In the Razor-Veil Canyon, Jian Zhi fought with every fiber of his being to survive the ordeal of his Metal Soul. Meanwhile, his other elemental aspects observed.

  [Fire / 火 (Huǒ)]: "I am going to kill that kid in my ordeal!"

  [Earth / 土 (Tǔ)]: "Moron!! If you kill him, we will all cease to exist! He needs us!"

  [Fire / 火 (Huǒ)]: "I do not care about erasing my own existence if it means destroying my enemy!"

  [Metal / 金 (Jīn)]: "Fire, I know how much you despise him for locking you away. But you will not kill him. I know you."

  [Fire / 火 (Huǒ)]: "Tch!"

  [Wood / 木 (Mù)]: "Look, everyone! He crossed the bridge!"

  His Wood Soul noticed his success and alerted the others. Jian Zhi looked back at the path he had taken; it was now nothing but a forest of countless spears and swords pointing menacingly upward. As he was about to take a deep breath of relief, the surroundings began to warp and change, transforming into a vast plain filled with sacred, silent swords.

  He heard the calm, yet cold, voice of his Metal Soul.

  [Metal / 金 (Jīn)]: "Find your sword."

  Jian Zhi scanned the endless field for The Punisher, but no blade glowed with a unique light. Realizing the sword must be disguised, he closed his eyes and began to simulate his surroundings, analyzing the area inch by inch, sword by sword. He could feel their dormant souls without a single touch. He started to walk, tuning his senses to the unique frequency of each sword's spirit in his desperate search.

  From a point far to his right, he detected a faint resonance—a silent call that whispered, "I am here..." He immediately focused all his attention in that direction, moving toward it with single-minded purpose. He slowly opened his eyes the moment he found the source. He reached out his right hand, grasped the hilt of the unassuming sword, and pulled it from the earth. As The Punisher was unsheathed from the ground, its mundane disguise shattered and fell away.

  His Metal Soul materialized nearby, standing with its back to him. As Jian Zhi looked at his reclaimed sword with a smile of profound relief in his eyes, the soul spoke.

  [Metal / 金 (Jīn)]: "You have done exceptionally well, General."

  That icy voice pierced the air, but Jian Zhi did not even flinch. He turned and met his Metal Soul's gaze directly. "Is your ordeal over?"

  The Metal Soul offered a warm, slight smirk. "Yes. The moment you defeat me."

  Jian Zhi instantly assessed the situation, understanding the imminent future. His Metal Soul reached its right hand toward the sky and summoned a perfect replica of The Punisher from nothingness. Jian Zhi braced himself, his own sword at the ready.

  The Metal Soul launched itself forward with blinding speed. Jian Zhi barely managed to block the strike, which carried immense, shocking power. The collision of their blades sent a deafening clang echoing throughout the Razor-Veil Canyon. The screech of metal grinding against metal began to dominate the very sound of the air itself. They stood locked in a stalemate of pure force.

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  Suddenly, the Metal Soul summoned a second sword with its free hand, aiming a lethal thrust from a blind angle. Jian Zhi noticed the movement and delivered a powerful kick, dislodging the second blade before the attack could land.

  "HAHAHA! You are indeed clever, General!" his Metal Soul roared with nothing but appreciative laughter. Jian Zhi meticulously scanned his opponent's posture, technique, and striking patterns, searching for the slightest opening to gain the upper hand. He detected a subtle, predictable rhythm in the soul's movements. He assumed the pattern, listened carefully to verify it, and allowed a confident smirk to touch his lips once confirmed.

  The Metal Soul saw his expression, its own eyes filling with a mixture of confusion and wild excitement. Seizing the moment, Jian Zhi intentionally blocked the next strike only partially, allowing his blade to slide along his opponent's with a shower of brilliant sparks. Using the momentum, he twisted his wrist and delivered a swift, clean cut across the Metal Soul's abdomen.

  The Metal Soul looked down at the wound, then back at Jian Zhi, its smirk widening.

  [Metal / 金 (Jīn)]:"You have proven yourself worthy of this sword and of my power. Good luck, General."

  As it finished speaking, it walked toward Jian Zhi and merged into him, becoming one with his being. Jian Zhi felt a wave of intense cold wash through his soul, which then transformed into a profound warmth that settled deep within his heart.

  [Fire / 火 (Huǒ)]: "Tch! That goody-two-shoes is utterly useless."

  [Wood / 木 (Mù)]: "It is my turn now. [A dark smirk]"

  The Wood Soul appeared before Jian Zhi. "Are you ready? It is time to switch venues." As Jian Zhi wondered what was to come, the landscape began to break down and quake violently.

  The moment the trial shifted, the sterile, metallic air was choked out by the thick, cloying scent of damp earth, rotting leaves, and blooming night-flowers. The blinding glare of the Razor-Veil Canyon vanished, replaced by a deep, oppressive twilight filtered through a dense, interlocking canopy high above, which blotted out any semblance of a sky.

  [Wood / 木 (Mù)]: "This is The Gasping Weald."

  Jian Zhi stood in a forest that was anything but peaceful. The trees were ancient, their bark like the gnarled skin of slumbering leviathans. Their roots were thick, serpentine coils that broke the soil, and their branches were twisted, skeletal fingers clawing at the dim light. There was no clear path, only a labyrinth of looming trunks and thorn-choked undergrowth.

  The very flora was hostile. The moss underfoot felt spongy and alive, threatening to grip his boots. Towering, carnivorous plants with wide, pitcher-like mouths dripped a sweet, paralyzing nectar. But the true danger was more insidious.

  The forest itself was a living trap. The hanging vines, which from a distance seemed inert, would subtly twitch and slither like waiting pythons. The moment he passed, they would lash out with shocking speed, attempting to wrap around his limbs and throat to choke the life from him. The trees themselves were not stationary; their groans were not just of old wood settling, but of active movement. Crevices in the bark would snap shut like jaws, and larger branches would slowly, inexorably sweep down to cage him, trying to pin him against trunks that seemed to pulse with a slow, hungry heartbeat.

  This was not a trial of precision and balance, but one of relentless survival and aggressive growth. To succeed, he could not merely defend; he had to carve his own path forward. He had to use The Punisher not just as a sword, but as a farmer's scythe, relentlessly cutting back the suffocating growth to reach the heart of the forest—and the heart of his own Wood Soul.

  Jian Zhi launched the first strike. He unleashed The Devil's Way: Echo of Judgement. The devastating energy from his sword tore through the air, slicing apart the trees and plants in a wide arc around him. The thunderous echo of the judgment reverberated throughout the entire forest.

  As he prepared to step forward, Jian Zhi watched in stunned silence as the freshly felled trees began to regenerate at an impossible speed, their splintered trunks knitting back together. He stared at them with eyes now filled with a sharp, analytical confusion, and asked himself, "How am I ever going to reach him?" As he finished his question. He began to hear a faint sound of a panther's roar and a wolf's growl. In the heart of the forest, Wood Soul was sitting on his throne and waiting for Jian Zhi.

  [Wood / 木 (Mù)]: "I am waiting for you, General. Don't make me wait for too long."