The moment Yun stepped into the Celestial Sky, his breath caught like he had swallowed the whole world. It wasn't just big—no, "big" felt like an insult. The place stretched farther than any map could imagine, the sky rolled in layers, each with floating islands drifting like lazy whales, mountains that pierced clouds three times over, rivers of light curling across the heavens like living threads. Even the air tasted different, like metal and rain mixed together.

Yun stared, his mouth half open.

Shen Yu smacked the back of his head lightly. "Close your mouth. You're not here to eat the scenery."

Yun grumbled under his breath. "You could at least let me look for five seconds… This place is huge."

"Huge?" Shen Yu snorted. "This is the border region. A backyard. When we reach the upper layer, you'll know what 'huge' actually means."

They walked along a ravaged path—stones cracked, weeds pushing through the gaps, ruins scattered like old bones. Yun kept glancing around, feeling strange warmth flicker through his chest again. His bloodline thrummed like it recognized this place somehow.

Far above in another part of the Celestial Sky, his real parents watched through a shimmering mirror of void-light.

Empress Yueran sighed. "He has arrived. He still wears too many emotions on his face."

Emperor Lianxing folded his arms. "Good. Let him break those habits now before the Celestial Court crushes him."

Their expressions looked stern, cold even. But deep inside, both hearts trembled slightly. The "weakness" Yun used to see in them… was all fake. Every tear they shed, every sad look, every tired sigh it was all a show to fuel his urgent growth.

If the Hunters found him too early, he would die.

So they fed him pressure.

They fed him fear.

They fed him responsibility.

Everything had been a seed planted inside him.

Back on the ground, Yun followed Shen Yu to a ruined temple pillars snapped in half, the roof gone, walls scorched like a war had been fought centuries ago. Strange symbols covered the floor, dim like dying stars.

"This is the place?" Yun asked, frowning. "Looks like something fell on it."

"It did," Shen Yu said flatly. "A dragon. Two dragons. A very long story. Don't get distracted."

Yun rolled his eyes. "I never get distracted."

A moth flew past. Yun followed it with his gaze.

Shen Yu pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is why we're here."

They stepped into the center of the ruined hall. Shen Yu placed his palm on the ground, feeding a tiny thread of energy into the formation. The symbols lit up slowly first white, then blue, then a dark golden color like ancient ink.

A voice drifted out, old yet somehow playful:

"Who disturbs my nap? If you want the illusion, step inside and stop whining outside like frightened chicks."

Yun blinked. "Is… is that the Daiōst Brush Master?"

Shen Yu nodded. "Yes. Don't comment on his personality."

The formation's light rose around Yun in spirals, wrapping him like vines.

"What exactly does this do?" Yun asked, a bit too late.

"It will break your softness," Shen Yu said quietly.

"It will teach you silence, patience, calculation."

"It will harden your mind and kill unnecessary fear."

"And you will come out… different."

"Different how?"

"Less… Yun," Shen Yu said. "But more Yun at the same time."

"That makes no sense!"

The world shattered.

The illusion swallowed him whole.

Inside the Ancient Illusion

Yun opened his eyes and found himself standing in a world made of black ink and paper. Mountains were brush strokes, the sky a giant scroll, rivers drawn with a single strike of a divine pen. When he stepped, the ground rippled like liquid art.

A tall figure appeared robes flowing like smoke, hair tied with a bamboo brush, eyes sharp enough to cut worlds. The Daiost Brush Master himself.

"So… this is the boy?" the ancient master muttered. "He looks too emotional. Too loud. Too easily shaken. Hm. Needs a lot of fixing."

Yun scowled. "I'm right here, you know."

"Yes, unfortunately," the master said.

Then the world changed again.

Images flashed:

Yun standing alone facing storms

Yun being hunted by shadows

Yun surrounded by people betraying him

Yun walking on a road of corpses

Yun forced to choose between saving thousands or saving one friend

Yun looking at a world burning

Yun forced to decide who he will become

Each illusion hit him in the chest, stripping away fear layer by layer.

His heart shook, but then steadied.

His breathing trembled, then smoothed.

At one point, Yun shouted, "I'm not scared! I'm just… annoyed!"

"That's good," the master said. "Anger is easier to sharpen than fear."

Day passed into day, illusion battle into illusion trial. Yun lost his panic. He lost his habit of freezing. His face grew calmer, his eyes steadier. His movements sharpened like a blade being honed countless times.

He did not become cold—no.

But he learned to hide the warmth deep, deep down.

When the final illusion broke, Yun climbed out of the formation with a slow steady breath.

His expression was calmer.

His back straighter.

His aura sharper.

Shen Yu watched him, surprise flickering in his eyes. "Your face… It doesn't twitch anymore."

"Yeah," Yun said blankly. "I guess it doesn't."

"Try smiling."

"I won't."

"Try frowning."

"No."

Shen Yu squinted. "You… have turned into a cucumber."

Yun blinked slowly. "A cucumber with great power."

"…That is not comforting."

Far Above, in the Celestial Sky's Upper Layers

His parents felt the shift.

"The illusion worked," Yueran whispered.

"He's colder now," Lianxing said with a tense pride. "More controlled. Now he can survive what's coming."

Outside their palace, three enormous shadows pierced through space ancient enemies are searching.

If they found Yun…

The Celestial Sky itself would burn.

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