The Portal Home — Return From Peril
The portal spat them out safely back at the sect, where disciples and Saints alike gasped at their sudden return. Relief washed over the hall as Mi-An carried Xiao Yan to safety, her steady grip reassuring him despite the lingering fear.
Saint Lu Qi's eyes shone with joy and pride. "They've completed the trials… and returned safely," he said, voice filled with quiet triumph.
Mi-An set Xiao Yan down gently and asked, almost in a whisper, "Master… what is the last trial about?"
"It depends on each person's fate," Lu Qi replied, his tone calm yet heavy with meaning. "Most meet their alchemy—the path that defines their immortality."
As she absorbed this, a warm glow began to surround Mi-An. Slowly, deliberately, she ascended, leaving behind her mortal form to become an immortal. Light radiated around her, illuminating the hall, reflecting off the awed faces of the disciples and Saints.
Xiao Yan, still weak from the trials but filled with a strange determination, awoke fully, realizing the magnitude of what had just occurred. His eyes scanned the skies—and then the heavens above opened violently. Lightning raced down in brilliant streaks, jagged and unstoppable, signaling the next challenge awaiting them.
The air vibrated with raw energy. The trials may have ended, but Xiao Yan and Mi-An both knew: their journey had only just begun. The Ansha's shadow loomed, and the world was far from safe.