Chapter 189: Crossing

Lian stood at the edge of the frame for a long time.

The dark corridor waited on the other side. Blue embers drifted near the ceiling, giving just enough light to see the smooth stone walls and the long stretch of floor that ran straight before bending out of sight. No sound came from inside. No movement. The image remained steady and quiet.

Elara stepped up beside him. Ryzek took position on the other side. Neither of them spoke. The decision had already been made. All that remained was to cross.

Lian lifted one foot and stepped through.

The white room disappeared the moment his boot met the dark stone. Cold, dry air settled around him. The soft light of the white room was gone, replaced by the pale blue glow of the floating embers. The walls stood close on both sides — wide enough for the three of them to walk together, but narrow enough that a real fight would be cramped.

Elara came through right behind him. Ryzek followed last. The moment the Veyrani’s second foot cleared the threshold, the entrance sealed. The frame vanished, leaving only solid dark stone where the way back had been.

No one tested it. They already knew.

The corridor stretched ahead in silence. The blue embers drifted slowly, casting long, soft shadows that shifted whenever one of them moved. Their footsteps sounded too clear against the stone. Lian took the lead, keeping his pace steady and controlled. Elara stayed close on his right. Ryzek covered the rear, four amber eyes scanning the walls and ceiling as they walked.

Nothing came at them in the first stretch.

The corridor continued straight for a long distance before it finally reached the bend they had seen from the white room. Lian slowed as they approached the turn. He raised one hand and the other two stopped behind him. He listened. The only sound was the faint hum of the floating embers.

He moved forward and looked around the corner.

The corridor continued, but it was no longer empty.

A series of low stone platforms rose from the floor at irregular intervals, each one wide enough for a person to stand on. Between the platforms the floor dropped into narrow gaps filled with the same dense fog they had seen in the third frame. The fog did not rise above the level of the platforms. It stayed low and still, waiting.

On the far side of the chamber-like stretch, the corridor continued into darkness.

Ryzek stepped up beside Lian and studied the layout.

“The fog is the same as the third path,” he said quietly. “They connected the trials.”

Elara’s eyes moved from platform to platform, measuring the distances.

“Some of those gaps are too wide to jump cleanly,” she said. “Especially with injuries.”

Lian kept his eyes on the fog. It did not move. It did not react to their presence. That only made it worse.

Power Scale / Cultivation Realms (Quick Reminder)

Foundation Realm (Layers 1–9): Body forging, no external Qi.

Circuit Awakening Realm (Early–Peak): First Qi loop, internal bursts.

Core Condensation Realm (Early–Peak): External Qi release, short flight.

Stellar Circuit Realm (1–9 Stars): True flight, Qi armor, energy projection.

Nebula Dominion Realm and higher: Domain control, galaxy-level power, etc

Power Scale Reminder

Lian Yu: Stellar Circuit Star 1.

Elara Voss: Core Condensation Peak

Keep it as reminders