CHAPTER 709: THE INHERITANCE TRIAL (PART-6)

This time, a naked woman knelt before him, tall, voluptuous, radiant like living flame. Her long scarlet hair cascaded down her back, her beauty both fierce and divine.

She bowed her head, although with a bit of reluctance in her eyes. "Pyro greets her new Master."

Mark blinked, stunned for a moment before quickly averting his eyes and pulling out clothing from his inventory. "Here. Put these on."

Pyro snorted softly but accepted the clothes, standing with fluid grace as she dressed herself. Her voice carried a proud rasp as she said sharply, lifting her chin. "I only accepted you because I want to live. And I will keep my word. I will lend my strength when you are in danger. But understand this clearly, human..."

Her amber eyes flicked between Mark and Frost.

"I will obey fully only after I acknowledge your power. And right now, you are still unworthy..."

Mark scratched his cheek awkwardly, but inwardly he murmured: Absolute Authority doesn’t work perfectly on 14-circle beasts yet... but that’s fine. They’ll fall in line soon enough.

He didn’t need perfect loyalty. Not yet. Strength and practicality were good enough.

Before he could say anything else, the external holographic screen shimmered into existence at the chamber’s edge.

[ Floor 10 Cleared ]

[ Congratulations. You have completed the Trial. ]

[ Proceed upstairs to claim the Inheritance. ]

Mark allowed himself a brief smile. "Finally."

He motioned for the two mythical beasts, now in human form, to follow him.

Together, the three ascended the staircase to Floor 11.

But where the previous floors had been loud with monster roars and swirling illusions, the eleventh was silent. Purely silent.

A small chamber spread before them, plain stone walls and soft blue lighting. No glowing screens. No monsters roaring. No illusions or dramatic entrances.

Just a single podium in the center.

Upon it rested a small golden key, its surface engraved with runes so ancient they looked like cracks of primordial light.

Beside it sat a humble wooden chest, no bigger than a shoebox, carved with sigils identical to those adorning the Founder’s statue.

Mark took a slow step forward.

Frost and Pyro stayed behind him, both unusually quiet.

Whatever waited inside that chest... it belonged to the Founder himself.

Mark reached out his hand and lifted the key between his fingers, turning it slightly so the soft glow of the chamber flickered across its ancient runes. It didn’t feel powerful, nor heavy, nor majestic. If anything, it appeared deceptively ordinary and felt cool against his fingertips.

But the moment he pressed it into the lock of the wooden chest, something clicked inside him. A pulse. A tug. As if something behind that small lid had been waiting for him... for a very long time.

He opened it.

Inside, nestled neatly like it had been placed gently just yesterday, lay a single book. Plain. Bound in faded brown. No aura. No pressure. Nothing.

Mark frowned. He picked it up,

And the holographic screen instantly flashed to life above it.

[ Inheritance Detected ]

[ Inheritance: Mark Spencer ]

[ Accept Inheritance? ]

Mark stared at the words, feeling his entire chest tighten. A strange heat climbed up his spine.

"Yes," he whispered.

The moment he clicked accept, the book dissolved, slowly, like dust in reverse, floating upward in a spiral of tiny luminescent particles. The specks gathered and reshaped, condensing into a silhouette.

A silhouette that grew clearer. And clearer.

Until Mark stopped breathing. "Wha..."

Standing before him... was himself.

The same face.

The same eyes.

The same body he remembered from his previous life.

Frost’s voice trembled. "Master..."

Pyro’s voice cracked, soft and emotional. "Master..."

The figure smiled faintly, lifting a hand almost as if wanting to touch Mark’s cheek, but stopping just before making contact.

"You must be quite surprised," the apparition said, voice warm, steady, far too familiar. "Yes... What you’re thinking is correct."

Mark’s throat tightened. "But keep that thought to yourself. How this happened... how I ended up here... and why you were reborn, those are answers you’ll discover in time."

His tone grew solemn. "Anything I explain now may endanger the timeline."

Mark could only nod, even though his heart felt like it wanted to break out of his chest and question everything.

The apparition turned toward Frost and Pyro.

"Frost. Pyro."

Both beasts, now in human form, fell to their knees, their voices trembling.

"Master...!"

A soft, bittersweet smile curved the holographic Mark’s lips.

"I don’t have much time. But seeing you both again... I’m glad. Truly."

Frost bowed his head lower, his shoulders shaking. Pyro’s flames dimmed, her pride momentarily swallowed by grief.

The apparition continued, voice gentle but firm. "I merely ask you to protect your new master. Keep him alive... That’s all I have to ask you."

Something in the air hummed, a vibration that resonated down to the soul.

"This... is goodbye."

The holographic form dissolved into countless lights, each particle sinking into Mark’s skin. Knowledge rushed into him like a roaring tidal wave: techniques, designs, memories, blueprints, calculations, and fragments of a life far beyond this world.

His body trembled.

[ Inheritance Acquired ]

[ Supreme Upgrade Crystal (1) ]

[ Supreme Core (1) ]

[ Blood Essence of Tyranthir (1 drop) ]

[ Anti-Matter Cannon (1) ]

Mark sucked in a sharp breath as the notifications continued to appear, one after another.

He lowered his gaze, breath uneven.

So... it really was me.

His past-life self.

His future in the past.

His inheritance was created by... himself.

Eventually, he steadied his breath and opened his inventory screen.

One by one, the items glowed into existence as he selected them/

*

[SUPREME UPGRADE CRYSTAL ]

Description: Instantly upgrades one Android’s cultivation-equivalent power by TWO full realms.

Cannot be used on humans, beasts, or divine constructs.

Note: It can only be used on a Rank-12 Android or a Battle Puppet/Robot above Rank-11. If used on a Rank-13 Puppet, its effect diminishes to 1 rank upgrade.

*

Mark whistled under his breath. "With this... Alina will jump two realms instantly," he murmured. "That means... straight into the 14-circle peak. But for that, I need to bring it to Rank-12."

He closed and clicked, and held on the next item to check its details.

*

[SUPREME CORE ]

Description: Instantly breaks the barrier to the 13-circle Realm

Note: This item can only be used at the 12-circle-peak stage.

Mark’s eyebrows shot up. "Again... I need to break through to the next stage before using this item."

*

[BLOOD ESSENCE OF TYRANTHIR ]

Description: Grants Tyranthir Bloodline and its skills.

"Hmm? Tyranthir? Never heard of it."

*

[ANTIMATTER CANNON ]

Type: Ultra-Long-Range Annihilation Cannon

Range: 30 Light Years

Recharge Time: 365 days of solar absorption

Maximum Power Output: 16.9 (Equivalent to 1 Xennajoule)

Charging Mechanism: Solar conversion array. Converts photons to antimatter. Generates 178 million kg of antimatter per second.

"178 million kg of antimatter.... This is insane." Mark gasped at the last gift. It could indeed be considered an inheritance. How powerful is 16.9 state... Well, Mark didn’t know the power, but he was sure that the Jade Emperor was 16-circle... At the same time, Xennajoule of energy release was so strong that it could completely vaporize the entire earth, not simply destroy it. That is how much it carries the potential.

Mark rubbed his temples at last. "My past self really went all out. He created an ultimate weapon in the universe..."

When he finished inspecting all four items, he let out a long, slow breath. Excitement. Fear. Awe. Power. All bubbling in his veins like electricity

Mark stood silently for a moment after closing the inventory, as the reality hit him at once. The weight of everything, inheritance, revelations, responsibilities, pressed into him like a tidal wave.

He was the founder.

Not symbolically.

Not spiritually.

But Literally.

Mark Spencer, somewhere in the future, will go back to the past and build the Ancient Lan Clan. Every tradition, every technique, every elder’s lineage... all came from him.

He exhaled slowly, his chest tightening with realization.

He murmured. "No wonder this inheritance tower looked like a hybrid of an RPG and cultivation trial..."

Everything made sense now, except for one thing.

Why did he create Lan Clan but keep it only traditional? Can’t he pass down antimatter or adamantine guns or missiles and such to his disciples?

Mark didn’t have an answer yet, but one thing became clear to him.

This clan was his responsibility because it was his creation and it was his legacy.

And he almost abandoned it.

He felt a flicker of shame... and then, slowly, the birth of resolve.

"If this is really my clan..." he whispered, "then I’ll rebuild it properly."

This place...

This dominion...

These people...

He felt something stir in his chest, something he had denied himself for a long time, a sense of belonging.

Not because of blood.

But because of destiny.

And family... both old and new.

But a dilemma rose immediately in his mind.