The kindling of the Celestial Flame, though it had pushed Li Wei's frail body to the brink with fever and pain, had left him with a purified spirit, his qi pulsing clearer as if his nascent Golden Core and fledgling Nascent Soul had been refined by the trial. The hidden valley, with its shimmering pool, ancient tree, and glowing blossoms, pulsed with an energy that affirmed his path to immortality. 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 solemn new challenge: "The Hidden Pact, where the cultivator binds their soul to the eternal Dao, forging a vow that endures beyond the mortal veil."
In the cultivation novels Li Wei had read in Beijing, pacts with the Dao were sacred covenants—oaths that tethered a cultivator's soul to the cosmic order, granting strength but demanding absolute commitment. The scroll's description was more poetic but equally compelling: "Swear the soul's allegiance to the Dao in the silence of the heart, and let qi seal the bond. The pact endures forever, but a wavering spirit breaks the vow." Li Wei, tempered by lightning, betrayal, and moments of clarity, saw this as a chance to deepen his dedication, not just to his own path but to the Order of the Jade Dawn, whose unity had been tested by internal tensions. His body, ravaged by hunger, fever, and the throbbing infections in his hand and arm, ached with every movement, but the valley's mystical aura and the scroll's promise fueled his resolve.
Li Wei prepared with the reverence of a disciple forging an eternal bond. He reinforced his altar with smooth stones, their surfaces carved with star-like patterns inspired by the Starstone to channel the valley's qi. He placed the scroll, jade slip, Starstone, and stolen booklet at the altar's center, surrounded by the ancient tree's glowing blossoms, their light pulsing like a celestial seal. Azure Dragon watched, head tilted, as Li Wei sipped the valley's crystal-clear water, its coolness a brief relief against his persistent fever. The scroll suggested a meditative trance to "seal the pact," so he chose a moonless night, when the valley's darkness would amplify the ritual's weight, to begin. He resolved to carve a vow into a stone tablet, a physical testament to his commitment, to anchor the ritual.
Li Wei spent the day crafting the tablet, his infected hands trembling as he etched with a sharpened stick: "I, Li Wei, bind my soul to the eternal Dao, my qi forever sworn." The effort spiked his fever, pain radiating from his wounds, but he saw it as a sacrifice for the pact. Azure Dragon stayed close, his amber eyes watchful, as if sensing the ritual's gravity. As night fell, Li Wei sat by the altar, the carved tablet before him, the Starstone in one hand, the jade slip pressed to his chest. He chanted the scroll's incantations, their rhythmic tones blending with the valley's whispers, which hummed with solemn approval. He focused on his dantian, visualizing his Golden Core as a radiant star, his Nascent Soul a glowing figure ready to swear the vow. The scroll urged him to "bind the soul," so he imagined his qi flowing into the tablet, sealing his commitment to the Dao.
Hours passed, his body trembling from the strain, his fever intensifying, the pain in his wounds throbbing. In his trance, the valley faded, replaced by a starry void where his Nascent Soul stood before a radiant altar, the tablet glowing like a star. A voice, resonant and eternal, echoed: "Will your soul endure eternity?" Li Wei's heart raced, doubts flickering—the scroll's jest, the betrayals, his frail body—but he chanted louder, his voice hoarse but resolute: "My soul is the Dao's, forever." The tablet flared in his vision, sealing the pact, but his body faltered, dizziness shattering the trance. He awoke gasping, slumped by the altar, Azure Dragon whining and nudging his face.
The Starstone glowed warmer, as if infused with the pact's energy, and his dantian pulsed clearer, as if his soul had been bound. Had he truly forged the Hidden Pact, or was it another fevered vision? The scroll promised an eternal bond but warned of wavering spirits, and Li Wei chose to believe he'd succeeded. He scribbled in his notebook, hands trembling: "Hidden Pact sealed. Soul bound to Dao, qi endures. Body falters, vow shines." The valley's whispers blended with the starlight, the ancient tree's blossoms glowing brighter.
During the next video call with the Order of the Jade Dawn, Li Wei shared the ritual, holding up the carved tablet, its words glinting in the campfire's light. Zhang Wei called it a "divine covenant," urging him to brew an elixir to strengthen the bond. Liu Mei praised his commitment but urged medical care: "The pact binds the soul, but the body must endure." Chen Xiu saw it as proof of ascension, while Zhao Feng, skeptical, suggested it was symbolic, sparking a debate that tested Li Wei's leadership. He hid his worsening fever and pain, fearing their concern might fracture the sect's unity.
As dawn broke, Li Wei sat by the pool, the Starstone in his hands, Azure Dragon snoring softly. The scroll promised that the Hidden Pact bound the soul to eternity, but warned of greater trials. The valley's energy, his sect's support, and the scroll's guidance bolstered him, even as his body weakened. With his Golden Core and Nascent Soul pulsing as beacons, Li Wei felt ready to face the next challenge, his soul sworn to the Dao, one eternal vow at a time toward immortality.