The wind howled atop the peaks of Jade Qing Mountain.Bai Wen stood before the Gate of Worthiness,his gaze fixed on the faint glow within.
Arms folded across his chest, he remained calm on the outside,but the flicker of concern in his eyes was hard to hide.
"Strange… why hasn't he come out yet?""Normally, the trial takes no more than an hour."
His hand unconsciously clenched.Doubts began to stir within his mind.
"Did he fail?""Or worse…"
—
Meanwhile, inside the black gate—
Xiao Tian stood within a dark dimension.Beneath his feet was smooth, cold stone.All around him… nothingness. Not even an echo.
But in that silence,something pulsed with light in the center of the void.
— A stone.
It glowed faintly,its surface translucent like polished glass.Inside, deep blue light swirled slowly—as though it were alive.
Xiao Tian furrowed his brows and approached slowly.
Just before he could speak—
"The Core Stone!!!"
A voice rang out in his mind from nowhere.
He flinched,glancing around. But no one was there.
"Who…?" he whispered aloud.
No reply came—only a second, clearer message:
"The Core Stone…""Touch it…"
He hesitated for a moment,then took a deep breath—and reached out his hand to touch the stone.
And then—
A burst of light exploded from the core!A three-dimensional hologram formed in front of him—shimmering and full of detail.
It depicted a strange humanoid being—over two meters tall, with dark bluish skin and layered eyes,wearing what seemed to be advanced armor from another world.
Xiao Tian's eyes widened in disbelief.He fell backward onto the floor, pale with shock.
"What… what is that thing?!"
—
His first encounter with the truth of the universe—
had only just begun…