Zhen Hao and Lian Hua emerged from the shimmering gateway into a vast, open platform suspended beneath a sky of endless stars. The ground beneath them was made of smooth, reflective stone, each step rippling with faint traces of energy. A sense of timelessness permeated the air, as if they had stepped into a realm untouched by mortal concerns.
"What is this place?" Lian Hua whispered, her voice almost swallowed by the vastness around them.
"It feels… alive," Zhen Hao said, his voice cautious. His senses reached out, brushing against the overwhelming energy that pulsed through the platform. "This must be the Starbound Platform. The cultivators of legend spoke of it as a place where truths are revealed."
Ahead of them, the center of the platform shimmered, and a colossal obelisk rose into view. It glowed faintly, its surface inscribed with intricate symbols and glyphs that seemed to shift and rearrange themselves as they approached.
Zhen Hao studied the obelisk, his brow furrowed. "These markings… they're describing cultivation realms."
Lian Hua stepped closer, her eyes scanning the glyphs. "Foundation Establishment… Core Formation… Nascent Soul… but these are only the basics. The later realms, the descriptions grow vague, as if words can't contain them."
"That's because they can't," a voice echoed around them, deep and resonant.
Both Zhen Hao and Lian Hua turned, weapons drawn. From the shadows of the obelisk stepped a figure cloaked in shifting starlight, his face obscured by a veil of flickering constellations.
"I am the Keeper of the Starbound Platform," the figure said, his tone neither hostile nor welcoming. "You who have braved the trials and reached this place—what do you seek?"
"We seek the legacy of the Silver Empress," Zhen Hao replied firmly.
The Keeper's gaze turned toward the obelisk. "The legacy you seek is not simply power, but the understanding to wield it. The Silver Empress did not ascend by strength alone but by mastering the balance of all things. Tell me, travelers, do you understand what lies beyond the realms you now know?"
Zhen Hao exchanged a glance with Lian Hua. "We've heard of them—realms where cultivators transcend mortality itself. But knowledge of those realms has been lost to time."
The Keeper nodded slowly. "They are not easily grasped. Beyond the Nascent Soul realm, the spirit of a cultivator must align with the laws of the universe itself. You must understand Divinity Embryo, where the soul refines into a singular essence. Then the Unity Ascension, where body and soul merge with the Dao. Finally, the Eternal Radiance—the pinnacle where a cultivator becomes indistinguishable from the heavens."
Lian Hua frowned. "If the path is so clear, why is it so rarely walked?"
"Because clarity does not equal ease," the Keeper replied. "The higher you climb, the harsher the trials. The further you go, the more you risk. Few have the strength to endure the weight of eternity pressing down upon them."
...
Zhen Hao and Lian Hua stood motionless as the rippling light of the Starbound Platform faded around them. When their surroundings solidified, they were no longer in the starry expanse but in a realm of gray, where the horizon stretched endlessly in all directions. The air was thick, stagnant, and heavy with a sense of decay.
"What is this place?" Lian Hua asked, her voice taut with unease.
Zhen Hao frowned, his brows furrowing as he scanned the desolation around them. "This is not like the trials I've encountered before. It's... lifeless."
A voice echoed through the air, deep and resonant, yet laced with sorrow. "Zhen Hao, the Eternal Blade. Immortal, yet bound. Unyielding, yet unmoving. Welcome to the Realm of Stagnation."
From the haze stepped a figure that mirrored Zhen Hao himself, clad in the same robes and wielding the same blade, but his face was weary, his posture slouched under the weight of unseen burdens.
"What trickery is this?" Zhen Hao demanded, his grip tightening on his sword.
"This is no trick," the doppelgänger replied, his tone heavy. "I am you, Zhen Hao. Or rather, the version of you who gave up the path forward. The version who embraced immortality as an end rather than a means."
Zhen Hao's eyes narrowed. "Immortality is not an end. It's the foundation to keep climbing higher."
"Is it?" the figure retorted. "Or is it the reason you've remained stuck? You've lived centuries, yet you still wander the mortal plane, avoiding the heavens' call. You chase fleeting ambitions and relics, but in your heart, you fear what lies beyond the unknown."
Lian Hua stepped forward, her voice sharp. "He has faced countless enemies and climbed through trials no mortal could endure. He's not afraid."
The figure turned to her, his gaze piercing. "Then why hasn't he ascended beyond his current realm? Immortality granted him time, but his understanding of the Dao remains shallow. To live forever is not the same as mastering eternity."
Zhen Hao's jaw tightened. "Enough. Show me the path forward or step aside."
The doppelgänger's expression softened, and he gestured to the endless gray expanse around them. "This is the path you are on, Zhen Hao. Stagnation. You call yourself immortal, but your cultivation has faltered, your progress stalled. Tell me—how long has it been since you truly sought the Dao? Since you risked everything to ascend?"
Zhen Hao hesitated, the words striking deeper than he wanted to admit. It had been decades—perhaps even centuries—since he had confronted the heavens' trials. He had always told himself there was time, that he could perfect his foundation, but the truth lingered like a bitter taste.
"You fear what lies ahead," the figure continued. "Not the dangers, but the sacrifices. To climb higher, you must cast aside even this immortality you hold so dearly. Can you let go of what you are to become something greater?"
The silence stretched as Zhen Hao wrestled with the question. Around him, the gray expanse shifted, and he caught glimpses of his past—his rise to power, the battles fought, the lives lost in his pursuit of vengeance and strength.
Lian Hua touched his arm, her voice gentle. "Zhen Hao, you've endured so much already. Whatever this path demands, you can face it."
He looked at her, her presence grounding him, and then back at the figure. "You're right. I've let myself stagnate, clinging to what I've achieved instead of striving for what I could become. But no longer."
The figure smiled faintly, stepping aside. "Then prove it. Break free from the chains of immortality that bind you."
As the words echoed, the gray realm trembled. A vortex of light erupted in the distance, pulling Zhen Hao and Lian Hua toward it.
When the light faded, they found themselves back on the Starbound Platform. The Keeper of the Platform stood before them, his starry visage more defined than before.
"You have seen the truth of your stagnation, Zhen Hao," the Keeper said. "Immortality is a gift that becomes a curse when one loses the will to ascend. The path ahead will demand sacrifices—sacrifices that may render your immortality meaningless. Are you ready?"
Zhen Hao nodded, his expression resolute. "I am ready. No more delays. Show me the way forward."
The Keeper raised his hand, and the glyphs on the obelisk flared with radiant light. The stars above pulsed in rhythm with the energy emanating from the obelisk.
"The legacy of the Silver Empress is not just power—it is enlightenment. The next trial will challenge your understanding of the Dao itself. To ascend, you must embrace not just strength but balance, humility, and the willingness to abandon what you hold most dear."
The platform began to shift, splitting into multiple paths of swirling light. Each path led into the unknown, their endpoints obscured by a blinding brilliance.
"Choose your path wisely," the Keeper said. "Each represents a fragment of the Dao. Only by finding the harmony between them will you take the next step."