38: The Trial of Falling Skies
Morning in Azure Moon Sect was rarely quiet—at least not for Lin Tian.
The moment he stepped out of his courtyard, he felt it.
The gazes. The reverence. The tension.
Not the kind born of admiration or jealousy. No, this was something new.
Expectation.
Disciples parted without being asked. Some bowed. Others simply stepped aside and pretended not to stare. Lin Tian walked through them all without a word, his expression unreadable.
Whispers fluttered at the edges of his hearing.
"That's him… the one the Sect Mistress accepted…"
"He walked out of her sanctum himself…"
"And Elder Su Meiyu's too. They say she called a meeting to support him."
"I heard Jiang Yuyan—"
He didn't stop to hear the rest.
Let them talk.
Let them wonder.
He had no interest in convincing anyone.
Because the only people who needed to be convinced… already were.
Outer Assembly Hall – Summit Terrace
The high platform overlooking the training fields was rarely used outside of formal ceremonies or emergency declarations.
Which made today's summons unusual.
Lin Tian stood before a semi-circle of sect officials and peak elders, each of whom had personally requested his presence. A dozen robed figures, all powerful, all watching him carefully. Among them stood Yue Qingyan, Su Meiyu, and—surprisingly—Jiang Yuyan, seated slightly apart, as if still outside the formal power structure… and yet clearly the one with the sharpest gaze.
The Head Councilor stepped forward from the center, a tall man with white hair and a sword scar down his cheek.
"Lin Tian," he began. "Your actions, achievements, and… recent acknowledgments from key leadership have placed you under unique scrutiny. As such, the council has decided to offer you a chance."
Lin Tian kept silent. Listening.
"This chance is not a promotion. It is not a title. It is a gate."
The elder gestured, and a scroll was passed forward by one of the attending disciples.
"The Trial of Falling Skies."
A hush spread across the terrace.
Even Su Meiyu's eyes narrowed slightly. Yue Qingyan's brows drew together. Jiang Yuyan's fingers paused on her teacup.
Lin Tian, for his part, showed no visible reaction.
The name carried weight.
And he knew it.
"Once every century," the Head Councilor continued, "this trial is opened to test the future of Azure Moon's leadership. It is not for promotion. It is not for honor. It is a crucible. A refinement of fate."
He held up the scroll.
"Three days from now, the gates will open. You may enter. You may not return."
"Why now?" Lin Tian asked.
The councilor looked at him.
"Because the sect cannot afford to follow someone who hasn't proven himself before the Heavens."
A challenge.
A threat, politely framed.
Lin Tian stepped forward and took the scroll from the elder's hand.
"I accept."
The response was calm, but behind it was fire.
Jiang Yuyan's expression didn't change—but a spark flashed briefly in her eyes.
Yue Qingyan lowered her gaze, a quiet breath escaping her lips.
And Su Meiyu?
She smiled.
Not because she was happy.
But because she knew what was coming.
Later That Day – Crimson Pavilion Balcony
Jiang Yuyan stood before the outer railing of her private chambers, her arms crossed loosely over her chest. Below, the training formations marched in rhythm, disciples rising and falling like waves.
She didn't look at them.
Her mind was elsewhere.
"I thought you would stop them," said a voice behind her.
She turned slightly.
Su Meiyu stood at the doorway, her long sleeves folded neatly. Today, she wasn't smiling.
"I considered it," Jiang Yuyan said.
"But you didn't."
"No."
Su Meiyu approached, her golden eyes locked on the horizon. "You've been in that trial."
Jiang Yuyan nodded. "Twenty-two years ago. When I was still the Sect Mistress."
"And?"
Jiang Yuyan's tone didn't waver. "Five entered. I was the only one who left."
Su Meiyu was silent for a moment.
"And yet you're letting him go?"
Jiang Yuyan turned her head fully now. "Would you stop him if you could?"
Su Meiyu didn't answer.
Because they both knew the truth.
You could not keep Lin Tian from a mountain once he saw it.
You could only watch how he climbed it.
Sect Mistress Yue Qingyan's Inner Sanctum
For once, Yue Qingyan was not in meditation. Not in spiritual refinement. Not even in command of her duties.
She stood at the edge of her training hall, eyes closed, hands gripping the hilt of her ancestral sword—drawn but still sheathed.
She had trained here for centuries.
But now… her thoughts drifted beyond the walls.
To Lin Tian.
To the words spoken by the elders earlier that day.
She hated it.
Not the trial.
Not the risk.
She hated that she wasn't the one who could stop it.
Even at her level of power, she couldn't protect him from what lay beyond that gate.
And worse?
She wasn't sure she should.
Because Lin Tian… didn't need protection.
He needed space.
To grow. To rise. To become the man she had seen glimpses of already.
Her fingers tightened on the sword hilt.
She didn't know what would await him in the Trial of Falling Skies.
But she knew what she had to do in the meantime.
Three Days Later – Dawn Before the Trial
Lin Tian stood alone at the outer edge of the Obsidian Platform, a natural altar of dark stone etched with ancient runes that circled around a sealed archway.
The portal shimmered faintly—closed, but not for long.
He wore plain robes today. No armor. No badge of status.
Only a storage ring and the sword gifted to him by an old weapon master from the outer sect. A weapon that had never broken, no matter how far he pushed it.
Behind him stood a small gathering—Yue Qingyan, Su Meiyu, and Jiang Yuyan, all separate, all silent.
Even the Head Councilor was present.
No speeches.
No send-off.
Just the wind, and the quiet hum of spiritual energy as the gate began to open.
A column of blue light erupted from the base of the arch, forming a swirling tunnel of spiritual flame and pressure.
Lin Tian didn't hesitate.
He stepped forward into the light—and disappeared.
Inside the Trial – A New Realm
The moment he emerged from the gate, Lin Tian felt the change.
The air was heavier. Thicker.
He stood in the middle of a barren valley, the sky above him boiling with clouds—violet and gold, rumbling with unnatural thunder. Jagged mountains surrounded him, pulsing faintly with trapped spiritual veins, like arteries of the realm itself.
In the distance, a tower rose.
Black. Monolithic. Waiting.
A voice echoed—not from the world, but from within his mind.
"Ascend. Each floor, a truth. Each truth, a cut. Climb or fall."
Lin Tian smiled.
"Good."
He stepped forward.
Toward the first trial.
Toward the climb.
Back at Azure Moon Sect
The portal shimmered and sealed shut, returning to stone.
No one moved.
Then, slowly, Yue Qingyan turned and walked away.
Su Meiyu followed soon after.
Only Jiang Yuyan remained, staring at the fading light.
"Let's see," she murmured, "if the sky will fall for you… or if you will rise above it."
End of Chapter 38