The stone chamber returned to silence, ancient and unchanging as ever.
Lin Feng stood frozen for a long time, his mind completely settled and his Dao heart thoroughly clear. Every entanglement, evasion, and regret had been thoroughly seen through, faced head-on, and released.
He spoke slowly, his voice calm and ripple-free, resolute and composed: "Did I pass?"
The ancient Dao sound behind the door rang out once more. Compared to its previous impartiality and indifference, it now carried a subtle touch of warmth, along with a trace of recognition and praise:
"Countless challengers flee at the sight of illusions, shatter at the sight of the past, and panic at the sight of regrets. Either they desperately run from their original hearts, or they forcibly obliterate their past. In the end, they remain trapped by their obsessions, trapped within themselves."
"You saw every evaded past, accepted every unfulfilled debt on the path forward, and neither fled, nor shattered, nor indulged. You faced them calmly, watched them quietly on their way, and released them from the heart."
"To face one's original heart is to be without shame before the Great Dao. This is the ultimate answer to the third trial. You have cleared it."
Creak-
A soft, delicate sound of opening and closing rang out quietly. The archaic stone door before him opened by itself, slowly pushing inward.
The entire process was silent, smooth, and natural, devoid of the spiritual light of unlocking restrictive seals or the abnormal motion of activated mechanisms. It was as if this door had always been open for him, never sealed, never blocked.
Behind the door was a small stone hall of simple layout, archaic and solemn.
The stone hall was completely empty, with no superfluous furnishings. The four walls were clean and tidy, and the ambient