After Shen Hao defeated the last of the ancient stone puppet guards, the ground beneath the hall trembled. A low rumble echoed, and a huge stone door at the far end of the battle chamber slowly creaked open.
Behind it lay a staircase — wider than the last, made of darker stone, disappearing into shadows.
Shen Hao approached cautiously.
Lingfeng mumbled, "Alright, second staircase in one night. Can we get a break room between these?"
Shen Hao ignored him and stepped forward.
The descent was long — colder than before. And then, after several turns, the staircase opened into a massive underground chamber.
It was a maze.
Dark stone walls rose high on each side, paths twisting and turning. The floor was lined with ancient symbols and faded lines — signs of protective formations.
Shen Hao narrowed his eyes. "A maze?"
Mo Han's voice echoed in his mind.
"Yes. My disciple created this to confuse enemies and protect his inner sanctum. But be careful — it's not just a puzzle. The traps here are very much alive."
As Shen Hao took his first step into the maze, the ground beneath him clicked.
"Jump!" Lingfeng shouted.
He leaped forward just in time as a row of sharp stone spikes shot up from the floor behind him.
"Pressure plates," Shen Hao muttered.
"Pressure plates, hidden darts, fire runes, illusion fogs, deadly air — you know, the usual," Lingfeng said casually.
Shen Hao kept moving carefully. The walls of the maze shifted slightly every few minutes, making it hard to memorize turns. He used small marks of his Qi to tag the walls so he wouldn't go in circles.
Suddenly, a faint mist began to roll in.
"Fog again?" Shen Hao growled.
"Not just fog — it's illusion fog," Mo Han warned. "Don't trust what you see."
As he moved forward, he saw his home — his family calling out to him.
"Shen Hao!"
His mother's voice.
He froze for a second. "Mom?"
"Nope, fake!" Lingfeng yelled. "That's not your mom. Unless she suddenly turned into a Qi-sucking ghost with glowing red eyes."
Shen Hao clenched his fists and pushed forward, ignoring the illusion. The image melted like mist as he passed through it.
Next came a wall of fire — activated the moment he stepped on a tile.
He dashed forward, spinning through the flame with the speed and agility of someone who had trained for this.
Lingfeng cheered. "Now that's what I call hot footwork!"
Another corridor brought swinging blades, and one hallway even collapsed behind him as he ran through it.
Despite the danger, Shen Hao remained focused, sharp, and alert — guided by his instincts and Mo Han's quiet advice.
Eventually, after a dozen close calls and Lingfeng's endless commentary, Shen Hao reached the end of the maze. A tall arched doorway stood before him, pulsing with a faint blue light.
He stepped through.
The maze was gone — behind him sealed off by a shimmer of energy.
And ahead… a long corridor lined with twenty-one stone doors.
Ten on each side. One at the very end.
Shen Hao stared down the hall.
He blinked. "Seriously?"
Lingfeng's voice echoed from his hilt, "Alright, now this just looks like a trap buffet."
Shen Hao walked slowly, examining each door, placing his hand on them — one by one — trying to sense any kind of Qi.
Nothing.
Not even a flicker.
He frowned. "There's no spiritual pressure coming from any of them."
Mo Han was quiet for a second, then said, "Interesting… Seems the concealment is stronger than I thought."
Lingfeng snickered. "So... what now? Eeny, meeny, miny—BOOM?"
Shen Hao took a deep breath and muttered, "Guess we're going to have to open them… one by one."
Lingfeng let out a dramatic sigh. "Yup. Definitely going to die in here."
Shen Hao turned toward the first door, cracking his knuckles and stretching his neck.
"Let's get started."
As his hand reached for the doorknob, a faint rumble echoed down the hallway — like the calm before chaos.