NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 13: Chapter 13 The Spirit Seal Trial
Recap:
Long Tianyu made his way to the Crimson Sky Hall in response to the Dragon Council's summons. There, he uncovered a shocking truth: his father, Long Shen, was alive but trapped in a state of suspended spirit stasis. To rescue him, Tianyu now faces the Spirit Seal Trial—a perilous test that has claimed the lives of many. Meanwhile, dark forces are closing in...
---
Inside the jade sanctum of the Dragon Council, an ancient chamber opened up to reveal a circular arena illuminated by soul lamps and adorned with forgotten runes. This was the
**Trial Chamber of Truth**
, a sacred space once used to assess the purity of bloodlines and the strength of soul inheritance.
Tianyu found himself standing at its center. Elder Mei gently touched the crystal that held his father.
"If you pass, the spirit seal will break, and your father will awaken.
But if you fail... your soul may burn alongside his."
Tianyu nodded resolutely.
"Let's begin."
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> [System Alert: Entering Soul Domain Trial Seal of the First Flame]
> Objective: Endure all flame sequences and restore ancestral memory
> Time Limit: Unknown
> Risk: Irreversible Soul Damage
The air shimmered around him.
Tianyu's body went rigid, but his mind was thrust into a raging inferno.
---
He found himself in an expansive realm of white flames.
The sky was molten, and the ground throbbed with living fire.
Echoes of voices surrounded him—fragmented cries from ancestors long forgotten.
In the distance, a shadow emerged: a man cloaked in flames, bound by chains of light.
> "I am Long Shen."
> "You have entered the flame that forged our clan. If you truly are my son, you must survive it."
Chains coiled around Tianyu's wrists, and he was plunged into the first furnace.
---
> [Trial Phase 1 Memory Flame: Pain of the Bloodline]
Flashes of history surged through him.
He saw his father as a young cultivator, betrayed by his own brothers and sealed away by the council.
Each blade, each wound, each betrayal pierced his heart as if they were his own.
The flames scorched his skin, branding him with guilt, hatred, and sorrow.
But Tianyu clenched his teeth.
"I will not succumb to pain. I am forged from it."
The furnace let out a crackling sound.
---
> [Phase 1 Complete: Emotional Purification Passed]
> [Phase 2: Legacy of Flame - Combat Trial]
From the flames emerged a phantom opponent: Long Shen, in his prime.
He wielded a blade engulfed in dragonfire, moving with a precision that was almost terrifying.
Tianyu braced himself.
The two clashed—flame against flame, father against son.
Every strike pushed Tianyu to his limits.
But then, he started to catch the rhythm. Memories of his father's training came flooding back in dreams.
He parried and then disarmed his opponent.
The phantom bowed.
> [Phase 2 Complete: Combat Acknowledged]
---
> [Final Phase: Soul Core Recognition]
Flames swirled together, forming a sphere.
A voice whispered: Speak your truth.
Only one who carries fire without regret may enter the core.
Tianyu stood there, alone.
I am Long Tianyu.
Son of a fallen flame.
Bearer of wrath, vengeance, and rebirth.
I do not ask for acceptance—I demand my place.
Silence.
Then, the fire surged into him.
> [You have inherited the Elder Flame Memory Core]
> New Technique Gained: Eternal Dragonfire Path
> Effect: Unlocks an ancient flame route that evolves with bloodline fusion and emotional clarity.
The trial came to an end.
---
He awoke, gasping, on the arena floor.
The crystal before him had cracked.
Inside, Long Shen opened his eyes.
Tianyu.
They locked eyes at the center of the sanctum—father and son, reunited after decades.
Tianyu clenched his fists.
I will burn the world that broke you.
Long Shen's grip tightened.
Then start with the traitors.
---
Outside the sanctum, however, an assassin was on the move.
A cloaked figure had slipped through the outer layers of the Dragon Council.
She moved like a shadow, her hands laced with Qi meant to erase spirit traces.
She reached the outer dome of the trial chamber just as it cracked open.
Target locked: Long Tianyu.
> [Vault Protocol: Eliminate Phoenix Variant Before Spread]
But she wasn't alone.
Lei Fen, the stealth expert from Tianyu, emerged from behind a statue and swiftly plunged a poisoned needle into the assassin's neck.
"I knew you'd come," he said.
They clashed—blade and poison against shadow and silence.
In the end, the Vault agent collapsed, but not before murmuring, "He's already coming—the one who bound the council in chains."
Back inside, Tianyu and Long Shen faced Elder Mei.
"I'm taking my father and leaving," Tianyu declared.
Wuchen stepped forward, challenging him. "You dare defy the council?" Tianyu turned, his eyes ablaze.
"Try stopping me."
The Flame Soul Armor flared back to life, now evolved and crackling with a hint of golden lightning.
> [Flame Soul Armor Phase 3: Dragonfire Judgment Unlocked]
Teaser for Chapter 14:
As Tianyu heads back to Blackwood Hollow with his father, the secrets of the Vault's ancient contract with the council begin to unravel. A dragon, sealed away for 3,000 years, starts to awaken.