Eight days remained.
The training grounds had changed again.
Not outwardly.
But in the way people moved.
There was less hesitation now.
Less wasted motion.
Those who had something to gain were pushing forward.
Those who didn't… were beginning to slow down.
Lin Xu arrived before sunrise.
The air was cold.
Still.
Only a few others had gathered.
He preferred it that way.
Less noise.
Less distraction.
He sat.
Closed his eyes.
No adjustments this time.
No searching for a better method.
He had already tested those.
If there was a way forward—
It would not come from trying something new.
Qi gathered.
Steady.
Second Layer.
He guided it forward.
Toward the same boundary.
The resistance appeared immediately.
Familiar.
Unchanging.
Lin Xu did not pause.
He pressed forward.
Not recklessly.
But without retreat.
The Qi trembled.
He held it steady.
The strain built slowly.
Like something within him resisting—not violently—
But with quiet certainty.
As if reminding him:
This was not his path.
Lin Xu's breathing deepened.
He did not withdraw.
Not this time.
The Qi pressed harder.
The tremble intensified.
For a brief moment—
It faltered.
Nearly collapsed.
Lin Xu stabilized it immediately.
Not pushing further.
Not retreating either.
He stayed at the edge.
Time passed.
Then—
A thin thread slipped forward.
Barely noticeable.
But real.
Lin Xu's focus sharpened.
He guided it carefully.
Not forcing it to expand.
Just… allowing it to remain.
The thread wavered.
Then held.
So it wasn't impossible.
He pressed again.
Slowly.
Carefully.
The strain returned—stronger this time.
The Qi resisted him.
Not the barrier—
But his own flow.
As if something within him rejected the change.
Lin Xu did not stop.
The thread widened.
From one—
To several.
Each one unstable.
Each one… barely holding.
Pain followed.
Not sharp.
But persistent.
Like something being stretched beyond what it should be.
Still—
He continued.
Then—
Something shifted.
Subtle.
But undeniable.
The Qi within him settled.
Not smoothly—
But firmly.
The resistance weakened.
Just enough.
Lin Xu stepped forward.
The flow changed.
Denser.
Heavier.
But not refined.
Not stable in the way it should have been.
Third Layer.
Lin Xu opened his eyes.
The world remained the same.
Nothing outward had changed.
Yet internally—
The difference was clear.
Not just in strength.
But in feeling.
This was not a clean breakthrough.
It felt… forced.
Held together—
But not naturally formed.
Lin Xu remained seated.
He did not move immediately.
Instead, he guided the Qi again.
Testing it.
The Third Layer responded.
But not smoothly.
There was resistance within it.
Subtle.
But present.
Like something unfinished.
Lin Xu lowered the Qi.
So this was the Third Layer.
Enough to enter the trial.
But nothing more.
Around him, others had begun arriving.
One voice rose nearby.
"…you broke through?"
A short pause.
"…yes."
"To Third?"
"…yes."
"Then you'll enter."
Another pause.
"…I'll try."
Lin Xu listened quietly.
That was all it meant.
Entry.
Not success.
He stood.
For a moment, he simply remained there.
Third Layer.
He had reached it.
There was no immediate pressure now.
No urgency.
He could enter the trial.
Or not.
He could wait.
Train.
Stabilize his foundation.
Try again next time.
Two years was not a short time—
But it was not unreachable either.
Many did exactly that.
Lin Xu's gaze shifted slightly.
It was… reasonable.
Safe.
He turned and left the training grounds.
The thought stayed with him.
Quiet.
Unresolved.