The silence did not last.
Xu Tian stood still, his eyes fixed ahead.
That presence was no longer hidden.
It was watching him.
Not from one direction.
From everywhere.
The air in the chamber felt heavier, but not unstable.
Controlled.
Deliberate.
Xu Tian adjusted his stance slightly.
"…Show yourself," he said quietly.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the carvings on the walls began to glow faintly.
Soft light spread across the chamber.
Not bright.
But enough.
Xu Tian's eyes narrowed.
"…So this is your doing."
The light moved.
Not randomly.
It gathered.
Toward the center.
Toward the structure.
Xu Tian didn't move.
He watched.
The energy in the air shifted again.
This time, it wasn't pressure.
It was focus.
Something was forming.
Slowly.
A shape appeared.
Not solid.
Not physical.
A figure made of faint light.
Its outline was unclear.
But it stood before the structure.
Facing him.
Xu Tian's grip tightened.
"…You're not a beast."
The figure didn't respond.
But the air trembled slightly.
Xu Tian felt it immediately.
That same connection.
Stronger than before.
The object in his hand reacted.
Warm.
Alive.
The figure's head tilted slightly.
As if observing him.
Xu Tian didn't look away.
"…What are you?" he asked.
The chamber remained silent.
But something changed.
A faint voice.
Not heard.
Felt.
A single thought.
"Unqualified."
Xu Tian's expression hardened slightly.
"…Then test me," he said.
The moment the words left his mouth, the air shifted.
The figure moved.
Not fast.
But instant.
It was in front of him.
Xu Tian's body reacted.
Everything slowed.
He stepped back.
The figure's hand passed through where he had been standing.
No impact.
But the air distorted.
Xu Tian's eyes sharpened.
"…Not physical."
He moved again.
This time forward.
His arm struck.
The object in his hand reacted.
A faint surge of energy followed.
The strike passed through the figure.
But the space around it trembled.
The figure paused.
For the first time.
Xu Tian narrowed his eyes.
"…So you can be affected."
The air grew heavier again.
The figure didn't retreat.
Instead, it raised its hand.
The chamber responded.
The carvings glowed brighter.
Energy gathered.
Not wild.
Controlled.
Focused entirely on him.
Xu Tian felt it.
Different from before.
This wasn't strength.
This was a test.
His grip tightened.
The children remained still.
Unaware.
Xu Tian took a slow breath.
"…Then let's see."
The energy inside him moved again.
Not chaotic.
Not sudden.
Clear.
Stable.
His stance lowered slightly.
The figure's hand dropped.
The next moment, the entire chamber moved.
And the test began.