As dawn stretched over the Hidden Star Sect, a rare hush blanketed the mountain. Though disciples buzzed with excitement over Lin Tianming's celestial duel, a deeper, more pressing force stirred beneath the surface—an ancient power that hadn't moved in decades.
In the central shrine hall of the sect, the celestial jade bell tolled once—not three times as it did to announce a new heir, but once. A tone so low and ancient, it reverberated through every stone pillar and deep into the bone marrow of every elder.
The Grand Council had taken notice.
---
Lin Tianming sat cross-legged beneath the Spiritwell Tree, immersed in cultivation. The celestial seed pulsed rhythmically in his dantian, and his inner world hummed with new vigor. Threads of golden qi flowed into his veins like rivers feeding a sea.
Even now, with his meridians expanded and his soul force deepened, he felt as though he stood at the base of a much larger mountain.
But before he could focus, Zhao Yueyin arrived—her footsteps light, her robe swaying with a graceful authority.
"They've summoned you."
Tianming opened his eyes slowly. "The Grand Council?"
"Yes. And not just the elders of this sect. The message came from the Celestial Mandate Hall."
He raised an eyebrow. "They move faster than I thought."
She handed him a scroll sealed in blue fire. The sigil on it—the Star Sovereign Emblem—confirmed its authenticity. Tianming broke the seal, unrolling the parchment:
> "To the one who has awakened the Celestial Seed. Appear before the Grand Council in the Forbidden Star Court in three days. Your presence is demanded."
He folded it slowly. "Three days. Not a request. A command."
"They fear you. Or worse," Zhao Yueyin said. "They want to use you."
Tianming stood and stretched. "Let them try."
---
Day One: Journey to the Forbidden Court
The path to the court passed through seven celestial gates. With each gate Tianming crossed, he felt the growing gaze of ancient will pressing on his shoulders. He was escorted not by sect disciples, but by silver-armored envoys from the Mandate Hall, each carrying star-forged blades.
Along the path, he glimpsed strange sights—cloud palaces, floating gardens, and cultivators of vast renown training in silence. The power that resided here dwarfed the Hidden Star Sect, and even the great names of the Four Continents bowed when summoned to this court.
Yet Tianming walked with no fear. His system pulsed within him, and his mind whispered status reports:
> Qi Reserves: 91% Spiritual Expansion Level: 3 Celestial Domain: Awakened Next Path: Divine Body Construction (Locked)
A locked prompt. It stirred his curiosity.
> "Condition: Witness the true intent of Heaven's Judgement."
What did that mean? He didn't know yet—but he would.
---
Day Two: The Whispering Chamber
As night fell, Tianming's party halted at a sky-floating inn built within the belly of a cloud dragon. There, he was met by a cloaked figure.
It was Elder Mo, once a traitor hunted by all nine sects. Now a wandering enigma.
"You don't know me, but I know you," Mo said without preamble.
"I've heard your name."
Mo chuckled. "They sent spies ahead of you. The Grand Council isn't united. Some see you as a light. Others, a fire that must be extinguished."
Tianming met his gaze. "And you?"
"I see you as a chance to undo the celestial stagnation. The last time a seed bearer rose, the Mandate Hall locked them away. Don't let them do it again."
Before Tianming could ask more, Mo dissolved into mist.
---
Day Three: Arrival at the Forbidden Star Court
Built atop a massive floating citadel above the Eastern Skysea, the court resembled a temple forged by stars themselves. The outer walls shimmered with constellations, and the gates bore runes older than the current cultivation era.
The central chamber was circular, rimmed by twelve golden thrones. Upon each sat a figure draped in robes representing one of the major sects or ancient clans.
Tianming entered alone, without bowing.
The eldest among them, Sovereign Yuehong of the Azure Sky Pavilion, spoke first.
"You are Lin Tianming. Bearer of the Celestial Seed."
"I am."
"Do you know what that entails?"
Tianming paused. "It means I was chosen."
"It means you are dangerous," said another—Lord Bai from the Midnight River Sect.
Sovereign Yuehong raised a hand. "Peace. We did not summon him to pass judgment… yet."
"Then why?" Tianming asked.
Yuehong's eyes gleamed. "To test your claim. You will undergo the Celestial Trial—here, before the court."
Tianming smiled. "What do I gain if I succeed?"
A new voice answered—young, yet carrying strange gravity.
"You will be recognized as Heaven's Chosen. And… you will be given a choice."
From the shadows emerged a woman clad in moonlight silk.
Xu Wuyin, the celestial judge.
---
The Trial of Stars
In the center of the council chamber, the Star Disk rose. A spinning platform layered with magical patterns and shifting symbols, it drew upon the energies of a thousand cultivators stored in memory.
Tianming stepped onto it.
The ground vanished.
He stood in a mirrored void, facing copies of himself—some younger, some older, all with different fates.
A voice echoed:
> "Defeat the versions of yourself that failed. Only then can you claim dominion over fate."
Tianming met the first one—himself as a child who chose fear over courage. He crushed it with a single blow.
Next, the version who gave up when others mocked his origins. He faced the shame, and burned it away.
Then, the one who chased power and forgot compassion. This one fought him with equal strength.
They clashed in a realm of white flame and memory.
At last, Tianming won—not by overpowering, but by embracing the compassion he nearly lost.
The void shattered.
He stood alone on the Star Disk.
Xu Wuyin nodded. "Trial complete. Judgment passed."
Yuehong spoke again. "And now your choice."
Tianming waited.
"You may become a direct disciple of the Celestial Mandate Hall, under our banner. Or… you may walk your path alone, under Heaven."
Silence gripped the room.
Zhao Yueyin had warned him.
Elder Mo had warned him.
Tianming raised his head.
"I walk for Heaven. Not for halls or thrones."
Gasps echoed.
Xu Wuyin's eyes narrowed—but then she smiled.
"Then may the stars follow you, Lin Tianming."
---
Outside the Court
As he descended the cloud steps with Yueyin at his side, Tianming's expression was calm.
"What now?" she asked.
He looked up. "Now we prepare. Because they won't like that answer."
From the shadows, a black-robed youth observed him, clutching a scroll sealed in blood.
In the dark, the name Lin Tianming was etched onto the first line of a divine assassination list.
The war of cultivation politics had begun.
[End of Chapter 32: The Grand Council Summons]