The Lotus Trials

In the distant realm of Jinyan, a land where martial power is everything, the Lotus Trials are held once every century — a sacred tournament where only the strongest can ascend beyond mortal limits. The victor is promised unimaginable power and the favor of the Eternal Lotus, a celestial spirit capable of bending fate itself. For centuries, the Trials have been a coveted path to immortality, glory, and god-like strength. Wei Lian, a fallen prodigy, was once destined to lead the Verdant Cloud Sect, the most revered martial order in the empire. His fists could shatter stone, and his heart burned with the ambition to unite the fractured clans of Jinyan. But all of that was shattered when his closest blood-brother betrayed him, leaving him crippled and exiled. Stripped of his cultivation and broken by the treacherous act, Wei Lian became a mere shadow of his former self. Now, at the age of twenty-four, the Lotus Trials have been announced once more. Though weakened and scarred, a faint ember of hope still burns within Wei Lian. With nothing but his stubbornness and resolve, he enters the Trials — determined to reclaim his lost honor, defeat the brother who betrayed him, and rise from the ashes of his shattered past. The Trials take place in the Garden of Eternal Bloom, a treacherous and mystical realm where each test is more dangerous than the last. From the Mirror Sea, where challengers face their darkest reflections, to the Bone Forest, where beasts from ancient myths hunt the weak, to the Silent Court, where lies are deadlier than steel, Wei Lian must confront not only brutal challenges but also his deepest fears. Along the way, he faces not just monstrous beasts and impossible trials, but his former allies — now turned enemies — including Li Yiran, his brother in arms and the one who betrayed him. With the stakes higher than ever, Wei Lian must confront the very core of his identity, test his loyalty, and decide what kind of man he wishes to become. In a world where the line between friend and foe is blurred and the price of power is steep, The Lotus Trials is a story of redemption, loyalty, and the price of ambition. Will Wei Lian reclaim his lost honor, or will the trials consume him, just as they have consumed so many before him?