The night air was thick with mist over Qingyang City, carrying the scent of pine and distant rain.
Ye Chen walked alone to the secluded cliff behind the estate, where moonlight glimmered on jagged stones. His mind was calm, yet alert.
Inside the Book Realm, the Hidden Sect Scroll pulsed brighter than ever, its golden light reflecting in his eyes.
> "The next guardian awaits," whispered the familiar voice.
"This trial will test not only comprehension, but courage and the depth of your qi. Are you ready, Ye Chen?"
He exhaled slowly.
> "I am ready. Every challenge is a page, every trial a verse. Let the guardian awaken."
---
A sudden gust of wind twisted through the cliffside. Shadows danced unnaturally across the stones. Then, from the darkness, a figure emerged—tall, clad in flowing robes of silver and black, eyes glowing faintly with ancient qi.
> "I am the Second Guardian," the figure intoned, voice like a bell tolling in the void.
"No scholar, no warrior, no prodigy may pass without proving their spirit, intellect, and courage in unison. Few even survive the trial."
Ye Chen bowed lightly.
> "Then let the trial begin."
---
The guardian moved. His strikes were unlike any martial style Ye Chen had seen: they flowed like water and yet struck like lightning, weaving illusions of multiple attacks while manipulating the very air.
Ye Chen's mind opened the Book Realm. The shelves shifted, revealing a tome glowing with silver light:
> "Guardians of the Hidden Sect: Patterns of Trial"
He absorbed the patterns instantly: the guardian's movements were a complex text, each strike a sentence, each feint a punctuation mark.
> "It's not just strength… it's rhythm, intent, and anticipation. I must read his mind as well as his body."
He whispered softly:
> "Steel moves, but thought guides; fire rages, yet the calm contains it."
Qi flowed through Ye Chen in perfect harmony. He didn't block the strikes—he flowed with them, turning attacks into openings, using the guardian's own momentum to redirect energy.
---
The guardian's eyes widened slightly.
> "Few have ever moved with such precision, reading intention as if words on a page… yet this is only comprehension. Can you endure the next test?"
A sudden ripple of energy struck Ye Chen's chest—a wave of pure qi designed to test courage and willpower. It was like being struck by a storm and fire at the same time.
But Ye Chen remained calm. He recited another verse from the Hidden Sect Scroll:
> "The heart still, the mind steady,
Even the storm bends to the reader."
His qi synchronized with the invisible force, dispersing it gently, like wind bending around a mountain.
---
Finally, Ye Chen extended a single hand, connecting his qi with the guardian's. There was no clash of power, only resonance—a mutual understanding of energy, intent, and thought.
The guardian stepped back, expression unreadable, then nodded slowly.
> "You have passed the Second Trial, Ye Chen. Few have ever aligned their mind, body, and spirit so completely.
The path ahead will demand even more, for the final guardians are yet to awaken, and rivals will seek to challenge you from every corner of the Jianghu."
A faint silver mark appeared on Ye Chen's palm, glowing with a calm, steady light.
Inside the Book Realm, the Hidden Sect Scroll shifted again. A new tome appeared:
> "The Saint's Path: Convergence of Knowledge, Qi, and Courage"
A whisper echoed softly:
> "You have proven comprehension and courage, but the storms gather.
Only those who read beyond themselves shall endure what comes next."
Ye Chen exhaled slowly, gazing at the moonlit peaks.
> "Then I will continue reading, continue learning… and when the final page appears, I will write my own legend in the Jianghu."