A hush fell over the vast Celestial Pavilion as the gates to the second trial began to glow with pulses of pure divine essence. The air thickened with anticipation. Tianming and Yuelan stood side by side, hearts steady, while around them, a hundred other contenders stood—each carrying their own ambitions, weapons, and secrets.
Above, Lord Xuantai's voice thundered once more:
"Trial Two: The Celestial Forge."
A massive sigil unfolded in the air—a dragon entwined with a phoenix, surrounded by eight ancient runes. A celestial door opened behind Lord Xuantai, revealing a blazing realm of molten gold and cosmic fire.
"To wield true power, you must forge it yourself. Step into the Eternal Crucible and shape your Soul Armament. Only one who understands their essence can survive what lies ahead."
> [System Quest Updated: Enter the Celestial Forge. Objective: Forge a Soul Armament attuned to your True Dao. Time Limit: 72 hours.]
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I. The Eternal Crucible
As Tianming stepped through the gate, a wave of heat unlike anything he'd experienced engulfed him. Lava rivers flowed beside paths of obsidian crystal. Volcanoes floated in the sky, each housing a celestial beast chained in spiritual bindings, their roars echoing across the plane.
A forge awaited each aspirant—carved from black meteorite, glowing with celestial runes. Before Tianming stood a black anvil surrounded by star-metal shards. Above it, a floating orb glowed red: the Soul Flame.
Yuelan was sent to a different region within the same dimension. Her forge was surrounded by glacial fire, flames that froze rather than burned. She inhaled, focused, and let her ice-based cultivation resonate with the frost.
For each, the path would be different.
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II. The Flame of Spirit
Tianming placed his hand on the orb, and it exploded in a burst of memories—not just his own, but of countless ancestors, warriors, gods, and tyrants. He saw visions of battles, betrayals, of worlds lost to ambition and pride.
A voice whispered:
"What is your Will?"
"I will conquer the heavens, not to rule them—but to protect what I love."
> [System Resonance Detected. Host Will Stable. Initiating Soul Armament Process. Warning: Materials Insufficient for True Armament. Quest Branch Unlocked — Seek Legendary Metals.]
A mini-map appeared before his eyes, glowing with four points of interest. Each marked a guardian beast: Azure Roc, Crimson Wyrm, Obsidian Kirin, and the White Lotus Serpent.
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III. The Trials of Flame and Soul
1. Azure Roc's Peak
Tianming scaled a floating island of wind and fire. The Azure Roc, a beast with sapphire feathers and wings that stirred storms, awaited him atop a volcano. It spoke in the tongue of the ancients.
"You wish my feather? Show me your speed and your sky."
Tianming ignited his Voidstep Art. Lightning wrapped around his limbs as he dodged storms, raced across falling rocks, and danced in mid-air combat. After a duel of speed and aerial acrobatics, he plucked a feather from the beast's crest.
> [Item Acquired: Roc Feather of the Eastern Sky]
2. Crimson Wyrm's Maw
Inside a pit of molten fire, the Crimson Wyrm coiled. "Strength is not power. Power is not strength. Show me both."
Tianming dueled the wyrm in the magma lake, using elemental fusion between fire and lightning. He invoked his new Apex Sovereign Mode, doubling his aura and forming four astral avatars to outmaneuver and overwhelm the beast.
> [Item Acquired: Scale of the Crimson Wyrm]
3. Obsidian Kirin's Ruin
The Kirin tested his will. It constructed an illusion where Yuelan turned on him, his sect fell, and his powers faded.
"Will you still fight when nothing remains?"
He fought with his bare hands, screaming his purpose into the void. "Even broken, I am the forge!"
> [Item Acquired: Heartcore Crystal of Obsidian Kirin]
4. White Lotus Serpent's Trial
This final beast was deceptive. It presented peace, tranquility, and dreams of his perfect future. But Tianming saw the trap. It was false enlightenment.
He rejected the fantasy.
"Peace without purpose is slavery."
> [Item Acquired: Veil Scale of the Lotus Serpent]
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IV. Forging the Soul Armament
He returned to his forge. The Soul Flame recognized the gathered materials. The feather floated above the anvil. The scale of the wyrm burned below. The heartcore crystal formed the handle, and the veil scale wrapped the blade.
> [System: Fusion Initiated. Choose Weapon Type. Options: Sword, Spear, Gauntlets, Halberd, Dual Blades...]
Tianming closed his eyes. He remembered every battle, every time he fought back-to-back with Yuelan. Every time he defended the weak.
"Soul Armament—Manifest as the Heavenpiercer Twin Sabers."
Light exploded. Two curved blades, one crimson like fire and the other dark like starlit night, floated before him. Each sang with his soul's intent.
> [Weapon Forged: Heavenpiercer Twin Sabers — Class: Mythic (Upgradeable)] [Special Abilities Unlocked: Flame Spiral Requiem, Void Slash, Mirror Counter, Heavenburst Synchronization (Partner Skill)]
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V. Yuelan's Tempering
Meanwhile, Yuelan battled her own trials. Her forge was different—colder, more internal. Her path lay not through flame and fight, but introspection and emotional reckoning.
She faced her mother's death again. Her father's betrayal. Her exile.
But through meditation and control over her Ice Lotus Technique, she channeled those into purity.
Her Soul Armament emerged as a guqin-shaped blade—part instrument, part weapon.
> [Weapon Forged: Celestial Snowstring Blade — Class: Mythic (Upgradeable)] [Special Abilities: Frozen Lament, Echoing Severance, Moonlight Thread, Symphony of Severed Fates]
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VI. Reunited at the Crucible's End
At the 71st hour, Tianming and Yuelan emerged from opposite sides of the forge realm.
Cheers erupted.
Even Celestial Lords who once ignored them now leaned forward.
Lord Xuantai appeared once again.
"Well done. Few forge Mythic-grade Armaments. Fewer still survive all four guardian trials."
He raised his hand.
"Your ranks rise."
> [Rank Update: Tianming — 3rd / Yuelan — 4th]
Tianming turned to Yuelan, eyes gleaming. "Let's take the top."
She smirked. "Together."
But far above them, in a hidden chamber, a masked figure watched through a scrying mirror.
"His system... is evolving too quickly. He may surpass the timeline."
A second figure, cloaked in shadow, replied: "Then we shall force his Ascension. Or end him in the next trial."
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[End of Chapter 18: Celestial Trial]