Chen Cuo stepped forward and studied the door closely.
It seemed to be made of redwood, with an antique air. Intricate patterns covered its frame and panels, while a fist-sized piece of white jade set into the lintel bore the image of two yin-yang fish.
Chen Cuo took another two steps and examined it up close. He recognized what the carvings depicted.
On the left, all living beings gathered in pilgrimage amid a riot of blossoms; on the right, they suffered and scattered, driven from their homes.
"Interesting."
He studied it for a long while, then raised a hand to push it open. Just before his fingers touched it, he stopped. A thought had crossed his mind.
"This doorway uses the Book Mountain and Sea of Learning to test the human heart. The Marquis of Linru County's foundation is Bookish Human Thought, and with Incense entangled in it, his trial will be harder than those before him. If he sinks too deep, you and I may have to fish him out."
The Black-and-White Elders sat cross-legged in midair, watching the figure nearby. The Black-Haired Elder spoke in a low voice.
"I've sworn off betting," the White-Haired Elder said, then changed tack. "But the way the Marquis of Linru County gathered the radiance of Human Thought in the outer hall was strange from start to finish. Perhaps he's gained some insight into developing his Divine Ability. Fortune might even smile on him, allowing him to break through in the midst of the River of Time's trial."
"Not everyone can break through in the heat of the moment. And what sort of person was that one back then? He was..." The black-haired elder smiled faintly. "The closer a Divine Ability lies to the Dao, the harder it is to develop. A mere