A Western Kid’s Journey into the Eastern Cultivation World

The corridor's stone floor suddenly split with a thunderous crack, revealing a chasm of churning lava below. Jack yanked Lyra back by her cloak, the heat singeing the edges of her armor. "Watch the ground—these 符文 are pressure triggers!" he shouted, pointing to a glowing symbol beneath his boot.

Aelion swung his sword at a cluster of 毒箭 that shot from the walls, deflecting them into the lava. "This is a deathtrap," he grunted, his armor dented from a near - miss. The Keeper ran her fingers along the wall, her eyes glowing as she decoded the ancient script. "The First Mages embedded warnings in the architecture. This section mentions 'the heart of a star's corpse'—one of the Elysian Requiem's materials."

Lyra triggered a hidden switch while dodging a falling spiked ceiling. A burst of ancient magic flared, illuminating the corridor with a blue glow. Dozens of previously invisible 符文 lit up, depicting a star crashing into an abyss. "Look!" she pointed to a rune cluster shaped like a crystalline formation. "That must be the Starshard Cavern they're talking about."

Elias suddenly collapsed to his knees, clutching his head. "Something's watching us... from the shadows," he gasped. Jack spun around, the merged orb pulsing wildly. A shadowy figure peeled away from the ceiling, its form rippling like oil—one of the Abyssal Fusion's leftover tendrils, now evolved into a hunter.

The creature launched itself at The Keeper, who barely raised an ice shield in time. The impact shattered her magic, sending her sliding toward the lava chasm. Lyra dove to grab her hand, while Aelion charged the shadow with his sword ablaze. But the creature dissolved into mist, reforming behind Jack.

"Now!" Jack shouted, thrusting his sword into a floor 符文. A burst of light and dark energy erupted, creating a temporary bridge across the lava. "Run for the archway!" The group sprinted across as the shadow creature shrieked, its form dissipating in the magical backlash.

On the other side, they found a massive door inscribed with a star devoured by a void. The Keeper paled at the sight. "This is the Seal of Final Descent. Beyond this lies the Starshard Cavern... and the guardian that protects the Elysian Requiem's core."

As Jack placed his hand on the door, the merged orb burned with a strange new intensity. Images flooded his mind: a colossal being made of stardust and shadow, wielding a blade that split the universe. The guardian's voice echoed in his head: "Only those who bear both light and dark may pass..."

The door creaked open, revealing a cavern filled with floating shards of crystal that glowed like distant stars. At its center, a figure made of pure cosmic energy rose from the ground, its eyes two swirling galaxies. The guardian had awakened—and it would not yield the weapon without a fight.