The Immortal Banquet, with its humble yet sacred feast of moon berries, golden ferns, and valley water, had left Li Wei with a quiet sense of communion, as if the spirits of the Dao had dined alongside him. The hidden valley, with its shimmering pool, ancient tree, and glowing blossoms, pulsed with an energy that seemed to affirm the warmth in his dantian—a warmth he believed was his nascent Golden Core, nurturing a fledgling Nascent Soul. Azure Dragon, his scruffy spirit beast, remained a loyal companion, curled by the stone altar as Li Wei pored over the scroll, its worn bamboo slats a sacred guide through his trials. The scroll's latest passage unveiled a profound new challenge: "Soul Transcendence, where the cultivator releases the spirit to soar beyond the mortal veil, touching the eternal."
In the cultivation novels Li Wei had devoured in Beijing, soul transcendence was a climactic stage—cultivators projecting their spirits into the heavens, wielding divine power or glimpsing immortality itself. The scroll's description was more introspective but equally compelling: "Let the Nascent Soul take flight, free of flesh, and dance with the stars. The trance tests the heart's purity." It warned of mental strain and the risk of losing oneself to the void. Li Wei, tempered by lightning, betrayal, and countless trials, felt ready to attempt this, seeing it as a culmination of his spiritual journey. His body, weakened by hunger, fever, and the recent alchemical purge, trembled at the thought, but the valley's mystical aura and the scroll's promise fueled his determination.
The valley, with its radiant blossoms and whispering tree, seemed the perfect crucible for such a trial. Li Wei prepared with reverence, reinforcing his altar with smooth stones carved with spirals inspired by the Starstone. He placed the scroll, jade slip, Starstone, and stolen booklet at its center, their faint glow a ward against doubt. Azure Dragon watched, head tilted, as Li Wei fasted, sipping only the valley's crystal-clear water, which he believed carried spiritual essence. The scroll suggested a deep meditative trance under the stars, so he chose a clear night, when the valley glowed with celestial light, to begin.
Li Wei lay beneath the ancient tree, the Starstone pressed to his chest, the jade slip in his hand. He chanted the scroll's incantations, their rhythmic tones blending with the valley's whispers, and focused on his dantian, visualizing his Golden Core as a radiant star, his Nascent Soul a glowing figure within. The scroll urged him to "release the soul," so he let his mind drift, surrendering to the trance. Hours passed, his body numb, his feverish haze intensifying. The warmth in his core surged, and the valley faded, replaced by a boundless expanse of stars—a cosmic sea where his Nascent Soul, radiant and free, soared upward.
In the trance, Li Wei felt weightless, his spirit dancing among the constellations. A voice, like the Mentor's Ghost, echoed: "Is your heart pure?" Images flashed—his Beijing life, Mei Ling's smile, the betrayals of Wang Hao and Lin Tao. Doubt flickered, but Li Wei focused on his Golden Core, willing his Nascent Soul to shine brighter. The stars pulsed in rhythm, and he felt a surge of transcendence, as if touching eternity. But his body, frail and overtaxed, rebelled. A wave of dizziness shattered the trance, and he awoke gasping, sprawled by the altar, Azure Dragon whining and nudging his face. His heart raced, his fever spiking, but the warmth in his dantian pulsed stronger, clearer, as if the trance had refined it.
Li Wei scribbled in his notebook, hands trembling: "Soul Transcendence attempted. Nascent Soul soared, stars danced. Body faltered, spirit ascends." Had he truly released his soul, or was it another vision born of exhaustion? The scroll promised a touch of eternity, and Li Wei chose to believe he'd glimpsed it. The valley's whispers seemed to approve, the ancient tree's blossoms glowing brighter. During the next video call with the Order of the Jade Dawn, he shared the experience, describing the cosmic dance. Zhang Wei, eyes wide, called it a "divine ascent," urging him to stabilize his qi with alchemy. Liu Mei, her serene face lit by moonlight, warned: "The soul needs a strong vessel. Rest." Chen Xiu and Zhao Feng, awed, shared their own meditations, though their debates hinted at tensions.
As dawn broke, Li Wei sat by the pool, the Starstone warm in his hands, Azure Dragon snoring softly—or perhaps he'd fallen asleep, exhausted by the night's vigil. The scroll promised that Soul Transcendence was a gateway to immortality, but also warned of greater trials. The valley's energy, his sect's faith, and the scroll's guidance bolstered him, even as his fever lingered. With his Golden Core and Nascent Soul pulsing as beacons, Li Wei felt ready to face the next challenge, his spirit soaring toward the heavens, one fleeting trance at a time.