"Come out, heir."
The voice echoed through the underground chamber.
Han Feng remained motionless behind the stone pillar.
His mind raced.
He knows I'm here.
Before he could decide whether to move, the fragment of the Celestial Diagram suddenly trembled.
A faint pulse spread through the altar.
Then another.
The ancient symbols carved into the stone began to illuminate one after another.
Han Feng's expression changed.
It reacted to me.
He had not touched the fragment.
He had not released any significant amount of Qi.
Yet the altar had clearly sensed his presence.
The cloaked man's expression also changed.
"What...?"
He took a cautious step backward.
"This shouldn't be happening yet."
Han Feng heard the words clearly.
Yet?
Before he could question what they meant, the entire chamber shook.
BOOM!
A deep vibration traveled through the walls.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
The fragment rose several inches above the altar.
At that exact moment, a massive figure emerged from the darkness behind it.
"WHO DARES TO AWAKEN THE SACRED ALTAR?"
The voice shook the entire chamber.
Han Feng's eyes narrowed.
The guardian's gaze swept across the room.
It did not immediately attack.
Instead, it looked toward the floating fragment.
Then toward Han Feng.
Its eyes burned brighter.
"The fragment has responded."
Han Feng's heart tightened.
The guardian raised one enormous hand.
Ancient runes appeared across its palm.
"An unauthorized presence has triggered the inheritance."
Its gaze locked onto Han Feng.
"Therefore, the intruder must be tested."
Han Feng finally understood.
It's not attacking me because it knows who I am.
It's attacking me because the fragment reacted to my presence.
The distinction was important.
The guardian had no reason to trust him.
It did not know Han Feng's name.
It did not know his history.
It did not even know whether he was truly the heir.
It only recognized the resonance between him and the Celestial Fragment.
And according to the ancient rules protecting the inheritance, anyone capable of awakening that resonance had to undergo the trial.
The guardian's voice became colder.
"Only those capable of harmonizing opposing forces may approach the Celestial Fragment."
Han Feng's pupils contracted.
Harmonizing opposing forces...
His mind immediately went to the Dual Chaos Larva.
Then to the Celestial Transmutation Gu.
Then to the strange balance between Qi and Gu energy within his body.
Was this inheritance created for someone like him?
Or was that exactly what someone wanted him to believe?
The guardian raised its hand.
"Prove that you are worthy."
A terrifying wave of Qi gathered around its body.
"Or be destroyed by the inheritance you seek."
Han Feng slowly lowered his stance.
Now he understood why the guardian had targeted him.
But understanding the reason did not make the situation safer.
It only made one thing clear.
The fragment had recognized something inside him.
And if the guardian discovered exactly what that something was, his carefully hidden identity might be exposed.