Apotheosis

Zen's soul was getting roasted by the flames. In spite of his strong will, he couldn't bear the excruciating pain. He trembled and moaned in pain as he rolled side to side on the ground with his hands covering his head.

He found it hard to stand up, let alone take another step.

Zen slid on the 2, 000th step and eventually fell to the 1, 999th step.

Although he had to endure the pain of the soul thorns pricking him when he went down to the 1, 999th step, he looked so much better. He looked up at the steps above him and sighed, "This is harder than I thought. How can I overcome these obstacles?"

Zen had an iron will and never backed down from any challenges or difficulties. He triumphed over many predicaments with his perseverance.

But for the first time, he doubted himself.

The remarkable flame was terrifying and overwhelming.

"I can't quit now even if I want to," Zen murmured. There was no way he could back out now that he was inside the fairy palace. Besides, Saul told him that he would be accepted in the fairy palace if he could pass this stage of the test.

However, he couldn't even stand up steadily at the 2, 000th step, so how could he possibly move up another step?

Zen's soul had great strength that could withstand any pain, so there was no reason he should fear being burned by the flames.

His soul had been exposed to the black fire in his brain. The flame that he was now encountering was not even close to the power of the black fire.

But then, Zen could not endure the pain of his soul being burned.

"No, it can't be like this!"

The soul test was indeed quite dangerous. The puzzle must be difficult, but it could not be unbreakable. There must be a way to deal with this.

Zen stood at the 1, 999th step and thought for a while. His face lighting up with an idea, he said, "Ah! How can I be so stupid to have forgotten about the state of forgetting myself?"

Back when Zen was mastering the Spiritual Thorn, he inadvertently discovered the state of forgetting himself. In the sphere of nothingness, his consciousness would become subtle and he could ignore himself as if becoming the second person.

If he entered that state now, he could completely ignore the pain of his soul being burned. This was the only way he could think of that could help him pass the 2, 000th step.

Thus, Zen closed his eyes and began his meditation. The moment he opened his eyes, he could feel nothing.

He felt as if the world had lost ties with him, including his own body.

Zen was now ready to try the 2, 000th step again. With this renewed determination, he said to himself, "All right! Let's do this again!"

In his state of forgetting himself, Zen walked up to the next step.

When he finally reached the 2, 000th step, he

e suddenly felt a terrible pain as if his soul was torn apart.

"Ah!"

Zen screamed in pain as the skeleton munched on his skin.

The pain of the soul being eaten was extremely excruciating.

If he could not snap out of this illusion, the skeleton would eat him to death.

Zen was screaming with pain when he heard Saul's voice, "Hold on to your belief!"

"My belief?" Zen mumbled. His eyes widened in bewilderment, "What is my belief?"

Despite the pain of the skeleton munching on him, Zen reflected on his belief.

Since his father's death, Zen's heart hardened like solid rock.

When he encountered an illusory devil transforming into a group of fierce beasts, he was able to calm himself down and eventually passed the stage.

But when the illusory devil turned into his father's image, it hit him hard. He became vulnerable.

'My… my belief... is the relentless pursuit of martial arts mastery. Since I decided to follow this path, I must go on, and no one can shake my determination.' At first, he couldn't figure out his belief out of the pain. But with focus, he was able to remember what he believed in and what pushed him to take the test. 'Even if my father stops me, I will not falter or give up! No one can ever stop me in mastering martial arts!'

His eyes now glowed with fortitude.

The skeleton slowly weakened until it finally disappeared.

Zen gasped for air and sighed with relief. If his determination wasn't firm, his soul would have been bitten to death.

Without wasting any more time, Zen stood up and kept moving up. When he finally reached the top, the surrounding slowly changed and he found himself back in the hall again.

"Congratulations! You have passed the Soul Test! Now, you are considered the temporary owner of the fairy palace," Saul greeted Zen and smiled at him with excitement.