Ascension of The Unholy Immortal

Kai's heart pounded at that. Old man? Great success? So someone had cultivated this technique before. And not just anyone—someone these two revered.

Could that be why Sia is helping me? But what's her true goal? And why did the mirror spirit give me this technique to begin with…?

His face remained calm, but his mind swirled with turmoil.

Wu Jiang gave him a strange glance, then returned his focus to Sia.

"That's… uncertain. The old man vanished from the domain not long after succeeding. But… from what I saw, his personality didn't change much. He just became… more tolerable."

Sia scoffed, her voice dripping with disbelief. "Tolerable? That old man? Please."

Kai's brow furrowed slightly. Could they have known each other in the past? Not in her current state as a revenant—but before?

Wu Jiang let out a dry laugh, but didn't refute Sia's words. "Whether he was tolerable or not, he was powerful—so powerful, even that domain lord didn't dare to provoke him directly."

Kai remained silent, but his thoughts churned.

So there really was someone who completed the Heaven Severing Mortal Unity Scripture… and left this realm afterward? Maybe their master ?

Even as questions flooded his mind, his face showed none of it—calm and focused.

Sia crossed her arms. "That's why I came to you. We need your realm, your resources, and most of all—your Fate Aura. Kai has to ascend, and fast. As for the rest… I have other connections beyond the Pavilion. That part's handled."

Wu Jiang tapped his finger against his arm, considering.

"The Fate Aura isn't so easily given. If I grant it, I'll be interfering with the natural order of cause and effect… this won't be a clash between two youths, but a battle that will shake the domain's fate."

"I'm aware," Sia said simply.

Wu Jiang cast another glance at Kai, and for the first time, a flicker of anticipation stirred in his eyes.

"You don't look like much… but perhaps you're the key to unlocking the old man's legacy."

Kai's thoughts churned, his expression still calm as a mountain lake, but within, storm winds howled.

So this is what Sia was after all along when she started helping me... not just out of goodwill, not because I was "special" or "worthy"—but because of the Heaven Severing Mortal Unity Scripture.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, watching the subtle glances exchanged between the two ancient powers. But when did she find out I was cultivating the Heaven Severing Mortal Unity Scripture? How?

The technique was unique—its cultivation signs subtle but deeply entwined with one's soul and flesh. Could it be… she had a copy herself? That would explain her insight—how easily she dissected his condition, how she always seemed two steps ahead.

Then why ask for the version I had?

The thought made his brows twitch faintly. Was she testing me? Or was her version flawed? Incomplete? Or worse… His lips curled ever so slightly, a cold sneer flickering across his soul.

Was she trying to deceive me—to use me as a living vessel to access a greater legacy?

A flicker of disdain crossed Kai's eyes before he masked it again with composure.

Hmph. So that's how it is.

First, she pulls me in under the guise of being a benefactor. Then she feeds me opportunities, techniques, protection… and now, here she is, bargaining with Wu Jiang, trying to gather enough power to pit me against Liang.

Did both of them truly believe that after I and Liang become one, they'll be able to control me?

Kai inwardly sneered.

Fools.

That's the very core of the Scripture—they still don't understand.

The Heaven Severing Mortal Unity Scripture doesn't produce a puppet. It doesn't create a tool for others to wield. It forges a sovereign. A being severed from fate, unified in will, unbound by mortal duality.

If they think they can tame that… they've learned nothing from the old man's legacy.

I won't be their pawn. Not Sia's, not Wu Jiang's… not anyone's.

Still, he kept his expression steady, letting none of his thoughts leak through. Let them believe they're in control for now.

In truth, their support was useful. If they wished to offer fate aura, resources, backing—he would accept them. He would climb as high and as fast as they allowed.

But once the time came… once the Scripture was complete…

Wu Jiang finally spoke. "Very well. I'll lend him part of my Fate Aura, and I'll allow him to cultivate in the Dragonbone Platform. But…"

"But what?" Sia asked.

Wu Jiang raised a single finger. "Only if he passes the Three Martial Trials."

Kai's gaze sharpened. "What trials?"

Wu Jiang's lips curled into a cold smile.

"The Three Martial Trials are the foundation of my realm. They are not just tests of power—but of will, comprehension, and intent. Pass them, and you will not only gain my Fate Aura… but the right to inherit a portion of the Martial Origin."

Kai's heart stirred. Martial Origin?

Even Sia's expression shifted slightly, her brows twitching. "You still have fragments of that left?"

Wu Jiang gave her a pointed look. "Unlike you, this realm lord still has countless means."

Sia's expression turned more serious. "You created those trials to temper your chosen heirs. You intend to use them on Kai?"

Wu Jiang nodded. "If he wants my Fate Aura, he must prove himself worthy in the only currency I accept—martial will."

Kai stepped forward and asked again. "What are these trials?"

Wu Jiang turned, his robes billowing behind him as he walked toward the edge of the Dragonbone Platform. With a single wave of his hand, the skies trembled—and a vast projection unfolded in the heavens above.

Three colossal stone gates appeared in the illusion, each suspended over a different mountain peak. One burned with golden flames. One howled with endless storms. The last was eerily silent, shrouded in a black mist that even divine sense could not penetrate.

Wu Jiang spoke:

"The first trial: Gate of Flame. You will enter the Furnace of Will, where the essence of countless martial legacies burns. There, you must forge your martial intent and survive the baptism. Those who falter… are consumed."

Kai's gaze lingered on the burning gate, the heat of it searing even through the illusion.

"The second trial: Gate of Thunder. You must face every technique you've ever learned—stripped from your control—and turned against you by a mirror avatar wielding your own martial path. Defeat yourself… or be broken by your own weakness."

A distant thunder cracked, echoing from the storm-shrouded peak.

Wu Jiang's voice deepened, like a war drum sounding in the soul.

"And the third trial…"