Chapter Fourteen: The First Catastrophe
A shadowy space surrounded them, shadows undulating as if listening with Ling Yu.
He raised his head, his eyes trembling, and then asked hesitantly, "What kind of catastrophe... are you referring to?"
A heavy silence fell for a moment, before the woman let out a short laugh. This time, it wasn't mocking, but more like the laughter of someone who knows secrets unbearable to humans:
"Okay, I'll tell you a story... the story of a brave farmer, but he nearly perished because of his ambition."
She raised her hand, and an illusory scene appeared before them, like a stage of light and mist. A young man sat cross-legged, surrounded by a heavenly energy aura that cascaded down upon him like a waterfall.
"This farmer had reached the Earthly Meridian stage with rare ease. His body was strong, his energy flowing. But he wasn't satisfied... he wanted to open the three Heavenly Meridians quickly."
The scene shook, and blue halos of light began to descend from the sky, engulfing the young man's body. At first, he seemed to be towering above humans, his body glowing with a celestial spirit.
But suddenly… the ground cracked beneath him, a cloudy sky opened above him, and mysterious sounds resounded, resembling neither thunder nor wind.
The woman smiled wickedly.
"When you open the Heavenly Lines, you don't just summon power… you summon a test. It's the law of this world: if you want the power of Heaven, you must prove your worth before it."
In the illusion, the young man fell to the ground screaming, his body torn between light and darkness, blood gushing from his pores. Yet he still resisted, roaring like a wounded beast.
"Imagine… every Heavenly Line a cultivator opens attracts a calamity that tests their will. It could be a celestial storm, a spiritual collapse, or even an encounter with a mysterious entity that tests your heart. Many have failed, their bodies still buried beneath the dust of the sects that revere them."
Silence fell again, then she looked at Ling Yu with eyes that pierced his soul:
"That cultivator survived, but with a cracked soul that never healed. Yes, he opened the Three Heavenly Lines, but he spent his entire life unable to advance further. He broke his soul for something he couldn't bear."
The illusory scene suddenly vanished, leaving Ling Yu alone with her weighty words.
The woman took another step closer and whispered in a low voice filled with awe:
"The path you have chosen is no walk in the park. Every step will be met with disaster, and every disaster will either lift you up… or bury you. Do you have an unbreakable heart?"
Ling Yu stood in amazement, his head heavy with the story he had heard, her voice still echoing within him like an ominous, unstoppable bell.