After Betsu Ten Gai shows up, he mocks the group then immediately leaves, along with the rest of the Onyx Demons. The group then arrives at the Demon Spine Mountains, and rest a night before heading in. Tan Hi is up practicing, when Ken San Un shows up and gives her a few pointers, though angering her in the process. She storms off and the group enters the mountains the next day, encountering the Valley of the Dead, the first trial. Kei Gai is called upon to put the dead to sleep, but fails a few times; Tan Hi protects the group with her Seal Guardian skills, except for Syou Fu Kan who has to fight the dead. Kei Gai finally succeeds in singing the correct tune and the group moves on, arriving at the second trial, the Valley of the Doll. A golem guardian stands there motionless, and Syou Fu Kan activates it, allowing Syu Un Syou to fire at its weak point. Syu Un Syou misses twice, though, so Syou Fu Kan takes matters into his own hands and climbs the golem, stabbing the charm himself and deactivating the golem. He then falls off, but is saved by Syu Un Syou's arrow, which pierces through his clothing and nails him to the arm of the now-deactivated golem. The group then moves onto the final trial, the Labyrinth of Darkness. Syou Fu Kan, however, declares his departure before they can continue.
Tropes:
- Cliffhanger: Syou Fu Kan declares to the group that he's leaving.
- Chivalrous Pervert: Holding a conversation about having babies in your first attempt in courtship is definitely not the best impression for a conservative girl like Tan Hi.
- Incompletely Trained: In a rather interesting variation, Ken San Un points out Tan Hi's family's swordsmanship was specifically developed for men. If she adjusted the fighting stance and movements for someone with shorter arm reach and less body weight, she'd significantly improve. Case in point: the kata he observed her perform would not have hit the opponent unless she took a few steps forward, but adding more steps to the technique would disrupt its flow.
- Attack Its Weak Point: The magic that controls the Stone Doll collects at a point in its neck. Attacking here would disrupt the connection and render the Doll inert, which is the job of the One-Eyed Impailer.
- Living Motion Detector: The doll will only activate when it senses the motion of intruders. It only attacked Syou Fu Kan because he was the only one moving towards it.
