Wu Tian stood before the cave's entrance, his breath slow and steady. The water cascading down from above created a misty veil, obscuring the true depth of the cavern beyond. The air was heavy, thick with an ancient energy that sent a shiver through his bones. This was no ordinary place.
He stepped forward, crossing the threshold. Instantly, the temperature dropped, and an unnatural silence pressed in around him. His heartbeat echoed against the stone walls as he moved deeper, his instincts warning him that danger lurked ahead.
Then, the whisper came.
"You seek strength, yet your marrow remains untempered."
Wu Tian froze. The voice was neither male nor female, neither loud nor soft. It was a presence, an existence beyond mere sound.
Then, without warning—
The walls of the cave shifted.
The air rippled, and suddenly, Wu Tian was no longer standing in a dark cavern but in the center of a vast arena of stone and blood.
A phantom figure materialized before him, humanoid in shape but featureless. It radiated pure killing intent.
The voice spoke again. "To break the Fourth Gate, you must endure suffering beyond flesh, beyond blood. Iron Marrow is forged in agony."
The figure moved—
And Wu Tian had no time to react.
The Trial of Combat
A crushing blow struck his ribs, sending him skidding across the stone floor. He barely had time to process the attack before another came—a kick aimed at his spine. He twisted at the last moment, rolling with the impact, but pain still flared through his body.
His bones vibrated, aching deep within.
The figure did not pause. It closed the distance, relentless, merciless. Its strikes carried no hesitation, no wasted motion. Wu Tian blocked what he could, but every impact sent shockwaves through his skeleton, rattling his very foundation.
His breath came in ragged bursts. His flesh had been tempered, his blood had been strengthened—but his bones... his marrow...
They were still weak.
A fist slammed into his gut, sending him to his knees. His vision blurred as a metallic taste filled his mouth. His fingers dug into the ground, his mind screaming at him to move.
"Stand."
The voice echoed in his skull.
The phantom loomed over him, its next strike already descending.
Wu Tian's eyes flashed.
He twisted, his instincts sharpened beyond reason, avoiding the strike by a hair's breadth. His body responded, not out of thought, but out of sheer will.
Pain was no longer his enemy. It was his forge.
He roared, launching himself forward. The figure met him with a counterstrike, but this time, Wu Tian did not falter.
The impact shattered through him, his bones screaming in protest—but something else awakened.
The pain did not destroy him.
It transformed him.
Breaking the Fourth Gate
A searing heat erupted within his skeleton. It spread from his core, flowing into his limbs, his spine, his very marrow. His body convulsed, yet his mind was clearer than ever.
The Fourth Gate—Iron Marrow.
He stood.
The phantom attacked again, but this time, Wu Tian met its strike with his own.
A resonant shockwave burst through the arena. The phantom staggered, its form flickering as if its very essence had been shaken.
Wu Tian clenched his fists. His bones no longer cracked under pressure—they absorbed the force, redirected it, strengthened it.
The phantom lunged once more, but Wu Tian no longer avoided. He engaged—every punch, every block, every movement refined as his body adapted to the relentless assault. Blow for blow, strike for strike.
Minutes passed. Then hours.
And then—
The phantom faltered.
Wu Tian's fist struck one final time, shattering its form into nothingness.
Silence. Then, the voice spoke once more.
"You have endured. You have become more than flesh and blood. Iron runs through your marrow now. Go forth and break the limits of this world."
Darkness surged around him.
And then, he was back in the cave.
Returning Stronger
Wu Tian exhaled, his body still trembling from the trial. He flexed his fingers, feeling the changes within. His very core had shifted, his bones no longer mere structure, but a foundation of unbreakable resilience.
He had passed the trial. He had broken through.
He was ready.
As he stepped out of the cave, the first rays of dawn greeted him. The sect trials awaited, and Jiang Yue's challenge loomed ever closer.
But now, he feared nothing.
He would carve his name into this world with strength unmatched.