.
What were the others? Where were they?
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[Scene: Elsewhere – The Cult Stirs]
Far beyond the hidden sanctum, in a hidden cavern layered in shadow qi, a group of silver-masked figures knelt in a formation around a circular pool.
The waters rippled—and turned black.
A robed elder stirred. His silver mask was etched with complex ancient runes. His eyes, beneath, glowed dull red.
"The Seal has cracked," he hissed.
"One of the Origin Fragments… has been awakened."
The masked cultists murmured.
"Should we send the Bone Pursuers?"
"No," the elder said. "Not yet."
His fingers curled into a strange mudra. A shadow emerged from the pool, flickering.
"The Flame has a bearer. Let us watch him… and when he believes he is safe, then we strike."
⸻
[Scene: Back in Sanctum – Recovery and Reflections]
Max and Lian Yue rested near the lotus basin, drinking from flasks and breathing in silence.
"Back there," she began softly, "in the trial. You said you didn't care about my secrets."
Max met her eyes. "I meant it."
She hesitated.
"There are things I can't say yet. But one day, I will. When I know you won't walk away."
"Then I'll wait," Max replied without hesitation.
The warmth between them deepened, not in romantic blush or grand confession—but in understanding.
Two cultivators alone in a boundless world, beginning to resonate.
⸻
[Scene: A Gift and a Curse – Eye Evolution Begins]
Just as they prepared to leave the inner sanctum, Max felt an ache behind his eyes.
Then it intensified.
A sharp, splitting pain. Like needles stabbing deep into his skull.
He fell to his knees.
"Max!"
Lian Yue rushed to him, but he held up a hand, gritting his teeth.
"It's… my eyes!"
His vision twisted. The world warped. For a moment, he could see every line in the stone around him, every law-string coiling in the air.
Then—an info window flashed briefly in his mind.
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# Origin Eyes Awakening – Tier 2 Upgrade #
▶ Enhancement Achieved: Authority of Insight
You can now view the status of individuals up to one full Minor Realm above your current Minor Realm level.
"So this is… the next stage," Max whispered, breathless.
The Origin Eyes pulsed. His pupils briefly became double-layered rings of purple and black, before fading to normal.
Lian Yue knelt beside him, hand on his back.
"You alright?"
He nodded slowly, a ghost of a smile on his lips.
"Better than ever."
⸻
[End of Chapter 10]