The elders were present along with numerous protectors. This added immense pressure to the participants.

The carvings of beasts and fiends looked quite animated on the bells, seemingly on the verge of flying out and devouring people. This frightened them as well, causing a few to sit far away.

There was no guideline to the sitting arrangement so some strategized, thinking that being far away might weaken the bells’ effect.

“Let’s keep our distance and the sound might be weaker. We just need to make it past one movement and we’ll be good.” One disciple said quietly to a junior brother. This wasn’t...