Chapter Eight: The Lost Gate
Days after the lecture, Elder Zhang Yun announced an early assignment for the new disciples:
"Cultivation isn't built on meditation alone. You must test yourselves in the real world. Today, you will go out in small groups to the Lower Forest to gather spirit herbs. These herbs are essential for preparing cultivation pills."
Whispers rose among the disciples. Some were excited, some were anxious. Ling Yu's heart was pounding. This was the first time he'd been allowed to leave the sect's boundaries since joining.
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The Lower Forest
An assistant elder led them to the edge of a dark forest whose trees were twisted like slashing swords. He said sternly, "Remember, this is just the Lower Forest. The beasts here are relatively weak, but they show no mercy to the careless. Gather what you can and return before sunset. Those who delay… will not be saved."
The disciples set off in small groups.
As for Ling Yu, no one allowed him to join them, so he walked alone among the trees.
His heart was tense, but with every step he felt the air filled with a strange energy. As he searched for herbs, he spotted a small crack in a rock wall covered in vines. It looked like a narrow entrance behind which lay a dark passage.
He hesitated for a moment, but a voice whispered inside:
> "If you don't venture out... you won't survive."
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The Ancient Cave
Ling Yu crept through the crack until he reached a small stone hall, its walls covered in faded carvings. In the center of the hall was a stone platform, above which was a cracked crystal ball that emitted a faint glow.
He approached cautiously, and upon touching it, a green light engulfed his entire body. Suddenly, images flooded his mind:
– A mysterious technique for stabilizing spiritual energy in the dantian, forming the first tiny core.
He felt his entire body vibrate, and his nine meridians began to harmonize for the first time.
He sat down immediately, closing his eyes, and followed the instructions that surged through his mind.
His spiritual energy began to swirl, all of it gathering in his lower abdomen. The pressure was overwhelming, as if his stomach would burst. But he remembered his mother's words: "You'll understand one day..."
He cried out in a muffled voice, and suddenly... boom!
He entered the Foundation Establishment Stage.
---
He slowly opened his eyes, his body brimming with energy he'd never felt before. His breathing deepened, his consciousness purer. He had surpassed dozens of disciples at once.
But when he looked around, the crystal ball had crumbled to ash, as if it had been waiting for him alone.
He smiled bitterly and whispered:
- "It seems that fate is pursuing me... whether I want it or not."
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On the way back to the sect, his heart knew one thing:
He was no longer just an ordinary outer disciple.
He had stepped into a world where there was no place for the weak.