The Soul Transcendence, with its fleeting vision of a cosmic dance among the stars, had left Li Wei teetering on the edge of something divine, though his frail body—ravaged by hunger, fever, and relentless trials—threatened to anchor him to the mortal realm. 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 journey. The scroll's latest passage unveiled a cryptic revelation: "The Ultimate Secret, where the cultivator unveils the truth hidden within the Dao. Seek the heart of the scroll, for its final wisdom tests the soul."
In the cultivation novels Li Wei had devoured in Beijing, ultimate secrets were climactic revelations—hidden techniques, divine truths, or the true nature of immortality itself, often guarded by ancient masters or deadly trials. The scroll's description was more introspective but equally compelling: "The heart of the Dao lies in the beginning. Decipher the scroll's truth, and the path to eternity opens." Li Wei, tempered by lightning, betrayal, and countless trials, felt a mix of awe and trepidation. His entire journey had begun with the scroll, purchased from a dusty Beijing antique shop, its archaic script sparking his quest. What if its final secret revealed the key to immortality—or exposed his delusions? His body ached, his fever lingering, but the valley's mystical aura urged him to uncover the truth.
Li Wei sat by the altar, the scroll unrolled before him, its bamboo slats creaking under the weight of his scrutiny. Azure Dragon watched, head tilted, as Li Wei traced the characters with trembling fingers, seeking hidden meanings. The scroll's early passages—breathing exercises, qi gathering—had seemed straightforward, but now he noticed faint inconsistencies: characters slightly misaligned, ink strokes uneven, as if written by a hurried hand. The stolen booklet from the Dai Temple, with its similar script, offered a clue. Li Wei compared them, his feverish mind racing, and found a hidden pattern—a sequence of characters that, when read backward, formed a new message: "The Dao is the jest of mortals, crafted to inspire, not to ascend."
His heart sank. Was the scroll a prank, a centuries-old joke by a mischievous scholar? He cross-referenced the message with the booklet, finding similar hints of irony in its herbal recipes. The realization hit like a thunderbolt: the scroll might be a forgery, a work of fiction designed to mock the very pursuit he'd staked his life on. Yet, the warmth in his dantian pulsed, as vivid as ever, and the valley's energy seemed undiminished. Had the scroll's "jest" still led him to truth, or was his qi a delusion born of desperation? Li Wei clutched the Starstone, its faint warmth grounding him, and meditated, seeking clarity as the scroll urged.
In his trance, the valley faded, replaced by a vision of the antique shop in Beijing, the old shopkeeper's knowing smile as he sold the scroll for fifty yuan. A voice—his own, yet wiser—echoed: "The Dao is in the journey, not the scroll." Li Wei's Nascent Soul, glowing faintly, stood before him, its eyes reflecting his trials—lightning, betrayal, the phoenix rebirth. The scroll's secret, he realized, was not a technique but a truth: the pursuit itself, with all its pain and hope, had forged his spirit. Whether the scroll was real or a prank, it had led him to this moment, to a valley pulsing with life, to a sect that believed in him.
He awoke by the altar, Azure Dragon nudging his hand, the scroll open before him. His fever burned, but his mind was clear. He scribbled in his notebook, hands trembling: "Ultimate Secret unveiled—scroll a jest, yet Dao lives in pursuit. Qi endures, path redefined." During the next video call with the Order of the Jade Dawn, Li Wei shared the revelation, admitting the scroll's possible fraud but framing it as a divine lesson. Zhang Wei, eyes wide, insisted the qi was real, while Liu Mei, her serene face lit by moonlight, praised his insight: "The Dao is in you, not the scroll." Chen Xiu and Zhao Feng, inspired, vowed to seek their own truths, their debates softening in shared awe.
As dawn broke, Li Wei sat by the pool, the Starstone warm in his hands, Azure Dragon snoring softly. The scroll's final secret had tested his soul, but he emerged stronger, his Golden Core and Nascent Soul pulsing as beacons of his journey. The valley's whispers seemed to approve, their murmurs blending with the breeze. With his sect's support and the scroll's ironic wisdom, Li Wei felt ready for the next challenge, his pursuit of immortality now rooted in the truth of his own heart, one step at a time.