Reincarnation of the Celestial Bastard

Chapter 64: Trial of the Ancient Seal

The weight of Li Feng's words lingered in the air as Li Tian left the chamber where the Ancient Seal was held. His heart pounded with anticipation. Tomorrow, he would face the trial, and if he succeeded, he would gain access to the most dangerous and powerful artifact in the Li family's history. A fragment of ancient power, tied to the very fabric of life and death.

As he returned to his quarters, Li Tian felt the familiar tug of the system in his mind.

[System Message: The Trial of the Ancient Seal will begin at sunrise tomorrow. Use this time to prepare mentally and physically. Failure to complete the trial will result in loss of life.]

[Note: Crisis Mode will be activated during the trial, should the host's life be in imminent danger.]

Li Tian smirked. The system was more protective than it appeared. He welcomed the challenge, but it seemed even the system knew the dangers that lay ahead.

As he lay in bed, his thoughts turned to those who had come to mean something to him. Li Xue, Xu Fang, and Liu Mei—they were all tied to his life now in different ways. A life he had rebuilt from the ashes of his past. But in this new world, power was the only true constant, and this trial would bring him closer to the kind of strength he craved.

The next morning, Li Tian stood before the entrance to the underground chamber. The air was cold, almost biting, and the eerie silence made it feel as though the world itself was holding its breath.

His father, Li Feng, was already waiting for him, along with several elders who had come to witness the trial. There was no fanfare, no encouragement—just the grim reality that if Li Tian failed, his journey would end here.

"Are you ready?" Li Feng asked, his tone serious but not unkind.

Li Tian nodded. "I am."

With a simple gesture, the large iron doors groaned open, revealing the dark, foreboding passage beyond. Li Feng led the way inside, with Li Tian following close behind. The elders remained outside, as this was a trial only for the bloodline heirs.

As they descended deeper into the chamber, the air grew thicker with ancient energy. The walls themselves seemed to pulse with power, and Li Tian could feel the weight of countless generations pressing down on him. Finally, they reached a circular room with the Ancient Seal glowing faintly in the center.

"This is where the trial will take place," Li Feng explained, his voice echoing off the stone walls. "Once it begins, you will be alone. The seal will test you in ways no one else can anticipate. Your strength, your mind, and your spirit will be pushed to their limits. Survive, and you will earn the power you seek. Fail, and..."

Li Tian didn't need to hear the rest. He already knew the stakes.

"Let's begin," he said, stepping forward to stand before the glowing seal.

Li Feng nodded, and with a wave of his hand, the runes surrounding the seal began to light up one by one, casting the room in a brilliant, pulsating glow. The power radiating from the seal was almost overwhelming, but Li Tian steeled himself. This was the moment he had been preparing for.

The ground beneath him trembled, and suddenly, the world around him shifted. The chamber, the seal, even his father—all of it vanished, replaced by a vast, empty expanse of darkness. Li Tian stood alone in the void, the only source of light coming from his own body, faint but steady.

[New Quest: Survive the Trial of the Ancient Seal.]

[Objective: Defeat the guardian of the seal and overcome your inner demons.]

Li Tian's eyes narrowed as a massive figure began to materialize before him. A towering beast, its body a grotesque fusion of shadow and flame, with glowing red eyes that seemed to pierce straight into his soul.

The guardian of the seal.

Without warning, the beast lunged at him, its claws cutting through the darkness like blades. Li Tian barely managed to dodge, feeling the heat from the creature's attack singe his skin. He rolled to the side, drawing on his cultivation energy to form a protective barrier around himself.

But the guardian was relentless. It attacked again, faster this time, its movements almost impossible to track. Li Tian's barrier cracked under the pressure, and he was forced to retreat, his mind racing as he tried to figure out how to defeat something this powerful.

[System Message: Host is advised to activate Crisis Mode.]

[Crisis Mode activated.]

Suddenly, a surge of energy flooded through Li Tian's body. His senses sharpened, and his reaction time increased tenfold. The guardian's next attack came, but this time, Li Tian was ready. He sidestepped the strike with ease, his body moving faster than he thought possible.

With a roar, he countered, unleashing a powerful blast of qi that struck the guardian square in the chest. The beast staggered but didn't fall. It snarled, baring its fangs as it prepared for another assault.

But Li Tian wasn't done yet. Drawing on his newfound strength, he summoned a technique he had never used before—the Heaven's Severing Slash—a devastating sword technique that cleaved through the very fabric of space.

The attack hit the guardian head-on, splitting it in two. For a moment, everything was still. Then, the beast dissolved into nothing, its body disintegrating into the void.

Li Tian stood there, panting heavily, his heart racing from the intensity of the battle. But he had done it. He had defeated the guardian.

[System Message: Guardian defeated. Next phase of the trial initiated.]

Before he could catch his breath, the world around him shifted again. This time, he found himself standing in front of a mirror, but the reflection staring back at him wasn't his own. It was the version of himself from his past life—cold, ruthless, and consumed by the pursuit of power.

Li Tian stared at the reflection, feeling a surge of emotions he hadn't expected. This was his inner demon—the part of himself that he had left behind when he was reincarnated into this new world. The version of him that had been betrayed, that had died alone.

"You think you've changed," the reflection sneered, its voice mocking. "But deep down, you're still the same. Still chasing power. Still willing to sacrifice anything to get what you want."

Li Tian clenched his fists, anger boiling inside him. "I'm not the same. I've learned from my past. I'm stronger now, not just in power but in will."

The reflection laughed. "Then prove it."

The reflection stepped out of the mirror, manifesting into a physical form. It looked exactly like Li Tian, only darker, more menacing. The two stood face to face, and without warning, the reflection attacked.

Li Tian blocked the first strike, but the force behind it was immense. This wasn't just any opponent—it was himself. Every move, every technique was something he knew, something he had mastered in his previous life.

But he had one thing his past self didn't—control over his desires, his emotions. He wasn't driven by blind ambition anymore. He was fighting for more than just power.

With that thought in mind, Li Tian unleashed a flurry of attacks, his strikes fast and precise. The reflection fought back with equal ferocity, but it was clear that Li Tian had the upper hand. He was stronger now, not just in body but in mind.

With a final blow, Li Tian struck the reflection down, watching as it dissolved into nothing.

[System Message: Trial completed. Congratulations, host.]

[Reward: Forbidden Martial Art - Void Reaver Blade.]

Li Tian stood in the void, his heart pounding but filled with a sense of accomplishment. He had faced his demons, both physical and internal, and emerged victorious. The power of the Ancient Seal was now his to wield.

But this was only the beginning. The path ahead was still long, and the challenges he would face would only grow more dangerous.