Chapter 14 Apprentice of the Future

　　As they turned the corner of the corridor, the style abruptly shifted! A long, ancient pathway paved with cyan bricks emerged before them, exuding an air of antiquity...

　　The neat cyan bricks lined on both the corridor floor and walls. The bricks on the walls were cut narrow, each approximately 60 centimeters in length and 30 centimeters in width, overlapping neatly against the surface. The floor bricks were arranged with particular care: every few meters, a square brick about 1 meter in size featured various relief carvings. Some small bricks were surrounded by smaller bricks, forming precise matrices.

　　Gu Moxun put his hand on the surface of bricks, which shimmered with faint golden light. Unlike metal, those bricks were without a cold touch; their surface had tiny bumps, a comfortable matte texture. When he flicked a finger against one, it emitted a clear, metallic ring—thicker than actual metal.

　　Hearing the tapping, the old man called back without turning: "I made these bricks from cosmic dust—they're extremely durable. Now come along! We're almost there." All right! Come on. We are approaching!”

　　Gu Moxun looked up to find the old man's figure had vanished around the next corner, leaving only his resolute voice echoing in the corridor. Not daring to linger, Gu Moxun bolted forward, rushing out the corner.

　　As he rounded the corner, a towering black-and-white metal gate suddenly stood before him. Unable to stop in time, Gu Moxun nearly slammed on the closed ancient portal.

　　He skidded to a halt, his feet stepped on the floor, and his body leaned so far forward that he almost pressed against the gate. Breathing a sigh of relief, the teenager steadied himself and began to inspect the gate curiously.

　　Its material was unidentifiable. One door black, the other was white! Leaving a seamless, monolithic impression. The door was framed in golden trim, its luster suggesting pure gold.

　　Gu Moxun ran his hand over the gold, feeling its uneven surface—there were characters engraved here! Tilting his head, he saw large inscribed words: the right panel read "The greatest hero serves the country and the people," while the left stated "The perfect embodiment of righteousness lies in benevolence and trust." Above the door, a plaque bore the name: "Chivalry Hero Pavilion."

　　Weren't these lyrics from The Last Battle Song? Why were they engraved on the gate? Though Gu Moxun recognized the characters, his lack of classical education and unfamiliarity with ancient customs left him puzzled by their combined meaning. Yet as he read them, a stirring sense of righteous resolve welled up in his chest. He looked carefully again to see if there were any inscriptions on the black and white gate.

　　As he watched, the black and white panels gave him a feeling of refreshment and comfort. As if he was bathed in the warm sunlight before, giving him an indescribable comfort. This comfort was addictive, making it hard to take his eyes off the black and white panels! Looking closer, the black and white gate seemed to be covered with intricate embossment and patterns!

　　It was as if... as if they were living creatures, so vivid!

　　……

　　Hey, wait a minute! No! The patterns inside seemed to be really alive!

　　Suddenly! In the teenager's eyes, the patterns on the gate really seemed to move. The intricate patterns rotated with the black and white panels! They went faster and faster, and converged toward the center, forming a black and white circle like the Tai Chi. And the teenager's mind seemed to float towards the Tai Chi in the center along with the rotation of the Tai Chi pattern...

　　Gu Moxun's mind flew toward the Tai Chi uncontrollably. The closer he got, the bigger the Tai Chi became, until it was about the size of a cave, and his mind was pulled by the inexplicable energy in the cave, gradually floating inward...

　　He saw a world of black, and such black seemed from the mass universe! He drifted farther and farther inward, yet his heart remained utterly calm. Only the boundless emptiness around him induced a dizzying sensation...

　　At this moment, Gu Moxun's consciousness seemed to detach from his body, floating in the void, gradually pulled inward by the Tai Chi's rotation. I don't know how much time passed when a sudden jolt struck his mind! He seemed to have something important left undone! He couldn't indulge here! But what was it? Gu Moxun strained to think, yet the thought eluded him...

　　The surrounding darkness made rational thinking difficult, but he knew he must complete that crucial task!

　　Right! He remembered! He needed to listen to that special person recount the story of Chu Mufan, the chosen one he worshipped! Gu Moxun snapped back to reality! His confused gaze gradually clearing! Mustering all his strength to calm his mind! His entire consciousness rapidly receded from the black hole!

　　He saw the black hole shrink swiftly, reverting to a spinning Tai Chi! A black thread emerged from its center, flying outward!

　　It grew larger and faster as it flew! Until it transformed into a black dragon lunging at Gu Moxun!

　　The teenager shut his eyes in fright, feeling a rush of blood and dizziness welling up from his head to his stomach. Reeling, Gu Moxun collapsed to one knee, coughing dryly but unable to vomit!

　　When he looked up again, his hand was somehow pressed against the eerie black-and-white metal gate. The door swung open slowly as Wei Zhengdao, wearing a satisfied smile, nodded and helped the boy up. "Not bad, not bad! You passed the Second Heart-Door Trial in under half a minute—flawlessly! Proof of your pure resolve. You're fit to be my apprentice."

　　Gu Moxun wiped the corner of his mouth with his left hand, rising unsteadily. "T-the second... trial? W-was it this... strange door? No wonder... m-my soul... almost got... sucked in!"

　　Glimpsing the teenager, instead of answering directly, the elder asked, "What did you see inside?"

　　"U-um? ... First... a dot... then... totally... black... Then I remembered... s-something important... t-to do... so I got out. As I left... I saw... a... black dragon... or snake... lunging at ... me! Then I... woke up." The stammering teenager recounted his vision.

　　It took Wei Zhengdao great effort to decipher the teenager's words...

　　Staring into Gu Moxun's eyes for a moment and finding no trace of deceit, he began to explain: "This gate is called the 'Black-White Heart Door.' Dr. David and the Chosen One brought it from two ancient Earth ruins—remains older than human history itself. No one knows the metal's origin or why these two panels appeared in ruins half a world apart. Most remarkably, the black-and-white panels can bewitch the mind.

　　Those with hidden guilt will see their deepest evils; a moment's lapse lets their own darkness destroy them.

　　Those of righteous heart first feel adrift, but firm resolve strengthens their convictions.

　　However, I've never heard of anyone seeing a dot before—likely a result of mental chaos! It means your heart remains unformed, without clear good or evil, still searching for your path. The belief of your own! But your kindness means no evil thoughts to backfire, hence your consciousness escaped in half a minute!

　　Congratulations—you've passed the second trial!"