The cavern was silent, save for the hum of ancient power radiating from the altar. The spectral warriors, the Dragon and the Phoenix remained bowed. Their ethereal forms were shimmering with a reverence that had spanned thousands of years.

  All eyes turned to the front of the group.

  Li Yu stood there. He looked at the bowing ghosts, then looked back at his friends and then back at the ghosts.

  "Well," Li Yu said as he was adjusting his robes and stepping forward with a magnanimous expression. "I didn't know I could get the inheritance if I wasn’t a part of the sect but I suppose fate works in mysterious ways. I am honored to accept—"

  "NO!"

  The shout didn't come from one warrior. It came from all three. The sound was like a physical wall of sound. It blasted dust off the floor and blew Li Yu’s hair back. It was the sound of firm rejection.

  The central warrior stood up abruptly, his glowing blue eyes narrowing in annoyance. He pointed a massive armored finger past Li Yu.

  "Not you, boy! Step aside!"

  Li Yu froze mid-step, his hand outstretched in a wave that was now incredibly awkward.

  "Uh... pardon?" Li Yu asked as his voice cracked slightly.

  "Him!" The warrior bellowed as he pointed his finger with absolute certainty. "The one with the sword! The one whose soul resonates with the Emperor's Will! Him!"

  The finger was pointing directly at Jian Xuan.

  Jian Xuan looked completely bewildered and pointed at his own chest. He too thought it was Li Yu since Li Yu was the greatest prodigy he had ever seen. "Me?"

  "Yes, you!" The warrior barked. "By the Daos, are all humans this slow in this age? Come forward!"

  Li Yu slowly lowered his hand. He quickly took a step back. Then another. He tried pulling his robe hood up over his face but couldn’t. He wished he had a technique that could turn him into a rock. The second-hand embarrassment was palpable. Tekton, sensing his master’s humiliation let out a sound that was suspiciously like a cough to cover a laugh.

  "I knew that," Li Yu whispered as he got closer to Krell. Krell was standing there and grinning widely. "I was just... testing them. Making sure they didn’t just choose randomly." Li Yu tried to go on.

  "Sure, boy," Krell chuckled. "Testing them."

  Jian Xuan stepped forward but his legs were a bit shaky from the change of expectations. He had been genuinely happy for Li Yu but now that it was him, he didn’t really know how to feel. He looked at the massive spectral warrior.

  "Respected Ancestor," Jian Xuan said while bowing deeply. "I am Jian Xuan. But... why me? Brother Li is stronger. He saved us earlier. He broke the array out there with ease."

  "Strength is not the only key," the spectral Dragon said. Its voice was deep and resonant, like stones grinding together deep underground. "The Inheritance of the Sky-Severing Emperor requires compatibility of the Dao."

  The central warrior nodded. "Our Master was one of the Human Emperors of the past era. He did not wield any random weapon. He wielded a sword."

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  The warrior gestured and a spectral image appeared above Jian Xuan’s head. It was his Martial Spirit. A sleek sword with ethereal wings sprouting from the hilt.

  "Incredible." The warrior said reverently. "Very similar to Master's. Your personality, your stubbornness, your dao… it all aligns. You are the Chosen One."

  "But..." Jian Xuan hesitated. He turned back to look at Lin Xia. She was standing there, exhausted from earlier but looking at him with immense pride.

  "I cannot accept this alone," Jian Xuan said firmly as he turned back to the ghosts. "My Dao is no longer solitary. I have a partner. If the inheritance requires me to leave her behind, then I must refuse."

  Jian Xuan’s master looked like he was about to have a heart attack. Refusing a Human Emperor's inheritance? The inheritance of their sect. It was madness.

  But Li Yu, who had regained his composure and was watching from the side, smiled brightly. Jian Xuan’s Dao was indeed no longer solitary. What was once a Dao that grew stronger from admiration, worship and fanatical following was now one where those things were still there but with his partner by his side while doing it.

  The spectral Phoenix which had been silent until now spread its wings. Unlike a normal phoenix of fire, this one shimmered with a cascading, liquid light. It was a Frost-Mist Phoenix, radiating an aura of deep and unyielding cold.

  "Loyalty," the Phoenix chimed in. Its voice was fluid and piercing like a mountain stream. "A rare trait. Most would abandon their kin for power."

  The central warrior looked at the Phoenix then at the Dragon. They seemed to communicate silently.

  "The Primary Inheritance cannot be split," the warrior stated sternly and firm. "The Dragon Heart and the Emperor's Sword Art are for one vessel only. However..."

  He looked at Lin Xia.

  "The Emperor did not rule alone. He had a companion. A General of the Tides who guarded his flank. Who was also his wife."

  The Phoenix flew down and began circling Lin Xia.

  "This one has a soul like a deep river," the Phoenix judged. "Calm on the surface but holding immense pressure underneath. Her affinity for water is pure. She is compatible with the Secondary Inheritance. It is not as vast as the Emperor's but it carries the essence of the Phoenix Guard."

  Jian Xuan’s face lit up. "She can come with me?"

  "She can," the warrior confirmed. "You will take the Dragon. She will take the Phoenix. Together, you can advance together."

  Jian Xuan grabbed Lin Xia’s hand. "Did you hear that, Xia? We're doing it!"

  Lin Xia smiled with some tears welling in her eyes. She was willing to let him go but was even more happy to see that he didn’t want to. "I heard. We go together."

  "Go," the warrior commanded. He took one step to the right and revealed a shimmering portal behind the altar. "The trial ahead is not of combat but of will. You will receive power. You will receive the resources of a fallen empire. You will receive the bloodline of the Sky-Severing Emperor."

  He looked at the rest of the group.

  "The others must leave. Once the heirs enter the mountain will seal itself. It will not open again until the assimilation is complete."

  "How long?" Li Yu asked.

  "Months," the warrior replied. "Perhaps a year. Maybe more. True power takes time."

  Jian Xuan turned to Li Yu. He walked over and hugged him. It was a crushing, armor-denting bear hug.

  "Thank you, Brother Li," Jian Xuan whispered. "For saving us. For pushing me. For... everything. You are truly my lucky star."

  "Just don't forget me when you're a big shot Emperor." Li Yu grinned at him while patting his back. "I expect some good sparring and you coming to my aid when I need it most."

  “Of course! Praise the Crab God, his mighty claw!" Jian Xuan promised.

  “Through shell and claw your rule shall reign!” Li Yu said with a laugh.

  Jian Xuan turned to his Master. The old man was weeping openly now. His duty having been fulfilled.

  "Make me proud," the Master choked out.

  "We will," Jian Xuan said.

  Hand in hand, Jian Xuan and Lin Xia stepped onto the altar. The Dragon and the Phoenix swirled around them and was dissolving into streams of golden earth and blue frost that engaged them.

  With a flash that blinded everyone in the cavern, they vanished into the portal. The stone doors behind the altar slammed shut with a finality that shook the ground. The spectral warriors faded away as their duty was now done.

  The cavern was silent again.