Chapter Three: The Book's Space and the Woman's Soul
That night, as Ling Yu stared at the half-stone book under the moonlight, he felt something different. The inscribed symbols began to glow more brightly than ever, until the light was unbearable. Suddenly, his consciousness was pulled inward, as if swallowed by a powerful force.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself standing in a dark, boundless space, surrounded by faint stars twinkling in the distance. The ground beneath his feet was polished black stone, stretching endlessly.
Atop a high platform, the stone book lay complete, its two halves united by a flickering, mysterious energy.
But what truly caught his eye wasn't the book... it was the woman standing beside it.
She was tall, her black hair falling to her waist, and her eyes like deep night, filled with indescribable mystery. Her dress was made of light and clouds, and her voice, when she spoke, sounded like a whisper piercing the depths of the soul.
She looked at him with mysterious interest. "You… are just a child, and yet you've arrived here?"
His heart trembled. He didn't know what to say. He tried to open his mouth, but his voice choked. He didn't know if she was a phantom, a spirit, or an immortal from a bygone era.
She took a step toward him, her eyes deeply contemplating him. As soon as his gaze met hers, an overwhelming feeling swept over him… as if his entire being was revealed before her.
A powerful force screamed from deep within him, and he was pushed out with overwhelming force.
---
He woke up suddenly, panting heavily, sweat dripping from his forehead. The stone book in his hands lay still, as if it had never moved.
But deep within him, her voice still echoed:
> "Just a child… and yet you've arrived here…"
---
The next morning, he lined up with the other new students in a small courtyard at the foot of a stone hall. Before them stood one of the elders, a gray-robed elder with stern eyes, holding a long staff.
The elder began to explain, his voice carrying the solemnity of the sect:
"Disciples, know that the first step on the path of cultivation is not simply meditation or gathering spiritual energy. Your bodies are merely sealed vessels. To become true cultivators, you must open the nine meridians."
He raised his finger and pointed to his body:
"Nine spiritual meridians run through the body: the head, the chest, the abdomen, the arms, the legs, and the back. Each meridian is a channel for the passage of energy. Without opening them, you remain mere weak mortals."
He paused for a moment, then continued:
"But opening the nine meridians is not easy. It requires willpower and concentrated spiritual energy. Many of you will fail even at the first meridian. The sect does not spare those who fail to progress."
The disciples exchanged glances. Some were confident, some were anxious. Ling Yue's heart was pounding. Because at that moment... he felt the symbol tattooed on his wrist from the book begin to heat up on its own.
> "Could... this book be my key to unlocking the lines?"