Leo awoke floating in the sky next to the guardian Lankani.
"Glad to see you are awake, boy."
"Guardian, where am I? Did I pass the pillar trial?"
"Ha, ha, hah. Yes, you passed the trial."
Leo looked puzzled. Why was the guardian laughing at me?
"You are wondering, why I am laughing, right? Well, you are the first person ever who tried to replicate the entire object they've seen. The test was to reproduce the object on a smaller scale."
The sentence hit Leo in the gut. He poured his all into raising an entire mountain when the test was to build a miniature one. Leo felt dumb, angry, and sad all at once. Then he remembered the man's advice.
"I let my misguidedness lead me on the wrong path," Leo mumbled to himself. He felt like the biggest idiot ever.
Lankani smiled at him and said, "don't be so hard on yourself. You accomplished something no one has ever done. Be proud of that."
leo cheered up a bit and nodded his head. "Does this mean I'm in the 2nd Domain."
Lankani shook his head and said, "No, the second trial in the 2nd domain is to test your mind and decisions you make. If I sent you to that domain, you would pass instantly. You don't waver at all even when faced with the impossible."
Leo didn't know if the guardian was praising him or insulting him.
"I'm sending you to the 3rd domain. There, you will stay in Brahma's library. His library has many books on body and soul cultivation. When you feel ready, test yourself at the third trial. Until next time, good luck boy."
A portal opened up underneath Leo and transported him to the library.
*Thump*
Leo landed on his backside creating a loud sound. The three people studying nearby ran over. One of them almost fell out of his chair. "Leo you arrived at the 3rd domain," Aarav said surprisingly. He had just entered it yesterday. This told Aarav that Leo passed the 2nd trial about as fast it took him to complete the 1st trial.
Aarav helped Leo up and welcomed him to the 3rd domain. The other two humans walked up.
One was a female in a Chinese military uniform. It was torn here and there, but it seemed she liked to wear it. She had long black hair tied into a bun and had a very militant look. She looked at Leo in a disapproving manner and went back to her reading spot.
The other one was a male Chinese Buddhist. He wore a Tibetian robe and a very calm look about him. His bald head shined when the light from the library hit it.
"Welcome new traveler. My name is Chen Yun." Leo introduced himself, and Aarav explained how they knew each other.
"The woman who sat back down entered with me when we were escaping a horde of monsters rampaging in China. The people from her team and my temple enter this palace on accident, and we have been here ever since."
"What is her name?" Leo asked.
"Mei Ye. She doesn't talk much so leave her be."
"Aarav is Lucy here?" Leo asked. It has been a while since he last saw her and was hoping she was alright.
Aarav smiled he knew Leo would ask about her. "She is in her room training. Let's go let her know you have caught up."
Leo and Aarav told Chen Yun goodbye and headed to living area. On the way, Leo was surprised only to see one new person. She was a woman in a brown robe reading in a dark corner. Leo tried to see her face, but couldn't.
Walking out of the main library room, the two of them walked down a corridor with several places to the left and right.
"All of these rooms to the left and right are vacant, Leo. Lucy's room is fours door down and on the right. I'll leave you guys alone till dinner time. At the end of the hall is a door to the garden on the left and on the right is the kitchen and dining room."
Aarav decided to go into his room. Leo looked around and figured he would let Lucy know he arrived. He walked up to door 26 and knocked. A blue-eyed blond girl opened the door with a solemn look.
She looked up and saw scruffy hair man she hadn't seen in a while. He looked at her and gave her a goofy smile. She jumped up and hugged him.
Midway through the hug, she realized she was hugging him and released immediately. She turned beet red and looked down. She barely managed to say, "glad you made it..."
The hug caught Leo by surprised, but Lucy's embarrassed act couldn't help made Leo grin ear to ear. "Glad to see you too, Lucy."
An awkward silence broke out between the two of them. Lucy decided to ask Leo about his trial. He explained what happened and how he skipped the 2nd domain.
Lucy snickered a bit when he told her the guardian laughed at his mountain endeavor. She was impressed that he did raise an entire mountain. Even with her skills, she didn't even know if she could do that herself.
After Leo finished telling his story, Lucy told him what she experienced. In the death trial, she had to cause a human to die by the law of death slowly. Even though it was just an illusion, Lucy cried watching the old woman die before her.
In her second trial, her goal in life was tested. She lived an entire another life and still decided to become a cultivator to reach her end goal.
Leo wondered what her goal was, but by now he knew not to ask. If she wanted him to know she would have told him outright.
"So, what kind of trial is in this domain?" Leo asked with a bit of curiosity.
"It tests your soul power and cultivation level. That is why they're several hundred books to train us in both aspects. I haven't attempted the trial as I want to learn from more books." Lucy didn't want to admit that she was partially waiting on Leo to catch up too.
"Sounds like a good plan. I'll head to the library and find me a book or two to study." Leo told Lucy he would see her later and headed back to the library.
Once he got in there, he decided to find himself a book similar to Dance of Sun and Moon or one that uses the earth or metal elements. Leo grabbed quite a few books and placed them on a table.
'The Path of a Flower' 'Dragon Spear Sutra' 'Statue Defense Manual' 'Scrolls of Bodhimharma Kung Fu' 'Order of the Universe' 'Mountain and the Moon' 'Fish's Breathe' 'Dream Catcher'
Most of these books dealt with an element or two. Leo looked through each one carefully. After reading the requirements and the element one needed to be proficient in the art, Leo chose the following three books 'Statue Defense Manual,' 'Order of the Universe,' and 'Mountain and the Moon.'