Mark didn't even blink. "Yes," he said immediately. "I accept that completely."

His answer made the red tribunal twitch faintly, while the black tribunal let out a low rumble that might have been a laugh.

Mark continued casually. "I love wealth. I won't lie. I love it a lot. I love money, materials, rare ores, and expensive things. That's just who I am."

He shrugged before adding in clarity. "But I've never tried to steal someone else's wealth. And I don't desire the riches that belong to others. I only want what I earn, what I create, or what I conquer fairly. So yes, I'm greedy. And no, I'm not ashamed of it."

The white tribunal watched him quietly for a few long seconds. Then she lifted her hand and snapped her fingers. The mirror shattered into golden sparks.

She turned toward him. "Then… the fourth and final test."

The painted world dimmed around them as though holding its breath.

The floating cloth-shaped tribunals shimmered faintly, their faceless forms turning toward Mark. He steadied his breathing, preparing himself for whatever came next.

The white tribunal, however, took a step forward, her voice soft but piercingly clear, echoing through the strange dimension. "This is the last question of your character test. Prepare yourself."

Mark nodded once, trying to maintain composure. "Tell me," she began, "who do you trust the most, aside from yourself?"

Mark blinked at the question.

He waited for a face to appear in his mind… Any face. Song Yue. Shen Ling. The Snow Wolf King. Ryder. Lan Xia. His sisters. His companions. Even Chang'e.

But there was nothing. Only blankness.

He stood there frozen, his brows knitting tightly as realization dawned painfully slow.

"No one," he finally said. His voice was flat and honest. "I don't trust anyone. Not fully."

The white tribunal tilted her head slightly, while the other two remained silent.

"Why?" she asked.

Mark's tone turned colder, but quieter as he remembered how he was betrayed by his comrades in his past life, how he was abandoned by his birth mother, how he was betrayed by Lin Xue, and the system...

"I was betrayed more than once. By people I fully trusted wth my heart. That's why." He exhaled slowly. "I had love and care for my loved ones, but trust… I don't have complete trust in them."

The three tribunals exchanged glances before the white tribunal spoke again, this time shifting the nature of the question. "Then answer this instead. If you had to leave your loved ones behind… to whom would you entrust their lives?"

She paused, then added gently, "Or think of someone you love deeply. The person closest to your heart. It doesn't have to be about trust alone."

This time, Mark closed his eyes.

A memory flickered.

Song Yue, her soft smile, her warm presence, her steady heart.

And another memory surfaced, and Alina was seen. She was always beside him, always calm, always efficient, always loyal, with her cold exterior and gentle interior.

Mark opened his eyes again. "When it comes to love, it's Song Yue. She is the one I love most."

The white tribunal nodded, waiting.

"And when it comes to trust, if I have to rank all others," he continued, "it's Alina. But she's not human. In your terms… she's a battle puppet. A machine with thoughts and feelings of her own."

The white tribunal raised its palm. "Then listen carefully. I give you two scenarios."

The space trembled.

Her voice deepened ever so slightly.

"Scenario one: Alina kills your Song Yue under some influence."

Mark froze.

"Scenario two," she continued, "Someone else tries to kill Song Yue, and Alina… runs away to save her own life. Song Yue dies."

Mark's blood turned to ice.

"These are illusions," the tribunal warned, "but you must face them."

Instantly, two images exploded into existence before Mark's eyes.

In the first, Alina, with blank eyes and a twisted smile, plunged her arm through Song Yue's chest. Mark's hands trembled instinctively. He knows that it is an illusion, but for some reason, his breath hitched painfully, and a shiver tore through his entire spine as he saw Song Yue collapse with widening, disbelieving eyes.

In the second, Song Yue cried for help while an unknown enemy's blade descended toward her, and Alina turned and fled. Her movement was fast, emotionless, and selfish. Song Yue's scream ended abruptly as the blade pierced her heart, and darkness swallowed the scene.

Mark staggered a step back.

His heartbeat pounded in his ears.

His fists clenched so tightly his knuckles popped.

He forced himself to breathe, but each breath was sharp, like knives carving into his lungs.

The white tribunal's voice came again, calm but firm. "Answer me. What punishment will you give to Alina?"

Mark shook his head slowly. "I… don't want to answer this."

"You must," the tribunal insisted. "There is no avoiding it."

Mark's jaw tightened. He swallowed hard.

"What do you do to Alina," she pressed, "in each scenario?"

Mark closed his eyes.

Silence stretched… long and heavy.

"I don't know," he whispered at first. "I don't know what I would do." His voice cracked faintly. "If Alina killed Song Yue… regardless of whether there is fault in her or not, I would be devastated. Broken. I don't know what line I would cross. I might kill her out of rage, even if she were innocent. Or I might forgive her because she is innocent and try to look for a way to revive my Song Yue. I can't say."

He opened his eyes and looked serious.

"But if she ran away and let Song Yue die," he said slowly, "I would hunt her. Not out of betrayal, but because abandoning her duty is unforgivable. She was supposed to protect my family. And if she abandons that role… then I won't forgive her."

His voice deepened.

"As for the one who killed Song Yue…" He inhaled sharply, and his eyes became cold as death. "I will destroy that person. I don't care if that person is a god, a demon, or someone beyond creation. I will annihilate them completely."

The white tribunal watched him in silence.

Mark sighed softly. "I don't know if that's the kind of answer you expect. But this is how I feel."

For a long moment, the painted world was silent.

Then the white tribunal gave a slow nod.

"There is no correct answer. There is no incorrect answer. The test of character is meant to know your true heart, not judge it."

She raised her hand toward him, and the atmosphere shifted.

"Very well, Lan Zhen. Your character is understood."

She turned to the red tribunal.

"He may proceed to the second trial."

*

The painted dimension shifted once more as the white tribunal stepped back, folding her formless, cloth-like arms behind her. The black tribunal's deep voice rose, reverberating across the warped sky like rolling thunder. "The second ttrial is the trial of wisdom."

Mark straightened his posture instinctively. The weight of the previous trial still lingered in his chest, but he pushed it aside.

The black tribunal's outline shimmered with faint shadows as he continued, "Character decides who you are. Strength grants respect. But wisdom… wisdom sustains power. Wisdom is what leads a sect through calamities and prosperity. It teaches humility when to retreat and courage when to advance. Without wisdom, even the strongest leader collapses." His faceless head inclined slightly. "Thus, your trial begins."

Before Mark could respond, the world warped violently beneath his feet.

Colors inverted and the space folded.

And in the next instant, he was no longer standing before the tribunals.

He stood instead in a vast hall, stretching endlessly in both directions like some ancient palace forged by giants. Marble pillars climbed into the sky. The entire corridor was lit with a soft golden glow that seemed to have no source.

Before him were twelve enormous doors, each carved with different symbols. Six stood to his left, six to his right. All were closed.

The black tribunal's voice echoed from nowhere and everywhere at once. "Choose one door."

Mark frowned slightly. He stepped toward the nearest door on his right. The carvings shifted under his gaze, forming the shape of a blade. Curious, he pushed it open.

Inside was a small circular chamber, empty except for a sword embedded in a stone altar.

A voice echoed inside the chamber, seductive and earnest at the same time. "Master… come. Free me. I will grant you power."