The Realm of Thought trembled under the Watchers' gaze. Their very presence distorted reality, their mere thoughts altering the fabric of existence. Even Shen Tian could feel the weight of their scrutiny—an immense, all-encompassing force that sought to unravel what he had built.
"You are shaping something unnatural," one of the Watchers intoned, its voice stretching across dimensions, echoing within the consciousness of all beings present. "Mortals are not meant to comprehend the infinite. Your creation defies the fundamental balance."
Shen Tian stood tall, his expression calm as ever. "Balance is an illusion. The universe has never been stable—only in a state of perpetual change."
The Watchers were silent for a moment. Then, the air itself fractured as a test began.
The Trial of the Infinite Reflections
Across the Realm of Thought, the mirrors that once showed possible futures and past selves now became doorways. One by one, the inhabitants were pulled inside, cast into worlds where they were forced to confront alternate versions of themselves—some enlightened, some monstrous, some trapped in eternal stagnation.
Xian Zhen, who had begun to grasp his own potential, now faced an incarnation of himself who had succumbed to despair. This version of him had stopped seeking knowledge, choosing instead to resign himself to ignorance.
"You wasted your existence," Xian Zhen muttered, clenching his fists.
The alternate self smirked. "And you think you're any different? You struggle so much, but in the end, will you truly change? Or will you return to dust, forgotten like all before you?"
Xian Zhen took a deep breath. "I am not you."
With a single step forward, he shattered the illusion, his mind transcending yet another limitation.
Elsewhere, others struggled against their worst nightmares—versions of themselves who had failed, who had given in to darkness, who had lost everything.
But some, like Xian Zhen, chose to move forward.
Shen Tian vs. The Will of the Watchers
The Watchers turned their attention to Shen Tian. He had built something they did not understand, something that defied their observations of countless realities.
One of them, a being whose form was a constantly shifting fractal of golden light, extended a hand.
"We will see if you truly deserve to stand beyond existence."
The sky darkened. The realm trembled.
Shen Tian raised his head, and for the first time, he smiled.
"Then come."
With those words, reality itself broke apart as Shen Tian faced the judgment of the cosmic Watchers.
---
End of Chapter 57