The courtyard had changed.
What was once open stone ground was now encircled by strange runes that shimmered faintly in the early morning light. A wide platform at the center pulsed with spiritual energy, fed by glowing crystal pillars placed at four corners. Around it, elders stood silently, their eyes keen and expectant. This was no mere test of muscle—this was the Trial of Soul.
Jin stood among the initiates once more, his face calm but his heart slightly uneasy. Soul cultivation was the least understood of the three paths. It couldn't be measured with weights or endured with sheer stamina. It was internal, mysterious—and dangerous.
"Listen well," spoke Elder Meilin, her voice like wind brushing against silk. "The soul trial will delve into your mind and spirit. You will face illusions, fears, perhaps even truths you wish to avoid. Withstand what you can. Collapse, and you fail. Break entirely…" She didn't finish the sentence. She didn't need to.
Jin clenched his hands. He was ready. Or so he hoped.
Candidates were called one by one to sit in the soul formation. Jin's turn came in the middle of the day. He stepped forward, passing others who had returned pale-faced or trembling, some staring off into nothing.
He took his seat at the center, legs crossed, hands resting on his knees. The elders around the formation began to chant softly, their voices weaving into a low hum that reverberated in his bones. The runes lit up, and the world dissolved.
Jin found himself in darkness.
Not a void—but a place just barely lit, with memories floating like smoke. He saw his childhood, the fire that had taken his village, the face of his mother flickering in the flames. A pang struck his chest. He pushed forward.
The vision shifted.
Now he stood on a mountain of corpses, faces he didn't recognize—but they wept and reached for him as if he'd betrayed them. The sky rained ash. Jin backed away, heart pounding. He closed his eyes.
"This isn't real," he muttered, forcing his breathing steady.
A final vision appeared—a mirror.
He looked into it and saw himself. Not as he was, but as a conqueror. Cold eyes. Power bleeding from every pore. The world bowed to him… and feared him.
Jin felt a chill.
Was this his future? Or just a fear buried deep in his heart?
He stepped back. The mirror shattered.
Light rushed in.
When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the formation circle, sweat pouring from his face, chest heaving.
Elder Meilin watched him for a long moment before speaking. "Soul stability… acceptable. Emotional resistance… solid. Insight… average. Pass."
Jin nodded once, then rose.
A few glances followed him this time, but most were fleeting. Another initiate passed just after him and fell to the ground, screaming about shadows. That stole the attention again.
Jin sat near the outer wall once more. Two trials done. Two passes. Still average. Still unseen.
But his eyes burned with quiet resolve.
The final test was coming.
And that—he knew—was where everything would change.