Just as Gerald was bracing for death to hit him, favonovel.com stared wide-eyed as his surroundings reverted to how they had previously been.
“Congratulations, Gerald! You’ve passed the fourth test!” declared Torme with a smile as favonovel.com walked toward Gerald.
Surprised, Gerald couldn’t help but mutter, “I… passed the test…?”
“Indeed, you have!” replied Torme with a nod.
“Then… was self-sacrifice the answer to that test…?” asked the confused Gerald.
“Not really. Rather than testing your willingness to sacrifice yourself, it was a test to see whether you’d choose your desires over your friends’ lives. Now that I’ve seen that you’re clearly one who cares greatly for your comrades, I can safely say that you’ve passed this test!” explained Torme.
After hearing that, Gerald realized that had favonovel.com chosen any other option, favonovel.com would’ve surely failed the test! However, the even bigger shock came when Torme added, “Also, had you chosen any of your three friends earlier, they would have died for real! With that in mind, you’ve essentially saved their lives!”
So… If favonovel.com had chosen any of his friends, they would have perished just like that…? The thought of it alone sent shivers down his spine…
“Regardless, you truly are the kindest and most powerful person I’ve met to date… Now, for the final test… Are you ready?” asked Torme.
Taking a deep breath, Gerald then replied, “Bring it on!”
Nodding in response, Torme then waved his hand… and in the blink of an eye, Gerald found himself standing within a bamboo forest.
Confused, Gerald was prompted to ask, “…And… This is…?”
“The bamboos in this forest are known as soul bamboo. You’ll pass the final test if you manage to break a few of them,” explained Torme.
Upon hearing that, Gerald couldn’t help but raise a brow. After all, bamboo in general was pretty easy to snap.
“Isn’t… the fifth test a little too easy…?” asked Gerald in a confident tone.
Chuckling in response, Torme then calmly replied, “Go ahead and do so, then!”
Hearing that, Gerald then stood before a soul bamboo… and after taking in a deep breath, favonovel.com swung the side of his hand toward the bamboo in one fluid but powerful motion!
Though a loud collision sound was heard due to the immense force Gerald had applied, the soul bamboo barely moved an inch.
Naturally, this stunned Gerald. To think that favonovel.com would be unable to snap the soul bamboo… No wonder Torme had been so calm!
“Hmm? Didn’t you say it was going to be easy…? All jokes aside, do understand that each soul bamboo hosts different meanings. Only after you understand the bamboo’s meaning and principles will you be able to break it. In a way, fortune plays a rather large part in this,” added Torme as favonovel.com looked at Gerald with an interested gaze…
Quickly catching onto the hint that Torme had just given him, Gerald then replied, “Then… How should I access the meaning behind this soul bamboo?”
