The reflections reached toward him.
"Stop looking away."
The hall dimmed.
The reflections whispered like the wind.
"See yourself."
And for the first time, Shen Tian understood:
His greatest enemy was not the world
Nor the sect
Nor fate itself
It was the possibility of who he could become.
His vision cracked—
And the third tomoe flickered.
Not formed
But waiting
The mirrors around Shen Tian trembled, their reflections flickering like candle flames caught in a storm. The countless versions of himself stepped closer, each wearing a different expression—rage, sorrow, delight, emptiness.
But only the first reflection—the one with hungry crimson eyes—spoke.
"You are afraid of becoming me."
Shen Tian's gaze hardened.
"I refuse to walk your path."
The reflection smirked.
"You don't understand. There is no 'my' path. There is only your potential."
The mirrors shook violently. From the ceiling, thin cracks of light split the darkness, illuminating the hall like veins of lightning.
Shen Tian's Sharingan spun faster, reacting to the pressure—not from outside, but from within his own mind.
The reflection lifted a hand. Reality warped. The mirrors behind him displayed visions—not memories, not illusions—
Possibilities.
In one vision, Shen Tian stood atop the sect, his eyes bearing three tomoe, disciples kneeling before him.
In another, he walked alone, his eyes hollow, his steps drenched in blood.
In another, he stood against the heavens, unflinching, unbound.
Each possibility carried power. Each possibility carried consequence.
Shen Tian clenched his fists.
"I won't allow my strength to define my future."
The reflection chuckled.
"And yet, your future will always define your strength."
It raised its palm, and the pressure intensified.
"You believe power is something you control. But the Sharingan is not a tool. It is a truth. A reality. A voice the world refuses to acknowledge."
It leaned forward, whispering:
"The third tomoe is not awakened by force. It is awakened by clarity."
Shen Tian's breath halted.
Clarity.
Not rage
Not grief
Not trauma
But acceptance.
The reflection stepped back as the mirrors lit up again, each showing Shen Tian in different worlds—different lives—different choices.
"You think you fear power. You don't."
The reflection smiled viciously.
"You fear what you will do once you stop holding back."
Shen Tian felt a jolt run through his chest, as if struck by a truth he had tried to bury.
He wasn't afraid of strength.
He was afraid of certainty.
Because certainty meant he would choose without doubt.
Kill without hesitation.
Act without regret.
The reflection snapped its fingers.
The mirrors shattered.
Glass fragments hovered in the air, reflecting millions of Shen Tians—all staring at him.
"All roads lead to the same place," the reflection said. "Because you were never meant to follow fate."
It pointed at Shen Tian's chest.
"You were meant to break it."
The fragments streaked toward him like shards of light. Shen Tian instinctively activated Silent Gaze.
The moment froze.
Not time—intent.
Shen Tian saw their paths:
Left—dodge and avoid the shards
Right—counter and shatter the reflection
Forward—embrace the truth he feared
His Sharingan pulsed violently.
A voice inside him—not the reflection, not another—his own—whispered:
Choose.
Shen Tian exhaled.
Slow
Controlled
Resolute
He stepped forward.
The shards merged into him, not cutting, not harming—
Integrating.
Accepting.
The reflection's expression shifted—from triumph to acknowledgment.
"So, you finally understand."
Shen Tian's voice was steady.
"I am not becoming you."
He raised his eyes, the tomoe spinning.
"You were always a part of me."
The reflection smirked one last time.
"Then open your eyes."
The hall shook. The world warped. A ringing sound resonated in Shen Tian's skull.
He felt something click—not forcefully
Not painfully
But naturally
As if the final piece of a puzzle had fallen into place.
His heart slowed.
His breath sharpened.
His mind stilled.
And then—
A third tomoe stirred.
Not fully formed
Not yet open
But alive
Waiting
The reflection dissolved into dust, whispering as it faded:
"Your eyes no longer watch the world."
"They judge it."
The mirrors darkened.
The hall fell silent.
Shen Tian stood alone—but not unchanged.
The next step was no longer hidden.
It was inevitable.
The doors of the Hall of Mirrors creaked open with a sound like splitting stone. Shen Tian stepped out, the early morning wind brushing against his face. The world looked the same—
Yet nothing felt the same.
The lanterns lining the courtyard flickered faintly as he passed. His senses were sharper. His perception deeper. His eyes—though not visibly changed—saw more than sight alone should allow.
The third tomoe slept.
But it was breathing.
Elder Mu stood at the courtyard entrance, hands hidden in his sleeves, gaze calm yet piercing. He examined Shen Tian's face with a single glance.
"You saw it."
Shen Tian nodded.
"Well?" Elder Mu asked. "What did you find inside?"
Shen Tian's reply was neither hesitant nor arrogant.
"My enemy."
Elder Mu smiled faintly.
"And was it someone else?"
Shen Tian shook his head.
"No. It was me."
Elder Mu nodded with solemn approval.
"Good. The moment you deny yourself is the moment your eyes choose their own path."
He leaned closer, voice low.
"And the Sharingan does not choose kindly."
Before Shen Tian could respond, a disciple sprinted toward them, panting heavily.
"Shen Tian! Elder Bai requests your presence—immediately! The Sect Master is waiting as well!"
Elder Mu raised a brow.
"So soon? They move faster than I expected."
Shen Tian followed the messenger toward the central pavilion. As he walked, whispers trailed behind him.
"That's the one who killed the Nightmare Howler."
"He survived the Hall of Mirrors."
"I heard his eyes can see killing intent."
"They say he's carrying a cursed fate."
Others didn't whisper.
They stared.
Not in hatred… but in something far more dangerous—
Recognition.
The kind that cultivators had toward storms, swords, and calamities.
At the pavilion, Elder Bai and the Sect Master were already waiting. The Sect Master stood with his back facing Shen Tian, hands clasped behind him as he observed the clouds swirling below the mountain.
Without turning, he spoke.
"You touched the boundary."
Shen Tian remained silent.
The Sect Master continued.
"You now stand at the door of the third tomoe. That threshold is not meant for the weak of mind."
He finally turned, his gaze falling upon Shen Tian.
"You did not awaken it… but you invited it."
Elder Bai stepped forward, expression stern.
"And when the third tomoe opens, your fate will no longer be your own."
Shen Tian met their gazes without flinching.
"I will not lose myself."
The Sect Master's lips curved slightly—not a smile, but acknowledgment.
"Confidence is good. Arrogance is fatal. Remember the difference."
He lifted his hand, and a jade slip flew toward Shen Tian, hovering before him.
"This contains a directive. You will lead a group of disciples into the northern ravines. Spirit fluctuation has been detected. You will investigate and return."
Shen Tian frowned.
"A mission? Now?"
Elder Bai answered coldly.
"Killing intent follows you. Better you face beasts than disciples."
But Shen Tian saw it.
Not hostility.
A test.
A boundary.
A preparation.
Before he could respond, a voice called out from the pavilion entrance.
"I will join him."
Everyone turned.
A young woman stepped forward—the same girl who warned him at the waterfall. Her dark blue robes fluttered in the wind, eyes calm as moonlight.
Elder Bai's gaze sharpened.
"Lan Xueran. You were not summoned."
She bowed politely.
"Shen Tian's path intersects mine. It is only logical that I walk beside him."
That wasn't logic.
That was choice.
The Sect Master studied her closely.
"You understand the consequence of aligning yourself with someone who may reshape the sect?"
Her answer was immediate.
"Someone must stand beside the blade—before others stand behind it."
A ripple went through the elders.
Shen Tian looked at her.
"Why?"
Lan Xueran met his gaze.
"You walk without hesitation, yet you fear your destination. Such a person needs someone who sees clearly."
Her voice softened.
"If your eyes judge the world, someone must judge you."
Shen Tian said nothing, but his Sharingan trembled faintly.
The Sect Master turned away.
"Very well."
Elder Bai exhaled sharply, as if realizing something inevitable had begun.
The Sect Master spoke one final sentence.
"Shen Tian, men like you do not join factions."
He looked directly into Shen Tian's eyes.
"Men like you become them."
Shen Tian's pulse slowed.
Not in shock.
In acceptance.
Lan Xueran stepped beside him.
Elder Bai handed him another jade identification plaque.
"For now, you are still an outer disciple. Remain quiet. Do not draw attention."
Shen Tian slipped the plaque into his sleeve.
"I don't need attention."
Elder Bai sighed.
"That is precisely why it finds you."
Shen Tian turned to leave—Lan Xueran falling into step beside him.
Behind them, elders whispered.
"He will either bring glory to the sect…"
"…or burn it down."
The Sect Master closed his eyes.
"No flame begins with intent."
His voice drifted like prophecy.
"It begins with awareness."
Shen Tian walked down the stone steps, each footfall echoing like the beat of a war drum he did not realize he was marching toward.
He did not want a faction.
He did not want followers.
He wanted clarity.
But destiny rarely asks what one wants.
Sometimes, it simply chooses.