Evening bells rang across the Li estate, their resonance carried by arrays until every courtyard echoed with the sound. The day's lessons had ended, yet attendants summoned the children once more. Lanterns flared along stone paths, and the youngest heirs of the clan walked beneath their light toward a smaller, older chamber adjoining the Teaching Hall.
The hall was not vast like the one they had seen that morning. Its ceiling was lower, beams darkened with age, banners faded. Yet there was a different weight here. The air was hushed, still, as though the stones themselves remembered more than the children could imagine.
At the center sat a single elder.
He wore plain robes, their hems patched more than once. His beard was trimmed short, his hair grayed but not sparse. His presence was unassuming, carrying none of the obvious force of Master Qin or Mistress Yao. Yet when his eyes lifted, the children felt their chests tighten as if invisible hands pressed down upon them.
"Sit," the elder said simply.
They obeyed without question. Even Jian, restless as always, found no urge to speak.
The elder's gaze swept across them. "I am called Ru." His voice was calm, almost casual, yet each word seemed to settle into the bones. "For centuries, it has been my task to tell the young of our clan not what you will learn, but what lies ahead. You have seen fragments—Qi, law, arrays, pills, artifacts. Now, you will learn the ladder itself."
He rose slowly, and with a flick of his sleeve, a jade slip floated into the air, glowing softly. Lines unfurled, forming steps that stretched upward into shadow.
"The first is Qi Sense. To notice the current of the world. Most mortals never take this step."
"The second, Qi Accumulation. Ten stages. With each, your body gathers more of what you once could not see. At the peak, your lifespan stretches to two centuries. Beyond this, mortals fade, but cultivators begin the true path."
"The third, Foundation Building. Three stages—early, middle, late. You forge pillars of Qi to steady the house of your body. At peak Foundation, your years may reach five hundred."
"The fourth, Core Formation. Qi condenses, forms a core. Three stages again—early, middle, late. At this stage, cultivators command provinces, lead armies. Their lives may endure a thousand years."
Elder Ru's voice did not rise, yet the silence deepened, the children leaning forward as if drawn by gravity itself.
"The fifth, Golden Core. Qi burns, condenses further, a golden light within. Their presence commands armies, even nations. Their span reaches fifteen hundred years."
"The sixth, Nascent Soul. Qi transforms into spirit, birthing a second self—an infant soul that can leave the body. At this stage, one cultivator alone may rule worlds. Three thousand years of life await."
The children froze. Jian's lips parted, Mei's eyes widened, Rou's chin trembled though she forced it still. Wei mouthed the number with disbelief. Qiang drew a shaky breath. Shun's lazy posture stiffened.
Li Heng's mind spun, calculations unfolding. Three thousand years… lifespans multiplied like exponential curves. With each stage, not just years but entire civilizations could be shaped.
Elder Ru lifted his hand higher. The jade slip flared, steps extending.
"Beyond this, few in Lingyao may even name them. Soul Transformation. Void Formation. Tribulation. Each greater than the last. Each step breaks not only the body, but law itself. Lifespans stretch into myths. Few return from such heights. Fewer still endure them."
His sleeve lowered. The glowing steps faded into darkness.
Silence held.
Then Jian whispered, unable to stop himself, "I'll reach Golden Core and lead armies."
Mei shot him a glare. "Not if you can't read ledgers to feed them."
Wei grinned faintly. "Three thousand years… plenty of time for naps."
Shun glanced at him, voice quiet for once. "If you survive long enough to begin."
Rou's fists clenched. "Side branches are not lesser. We too can climb."
Qiang swallowed hard. "But how many fall?"
Elder Ru's gaze turned toward him. "Most."
The word hung like iron.
"Do not believe the ladder is guaranteed. Each step demands price—blood, patience, precision. Ambition without root leads to ruin. Fear without courage binds you to earth. Only balance endures."
His eyes lingered on Heng. For a breath, the boy felt as though the elder saw straight through him—through flesh, through thought, into some place even Heng did not know himself. Then the gaze shifted away.
"You will return tomorrow to your tutors. But remember this night. Remember the ladder. Your parents, your cousins, your rivals, even your ancestors—all climb or fall upon it. Write these names until your hands ache. Speak them until your tongue bleeds. Only then will they carry meaning."
The session ended without ceremony. The children filed out quietly, each carrying silence heavier than jade slips.
Lady Yan sat waiting in the courtyard, lantern light warming her face. Heng knelt before her, jade slip cool in his palms.
"What did Elder Ru teach you?" she asked.
"That lives are measured in steps," Heng said softly. "That most fall."
Her hand cupped his cheek. Her eyes carried a calm weight. "Then you must not fall."
Later, his father called him into the study. The air smelled of ink and steel, ledgers stacked beside blades.
"You heard the ladder tonight," Li Wei said. "But do you know who first climbed it in our bloodline?"
Heng shook his head.
Li Wei's gaze grew distant. "Our founding ancestor, Li Guang. He was born in a village of dirt walls and empty granaries. He had nothing but calloused hands and a stubborn will. He began with no teacher, no pill, no jade slip. Yet he reached Foundation. Then Core. Then Golden Core. By the time he stepped into Nascent Soul, he had already broken the chains of five kingdoms. Lingyao bent to him because none could stand against him."
He leaned forward, eyes sharp. "Remember this, Heng'er. Power is not given. It is seized. Our ancestor did not inherit an empire. He forged it. Every name on that ladder was carved into his bones. That blood runs in you."
The words settled like fire in Heng's chest.
That night, lying awake, he repeated the names Elder Ru had spoken: Qi Sense. Qi Accumulation. Foundation. Core. Golden Core. Nascent Soul. Soul Transformation. Void. Tribulation.