Kael woke.
His eyes opened to darkness—the vaulted ceiling of the third trial arena.
Hhhh...
He pressed his palms against the stone floor and pushed himself upright.
How long had he been out?
The system then replies
You've been out for five hours. You really outdid yourself.
Whirrr.
The mechanical voice returned.
[CONGRATULATIONS. THIRD TRIAL COMPLETE. THE IMMORTAL SOUL SECT ENTRANCE EXAMINATION: PASSED.]
[ALL TRIALS CLEARED. CANDIDATE IS HEREBY RECOGNIZED AS A SUCCESSOR OF THE IMMORTAL SOUL SECT.]
[THE SECT MASTER'S CHAMBER HAS BEEN UNLOCKED. PROCEED TO CLAIM YOUR INHERITANCE.]
Kael exhaled slowly. He looked around the arena. The guardian's remnants were gone. The floor was cracked and scarred—but empty.
Then the arena floor split.
CRACK.
A narrow staircase appeared in the center—descending into pure darkness. The soul power radiating from below was extraordinary. It felt so dense and ancient. It pressed against Kael's soul core that the feeling was so intoxicating.
