The morning light was faintly brightening, and the rising sun dyed the eastern hills of Niupu Village with a warm golden hue. The dew had yet to dry, and a fresh scent of earth and grass drifted gently from the distant mountains.
Wan Xiaochuan stood in his family courtyard, his cheeks still carrying the slight chill left by last night's rain. He had tossed and turned throughout the night, unable to sleep. The mysterious stone that had fallen from the sky the previous evening still hung quietly against his chest, faintly pulsing with subtle waves.
The spirit conversation from that night felt like a dream, lingering persistently in his mind. Carefully, he took down the stone and held it in his palm. The gray-white surface now appeared semi-transparent, and inside seemed to hold faint silver patterns that shimmered like stars in the morning light.
He closed his eyes and began to circulate the most basic spiritual breath technique taught by his father. With each breath, he tried to draw the thin spiritual energy of the world into his body.
The energy sank into his dantian, the spiritual breath converging.
Suddenly, the dantian trembled slightly; a warm current of energy flowed in smoothly, extending like fine threads to every limb and bone. Wan Xiaochuan's heart jolted sharply.
— He had sensed the spiritual energy.
Though faint, it was undeniably real.
As he held his breath and focused to guide the energy further, light footsteps approached outside the door, followed by a young voice: "Brother Wan, you really managed to draw energy into your body? I thought you were just blowing hot air last night!"
Wan Xiaochuan opened his eyes and saw a boy about his age standing at the gate—around fourteen or fifteen, slender, with sharp eyebrows and a spirited look. He wore a pale gray apprentice robe for alchemy disciples, with a purple vine cord tied around his waist, clutching a cracked spiritual fruit in his hand.
"Lin Qixian?" Wan Xiaochuan exclaimed in surprise, then smiled. "What brings you here?"
Lin Qixian stuffed half of the spiritual fruit into his mouth, chewing while mumbling, "You didn't come to play cards with me last night—something must be up. Then I heard you sneaked out to catch a falling star in the dead of night; how could I not come see if you'd gone mad?"
He spoke loudly as he swaggered into the yard, glancing around. "Hey, where's that mysterious stone from last night?"
Wan Xiaochuan shook his head and tied the stone back around his neck. "I hid it safely and haven't told my father yet."
Lin Qixian paused, noticing Wan Xiaochuan's serious expression, then bit off the last piece of fruit and clapped his hands. "You quietly cultivated spiritual energy, and now even I can't keep up."
Wan Xiaochuan laughed. "Maybe it's just fate."
Lin Qixian placed a hand behind his head, a little helpless yet admiring on his face. "You're definitely a child of fortune. But if you're really starting cultivation, you'd better prepare for the spiritual root test soon. Otherwise, just drawing energy isn't enough to be a real cultivator."
Wan Xiaochuan nodded and immediately asked, "How's your alchemy going these days? I heard you even revived a poisonous bee recently?"
Lin Qixian shrugged proudly. "I'm now the top disciple of Master Yaoji; even the hardest spiritual insects can thrive under my care." After speaking, he pulled out a small wooden box from his bosom. Opening it, a tiny spiritual bee crawled out slowly, its entire body shimmering emerald green, antennae twitching, emitting a faint spiritual aura.
"That's… a spirit locust?" Wan Xiaochuan was astonished. "You actually made it recognize you as its master?"
"Piece of cake!" Lin Qixian grinned confidently. "Once you officially join, I'll brew some basic nourishing pills for you. Guaranteed to get you steadily into the Qi Refining stage!"
Hearing this, warmth rose in Wan Xiaochuan's heart. He looked at the shimmering leaves and morning light in the sunrise, unconsciously clenching his fist tightly.
He knew the door to cultivation had already opened for him.
And this step was only the beginning.