Sheng congratulates you and gives you a new task- one that must be completed before you can find the reason for the peril the island is in.  He tells you to go with him towards the Western grove alongside him, where you will have to defeat the Guardian of the Elders.

Master Shang sets off in a run, and you’ll want to keep up with him- if not it can be a touch difficult to find your way.  There’s no real danger, but the terrain is a bit obtrusive, including several hills that cause the path to meander where Shang does and you subsequently ought to go straight.  Before long, you’ll find that you’ve reached the Elders’ Path, the route to reach the Wood of Staves.  Shang explains that this is a sacred place which only the worthy may enter, and as a result, you must first confront and defeat the Guardian of the Elders to grant yourself and him passage.  Master Shang could, of course, handle the stone beast himself- but that would serve little purpose- the test is for you, after all.

The statue is durable, but lacks the power needed to pose a threat to the more-armored character classes.  It also lacks much in the way of ranged attacks, possessing only a pounce that, while it has some good reach, also knocks you away from it without stunning or staggering you, thereby giving you a chance to strike out at it some more if you’re not a melee combatant.  The beating is short and rather one-sided because of this.

On entering the Wood of Staves, you will need to head West and slightly North to follow Master Shang, who stops beside a small circle of stones that is flanked by a pair of lamps.  He tells you that he is proud of how far you have come, and gives you two new tasks.

First of all, while you faced some forest sprites previously, the ones here in the Wood of Staves are much more powerful, and considerably more aggressive.  Fortunately, for your grown strength they aren’t much challenge individually, so for the sake of the spirits here, you are to clean out some of the sprites.

The other task is more important.  There is a ritual to be performed, but in order to do so you will need some charms which can be found hanging on the trees in the Wood of Staves.  Eight of them will be needed- but Master Shang is not as young as he used to be and politely requests that you gather the charms while he has a bit of a breather so he can be ready for the ritual itself.