The journey through the dark bridge was the kind that could break a man. Not only did the howling wind bring bone-shaking cold, but it also made the bridge sway from side to side, giving those who crossed it a glimpse of the bottomless pit below.
Liam's journey across the bridge took hours. The voices of his dead parents lingered around him, cursing and wailing, but he wasn't weak-minded enough to break under the pressure. Instead, he laughed and even joked about their deaths, infuriating them further.
Three hours later, he reached the end of the bridge. It was a massive tower, so large it pierced through the clouds and heavens. Several thousand bridges connected to this one tower.
Creak!
The stone door slid open, revealing a veil of white fog blocking the entrance.
Liam's attention was quickly stolen by what seemed like an invisible palm engraving words onto the stone wall of the tower.
"Power enslaves and corrupts," he read aloud, his brows tightening.
Why were they trying to warn Ascendants about power?
The few Ascendants bold enough to refuse entering the tower were eventually dragged in. This journey was mandatory for everyone who became an Ascendant, so the sentence on the wall didn't make sense.
"Unless this isn't a warning," Liam muttered after some thought.
This was probably Heaven's way of telling them what to expect.
Pushing unnecessary thoughts aside, Liam walked into the veil, and his vision was consumed by bright light.
---
— Fei Dynasty, Imperial Court —
The blinding light slowly dimmed as a new world unfolded before Liam's eyes.
In an instant, he found himself seated on a throne in a noisy courtroom, surrounded by ministers dressed in flamboyant robes, screaming at each other at the top of their lungs.
The situation was so chaotic that Liam could barely hear, much less understand, anything they said.
And then came the headache…
Liam grabbed his head as a piercing pain assaulted him. His vision blurred once more, and memories of his new body began flooding in uncontrollably.
This body belonged to Emperor Jin Fei, the third ruler of the Fei Dynasty and a reputable warrior during his prime. Jin was a fierce man who rarely took no for an answer. To secure his throne, he bested his siblings in a decade-long war that began when he was just sixteen.
Jin had ruled the nation for many years, expanding its territory through conquest and war. No one in his court dared challenge him, and everyone in the empire feared him.
That was until recently.
The power dynamics across the continent had changed. Kangol, a nomadic tribe, had been expanding for the past two decades. Every powerful tribe, kingdom, and empire scattered across the mainland had fallen to them—and now it was the Fei State's turn.
If this had happened a few decades earlier, there would've been no panic, especially with a warrior king like Emperor Jin. However, the emperor was nearly sixty, long past his prime. He was no longer the monster everyone feared—just an old man with a glorious past.
It took Liam a while, but eventually the throbbing subsided. He let go of his head slowly as the final stream of memories settled.
The entire courtroom had fallen silent, all eyes fixed on their aging king.
"My Emperor, are you alright?" asked an elderly man on the left wing of the room with a slight bow.
He was Lu Bai, the Minister of Rights.
The man's fish-patterned fabric made him easy to recognize. His deep gaze studied Liam closely, as if searching for flaws or weakness.
Liam didn't respond immediately. He calmly rubbed his forehead, piecing together the situation.
After a moment, he understood. The Kangol Overlord had sent an envoy to demand that Emperor Fei personally come to the Kangol capital to pay homage with tributes, symbolizing a relationship between elder and younger brother—or face invasion.
The chaos in the court was the usual divide between the civil and military officials. The military wanted to fight. The civil ministers argued that war would destroy the nation, citing the overwhelming might of the Kangols.
But that wasn't the most interesting part.
The ministers were led by Emperor Fei's first son and crown prince, Shin Fei, while the army was led by his second son, Kong Fei, who had earned the rank of general at just eighteen.
"Father?" Shin and Kong stepped forward, hands cupped, their faces filled with concern.
Liam signaled them to stop with a wave, still rubbing his temple.
"We will discuss this tomorrow. Everyone, leave," Liam ordered, stunning the room.
Confused glances were exchanged, but no one dared question Emperor Fei.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Everyone cupped their fists beneath their oversized sleeves and bowed deeply before leaving. In moments, the room was empty—but only briefly.
Clank!
The door yanked open as the chief eunuch sprinted in, hands perpetually cupped and body slightly bowed.
"Your Majesty, are you alright?" Zhao Gang cried out. Liam casually nodded, still massaging his temple.
His thoughts drifted to the strange revelations he'd had in the past few days. Back then, they hadn't made sense—the visions of medieval courts and ancient wars. But now, standing here, everything aligned.
"They were all warnings of death… and I'm in the body of a king. Doesn't that mean I'll be killed?" Liam whispered, ignoring the confused eunuch.
He had been transported from Earth into the body of a sovereign nearing the end of his rule—and life.
From Liam's understanding, these trials were usually based on real historical events that once occurred somewhere in the vast universe, on other worlds and planets.
This must be ancient China in another world, one where the Fei Clan forged a dynasty for themselves and Mongolia was known as Kangol.
The only goal of the test was to survive. Yet over 60% of Ascendants died in the first trial, and in some cases, 80%.
Only now, living it firsthand, did Liam understand why.