Chapter 3: The Forbidden Pagoda
The Linh Huyen Sect's outer archives stood at the base of an ancient cliff, nestled in the shadows of a jade mountain, half-covered in vines. It resembled a forgotten shrine rather than a library—a pagoda of seven floors, built from blackwood and spirit stone. Though it lacked the grandeur of the inner sect's libraries, it had stood for centuries.
And it held secrets.
Most outer disciples only ever accessed the first floor—manuals for Qi Condensation, some notes on basic alchemy, and records of herbology. Few dared climb higher. Fewer still returned with anything worth learning.
But Tham Duong remembered.
On the fourth floor, behind a loose panel of the northeast wall, hidden by generations of dust...
There, he had once stumbled upon a jade scroll—ancient, chipped, and nearly forgotten. He hadn't understood its true value until much later, long after he'd been crippled in his past life.
This time, he wouldn't wait.
That night, the sect lay silent under the silver glow of twin moons.
Duong moved like a shadow, his breath calm, footsteps silent. The Night Veil Herb his mother had packed earlier masked his scent from spirit beasts and detection arrays—an old trick passed down from mountain hunters.
At the pagoda's entrance, two guardian stone lions stood still, eyes glowing faintly. But their spiritual awareness was weak. He slipped past them through a side passage, entering the first floor without incident.
Dust swirled in the moonlight as he crept through the dark hall.
Rows of shelves stretched in all directions, filled with yellowed scrolls and manuals. Occasionally, a glowing orb flickered from the ceiling, casting eerie halos on the ground.
Duong ignored the shelves and made for the staircase.
In my past life, I hesitated here. I thought I needed permission. I thought I'd be punished. But now…
Now, he knew time was his enemy—not the sect.
The second and third floors passed quickly.
On the fourth, the air was colder.
The room was smaller, lined with dust-covered relics. Jade slips cracked with age lay abandoned in corners. A few scrolls hovered in midair, sealed by formation patterns, unreadable without proper clearance.
But Duong didn't need those.
He went straight to the northeast corner.
There, behind a rack of broken blades and damaged manuals, he found it—an ancient wooden panel half-rotted by damp.
With a careful push, it slid open, revealing a tiny hidden compartment.
Inside, wrapped in faded silk, was a jade scroll covered in archaic characters.
Void Serpent Sutra.
Even now, holding it sent a chill down his spine. The sutra wasn't just powerful—it was forbidden.
The method devours impurities. It mimics the shedding of a serpent to cleanse meridians and unlock deeper stages of cultivation.
It also had a price…
He didn't hesitate.
Seating himself cross-legged in the dark, he
Mental energy surged as its contents entered his sea of consciousness.
The technique was written in a strange, winding script—like snakes coiling into words. But to Duong, it was clear.
He understood it now.
He began the first breath cycle.
Qi flowed into his meridians, not like a gentle stream, but a spiraling torrent.
He gasped as his inner channels convulsed. Unlike normal techniques, which gathered qi into the dantian, the Void Serpent Sutra peeled away impurities as it moved.
Dark veins appeared under his skin, then faded.
His body trembled. His bones cracked softly. His organs shifted, realigned.
Blood began to seep from his pores—inky, black, and foul-smelling.
But Duong didn't stop.
Shed the false shell. Become the serpent.
The technique was brutal. But it was working.
By the time he opened his eyes again, dawn was breaking.
He was drenched in sweat, sitting in a pool of toxins and dark fluid.
But his Qi Sea had doubled in size.
His meridians shone faintly with silver light.
He had stepped into Qi Condensation – Second Layer, and his foundation was purer than any disciple his age.
This time, I'm not crawling toward power. I'm flying toward it.
He returned to his quarters before sunrise, cleaned himself, and burned his blood-soaked robe.
No one noticed.
That morning, the sect summoned new recruits for orientation and manual distribution.
A hall filled with outer elders and deacons awaited them.
Each disciple would be assigned a cultivation method according to their root and aptitude.
For most, this was the most important moment of their early cultivation.
To Duong, it was a formality.
One by one, the disciples were called forth.
"Tien Hoa—Mid-grade Fire Root. Assigned the Blazing Ember Scripture."
She beamed with pride.
"Lo Kiem—Low-grade Earth Root. Assigned the Stone Guard Manual."
Grumbling.
Finally, "Tham Duong—Elemental Root Composite… classification unclear. Assigned the Clear Mist Manual."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"What?! The weakest method?"
"But his talent…"
Duong accepted the scroll with a calm nod and turned to leave.
I never planned to use it anyway.
Days passed.
Duong kept a low profile.
During mandatory classes, he sat in the back, listening. When the others sparred, he observed from a distance.
But each night, he cultivated silently using the Void Serpent Sutra, purifying his qi, strengthening his meridians.
By the end of the first week, he was at the Third Layer.
By the end of the second, Fourth Layer.
No one noticed—except one.
Her name was Lan Ca.
She was quiet, elegant, and dangerous.
An inner sect disciple with deep ties to the sect master's family, she had come to evaluate the new recruits as a favor.
Most outer disciples didn't dare look her in the eye.
But she noticed Duong.
During a sparring session between outer disciples, she watched from a balcony above.
placed the jade scroll against his forehead.
When Duong deflected three attacks from Tien Hoa with barely a shift of his stance, she narrowed her eyes.
Too polished. Too calm.
Later that evening, she appeared in front of his residence.
Duong was seated outside, sipping tea.
"You hide your cultivation well," she said.
He didn't flinch. "I try not to draw attention."
"Too late for that." Her gaze sharpened. "What's your goal?"
He set the teacup down. "To live long."
A pause.
Then she smirked. "A liar's answer."
She turned to go.
"But I'll be watching."
He watched her leave, then turned back to the moonlit sky.
If even she's interested, I need to move faster.
Soon, the outer sect competition will begin. The winner gains entry to the inner sect. In my past life, I failed to even qualify.
This time… I will not miss my place.