A soft hum stirred the stillness. The shrine had grown quiet again, But then, a faint voice drifted into his consciousness once more.
"You've noticed it, haven't you?"
It was the spirit's voice ancient, calm, laced with something that almost sounded like curiosity.
Qin Feng's head rose slightly. His fists unclenched, but his jaw tightened. The answer was there, heavy in his chest, like a truth too bitter to swallow.
"Yes," he muttered, brows furrowing. "It's... slow."
The shrine spirit chuckled gently, a sound like ancient bells ringing in an empty temple. "Slower than you expected?"
Qin Feng nodded.
What had filled him moments ago, an overwhelming rush of insight and divine clarity was now settling into a sobering realization. The Soul Echo Sutra was not a technique of instant results or explosive breakthroughs. It was a path carved through silence and stillness. A technique meant to refine the soul over time.
He had hoped, perhaps foolishly, that the answers would come quickly. That he would feel a sudden surge of power in his soul and then immediately be able to sense the essence.
But reality was harsher.
The first stage of Perception would allow his soul to stir, to sense that something was out there. .
The second stage, the Soul Seed, would take even more time. It wasn't something one could rush. It had to form naturally, as the soul learned to respond, to reach out. Only when that seed matured and his spirit found true resonance would he step into the third stage; Eye Opening.
And only then... would he finally see.
He tightened his fists.
"The true effect of the technique... it doesn't even begin until the third stage," he said aloud, more to himself than to the spirit. "That could take Years."
He paused.
And yet... even as the truth settled like lead in his chest, another feeling stirred beneath it—deeper, stronger, like steel emerging from the fire.
Resolve.
It was strange. Before now, he would have despaired. He would have cursed the heavens for toying with him again. But now...
He had seen a glimpse.
Even if it was far away, even if the road was long, it existed. And that was enough.
"I understand now," he said, his voice steadier. "This technique isn't about speed. It's not about strength or overwhelming force. It's about patience. Awareness. Mastery over self."
He closed his eyes.
"I've been running in the dark for years, trying to force open doors that were never mine to enter. But this... this is a door I can open."
The shrine spirit remained silent, letting his words echo through the sacred space.
"I don't care how long it takes," Qin Feng continued, his voice gaining strength. "Even if I have to crawl through every inch of darkness with my bare hands... I will reach that third stage. I will open that eye."
A pause.
"And I will see."
His breath came slow but firm now, his body aching, yet upright. The pain no longer felt like a punishment. It was proof that he was alive. That his path had begun.
The spirit finally spoke again, its voice soft and knowing. "Many would have turned away. Chosen a different path. One with less silence. Less struggle."
Qin Feng's lips curled into the barest shadow of a smile.
"I've already lived in silence," he said. "But now... I want to listen."
The shrine seemed to breathe around him. For a moment, it was as if the stone walls themselves had bowed in quiet approval.
The shrine was still.
And then, softly… gently… the spirit laughed.
It was not mockery, nor pride. It was a quiet, resonant sound, ancient and knowing. A chuckle from something that had seen centuries pass, and yet still found wonder in a single boy's words.
"Good," the spirit said. "Very good. Since you have resolve, I shall give you.... a miracle.."