The chamber began to change.
The floating runic plates rearranged themselves, forming bridges of light that connected to the central platform. The golden rivers surged upward, linking sky and earth into one seamless flow of power. Every rune, every pulse of energy in the air now moved in sync with Tian Lei's heartbeat.
He looked down at the pendant—it was no longer just an object. The jade had transformed, transparent like crystal, and the runes inside it shifted and flowed like liquid light.
A final whisper echoed through the vast chamber, the voice of the First Formation Emperor fading like the last note of an ancient song.
"The Thirteenth Hall is not a place. It is a living will. You have awakened it—and bound yourself to it. From this moment on, its strength is yours to command, and its burden is yours to bear."
The light in the chamber surged once more, then scattered like stars returning to the heavens.
