The chamber was silent after the announcement.
The glowing ring in the center pulsed slowly, like a heartbeat.
Zael studied it.
Zane cracked his neck.
Lily remained quiet, her expression thoughtful.
The ancient voice echoed through the chamber again.
"Stage Three: Path Ascension."
"This trial seeks those who can break beyond their limits."
"Participants will face a test of endurance, will, and evolution."
"Only those who surpass their limits may claim the inheritance."
The glowing circle widened.
A swirling vortex of golden light appeared within it.
Zane grinned.
"Well… that sounds painful."
Zael stepped forward without hesitation.
Zane followed him immediately.
Lily didn't move.
She shook her head.
"I told you already."
"I barely survived the second trial."
"This one sounds worse."
Zael nodded once.
"That's the correct decision."
Zane shrugged.
"Fair enough."
The ancient voice spoke again.
"Two participants confirmed."
"Final Trial begins."
Light swallowed them.
---
Zael's Trial — The Endless Battlefield
Zael appeared beneath a dark sky.
The land stretched endlessly in every direction.
Broken stone.
Cracked earth.
A battlefield.
Lightning flickered faintly across the horizon.
Then the voice echoed.
"To ascend… one must surpass their limit."
"Survive."
"Overcome."
"Break."
A massive presence appeared behind him.
Zael turned slowly.
The creature emerging from the darkness was enormous.
Nearly four meters tall.
A humanoid beast covered in black armor plates grown directly from its body. Its eyes burned crimson.
But what made Zael's expression sharpen—
Was its aura.
It was far stronger than him.
The creature stepped forward.
The ground trembled.
The voice spoke again.
"Opponent Level: Above Candidate."
Zael exhaled slowly.
His hand tightened around his sword.
Then the beast attacked.
Its fist crashed toward him like a falling boulder.
Zael used Void Step.
Lightning flashed.
He reappeared behind it and struck.
CLANG.
The blade barely scratched the creature's armor.
The beast spun instantly and kicked.
Zael barely blocked.
The impact launched him across the battlefield.
He rolled several times before stopping.
"…Strong."
The creature charged again.
The battle began.
---
The First Hours
Time lost meaning quickly.
The monster never slowed.
Every attack carried crushing power.
Zael fought with absolute precision.
Blade Domain expanded around him, sharpening every movement.
Phantom Split created afterimages that confused the beast momentarily.
Night Sever struck repeatedly at weak points in the creature's armor.
But none of it was enough to end the fight.
And worse—
He could not escape.
Every time he tried to create distance, the beast hunted him down relentlessly.
Hours passed.
Zael's breathing became heavier.
Fatigue slowly accumulated in his muscles.
His Ascendant Echo clone couldn't help.
The trial's restrictions prevented clone substitution.
He had to endure it himself.
The creature roared and swung again.
Zael dodged barely in time.
Stone shattered where he had stood.
The voice echoed faintly again.
"Survive."
---
The Twelfth Hour
Zael's clothes were torn.
Blood ran down his arm from a deep cut.
His breathing had become slow and controlled.
The beast looked almost untouched.
But Zael had adapted.
His movements were sharper.
Cleaner.
Every strike more efficient.
He absorbed the monster's attacks using Resonance Strike, storing the impact energy.
Every few minutes—
He released it.
Massive counterattacks blasted the creature backward.
Still, it rose again.
Still, it fought.
The battlefield had become a wasteland of shattered stone.
Zael wiped blood from his face.
"…Halfway."
The creature roared again and attacked.
---
The Twentieth Hour
Exhaustion clawed at his body now.
Even his lightning movements had slowed slightly.
But something else had changed.
Zael was no longer reacting.
He was predicting.
Every attack.
Every shift of weight.
Every swing.
He had fought the creature for so long—
That its movements had become familiar.
The beast attacked again.
Zael stepped sideways before the strike even began.
His blade flashed.
A deep crack finally appeared across its chest armor.
The monster roared in fury.
Zael exhaled slowly.
"Four hours."
Lightning surged around him again.
---
The Final Hour
Both fighters were damaged now.
The monster's armor was shattered across several areas.
Zael's body was pushed far beyond exhaustion.
His muscles trembled.
His breathing burned.
But his eyes remained calm.
The creature charged again.
Zael stepped forward instead of retreating.
Lightning erupted around him.
Blade Domain expanded fully.
Every movement slowed within his perception.
He saw everything.
Every flaw.
Every opening.
The beast swung its massive arm.
Zael stepped inside the attack.
His blade flashed once.
Night Sever.
The strike pierced through the cracked armor.
Straight into the creature's core.
For a moment—
Everything froze.
Then the beast collapsed.
The battlefield fell silent.
The ancient voice echoed through the sky.
"Limit surpassed."
"Trial Cleared."
Then another voice appeared.
Cold.
Mechanical.
Familiar.
---
[AWAKENING TASK COMPLETED]
Objective: Survive continuous combat against opponents above your level for 24 hours
Status: Cleared
Reward: Awakening Level Advancement
Zael's eyes widened slightly.
Golden light surrounded him.
His body felt lighter.
Stronger.
His level restriction had finally been broken.
The battlefield began dissolving.
The inheritance had acknowledged him.
And the final reward awaited.
---
Far away—
Zane was still fighting inside his own trial.
And Lily waited alone in the silent inheritance chamber.
Unaware that Zael had just crossed another threshold.
-----
The inheritance chamber grew quiet after the final trial ended.
Golden runes dimmed slowly across the ancient walls.
Zael stood calmly at the center of the platform.
A moment later, light flashed again.
Zane appeared.
He landed roughly, dust covering his clothes as he stretched his shoulders.
"…That trial was insane."
Zael glanced at him briefly.
"You passed."
Zane grinned tiredly.
"Barely."
Another moment passed before the chamber spoke again.
The ancient voice echoed one last time.
"Stage Three: Cleared."
Three beams of golden light descended.
Slowly—
Three ancient scrolls materialized before them.
Each scroll was sealed with powerful runes.
The voice announced:
"Hidden Class Scrolls Granted."
The inheritance trial had officially ended.
Zane grabbed one scroll immediately.
"Oh this is definitely the best reward so far."
He broke the seal.
The scroll activated—
Then instantly dimmed.
Zane blinked.
"…Wait."
Nothing happened.
No system prompt.
No class change.
Just silence.
Inside his mind—
A familiar telepathic connection activated.
Zane's voice echoed directly inside Zael's thoughts.
"Yeah… this confirms it."
Zael responded calmly.
"You can't use it."
Zane sighed internally.
"Of course I can't."
"I'm literally your clone."
"My class is technically yours."
Zael had camouflaged Zane's origin during creation, but the inheritance system clearly recognized the truth.
Zane could not undergo a class change.
Only the original could.
Zane closed the scroll slowly.
Lily was watching him carefully.
"You're not using it?"
Zane scratched the back of his head.
"Ah… actually…"
He shrugged casually.
"I kinda like my current class."
Zael remained silent.
Zane tossed the scroll toward Lily.
"You should take it."
Lily caught it instinctively.
"…What?"
"Hidden classes are rare," Zane said casually. "Would be a waste if no one used it."
Lily narrowed her eyes slightly.
"You went through a deadly trial… just to give it away?"
Zane shrugged again.
"I'm weird like that."
She studied him carefully.
Something about his explanation didn't quite add up.
But she couldn't pinpoint why.
After a moment she exhaled.
"…Fine."
She activated the scroll.
The runes flared brightly.
Golden light surrounded her body.
A new system window appeared before her.
Her class had successfully evolved.
When the light faded, Lily looked slightly stunned—but she didn't reveal the details yet.
Then both she and Zane turned toward Zael.
Zael still held the final scroll.
He broke the seal.
The scroll dissolved instantly.
A system panel appeared.
---
[Hidden Class Acquired]
Class: Daoist Cultivator
Grade: SS
A practitioner who walks the ancient path of Dao, cultivating harmony between heaven, earth, and self.
---
But the system message barely finished appearing before another notification activated.
---
[Talent Activated: Supreme Blessing (Mythical)]
Effect: Evolves lower-grade talents, abilities, and professions beyond their natural limits.
---
The profession panel began to tremble.
Runes rewrote themselves.
The class changed.
Zane blinked.
"…There it is."
The transformation finished.
---
Profession Evolution
Previous Profession: Daoist Cultivator (SS)
New Profession: Child of Dao
Grade: ???
---
A far more powerful description appeared.
---
Child of Dao
Grade: ???
Born of Dao, by Dao, and of Dao.
Fate has no effect on you.
Destiny traps you not.
You are shielded by the heavens.
Divination, curses, and mental interference of all kinds cannot affect you.
---
Traits
Devouring
Origin
Balance
Limit Break
Evolution
---
Devouring
You are not limited to leveling up through experience gained from killing.
As a Dao-born existence, you cultivate the spirit of heaven and earth.
You may devour beasts, humans, items, and any entity possessing spirituality.
Devouring may grant:
• Experience
• Universal or specific attribute points
• Skills
• Talents
Skills: None
Talents: None
---
Origin
Dao begets one.
One begets two.
Two begets three.
Three begets all things.
You are the Child of Dao.
In essence, you are Dao.
Everything originates from Dao.
Therefore everything originates from you.
You are not restricted by class-specific skills, equipment, or items.
Any weapon, skill type, or system path may be used or learned.
---
Balance
Dao upholds balance.
So do you.
All free attribute points gained from leveling or other sources are automatically distributed evenly across all stats.
(Does not affect specific attribute rewards obtained through Devouring.)
Sub-Trait
All awakening tasks are automatically set to the highest difficulty level available.
---
Limit Break
Dao is limitless.
So are you.
Restrictions that bind others do not apply to you.
• Level requirements for quests, missions, or dungeon entry have no effect.
• You may wield equipment up to 100 levels above your own as long as your mana/energy/qi is sufficient.
• Energy barriers and level-based restrictions cannot prevent your entry.
---
Evolution
Every 10 levels, after completing the required awakening task, you must undergo a Heavenly Thunder Tribulation.
The tribulation is life-threatening.
If survived successfully, rewards may include:
• Free or specific attribute points
• Skills
• Talents
Failure may result in severe consequences.
---
The chamber became completely silent.
Even Zane looked slightly stunned.
"…Okay."
"That's ridiculous."
Lily stared at the panel over Zael's shoulder.
She could only see part of it.
But even that much made her realize something incredible had happened.
Zael closed the panel calmly.
His expression remained unchanged.
But internally—
He understood something important.
His path was now fundamentally different from all other awakeners.
Outside the inheritance ground—
The training camp officials were still searching the wilderness for the missing students.
Unaware that deep underground…
Three participants had just walked away with an inheritance powerful enough to shake the balance of the awakening world.