The First Trial Begins

  The temperature inside the chamber dropped without warning.

  Cold air crept across Long Chen’s skin like invisible insects. The ground began to tremble, and cracks spread across the stone floor.

  Then, from the shadows, something stepped forward.

  Thud.

  Thud.

  Thud.

  Each footstep struck his chest like a hammer.

  A massive figure emerged — a body formed from fused stone and ancient roots, twisted together like bone and muscle. Dark veins pulsed across its surface, carrying crimson energy. Blood-red symbols burned across its chest.

  An Ancient Trial Guardian.

  Not alive.

  Not dead.

  Something in between.

  The space around it warped. Even gravity felt heavier.

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  Long Chen’s instincts screamed a single warning.

  Death.

  “This presence…” he murmured. “It has already surpassed the Early Limit Breaker Realm.”

  Which meant it was far stronger than him.

  Running was not an option.

  Behind him, the stone gate slammed shut with a thunderous crash. Dust rained from above.

  No escape. Only survival.

  For a brief moment, memories flashed through his mind — the burning village, his mother’s blood, his father’s final breath.

  His expression turned cold.

  “Good,” he said quietly. “If I die here, revenge means nothing anyway.”

  The guardian raised one arm.

  Gravity descended.

  His body was forced to one knee as the floor shattered beneath him.

  “This isn’t raw strength,” he realized. “It’s control over the environment itself.”

  His Vein Sight activated on instinct.

  The world transformed.

  Stone became lines. Air became threads. Energy flowed everywhere like rivers of light.

  Inside the guardian, he saw it — a rotating core of condensed power, dense as a miniature planet.

  The heart. The weak point.

  But it was buried beneath layers of crushing force.

  His veins burned. His muscles tore. The Limit Breaker Art reacted violently inside his body.

  If he forced more power, his body might collapse.

  If he held back, he would die.

  Silence filled the chamber.

  Then Long Chen laughed softly.

  “So this is the first real wall.”

  He clenched his fist. A blue distortion glow gathered around his arm.

  This time he was not merely reacting. Not merely adapting.

  He was choosing.

  To break his limit — or break himself.

  The guardian moved.

  The ground exploded beneath its step.

  Long Chen charged forward.

  The first trial had truly begun.

  End of Chapter 5

  Thank you for walking this path with Long Chen.

  Each trial shapes his strength — the next gate is already opening.

  Continue to the next chapter.

  Author: R. Limitless

  ? 2026 Md Rahul Hossain

  All rights reserved