The air inside the temple seemed to have been sucked dry.
The White Snake Sage's casually spoken words had silenced every breath and stilled every gaze.
At that moment, calling this place a black hole capable of swallowing everything would have been no exaggeration.
Hayashi stood where he was, able to hear his own heartbeat, one beat after another.
Tagorihime and Tagitsuhime stood below, utterly motionless.
Even Ichikishimahime, who was always laughing and joking, had abandoned all thoughts of enjoying the show. She huddled beside the stone platform, not daring to twitch her tail.
In the end, Hayashi swallowed softly.
He looked at the White Snake Sage before him and quietly asked:
"White Snake Sage, you said you wouldn't let them have their way."
"What did you mean?"
"Exactly what I said."
The White Snake Sage lazily shifted her body again, her gaze fixed squarely on Hayashi.
"From your arrival here and receiving Sage Mode, to perfectly unleashing it."
"And finally, giving it your all."
"I admit that you are the finest successor I have seen in centuries."
"But that does not mean you have passed with flying colors."
"I haven't passed with flying colors...?"
Hayashi slowly forced the question out, his voice trembling slightly.
This was something he had never considered.
He had always believed his mastery of Sage Mode was flawless, that it already qualified as the authentic Sage Mode of Ryūchi Cave.
After going through these two trials, he felt he had not made a single mistake.
So why would the White Snake Sage give him such an assessment?
"Correct. You haven't passed with flying colors."
In response to Hayashi's slightly trembling question, the White Snake Sage merely flicked her tail impatiently.
Then she produced a smoking pipe from somewhere, placed it in her mouth, and slowly