The first rounds went quickly. Simple formation tests — speed, control, endurance. Tian Lei passed each without much effort. His focus was on the final round: creation. Each participant had to build a self-sustaining formation that could adapt to changing attacks.

One by one, the disciples failed as their arrays collapsed under pressure. When it was Tian Lei's turn, he stepped into the circle, took a slow breath, and began.

Instead of forcing control, he followed the lesson from the underground hall — balance, not dominance. The runes he drew didn't resist each other; they flowed like water, harmonizing even as energy waves struck them. His formation bent, twisted, and shifted shape to match every attack.

When the final blast hit, it didn't break. It absorbed the energy and turned it into light.

Silence filled the arena. Then applause broke out. Even the elders looked impressed.

Elder Huyan stood and announced, "Tian Lei of the Outer Sect — from this day forward, you are an Inner Disciple of Harmony Heaven Peak."

The crowd erupted.

Tian Lei bowed respectfully, though his eyes were already fixed on the mountain's summit. He could feel the pendant's faint pulse — faster, stronger, calling him.

That night, as he walked through the quiet mountain paths toward his new quarters higher up, he stopped and looked toward the peak.

"The Third Seal… I'm coming," he whispered.

The next morning began with a formal induction ceremony for the new Inner Disciples. Tian Lei stood among a dozen others as the sect banners fluttered in the wind. The atmosphere was solemn, but beneath it, he could feel an undercurrent of expectation—everyone watching, measuring, and waiting to see what the newcomers would become.

After the ceremony, an attendant led him to his new quarters on the upper terrace. The view was breathtaking: vast clouds stretched below, and the summit of Harmony Heaven Peak stood close enough to seem almost within reach.

Inside the quarters, a jade token lay on the table with a message carved into it—Elder Huyan's mark again.

"When you are ready, come to the Summit Path. Do not delay."

Tian Lei pocketed the token. "No rest for me, then."

He left immediately.

The Summit Path was unlike any other trail in the sect. It wasn't carved by hand or tool but formed by runic energy itself. Each step hummed softly beneath his feet, glowing faintly with ancient formation symbols. The air was thicker, heavier—every breath carried traces of spiritual resonance.

Halfway up, the pressure increased. The path began to test him, reacting to his aura. The runes shifted, forming barriers that changed with each step. Fire, wind, and stone merged into layered trials meant to break intruders.

Tian Lei didn't slow down. He guided his qi carefully, weaving counter-formations on the spot to neutralize each obstacle. His movements were calm and precise—every motion deliberate.

When he finally reached the summit gate, the pendant on his chest burned hot. The runes on the door glowed in response, forming the same three-ring pattern from the altar below.

Elder Huyan was waiting there, standing in silence before the great door. "You've come farther than any disciple in centuries," he said quietly.

Tian Lei nodded. "Then this is where it ends."

The elder's eyes narrowed slightly. "No, Tian Lei. This is where it begins."

He stepped aside. "The final seal lies beyond this gate. Once you open it, there's no turning back. The mountain will either accept you… or erase you."

Tian Lei took a deep breath and stepped forward. The pendant pulsed once, twice—and then shone brighter than ever before.

The doors opened.

A wave of pure formation energy rushed out, flooding the summit with golden light. The ground trembled, and the runes across the mountain began to awaken, one by one.

Elder Huyan shielded his eyes. "The Thirteenth Hall… it's waking!"

Tian Lei walked into the light without hesitation. The last thing he heard before the world shifted was the elder's voice echoing faintly—half awe, half fear.

"May the heavens favor your path, Tian Lei…"

Then the light consumed everything.

When the light faded, Tian Lei found himself standing in an entirely different space.

The air was still, heavy with power. What stretched before him wasn't a hall in the traditional sense—it was a vast circular chamber made of floating runic plates, each suspended in the air by invisible force. Rivers of golden energy flowed between them like streams of living light.

At the center stood a stone platform carved with the same three seals—but now all of them were glowing.

"So this is the Thirteenth Hall…" Tian Lei murmured.

A deep, resonant voice answered, echoing from everywhere and nowhere at once.

"You carry the key. You bear the echo. You are the last to stand before me."

From the light above, a figure began to form—tall, cloaked in luminous patterns that shifted like constellations. Its face was hidden, but its presence was unmistakably divine.

"The First Formation Emperor of the Mriad Heaven Sect," Tian Lei said quietly.

The figure's gaze—though unseen—seemed to pierce straight through him.

"Three seals. Three harmonies. You have restored what was broken. But tell me, inheritor—do you seek to rule the mountain, or to understand it?"

Tian Lei met the question head-on. "Neither. I seek to become one with it. To listen, as the elder taught."

The figure's hand lifted slightly, and the runic streams shifted direction, swirling around Tian Lei like a storm. "Then prove it. If you seek harmony, you must face dissonance."

The light around him condensed into forms—ancient constructs of stone and energy, living formations built to destroy and rebuild endlessly. They attacked at once, their patterns unpredictable and chaotic.

Tian Lei didn't fight back directly. He moved through them, adjusting his qi flow, rewriting runes mid-motion. Each strike he redirected, each pattern he reshaped—turning their chaos into rhythm.

The chamber trembled as his formation expanded outward, merging with the Hall's own energy. The walls began to glow brighter, their lines syncing with his.

The voice spoke again, softer this time.

"You listen… and the mountain listens back."

The last construct dissolved into light. The chamber fell silent, save for the steady hum of living energy.

Then the three seals before him rose into the air, merging together. The light poured into the pendant at his chest until it shone like a miniature sun.

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