Chapter 29 – The Watcher's Trial
Falling into the Void
Luo Fan was falling.
Or at least, it felt like falling.
The ruins, the obelisk, the shattered sky—gone.
In their place, a vast expanse of shifting darkness swallowed everything. There was no up, no down. Only an overwhelming pull that dragged him deeper into the abyss.
> "Boss! Bad news—okay, honestly, when is it ever good news? But seriously, this is bad!"
EchoStar's voice crackled in his mind, distorted by whatever force had taken hold of them.
Luo Fan gritted his teeth. His body was weightless, yet pressure crushed down on him from all sides.
The Watcher's final words echoed in his mind.
> "The past does not belong to you."
And then—
The abyss ended.
With a violent jolt, Luo Fan slammed into solid ground.
Pain shot through his body. His vision blurred, his limbs barely responding. But he was alive.
Barely.
The Arena of Echoes
He forced himself up, blinking away the haze.
This was not the ruins.
A vast, circular arena stretched before him, its walls carved from obsidian stone and covered in ancient runes. The air was thick with energy—an oppressive, watching presence pressing down on him.
And at the center—
The Watcher.
It stood motionless, its form flickering between reality and something else. Its eyes, two burning orbs of void-light, bore into him.
"Luo Fan."
The Watcher's voice was neither loud nor soft, yet it filled every corner of the arena.
"You seek what was lost. But the past is not for the unworthy."
Luo Fan exhaled sharply, forcing himself to his feet. His body still felt weak, but his mind was sharp.
"I don't care about 'worthiness.'" He met the Watcher's gaze. "I need the truth."
Silence.
Then—
A shift in the air.
The Watcher raised its hand.
The runes on the arena walls flared to life.
And then—
The world rippled.
The First Trial: The Forgotten Reflection
Luo Fan's surroundings shifted.
Gone was the obsidian arena.
In its place—
A mirror.
A massive, floating mirror, stretching endlessly in every direction. And within its reflection—
Him.
But not as he was now.
The reflection was Luo Fan at his peak—radiating immense power, his robes flowing with celestial energy, his eyes burning with the confidence of someone who had defied fate itself.
Luo Fan tensed.
His strongest self stood before him.
> "…Oh. Oh no."
EchoStar's voice was a mix of amusement and dread.
> "Boss, I think you're about to fight you."
The Fight Against Himself
The reflection moved.
No hesitation. No wasted motion.
One moment, it was standing still—
The next—
A fist was flying toward Luo Fan's face.
CRACK!
Luo Fan barely twisted in time, the strike grazing his cheek. Even with that glancing blow, pain exploded through his body.
Fast. Too fast.
He staggered back, his mind racing. His old self—before the Reset—was fighting at full power.
And he had nothing.
> "Okay, so—great news! Your peak self is ridiculously OP! Bad news? He's trying to kill you."
Luo Fan didn't respond. He had no time.
The reflection vanished—
And reappeared behind him.
Luo Fan barely turned before—
A palm strike to his chest.
BOOM!
His vision whited out.
Pain.
So much pain.
His body was sent flying, slamming into the invisible walls of the arena. His ribs screamed in protest. He gasped, struggling to breathe.
> "Okay, so, uh—strategy time! What's the plan, Boss?"
Luo Fan wiped blood from his lip. His arms shook.
He had no cultivation. No techniques. No strength.
And he was fighting the strongest version of himself.
His mind raced.
This wasn't a normal battle.
It was a trial.
The Watcher had called it the Test of the Forgotten.
Which meant—
It wasn't about winning.
It was about understanding.
Luo Fan exhaled slowly. His vision sharpened.
This is a test.
Which means it has a solution.
He steadied his stance.
And then—
He stopped fighting.
Embracing the Truth
His reflection charged.
Its sword flashed forward—a strike that should have torn the world apart.
Luo Fan didn't dodge.
He stepped into it.
The blade pierced through his chest.
Yet—
There was no pain.
Instead—
The world froze.
The reflection's expression remained unreadable. Its form flickered.
And then, for the first time—
It spoke.
"Do you finally understand?"
Luo Fan's breathing was steady. He did understand.
This wasn't a battle of strength.
This was a test of acceptance.
He had lost everything.
But that didn't mean he was nothing.
Even without cultivation.
Even without power.
He was still Luo Fan.
The moment he embraced that truth—
The reflection smiled.
And then—
It shattered into light.
The Awakening
Luo Fan opened his eyes.
He was back in the Watcher's arena.
His body—
Stronger. The weakness had lessened. Something deep within him had reawakened.
The Watcher observed him in silence. Then, it nodded.
"You have passed the first trial."
A surge of energy flowed into him.
A notification flickered in his vision.
> [System Restoration: 2.7% → 3.5%]
[New Feature Unlocked: Echo Awakening]
> The past does not define you, but neither is it forgotten. The first step has been taken.
Luo Fan exhaled. His body still ached, but the weight that had pressed on his soul was lighter.
He had passed.
But this was only the beginning.
The Watcher raised its hand once more.
"The second trial awaits."
And the world shifted again.
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[Chapter End.]
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