The crystalline path, sparkling beneath the illusory light of the galactic rivers, led directly to the base of the dragon mountain. It appeared close, but only upon truly stepping onto it did Tran Kien sense the vast distance and the formless pressure radiating from this path.
The five of them, led by Tran Kien, carefully took their first steps. Beneath their feet, the pitch-black abyss and currents of chaotic energy still churned, as if countless monsters were lying in wait for them to make a misstep.
"Everyone, be careful," Uncle Kiem reminded them, his voice incredibly solemn. "The trial of the Dragon Guardian is certainly not simple. Stabilize your minds and do not allow the illusionary realm to bewitch you."
They walked for about a hundred paces without incident. The path remained tranquil; only the thump... thump... beating of the Heart of the Dragon in the distance grew increasingly distinct.
But the moment they crossed a certain invisible boundary, the surrounding scenery suddenly transformed.
"RUMBLE... BOOM... BOOM!"
The illusory deep purple sky vanished. The crystalline path beneath their feet disappeared. The pitch-black abyss was no more. In their place was a boundless, endless sea of water. The water bore the murky yellow hue of silt, surging and rising with massive waves several zhang high, crashing into each other to produce earth-shattering roars. The wind howled, dark clouds roiled, and within those clouds, silver lightning tore through the void.
The five of them were currently standing atop a small mountain, isolated amidst the raging sea. The floodwaters were rising at a terrifying speed, about to swallow them up to their feet.
"Where... where is this?" Ly Tin cried out in horror. He was a general accustomed to the battlefield, but facing the destructive power of nature, he couldn't help but feel minuscule and powerless.
"Is it an illusionary realm?" Trinh Cong attempted to circulate his spiritual energy, only to discover in horror that the spiritual energy within his body moved with extreme difficulty, as if suppressed by some invisible force.
"Son Tinh... Thuy Tinh..." Lam Vy muttered, her small face deathly pale. She had heard her mother tell this story countless times. The scene before her eyes was exactly like the legendary wrath of Thuy Tinh, the God of the Waters, seeking to drown the mountain of Son Tinh to snatch back the princess My Nuong.
"Indeed," Uncle Kiem said, his hand already gripping the hilt of his wooden sword tightly. "This is the first trial. A trial of the willpower to withstand natural disasters, of the indomitable spirit of the ancient Lac Viet people."
"Then what must we do?" Ly Tin asked. "Don't tell me we have to fight an entire great deluge?"
Just as his words fell, a massive pillar of water shot up from the sea, transforming into a ferocious face that let out a heaven-shaking roar before crashing directly down upon the mountain.
Without the slightest hesitation, Uncle Kiem swung his sword to strike. A streak of sharp sword intent shattered the water pillar. But immediately after, tens, hundreds of other water pillars simultaneously attacked from all directions. Endless and inexhaustible!
"It's useless!" Tran Kien suddenly shouted. He had realized it. "This is an illusionary realm born of willpower. It cannot be broken with mere martial force! The more we resist, the more berserk the will of 'Thuy Tinh' will become!"
A trial of the 'soul'. He recalled the words of the Dragon Guardian. He had read this tale and understood the spirit within it. The spirit of Son Tinh was not to destroy the waters, but to protect, to raise the mountain higher, possessing the will to "move mountains and fill the seas" to safeguard his homeland.
"Everyone!" Tran Kien turned around, looking directly at his four companions. "Stop attacking! Trust me! Focus all your willpower, use your strength not to fight the floodwaters, but to protect, to fortify the mountain beneath our feet!"
Everyone was stunned by his words.
"You mean..."
"Yes!" Tran Kien nodded, his eyes burning intensely. "For every inch Thuy Tinh raises the waters, we will raise the mountain a foot! We will show the will of this illusionary realm that the protective will of the Lac Viet people can never be submerged!"
Uncle Kiem was the first to understand. He withdrew his sword intent, nodding heavily. "Excellent! What an excellent strategy! Using willpower to contend against willpower! Do as Tran Kien says!"
Ly Tin and Trinh Cong, though still half-doubting, no longer hesitated in the face of Uncle Kiem's trust and Tran Kien's decisiveness.
The five of them ceased their outward attacks. They focused on the mountain beneath their feet.
Uncle Kiem thrust his wooden sword into the mountain peak. His sword intent poured out, no longer sharp, but becoming profound and steadfast, like a giant tree root digging deep into the heart of the mountain, preventing it from collapsing.
Ly Tin and Trinh Cong used their own spiritual energy and physical strength to lift the massive boulders that had been dislodged by the waves, reinforcing the mountainside.
Lam Vy did not possess a high cultivation base, but she did not sit idle either. She took out the Lac Bird pottery shard, pressed it against her chest, and closed her eyes. She was praying, using her own Lac Viet bloodline to connect, to transmit the will to protect this land.
As for Tran Kien, he stood at the highest point. He did nothing else. He merely stood there, head held high, facing the raging sea. He circulated his Primordial Qi, activating the Solar Essence Guardian shard.
A warm yet incomparably resolute golden halo radiated from his body once more, but this time it didn't just envelop the five of them; it expanded, blanketing the entire small mountain. That light, like the sun itself, carried the upright, luminous, and indomitable will of "Guardianship".
Five people, five wills. At this very moment, they completely merged into one.
"Earth — A Hundred Families with One Heart."
The concept of the core principle of the Lac Viet Cosmic Array suddenly flashed through Tran Kien's mind. He understood now. This wasn't merely a trial; it was a lesson!
The sea seemed to sense this transformation. The wrath of "Thuy Tinh" appeared to crash against an invisible fortress wall, a will so resolute it could not be shaken. The water pillars still roared, but they no longer attacked, merely circling the mountain as if hesitating.
Then, slowly, slowly... The winds and waves began to calm. The dark clouds in the sky dispersed. The surging floodwaters gradually receded.
The illusionary realm vanished.
They found themselves standing upon the transparent crystalline path once more. There was still the illusory purple sky, still the dragon mountain in the distance. It was as if nothing had ever happened.
Yet all five of them were panting heavily, their entire bodies drenched in sweat. The trial just now, though merely an illusion, had exacted a very real toll on their willpower and mental energy.
They had overcome the first trial.
From the sky above, the massive golden eyes of the Dragon Guardian seemed to blink slightly, glinting with a trace of satisfaction.
The path ahead was still long. But they had taken the first step, relying on their unity and indomitable will.