Jin took a deep breath and forced his mind to move.
Ideas began linking together rapidly, one after another, as he recalled scenes from the novels he had read for years. Protagonists who shouted to deny the illusion. Others who accepted their past and transcended it. Some who tore themselves apart emotionally until the false reality shattered. Sometimes understanding was enough; other times, outright rejection destroyed everything.
But none of that seemed immediately applicable.
He pressed his lips together, frustrated for the first time since he had awakened. In the middle of his thoughts, he turned his head toward Wei.
"Hey," he murmured quietly. "How did you break your illusion?"
Wei looked at him without changing expression.
"I cut it."
Jin blinked.
"You… cut it?"
"Yes. All of it."
The faint tilt of his chin was the only additional explanation. He didn't have a sword in his hand now, but Jin didn't need to see it to imagine. Inside the illusion, Wei would have simply drawn his blade and cut down whatever stood before him until nothing remained to sustain it.
Jin closed his eyes for a second.
Of course.
When he opened them again, he sighed.
"That won't help… not here."
He discarded the strategy immediately. Xiao Lian didn't have a sword. And even if she did, she clearly wasn't in a state to "cut everything down."
He focused again.
He thought about his own experience. About what he had felt inside the illusion. About how, once he accepted an answer, everything had dissolved without resistance. There had been no struggle. No denial. Just understanding… and moving forward.
Wei watched in silence as Jin's expression shifted. The slight furrow of his brow. The unfocused gaze. His fingers tensing and relaxing as if arranging invisible pieces.
Suddenly, Jin opened his eyes.
It wasn't dramatic.
But something settled in his gaze.
"I've got it…" he murmured.
He turned toward Wei, about to warn him not to mock what he was about to do, but stopped before speaking. There was no point. Wei wouldn't laugh. If he did something strange, Wei would simply observe, as always.
Jin lifted his eyes and quickly assessed the plaza.
Children crying. Others gasping. Some unconscious.
Disciples moving with cold efficiency, removing those who had failed.
At the center, the elder remained seated, unmoving, eyes closed, as if all of it were nothing more than distant murmuring.
Jin clenched his jaw.
He leaned toward Xiao Lian and brought his face close to her ear. The girl was still trapped in her illusion, trembling, brow furrowed and lips moving in senseless whispers.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm going to get closer without your permission."
He knew she might not be able to hear him. Still, he said it.
He didn't believe the illusion would break through force. Nor through denial. The trial had been clear: will. Accept. Move forward without fleeing. Pass through what one sees, not destroy it.
And for that, the only thing he could think of was words.
He leaned a little closer and began speaking in a low, steady, measured voice. Not like someone reciting sacred scripture, but like someone explaining something he truly believed.
"He who conquers himself is truly strong," he murmured. "Knowing others is wisdom… but knowing yourself is clarity."
Xiao Lian kept trembling.
Jin didn't stop.
"He who knows contentment will always have enough. He who perseveres… endures."
He adjusted slightly so his voice would reach her more clearly.
"The wise do not compete. And so no one competes against them."
He paused briefly, observing the irregular rhythm of the girl's breathing.
"Keep your heart calm and your will firm. Things arise… and return to their origin."
He didn't worry about the exact order or the perfection of the phrases. He simply let the words flow, recalling ideas he had read hundreds of times without ever imagining he would use them like this.
"The path is simple," he continued. "It is we who make it complicated."
His tone did not change. There was no urgency or dramatics. Only serene conviction.
Wei remained standing, watching without intervening.
As Jin spoke, something shifted.
It wasn't an obvious jolt. It was a subtle pressure, as if the air had grown slightly denser. Jin felt it first in his chest: uncomfortable, but bearable.
The surroundings barely changed. Children still cried. Disciples still moved. To any observer, nothing was different.
Except for one.
At the center of the plaza, the elder frowned and opened his eyes.
He did not stand. He did not speak. He merely lifted his gaze, as if searching for the source of something that should not be there. His usual serenity tightened for a moment.
"Hm…"
Jin didn't notice.
To him, the pressure was just a passing discomfort. He did not take his eyes off Xiao Lian.
Finally, leaning a little closer, he spoke the last phrase in a low, firm voice:
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. And that step, Xiao Lian… is accepting that you are not alone."
He paused very briefly.
"Wake up."
The pressure vanished.
Without transition.
The air returned to normal. The weight in his chest disappeared as if it had never existed.
At the center of the plaza, the elder slowly lowered his gaze. His brows remained furrowed. For the first time since the trial had begun, his expression showed genuine confusion.
Xiao Lian's eyelids trembled.
Then her eyes snapped open.
At first her gaze was unfocused, her breathing still uneven, her body tense as if part of her remained trapped in what she had seen. Fear and loneliness still clung to her features.
Then she focused.
And found Jin's face far too close to hers.
"Eh…?"
She flinched slightly and blushed as she recognized him.
"Senior Brother Jin… why are you so close to m-me? W-what happened to the exam?"
Jin let out a soft laugh and straightened up a little, returning to his usual carefree smile, so different from his earlier seriousness.
"If you can ask questions like that, then you passed."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Right, Wei?"
Wei nodded once.
"Well done."
Nothing more.
It was enough.
Xiao Lian blinked, processing the words, and a shy smile appeared on her face. Her shoulders began to relax little by little.
"Th-thank you…"
She didn't have time to add anything else.
"You three."
A disciple approached, pointing at those who were still conscious.
"Those who passed, step down from the platform."
Jin looked around and finally grasped the magnitude of the filter. Of the twenty children who had ascended with them, only four remained standing or seated, still recovering. The rest had already been removed.
How brutal…
Without a word, he stepped forward, making sure Xiao Lian could walk without difficulty. Wei moved at his side with his usual calm.
As they descended, Jin glanced at the other platforms. On one of them, no one remained standing; only disciples carrying away unconscious bodies.
He exhaled through his nose.
Too harsh for some.
He quickened his pace slightly to catch up to the disciple guiding them.
"Excuse me, Senior Brother," he said politely. "What is the next trial?"
The disciple frowned, surprised by the boy's calm tone. He was about to answer casually, but when their eyes met those golden irises, he felt an inexplicable chill.
He cleared his throat.
"The next phase is the evaluation of meridian quality."
Jin raised an eyebrow, immediately understanding what that implied.
He didn't need to ask more.
He continued walking with a faint smile, adjusting his expectations to the new screening that awaited them just a few steps ahead.