Qin Yu strode forward, the crystal flowers beneath his feet bowing slightly with each step. The light refracted from the petals flowed along his silhouette, as if paving an invisible path for him. The palace floating above the sea of clouds in the distance grew clearer. Its walls were not solid stone and gold, but rather seemed to be formed from the starlight of the night. Its outline breathed slowly in the interplay of light and shadow. As he drew closer, the clouds surrounding the palace began to subtly rotate, as if sensing the arrival of a certain level of Fate Soul.
Just as he was only a few dozen feet away from the palace, the space suddenly froze. It wasn't an obstruction, but a frozen feeling of being "watched." A figure silently appeared in the cloud shadows surrounding the palace.
It was an extremely old woman. She sat cross-legged in the void outside the hall, with nothing supporting her, as if the heavens and earth themselves were her cushion.
Her figure was thin, her back slightly hunched, and her gray hair, like snow-covered grass weathered by time, fell from her forehead but was naturally bound back by an invisible force. The wrinkles on her face were crisscrossed, like a network of rivers carved by the hands of time. Her skin was thin and pale, but without the turbidity of decay.
What is most striking about her are her eyebrows and eyes. Her eyebrows are long and neat, with an almost calm sharpness. Even with her eyes closed, a calm and imposing aura quietly gathers between her brows.
Her aura was extremely faint, so faint that it almost blended into the world, yet within that faintness lay a profound depth that was unsettling—not the weakness of old age, but the tranquility that came from compressing countless years and will to the Ultimate.
She sat there with her eyes closed, motionless, as if she were part of the outer side of the palace, or a shadow cast by the palace itself.
Tangyi paused slightly, her dragon body hovering gently in mid-air, instinctively suppressing the aura of Thought Severance. Azure Ring, who had been lazily sitting on her dragon head, suddenly leaned forward, narrowed her eyes, and scrutinized the old woman for a few moments, a charming yet cunning smile slowly curving her lips.
She swung her legs, deliberately lowering her voice, yet with a hint of gleeful anticipation. "Oh dear, Little Qinzi —that old woman up ahead is no ordinary person."
She tilted her head, her dark blue hair swaying gently, a sly glint in her eyes. "She looks old, but actually... tsk tsk, she's probably more troublesome than most of the guys you've met. You'd better be careful, or you might get tricked by her."
She spoke in a relaxed tone, as if she were reminding someone, or perhaps deliberately stirring things up, with a smile playing on her lips that hinted at a desire to create chaos.
Qin Yu did not stop. His gaze fell on the old woman, without probing or testing, but simply watching calmly and attentively. Then, he continued forward, his pace neither fast nor slow, each step landing at the boundary between the crystal flowers and the light and shadow. The Fate Soul within his body circulated more and more restrainedly, as if withdrawing all its sharpness, leaving only its purest existence.
As the distance closed, extremely subtle ripples began to appear in the void around the old woman. These were not the outward release of power, but rather the result of the heavens and earth adjusting their posture around her. She still kept her eyes closed, seemingly unresponsive to Qin Yu's approach, yet she was impossible to ignore—her presence here was the first barrier.
Qin Yu finally stopped a few feet in front of her, raised his hand and gently pressed it to his chest, his breath steady as an abyss, his eyes clear as a mirror. He did not speak, but stood quietly, facing the old woman sitting cross-legged with her eyes closed, as if waiting for some kind of predetermined response.
The air became unusually still at that moment, and even the light from the crystal flowers seemed to slow down its flow.
Time flowed slowly outside the palace, as if guided by some invisible order. After several dozen breaths, the sea of clouds stopped churning, and the light of the crystal flowers calmed down. Heaven and earth seemed to be holding their breath for what was about to happen.
The old woman finally moved. She didn't get up, nor did she cast a spell; she simply raised her eyelashes very slowly.
In that instant, Qin Yu clearly felt an extremely strange change—not the arrival of oppressive force, but rather being "seen." It was as if his existence, his Fate Soul structure, and his causal history were not being forcibly spied upon, but rather being naturally taken into view by a pair of eyes that had long since seen through the ages.
The old woman opened her eyes.
Those were clear eyes, their pupils so pale they were almost transparent, as if time had washed away all emotions. There was no sharpness, no coldness, not even a clear sense of scrutiny, yet Qin Yu's heart trembled slightly—because in those eyes, he saw no "evaluation," only an almost absolute balance and tranquility.
This is a staring contest at the Fate Soul level.
It involves neither power nor supernatural abilities, yet it is more dangerous than any confrontation. If one's will wavers even slightly, Fate Soul will be exposed; if one's perception is false, cause and effect will be misaligned.
Qin Yu stood firmly, his aura Ultimate concealed. His Fate Soul was like an anchor resting in the deep sea, neither actively expanding nor passively defending; it simply "existed as it truly was."
The old woman watched him for a few moments, then suddenly, as if bored, she slightly opened her mouth and let out a very soft yawn. The sound seemed particularly abrupt in this space, yet incredibly natural.
Then, her voice slowly rose, aged and peaceful, without any inflection:
"Young man." "Why are you here?" "What brings you here?" "How did you get here?"
Three sentences, three questions.
There was no coercion, no inducement, and not even a so-called "test," yet it precisely targeted three levels: motive, intention, and path. Any deviation in the answer would leave a crack at the level of Fate Soul.
Qin Yu did not answer immediately.
He bowed his head slightly, performing a perfectly standard and restrained salute, his posture neither humble nor arrogant, yet placing respect in the most appropriate place. Only then did he slowly raise his head, his gaze clear and steady.
Instead of matching each sentence, he first deconstructed the text in his mind.
The question "Why did you come here?" asks for the reason, whether it was his own motivation or whether he was driven by external forces.
"What brings you here?" This question asks about his true desires, not just his outward goals.
"How did you get here?" is asking whether the process was legitimate and whether you deserved to have come this far.
If the three questions are answered separately, it will appear deliberate; if they are answered in a confused manner, it is tantamount to disturbing one's own Fate Soul.
Therefore, Qin Yu chose the third method.
His tone was calm and clear, each word restrained, conveying genuine respect:
"I came here not because I was drawn by the name of this place, nor was I directed or driven by anyone."
This answers why he came here—he first cut off all external causes, anchoring the cause and effect back to himself.
He then paused briefly before continuing:
"My journey has been solely to mend the missing order of my Fate Soul. The matter of the Thoughtless Stillness Dragon is a consequence of fate, and one I must bear. As for this place— Non-Self actively sought, but rather destiny that brought me to its doorstep."
This answers the question of why we came here—not for treasures, not for power, but for "taking on responsibilities and making amends," minimizing desires and prioritizing duty.
Finally, he lowered his head slightly, his tone becoming increasingly humble, yet showing no sign of backing down:
"As for how I came to be here... I have neither taken shortcuts nor shirked my responsibilities. I have walked every step of the path I was meant to walk; I have borne every consequence I was meant to bear. If I have gained anything, it has all been at the cost of my own Fate Soul. Therefore, I dare to stand here, but I dare not claim it as a matter of course."
This sentence was left until the very end.
It's not about showing off your experience, but about completely handing over the right to judge whether the process was legitimate to the other party.
As soon as he finished speaking, the world fell silent.
The old woman watched Qin Yu quietly, her gaze showing an extremely subtle change for the first time—neither approval nor disapproval, but a long-lost sense of being "responsive."
She didn't speak immediately, but looked at him for a few more breaths, as if confirming some answer already written in the deeper threads of fate.
The sea of clouds flowed slowly around the palace, and the light of the crystal flowers shone gently once more.
As the old woman finished speaking, her tone was casual, as if she were exchanging pleasantries with a passing junior. But that one sentence, "I'm thirsty," made Qin Yu's heart tighten instantly.
He didn't respond immediately. It wasn't out of hesitation, but rather an instinctive mental calculation.
How could someone who has sat outside this palace, meditating here for countless years, truly need a sip of water?
Thirst is just a symptom; getting water is the action itself.
The real test is never in the water, but in whether or not to go.
Qin Yu knew this wasn't just a simple errand. The well to the south might be a path, an array, a medium reflecting the Fate Soul, or even a silent selection process. But one thing was certain—rejection was the true disqualification.
He slowly exhaled, suppressing all unnecessary deductions in his mind, showing no hesitation whatsoever, and instead making the safest choice in that instant.
"Since you are thirsty, senior, I will gladly oblige."
He bowed respectfully, his tone both courteous and natural. "Yes, I will go immediately."
Just as he was about to turn around, the old woman's voice rang out again, still calm, but with an added air of unquestionable authority:
"You can go by yourself."
She slowly raised her hand, and her thin but unusually steady finger turned gently in mid-air, pointing at Tangyi and Azure Ring.
"The two of them, stay here and chat with me."
The moment the words fell, everything on the surface of heaven and earth remained as usual, but in the deeper layers of Fate Soul and the structure of cause and effect, an extremely subtle yet exquisite causal logic quietly unfolded—not a constraint, not a suppression, but the embedding of a "predetermined relationship": it is reasonable for you to stay here, it has already happened.
This cause and effect is silent and imperceptible; it is almost impossible for anyone other than a being at a higher level to detect it—except for Azure Ring.
She was sitting leisurely on the edge of Tangyi's dragon horns, swinging her legs lazily. But the moment that logic of cause and effect touched her, a cunning glint flashed in her eyes.
That wasn't a sign of wariness, but rather that they were "amused."
Azure Ring tilted her head, glanced at the old woman, then turned to Qin Yu, revealing an undisguised smug smile, her tone playful to the point of arrogance:
"Little Qinzi, just go! Running errands is something you should do anyway."
As she spoke, she casually wiggled her toes.
Within that seemingly casual movement, a barely perceptible wisp of power gently rippled out—
There was no direct confrontation, no outpouring of power, but rather a negation and overriding achieved directly at the causal level in a more "higher" manner.
The cause-and-effect logic that the old woman had just laid out shattered and dissipated silently, like a line of text that had been gently erased.
There was no backlash, no fluctuation. It was as if it had never existed. At that moment, the old woman's eyes twitched very subtly.
It was a vibration of being "seen," but only for a moment.
The next moment, her gaze returned to calm, her eyelids lowered, as if nothing had happened, and even the rhythm of her breathing remained unchanged.
Only Azure Ring knew all of this.
Qin Yu was unaware.
Tangyi instinctively tensed her dragon body, but calmed down again with a gentle pat from Azure Ring.
Qin Yu assumed this was an arrangement by his senior. He bowed to the old woman again, his attitude remaining respectful and restrained.
"Alright, then I'll go get it and come right back."
After speaking, he turned around, his steps steady, and headed south. Outside the palace, the sea of clouds stirred gently.
The old woman sat with her eyes closed, while Azure Ring swung her legs, a smile playing on her lips.