The dawn broke over the Thousand Spirit Plateau like a pale brushstroke across silk. Mist curled among the ancient pines, and distant peaks rose like silent sentinels. Xiao Fan and Lin Yue stood at the threshold of the pavilion, their breath visible in the chill air. The first trial had been passed with humor and heart; now, the true test awaited.
A winding stone path led them from the pavilion into a bamboo grove so dense that daylight seemed filtered through emerald water. Each stalk bore red ribbons tied high above, fluttering like countless prayer flags. As they progressed, the ribbons multiplied, until at the grove's heart they arrived before a circular clearing paved in white marble.
Five figures awaited them. Seated upon low stools, their robes bore no insignia save for a single character embroidered upon their sleeves: 平 (Balance). Their faces were concealed by wide-brimmed straw hats, shadows hiding all but the faintest glimmer of eyes. Between them lay a low table, upon which rested five items: a jade guqin, a bronze censer, a painted fan, a carved wooden seal, and a porcelain cup.
The foremost figure spoke in a voice that trembled like wind through bamboo. "Xiao Fan, Fairy Lin Yue, you stand before the Hidden Council. We observe the balance of Heaven and Earth, and when one mortal's power disrupts that balance, we bring forth the trials."
Lin Yue bowed respectfully. "Honored Council, we seek only to walk the path of harmony."
A second figure raised a slender hand. "Harmony is the goal, yet only the heart knows its own truth. Today, two trials you shall face: the Trial of Compassion and the Trial of Wisdom. Fail either, and your power shall be bound until you learn humility."
Xiao Fan inclined his head. "Speak your will."
The third figure tapped the bronze censer, releasing a wisp of pale incense smoke that coiled upward. "First, compassion. We present to you the Stray Spirit. Show mercy, and you shall proceed."
From the grove's edge drifted a pale apparition—a translucent youth in tattered scholar's robes, eyes hollow with sorrow. He drifted toward them, voice barely above a sigh. "I… I seek refuge."
Xiao Fan studied the spirit. His power could banish such wraiths with a thought. He glanced at Lin Yue, whose eyes glistened. "What is your suffering?"
The spirit knelt, shoulders shaking. "I was a scribe of the Imperial Archives. I uncovered truths the court wished buried. They accused me of treason, executed my body, and bound my soul to wander. I only wish peace."
Xiao Fan's brow furrowed. "Court intrigue is not my concern."
Lin Yue stepped forward. "But the suffering of the innocent is. We cannot turn away."
Before Xiao Fan could respond, the spirit wailed and lunged at them, ghostly fingers reaching for Lin Yue. Xiao Fan reacted instinctively—he caught the spirit's wrist and, with a gentle but firm movement, pressed his palm against its chest. A soft glow emanated from his hand.
Instead of banishment, his power seeped into the spirit, warming it like sunlight dissolving frost. The ghost's features softened, tears of light forming. It whispered, "Thank you… I am free." With that, it faded into a cascade of shimmering motes.
The Council's incense wavered, then settled. The first trial was complete.
The fourth figure inclined his head. "Compassion is shown. Now, wisdom. Choose from the items before us, and through its trial, demonstrate insight."
Xiao Fan surveyed the guqin, the censer, the fan, the seal, and the cup. Each symbolized a virtue: music, ritual, artifice, authority, and sustenance. Lin Yue's gaze lingered on the painted fan, but Xiao Fan's eyes drifted to the jade guqin. Music could soothe and guide the heart; perhaps therein lay wisdom.
He picked up the guqin, its surface cool and smooth. The fifth figure's straw hat dipped in acknowledgment. "Play the Song of Reflection. Let your mind be still, and the path will reveal itself."
Xiao Fan seated himself, the guqin resting upon his knee. He closed his eyes, recalling the notes his mother taught him as a child. With gentle fingertips, he coaxed forth a melody—soft, haunting, weaving minor chords with hopeful flourishes. The notes floated into the bamboo, causing the ribbons to stir as though stirred by unseen breath.
Halfway through, Xiao Fan paused. A discordant thought flashed in his mind: the urge to accelerate the melody, to impress the Council with speed and flair. He recognized it and set it aside. He returned to simplicity, letting each note ring true.
When the final chord faded, silence reigned. Then, the painted fan at the table lifted itself, swirling on a sudden breeze to hover before him. On its surface appeared a single word in ink: 明 (Clarity).
The Council's voices came as one: "Wisdom is not in complexity, but in knowing oneself."
The trials complete, the five figures rose, discarding their hats to reveal faces lined with age and serenity. Each bore eyes like still pools, reflecting the world without distortion.
"You have passed," the lead elder announced. "Xiao Fan, your compassion and wisdom shine. Yet one final task remains: the Judgment of Balance."
At the Council's gesture, the marble beneath them glowed, and the grove transformed. The bamboo stalks withdrew, revealing a stone dais ringed by a shallow pool of water. A single willow tree stood at its center, its branches drooping as if weighed by sorrow.
"You must cross," the Council intoned, "without disturbing the water or bending the willow's branches. Only then will you prove true balance."
Xiao Fan studied the scene. The dais was narrow, with no visible bridge. Lin Yue looked uncertain. "How—"
Before she could finish, Xiao Fan lifted a foot and stepped onto the water itself. The surface held firm beneath him, ripples forming where his foot touched. He moved slowly, each step measured.
Halfway across, a soft breeze stirred the willow, its lowest branch brushing his shoulder. Without thought, he reached up and tapped the branch with two fingers—lightly, like a bird alighting. The branch shivered, but did not break.
Lin Yue's eyes widened. "You touched it."
Xiao Fan glanced back, smiling. "Balance means knowing when to act and when to yield." He continued, and reached the dais. He stood before the willow, the moonlight glinting on the water. Then, with a single breath, he released his palm palm toward the tree—not striking, but pressing the air as if in greeting.
The willow swayed gently, as though bowing in respect. The pool's surface stilled, returning to perfect mirror.
Xiao Fan turned to the Council. "I have crossed without harm."
The elders nodded. "Balance is not in inaction nor in force, but in harmony with all things. You have shown it."
The marble glow faded, and the grove restored itself. The bamboo grove, the ribbons, the pavilion—they all returned to their former state.
As they prepared to depart, Lin Yue exhaled a laugh. "Your tests… were not easy."
Xiao Fan stretched, cracking his knuckles. "The hardest part was resisting the urge to turn the Judgment of Balance into a giant slap contest."
Lin Yue chuckled. "I can imagine you standing on water, eyeing the willow, ready to slap it into submission."
Xiao Fan grinned mischievously. "If the willow bent too much, I might have given it a gentle reminder of its place."
Lin Yue pretended to shudder. "Spare the flora, please."
Even the Council's elders allowed faint smiles to touch their lips. The lead elder cleared his throat. "Your humor is… unexpected. Yet laughter, too, holds balance."
Xiao Fan bowed. "Then let us hope the universe appreciates my comedic timing as much as my strength."
With the Council's blessing, Xiao Fan and Lin Yue emerged onto the plateau. The rising sun bathed the land in golden light, mist retreating like shy spirits. Birds called overhead, and the scent of pine filled the air.
Lin Yue turned to Xiao Fan, eyes bright. "Two trials down, and the Hidden Council has acknowledged you. But there is a final chamber they mentioned—the Chamber of Echoes."
Xiao Fan nodded. "They said it lies within the Heart of the Plateau, beyond the Silver Falls."
He gestured toward distant waters sparkling like molten glass. "Then let us go."
They began their trek across the plateau, passing ancient steles carved with poems praising the Cardinal Lineage's ancestors. At each one, Xiao Fan paused, running a fingertip along the weathered characters, sensing the echoes of history.
As they neared the Silver Falls—a curtain of water that spilled into a crystalline pool—they found a narrow tunnel behind the cascade, hidden by the rushing torrent. The roar of water enveloped them as they entered, but soon the passage widened into a vast cavern, lit by phosphorescent moss clinging to walls like a thousand pale stars.
At the cavern's center stood a stone dais, upon which sat a circular mirror of polished obsidian. Surrounding it were countless chimes of jade and bone, each tuned to a different pitch. The air thrummed with unseen vibrations.
Lin Yue whispered, "The Chamber of Echoes… it records the past and reverberates intentions."
Xiao Fan stepped forward, placing his palm upon the obsidian mirror. At once, the chimes began to ring—soft at first, then building into a symphony of sound that filled the cavern. Images flickered upon the mirror's surface: moments of his life, memories both joyful and painful, failures he had buried, doubts he had never voiced.
He saw the nameless boy again, trembling in rain. He saw himself laughing with comrades long gone, sparring with sisters who loved him too fiercely. He saw moments of cruelty—when he struck foes without mercy, when he refused aid to those he deemed unworthy.
The echoes intensified, the chimes tolling like bells of judgment. Xiao Fan's heart pounded. Lin Yue placed a hand on his shoulder. "Face them."
He closed his eyes, breath steadying. He spoke aloud, voice clear: "I am Xiao Fan. I have erred. I have shown mercy too late, struck too swiftly, laughed when others wept. Yet I choose to learn. I choose to grow. I accept my past and vow to shape a better path."
The chimes stilled, the mirror's surface smoothing. The cavern fell silent save for the drip of water. Then, a voice like distant wind spoke: "You have acknowledged truth. Your echoes now resonate with honesty."
The obsidian mirror shattered, revealing a spiral staircase descending into darkness.
Xiao Fan lit a torch carried by Lin Yue and led the way down the spiral steps. Each footfall echoed in the hollow stone. Ancient runes glowed faintly upon the walls—runes of protection, of binding, and of transformation.
At the bottom, they emerged into a domed chamber whose ceiling vanished into shadows. At its center stood a single pedestal, atop which lay a scroll sealed with crimson wax bearing the character 心 (Heart).
Lin Yue gasped. "The Heart Scroll—the final proof of your spirit."
Xiao Fan approached, placing a hand upon the scroll. The wax melted, the parchment unfurled itself. Upon it was written:
"He who commands the Eternal Slap must master the forces within: Compassion, Wisdom, Balance, and Truth. Only then may he walk unbound between Heaven and Earth."
Xiao Fan read the words, then looked to Lin Yue. "I have faced them all."
He rolled up the scroll and tucked it into his sash. The chamber's runes flared, then dimmed. A soft breeze stirred, carrying the scent of cherry blossoms.
From the shadows stepped the lead elder of the Council, straw hat removed. His eyes held pride. "Xiao Fan of the Cardinal Lineage, you have completed the trials of the Hidden Council. We return to you the freedom of your power. Go forth, and let your journey continue."
Xiao Fan bowed deeply. "I am grateful."
The elder laid a hand on his shoulder. "Remember always: true strength lies not in domination, but in the harmony of heart and mind. Let laughter and kindness accompany your might."
Xiao Fan smiled, warmth flooding him. "I will.
They emerged from the waterfall tunnel just as the sun crowned the highest peak. Light spilled across the plateau, igniting dew upon grass and leaves. Birds took flight, and the world seemed to sigh in relief.
Lin Yue turned to Xiao Fan, offering a bamboo flask. "Tea?"
He accepted, drinking deeply. The warmth spread through him. "Perfect."
She laughed. "No comedic slaps today?"
He feigned disappointment. "Perhaps later—on a training dummy."
She shook her head, smiling. "Just be sure the dummy consents."
He winked. "Of course."
Together, they gazed at the horizon, where new trials awaited beyond distant mountains and hidden realms. The Hidden Council's blessings rested upon him, but the path of destiny was ever winding.
And Xiao Fan, with the power of the Eternal Slap and the lessons of compassion, wisdom, balance, and truth, strode forward into the unknown—ready for whatever came next.