After Taishan's departure, silence fell over the entire arena. Li Xiuwen and Mu Rong Jian were still lying on the ground, completely exhausted. They did not feel the pain of physical wounds, but rather an emptiness that came from truly facing a master for the first time.
Mu Rong Jian lay staring at his sword with a look of confusion. The sword, which had once been his pride and trusted companion, now seemed like nothing more than a worthless piece of steel.
"His power… it's so vastly different from ours," Mu Rong Jian muttered to himself. "My sword art… it feels like an empty void without meaning."
Li Xiuwen slowly pulled himself up. He looked at the cracks that still remained on the granite floor before turning to Mu Rong Jian with a look of determination.
"That is not your fault," Li Xiuwen said. "Your sword art is not meaningless. It is simply a journey that has not yet reached its end."
"The power gap is not the thing that is too difficult for us to overcome," Li Xiuwen continued. "What caused our defeat was our lack of a deep understanding of power. His power was not just strong Qi, but a perfect fusion of Qi and his will."
"Then what do we do now?" Mu Rong Jian asked. "Should we give up and go back to training?"
"No," Li Xiuwen replied with a firm voice. "This defeat is not the end. It is the beginning."
Li Xiuwen walked toward the large iron door that had appeared in front of them. The door was not just an ordinary door; it was covered in ancient symbols of stars and galaxies, and it emitted a pure and powerful white light.
"This is the true prize of the tournament," Li Xiuwen said. "A door that doesn't lead us to glory in this world… but to true cultivation in a different place."
Mu Rong Jian slowly pulled himself up. He walked over to Li Xiuwen with a look of doubt.
"Where does this door lead us?"
"I don't know," Li Xiuwen replied honestly. "But I know that this is the path we must choose to walk."
Li Xiuwen extended his hand to touch the large iron door. A powerful Qi flowed out from the door and into his body. It was purer and more potent than any energy he had ever sensed.
The energy was not a threat to him; it felt like it was cleansing his mind and body.
"It seems this is the final test," Li Xiuwen said as he turned to look at Mu Rong Jian. "Are you ready to step forward with me?"
Mu Rong Jian smiled with confidence. "I'm always ready."
With that, Li Xiuwen and Mu Rong Jian decided to open the large iron door and step into the brilliant light within.
Whoosh!
The moment the two stepped into the door, they felt their bodies being pulled into a vortex of light and sound. They could see nothing but a bright white light before it vanished instantly.
When they opened their eyes again, they found themselves no longer in the steel labyrinth, but in an unfamiliar place. A place filled with large, ancient trees and a picturesque landscape.
And in their hands, they held a new kind of ore that glowed with a brilliant golden light.
"What… where is this place?" Mu Rong Jian muttered to himself.
At that moment, the roar of a monstrous beast echoed from deep within the forest. But this time, the roar was more powerful than any they had ever heard.
Their new journey was about to begin.