A pale light shimmered above the broken statues as the final phase of the trial ended. One by one, Ashen, Divya, Mia, and Jane appeared in the ancient chamber. Their robes were torn, their eyes dim with exhaustion, but each of them carried a quiet storm in their heart.
The silence hung heavy, broken only by the crackling of unseen energy slowly fading into the walls.
Divya was the first to speak, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Did… did he say he passed?"
Ashen's brow furrowed. "He did."
Jane looked between them, stunned. "But… how? We couldn't even cultivate in there. That body, that world it stripped everything from us. Our Qi, our techniques, even our senses. How could anyone pass something like that?"
"I could barely move," Mia admitted, placing a hand on her chest as if still feeling the weight of helplessness. "Even simple pain was unbearable in that frail mortal shell."
