Morning bells echoed softly through Frost Lotus Sect, their sound clear and steady as mist drifted across the courtyards. The selected disciples prepared quietly, carrying storage pouches, weapons, and talismans—everything they would need for the journey ahead.
In the outer courtyard, farewells were being exchanged in low voices.
"Senior Brother, take care," a junior disciple said, bowing deeply.
"Don't worry," came the reply, calm and reassuring. "Focus on your cultivation while we're gone."
Shen Yueqin stood near the stone steps, her posture composed as her junior sisters gathered around her. Their eyes shone with admiration and concern.
"Senior Sister," one of them said softly, "you must return safely."
Shen Yueqin nodded, her expression gentle but firm. "I will. Focus on your training. Don't let your foundations slip."
Another junior hesitated before speaking. "We'll wait for good news."
Shen Yueqin allowed a faint smile. With a final glance, she turned and walked toward the main hall.
Soon, all participating disciples assembled before the sect's grand gates. The Sect Master stepped forward, his gaze sweeping across the group.
"This journey is not for honor alone," he said, voice steady. "You represent Frost Lotus Sect. Maintain discipline, composure, and clarity. No matter the outcome, return with integrity."
With that, he raised his hand.
The journey began.
The first day passed in steady travel. Mountains rose and fell around them, rivers shimmered beneath pale sunlight, and the Immortal Realm stretched endlessly ahead. Though no one complained, fatigue slowly settled into their limbs.
As dusk approached, they stopped at a quiet valley sheltered by stone cliffs. Some disciples sat to regulate their breathing; others practiced light cultivation techniques to restore their energy.
Li Han exhaled deeply. "This is only the journey… and already it feels heavy."
"Better now than during the trials," Chen Rui replied calmly.
Shen Yueqin sat slightly apart, eyes closed, spiritual energy flowing in a smooth, controlled cycle.
By dawn, they resumed their journey.
By midday of the second day, towering stone structures emerged through the mist—the Trial Grounds.
The disciples gathered before a vast platform engraved with ancient runes.
At its center stood a man in flowing Divine Realm robes, his presence calm yet oppressive.
This was the Selection head.
His gaze passed over them without pause or preference.
"The first trial," he said, "will begin shortly."
Murmurs spread among the disciples as he continued.
"You will be tested on foundation, clarity, and endurance. This trial is not about combat. Those with unstable cultivation, weak will, or poor judgment will fail."
A disciple whispered, "This sounds… too difficult."
The Selection head heard it.
"If you believe this trial exceeds your limits," he said calmly, "you may withdraw now."
Silence fell.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
The Selection head nodded once. "Very well."
He raised his hand.
The First Trial – Spirit Boundary Domain starts.
The moment Shen Yueqin's feet touched the ground, the air around her shifted.
It was not hostile—yet it was not welcoming either.
A pale mist clung low to the earth, coiling around ancient trees whose roots twisted like sleeping beasts. The sky above was neither day nor night, washed in a muted silver-gray light that gave no sense of time. Spiritual energy flowed unevenly here, rising and falling like a breath that did not belong to any living thing.
"This is the Spirit Boundary Domain."
The voice echoed again, neither male nor female, as if it came from the domain itself.
"Survive for three days.
Maintain clarity.
Do not lose yourself."
As the voice faded, the pressure increased.
Shen Yueqin did not move immediately.
She closed her eyes and let her spiritual sense expand—not forcefully, but carefully. The moment she did, the mist responded. It trembled, rearranged itself, subtly distorting her perception.
"So it interferes with awareness," she murmured softly.
This domain was not meant to kill.
It was meant to confuse, tempt, and erode.
She opened her eyes and began walking.
Illusions and Inner Boundaries
Not far from her starting point, the forest changed.
The trees thinned, revealing a stone path—clean, familiar.
Too familiar.
Shen Yueqin stopped.
Ahead stood the faint outline of Frost Lotus Sect's outer courtyard. Snow-dusted steps. Training poles. Even the sound of distant disciples practicing.
Her gaze sharpened.
"This isn't real."
The illusion was precise. The spiritual resonance felt correct. But something was wrong.
There was no fluctuation.
Real life was never this still.
She stepped forward—and the courtyard cracked like thin ice, collapsing into mist.
Shen Yueqin exhaled slowly.
"Testing emotional attachment," she concluded. "Those who chase familiarity will lose their way."
Elsewhere in the domain, distant echoes rang out—some sharp breaths, some panicked shouts. The domain was already claiming its victims.
Pressure on the Mind
As Shen Yueqin moved deeper, the terrain shifted again. The ground became uneven, and the air grew heavy. Each step felt as though it carried unseen weight.
This was not physical exhaustion.
It was mental pressure.
The domain subtly amplified doubt.
Am I moving in the right direction?
How long has it been?
Should I rest?
Shen Yueqin halted and sat down calmly, crossing her legs.
"Resting without awareness is surrender," she said quietly.
She regulated her breathing, guiding her spiritual energy into a slow, steady cycle. The pressure eased slightly—not because the domain retreated, but because she refused to resist blindly.
Resistance fed the domain.
Clarity weakened it.
A Glimpse of Others
From a nearby ridge, Shen Yueqin observed movement.
A disciple from another sect stood frozen, eyes unfocused, whispering to someone who was not there. His spiritual energy fluctuated wildly.
Moments later, the mist swallowed him whole.
No blood. No scream.
Only silence.
Shen Yueqin looked away.
"This trial doesn't punish weakness," she thought.
"It exposes it."
Further ahead, she sensed another presence—steady, cautious. One of the stronger participants, moving carefully, testing each step before committing.
Good, she thought. At least some understand.
The Domain Responds
As night—or what passed for it—fell, the domain changed again.
The mist thickened.
Whispers rose, brushing against her consciousness.
Why endure?
Why struggle?
Power is meaningless without peace.
Shen Yueqin stood still, eyes calm.
"You speak as if you understand peace," she said softly. "But peace without clarity is stagnation."
She raised her hand—not to attack, but to anchor.
A faint pulse of power radiated from her core, controlled and precise. The mist recoiled slightly, as if startled.
Not harmed.
But acknowledged.
The domain adjusted.
Paths realigned.
The whispers faded.
Shen Yueqin lowered her hand.
She had not broken the trial.
She had understood it.
End of the First Day
Far above, unseen by the participants, the Selector observed in silence.
"Interesting," he murmured.
Below, Shen Yueqin continued forward, unhurried, unshaken.
Three days.
She had time.
And for the first time since entering the domain, the mist parted just enough to reveal a faint, stable path ahead.
The Spirit Boundary Domain had not accepted her.
But it had begun to recognize her.