Qiang Ming followed Chen Yi in silence, his steps steady despite the fatigue that clung to his body like a second skin. The corridor she led him through was modest by Shrek's standards, carved from smooth stone, with the ever-faint humming of soul arrays etched into its walls. Dim green lighting lined the floor, guiding the path into a small side chamber.
She turned to him with crossed arms and an unreadable expression. "You smell like a battlefield. Take a bath, eat, rest. You've got… an hour or two. I need to contact some people and—" she exhaled, "convince others. Not everyone will be happy about this."
Without waiting for his response, she left, the door sliding shut behind her with a soft hiss.
Qiang Ming blinked once, then glanced around the sparse chamber. It was little more than a holding room—a stone bench, a basin of steaming water behind a carved privacy screen, a single table with food covered under warm insulation film.
He didn't waste time.
First, the bath.
His hands undid the clasps of his coat slowly. The moment the fabric pulled away from his body, a soft rustle filled the air as dried blood cracked and flaked off. His pants followed next, equally ruined. He tossed the clothes into a corner of his spatial ring, already resolved to burn them later.
The bath itself was deep enough to submerge his torso, and the water was perfectly warm—steam rising into his tired lungs. He sank into it slowly, his sculpted frame sinking beneath the surface with a sigh that escaped him before he could stop it.
For several minutes, he didn't move.
The water curled around him like a balm, soaking into every bruise, every aching muscle. He leaned back, his long purple hair floating around him, now free of the rough pin that usually bound it. His reflection stared back at him from the water's surface. Still sharp. Still cold.
But human.
He lingered longer than intended—fifteen minutes—before stepping out and drying off quickly, pulling on a simple black robe folded near the bench. He smelled food, and his stomach roared louder than a Spirit Beast.
He didn't bother with etiquette.
The covering film was ripped off and the food devoured. Steamed buns, eggs soaked in spirit herbs, and even a roast bird leg. Not enough to satisfy, but enough to restore function.
After eating, he sat cross-legged near the wall and closed his eyes. The Blackstone Abyss Hammer did not appear, but he could feel its weight in his mind.
He began to meditate.
Soul power flowed through him in slow, controlled spirals, coalescing through his three deep purple rings. His breathing slowed, his heartbeat falling into rhythm.
Two hours passed in silence.
When he opened his eyes again, he felt light. Restored. Even his Lich's Hands, though hidden, flexed in anticipation.
Just as he stood to stretch his spine, the door slammed open.
Chen Yi stood there, hair slightly out of place, an annoyed scowl creasing her otherwise composed features.
"Let's go," she barked. "The next few hours won't be easy."
Qiang Ming followed without a word.
They walked for nearly ten minutes, past wide courtyards and through quiet stone corridors, until they entered Shrek Hall—a massive dome-like structure that reeked of ancient history.
Qiang Ming glanced around, eyes scanning the relics and murals of Shrek's long legacy—portraits of heroes, statues of titanic battles. And at the heart of it, they stopped before a massive painting depicting a Black Dragon soaring through a crimson sky.
He studied the brushwork, the detail. There was power in this art—refined through memory and reverence.
For a few quiet minutes, he simply observed it.
Then a voice cut through the silence.
"Ten points."
Qiang Ming blinked and turned, now noticing the short old man standing beside Chen Yi.
"What…?" he began.
"Don't worry about it," Chen Yi said with a shake of her head. "Follow me. You're not done yet."
This time, she led him into another chamber—smaller, darker. At the center was another painting, this one of a starless sky, its hues so deep it felt like one could fall into it.
And then—he did.
The savannah spread out before him in waves of gold and dust, heat rising from the cracked earth. There was no wind. No birdsong.
Only a tremor in the distance.
Then—a roar.
A Giant Land Demon Rhino, at least 3000 years old, tore through the haze. Its body was mountainous, plated with scarred obsidian armor, eyes glowing red with primal fury. Its horn shone like a jagged black crystal.
Qiang Ming didn't hesitate.
He didn't scream. Didn't shout.
He ran toward it.
Outside the illusion, in the observation chamber, Chen Yi and the older man stood before a crystal projection of the painting.
"He's alone in that scene," she said. "The previous batch had five candidates."
"And?" the man said with a shrug.
"This isn't fair."
"He should thank the heavens he's being allowed to test at all. Wu Zhangkong spoke highly of him. I intend to verify it."
She frowned. "I hope his arrogance at the gate wasn't just gas."
They both fell silent, watching.
And then—
Both froze.
On screen, the image showed Qiang Ming skidding under the Rhino's first charge. With a feral growl, he grabbed its horn mid-turn, using the momentum to hurl the beast sideways. Dust exploded. The Rhino staggered to stand—but too slow.
The Blackstone Abyss Hammer appeared in his hands, called like death's own gavel.
He struck.
Right beneath the creature's ribcage, where instinct told him the heart would be.
The force of the blow cracked through the beast's body, lifting it off its feet before it collapsed like a stone building.
The old man laughed, his voice echoing in the chamber.
Chen Yi's mouth was open in disbelief. "That… that wasn't an illusion of confidence."
"That boy," the old man said, "is the real thing."
Qiang Ming blinked as he returned to the real world.
He was standing once again inside Shrek Hall, near the painting of the night sky.
Chen Yi stood beside him, but the older man was gone.
She stared at him for a second, as if she were still reprocessing what she had just seen.
"Ten points." Chen Yi said
Qiang Ming tilted his head. "What's next?"
Chen Yi turned sharply. "Just… Just come with me."
And this time, there was no hesitation in her voice.