The monk tells Lin that he is the best candidate to seal the pagoda, and that he will kill the serpents of its kind. Lin tries to breathe as if he is dead, but the air around him is gone. He realizes that he cannot breathe on land, for it is only through air that he can breathe. He tells Lin to relax, and to follow his breathing. Lin remembers what he taught him in class, which is that people can breathe for ten minutes before they are born. He is sorry, but he can't breathe because his heart is still beating. Lin tells him to trust his instincts, and he says that the monk was this gentle before, but that he disappeared after something changed.