Above the serene waters of Beiluo Lake, Lu Fan's gaze slowly drifted away from the Spiritual Pressure chessboard. His wheelchair turned on its own atop the terrace, gliding gently toward the railing. Resting there, he looked out into the distance.
A soft breeze caressed the surface of the lake, its rippling waves shimmering under a golden sunlight that broke through the clouds. Mist hung in the air, enveloping the island in a mystical veil. Ten Heavenward Chrysanthemums swayed in the wind, their petals exhaling spiritual energy. The aura, coupled with the spiritual power Lu Fan had previously released, rendered the heart of the lake a realm reminiscent of a celestial paradise.
Ni Yu poured a cup of warm wine. Lu Fan took it, the heat diffusing through the bronze cup into his palm.
Sipping the plum wine by the railing, Lu Fan said to her,"Xiao Ni, summon Old Nie and Sister Ning."
"Yes, sir."Ni Yu responded cheerily and skipped off, vanishing down the tower's stairwell.
Soon, Lu Fan could see her petite figure darting like a gust of wind across the island. He narrowed his eyes as the breeze gently stirred his temples, his white robes billowing in the wind.
On the island, Nie Changqing and Ning Zhao were seated in meditation, spiritual energy gathering around them. In a corner, Yi Yue flushed with effort as she tried to sense her own qi.
Lu Fan glanced over and took another sip of wine.Indeed, cultivation is a matter of talent.Yi Yue's aptitude… left much to be desired. She would have to work far harder than most.
His gaze shifted toward the assassin Mo Liuqi, who was now enveloped in spiritual energy. She had already begun channeling it into her dantian, successfully stepping into the Qi Core realm.
A genius, no doubt, to have grasped the technique of wielding scissors with intent.
Before long, Nie Changqing and Ning Zhao arrived like drifting feathers. Spiritual energy surged around them, their auras unable to be concealed, radiating pressure with every breath.
"Master," Nie Changqing cupped his hands, while Ning Zhao bowed slightly.
Lu Fan, toying with the bronze cup, spoke from his wheelchair,"There's been a change. The Hidden Realm of Wolong Ridge is opening ahead of schedule…"
A flicker of concern crossed their faces. Lu Fan had once commanded that they reach the Ninth Stage of the Qi Core realm before entering the hidden realm—but now, that seemed unattainable.
"Sister Ning, Seventh Stage. Old Nie, Fifth. Passable," Lu Fan said calmly."This early opening is my miscalculation. So be it. You'll go in ahead of time."
Nie Changqing glanced at Ning Zhao. He hadn't expected her to surpass him. But with Lu Fan's imparted Dizang Sutra, a profound cultivation method, her speed wasn't surprising.
"Master, to enter the Hidden Realm of Wolong Ridge, one must possess the Token of Heaven and Earth Qi…" Ning Zhao frowned slightly.
"That applies to ordinary cultivators. But for disciples of White Jade Capital—no such thing is necessary."
Seated at the railing, Lu Fan smiled faintly. Ning Zhao and Nie Changqing were momentarily stunned.
"Break the formation with spiritual pressure. Enter the realm. Retrieve the Qi Cores of ancient cultivators buried within. Go—swiftly, and return just as fast," Lu Fan instructed.
"Yes."The two exchanged a glance, awe flashing in their eyes. How could their master know the state of the realm from a hundred miles away?
Suppressing their astonishment, they leapt from the terrace.
Lu Fan took a sip of his tart plum wine and narrowed his eyes.
"Old Nie, change into white robes. From now on, all disciples of White Jade Capital shall be clad in white."
"Yes."Upon landing, Nie Changqing paused, nodded firmly, and dashed off the island.
Using spiritual energy to propel their boat, it shot across Beiluo Lake like a silver dragon, water spraying high into the sky. Upon reaching shore, they mounted waiting steeds and galloped off.
Watching their departure, Lu Fan gently tapped the bronze cup with his finger.
"It's about time to draw the curtain…""Once it ends, the first cultivation realm must be revealed to the world. As for how…"
He caressed the wine cup."The Fate Messenger Pigeons of the Tianji Clan… will do nicely."
…
Hidden Realm of Wolong Ridge
Mo Ju supported the trembling form of Dantai Xuan, whose face was ashen, eyes brimming with dread.
Once gallant and proud, he had ridden with banner unfurled, ambition as vast as the skies. But now, with tens of thousands vanishing before him as though erased from the world, the shock had shattered his arrogant will to defy even immortals.
Mo Ju sighed. He looked up, his veiled face reflecting the iridescent light of the immortal palace above. His gaze held a reverence for the unknown, for that which could not be named.
…
Immortal Palace, Inner Chamber
Li Sansi panted heavily. Facing a monster comparable to a grandmaster, he found himself utterly outmatched, pushed to the edge.
Around him, ghostly creatures swarmed. One misstep, and he'd be torn apart.
When Xiang Shaoyu was flung away by a single strike, despair gripped their hearts. Xiang Shaoyu—at the peak of martial cultivation, a grandmaster. He could hold his own against the greatest masters of any sect. And yet, he had been thrown aside by a single blow from that desiccated figure within the coffin.
Stone shattered.
Xiang Shaoyu climbed to his feet, eyes fixed on Jiang Chao, the skeletal Daoist.
"Peak of the Qi Core realm… Twelve wisps of refined energy."
Gripping his halberd, his massive frame pulsed with qi and blood."Do different people have different spiritual capacity limits in their dantians?"
He frowned, pondering."My dantian can hold fifteen wisps… and this so-called perfected cultivator has only twelve. Perhaps… this is the difference in talent."
Turning to the embattled Li Sansi in the distance, he asked,"Li Sansi, can you sense the limit of your dantian's spiritual capacity?"
Li Sansi, face dark, barked back,"Why ask that now?! Shouldn't we be focused on breaking this formation?"
"Just answer me."
"Sixteen!" Li Sansi growled, moments before he was struck by the monster's blade, sent crashing into the wall.
Kong Nanfeng's face was pale, lips parched. Ghostly creatures pressed in from all sides.
Meanwhile, Mo Shougui had taken a grievous wound to his back, blood streaming freely. He leaned on his sword, barely standing.
They were about to be annihilated.
Indeed, one needs life to claim a heavenly fate. Without it… it becomes a cursed one.
Rustling sounded outside the chamber.
Three surviving experts appeared from afar and immediately froze at the sight before them—the monstrous commander, the floating skeletal Daoist.
Their faces changed.
They turned and fled.
Each had refined a wisp of spiritual energy amidst desperate trials. To linger, to covet the immortal fortune within this stone chamber, meant certain death.
Had they not seen the sorry state of famed heroes like Xiang Shaoyu, Li Sansi, and Mo Shougui?
Xiang Shaoyu twirled his halberd, eyes locked on the skeletal Daoist.
"An immortal's scheme… to bestow spiritual energy upon the world… to reshape the fate of all under heaven?"
In a moment of clarity, he saw, as if through the mists of immortal qi, a celestial being moving pieces on a cosmic board, toying with mortal lives.
"Immortal…"
He exhaled.
"Li Sansi, Mo Shougui, Kong Nanfeng—hold off the Daoist. Leave the rest… to me!"
Xiang Shaoyu roared. He surged forward, his halberd clashing against the commander's massive blade. The sound reverberated like thunder.
Li Sansi understood instantly. Sword in hand, he lunged toward the Daoist.
Mo Shougui, pale and wounded, also rushed in with sword drawn.
Kong Nanfeng calmed his nerves, licked his cracked lips, and summoned his righteous spirit.
Jiang Chao, the skeletal Daoist, drifted from the coffin. His robes tattered, his ghostly green eyes gleaming. With a sweep of his withered hand, a wave of spiritual pressure crashed down.
The three were sent flying.
But Xiang Shaoyu ignored them. His battle cry echoed as he drove his halberd toward the monster commander, eyes blazing, hair wild, muscles bulging.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
A rhythm like war drums.
His blood surged like a dragon, roaring in defiance.