Days had passed since the trial of the Sacred Spring.Peace seemed to return to the academy… or so everyone thought.Yet deep within Huo Feng, something was shifting — something silent, slow, and ancient.The purity of the spring that had once touched her blood had awakened a force she could neither name nor control… a force that did not belong to light or shadow.
Wu Xin watched her from afar, his gaze unreadable.He knew this calm was only the surface — beneath it, destinies were stirring.Was this the beginning of her salvation… or the echo of a greater ruin?
And then came the final day.The sky above the academy was clear, almost too calm, as if holding its breath for what was to come.It was then that Wu Xin spoke before his students, his tone firm and solemn:
"This is the last trial."
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in.
"Only a few dare to attempt it.It is the Planet Trial — to descend upon a chosen world and live within it… until you uncover its deepest truth."
Before he could continue, a familiar voice rang through the hall — bright, unrestrained, recklessly alive:
"Then I choose Earth!"
Huo Feng's eyes sparkled with mischief.
"I'll go with Suo! Maybe we can visit the Flower House again!"
Suo pressed a finger to his lips, trying to quiet her.But before he could speak, Master Li stepped forward, concern clouding his gentle eyes.
"Huo Feng… please, don't.Earth isn't just that place you remember. We call it the Land of Trials for a reason.Those who go there either return as legends… or never return at all."
Huo Feng's smile faltered, but Suo caught her hand, steady and certain.
"Those who dare to walk on Earth… dare to face themselves.You truly are brave."
He hesitated a moment, then whispered under his breath —
"And I'll protect you."
They descended at dawn.The sun there was just waking from its dreams, spilling gold across the misty valleys.As they neared a small village, a bell tolled sharply in the distance — an ancient reminder of the village's first law:
"Plant your seed before the sun sees your face."
Every household tended its own garden.Their flowers revealed the truth of the people within.Most gardens were lined with rows of white blossoms — pure, neat, lifelessly perfect, as if washed in snow.
But atop a lonely hill stood a house unlike the rest —Its garden was a storm of color: white lilies beside black irises, violets entwined with blood-red blooms, and at its heart, golden flowers that gleamed like fragments of the sun.
Hovering above, Huo Feng gasped.
"There! That's where we're going first!"
She darted forward — until a voice, cool and commanding, cut through the air.Wu Xin stood on a nearby rooftop, arms crossed, eyes sharp as a blade.
"No… not that one, reckless girl. You'll start here."
He pointed to a small house surrounded entirely by white — blinding, sterile white that burned the eyes, devoid of life or warmth.
Huo Feng floated closer, pouting.
"But we chose that one! Aren't we free to explore?"
Wu Xin didn't move. His tone was calm, almost soft:
"Because those who cannot endure the white… will never understand the colors."
They landed before the humble house like a beam of light cutting through fog.Wu Xin knocked once, gently.The door opened, revealing a small girl, no older than seven.
When she saw him, her eyes lit up.
"Grandpa! The doctor's here!"
She ran toward him, but before she could reach him, Huo Feng swooped in and caught her — laughing like a child herself.She knelt and kissed the girl's hand.
The little one leaned close and whispered,
"That name suits you… my little beloved."
For a heartbeat, something in Huo Feng trembled.The smile vanished from her lips.She pulled her hand back sharply, an inexplicable unease flickering in her eyes.
From behind, Suo watched in silence.And Wu Xin… only smiled faintly — a smile that knew more than it revealed.The real trial had already begun.
A slow tapping echoed through the air — tok, tok, tok — the sound of a wooden cane striking the floor.An old man appeared at the doorway, tall yet bent with age.His beard was white as snow, and his eyes glimmered like black ink spilled upon moonlit parchment.
"Aren't you going to greet our guests, Shu Shu?"
The child ran to his side and hugged him tightly.He chuckled, stroking her hair before turning to the newcomers.
"I am Bi Hua — the so-called 'Scribe of the Land'.But I'm just an old man who reads what the earth writes through the deeds of its people."
His voice carried the rhythm of wind and wisdom — every word seemed to carve itself into memory.
They sat in the small courtyard, surrounded by white flowers that swayed like soft waves of cloud.Shu Shu danced among them, laughing, gathering fallen petals.
Bi Hua raised his gaze to the sky.
"In this village," he began softly,"you never need to ask what a person has done.The earth itself tells you."
He opened his palm. Shu Shu placed a small seed in it, found beneath her pillow that morning.
"Every deed leaves a trace," he said."And every trace becomes a seed.Those who try to hide theirs… are bound to the pillar of shame for a day.Pain fades. But shame— it roots itself forever."
He crushed the seed gently between his fingers and closed his eyes, as though reading an unseen script.
"White flowers, like these, are born from kindness and simplicity… perhaps.But there are others — louder in color, darker in meaning.The flower of envy burns black with yellow edges.The flower of lies shines in sickly orange.And the flower of theft… pale gray, like smoke."
His tone deepened.
"But hatred… hatred blooms pure black, and its scent poisons the soul."
Shu Shu trembled and hid behind him.Bi Hua smiled gently, patting her head before turning to Wu Shen and his students.
"You came from far away.It's no coincidence your final trial is here.In this land, no one escapes the seeds.Whatever lies in the heart… will bloom."
He reached into a wooden drawer and drew out a strange pen — its shaft black as night, its tip glowing faintly blue.He handed it to Huo Feng.
"Write your name upon the earth."
With childlike eagerness, she knelt and scribbled: Huo Feng.Then, impulsively, she kissed the pen and handed it back.
Bi Hua smiled, wiping her name away with his palm — the ink vanished like mist.When he looked back at her, his eyes were no longer those of an old man. They were deep, endless, almost divine.
"Huo Feng… you have two choices.Take the easy path — use your gift to uncover the answer swiftly.Or take the harder one — walk it step by step, and see what no magic can reveal."
He paused, that same knowing smile curling his lips.She lifted her chin, defiant and mischievous.
"You already know my answer.Of course I'll take the easy one!"
She closed her eyes and prepared to merge her spirit into his —until Wu Xin's voice thundered across the courtyard:
"Huo Feng!"
She froze, eyes snapping open.Her cheeks flushed with mock annoyance.
"Fine, fine! The hard path it is."
She sat cross-legged, hugging her knees, puffing her cheeks like a sulking child.Then she peeked up, curious as ever.
"But what about Suo? Why doesn't he have to write his name?"
Bi Hua chuckled softly and turned to Suo.
"Because he already knows the answer.Otherwise, he would never have ascended to the Celestial Realm in the first place."
Huo Feng gasped.
"What?! You mean he's your—"
A firm flick landed on her head.Wu Xin sighed, half stern, half fond.
"Huo Feng, stop talking nonsense.Suo isn't Bi Hua's son. He's human — from this very realm.But he trained his soul until it shone purer than most Celestials.That's why the gate opened for him."
He paused, his gaze lingering on Suo, filled with meaning.
"And soon… he may reach Nirvana."
The air grew still.Huo Feng stared at Suo, awe and jealousy flickering in her eyes.
Suo remained silent, his gaze distant — as if Nirvana itself were a horizon he could already see, waiting… just one step away.