Location: Inner Layer of the Void Ruins
The Path That Watches
The pathway continued to extend beneath their feet.
It did not exist ahead of them.
Only when they stepped forward—
Did it form.
Fenglan noticed it first.
"…It's reacting to us."
Meiyue shook her head slightly.
"Not to us…"
A pause.
"…To our understanding."
Qin Huaian remained silent.
His gaze was fixed ahead.
The broken palace in the distance no longer felt far.
But it did not feel closer either.
Space itself had lost meaning.
The Awakening
They stopped.
Not by choice.
But because the world… paused.
The floating islands froze mid-air.
The faint distortions vanished.
Everything became still.
Xiaoxiao's expression turned serious.
"…Something is here."
Then—
A presence appeared.
No form.
No body.
No aura.
Yet it was undeniable.
Fenglan felt his breathing grow heavy.
Not from pressure—
But from being observed.
Meiyue whispered,
"This isn't a living being…"
Qin Huaian spoke calmly.
"It's a will."
The Voice
The space ahead rippled slightly.
Then—
A voice emerged.
"You… have stepped where I once failed."
Silence followed.
Fenglan frowned.
"…Failed?"
The will did not respond immediately.
It did not move.
It did not react.
It simply observed Qin Huaian.
For the first time since entering—
Huaian's gaze sharpened slightly.
"…So you're the one who created this place," he said.
The will pulsed faintly.
"I am what remains."
Not alive.
Not conscious.
Just… lingering intent.
The Test Begins
The world shifted.
Without warning—
The ground beneath them disappeared.
They did not fall.
They did not move.
Reality simply changed.
The surroundings dissolved into darkness.
Three separate spaces formed.
Fenglan.
Meiyue.
Huaian.
Separated.
The will spoke one final time.
"Understand… what it means to exist."
The trial had begun.