The dungeon's shadows were left behind without a backward glance.
When the heavy black oak door closed behind him, it shut away more than Snape's penetrating, scrutinizing gaze. It separated two entirely different worlds.
Within the door lay a deep, ancient magical world governed by established rules;
Beyond it, a soul from the East was preparing to use this world's foundations to forge a path to the heavens unlike any that had come before.
Lin Yuan didn't pause for a moment. He walked straight through the empty Entrance Hall.
His face remained as calm as still water, but only he knew what magnificent waves were rising in the depths of his pure, unyielding soul.
I found it!
He had finally found that door!
The Patronus Charm, a spell wizards used to drive away darkness and despair, was, in his eyes, a key that could pry open the world's fundamental laws and transform "magic" into "spiritual energy"!
Snape's doe had demonstrated the entire process of "energy purification and recombination."
And the "Dao Heart Sword" he had summoned himself had confirmed his soul's hypothesis. He could not only replicate the process, but also use his own "Dao" as a template, twisting and reshaping it into the form best suited to him!
The theory had now been proven. All that remained was to put it into practice!
He didn't return to Gryffindor Tower.
A warm, comfortable dormitory wasn't the right place for an attempt to break new ground like this.
He needed a place rich in magic, rarely visited, where he could work without restraint.
There was only one choice within Hogwarts.
The Forbidden Forest.
Beneath the night sky, Hogwarts Castle resembled a slumbering giant, silent and imposing.
Lin Yuan moved like a ghost, avoiding every prowling spirit and Filch's patrol routes.
The