The triumph over the Demon's Final Stand, though it had pushed Li Wei's frail body to the brink with fever and pain, had left him with a fortified spirit, his qi pulsing clearer as if his nascent Golden Core and fledgling Nascent Soul had been purified by banishing the shadows of doubt. 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 transformative new challenge: "The Celestial Forge Reborn, where the cultivator rekindles the divine fire to reshape the soul's essence, forging it anew in the light of the Dao."
In the cultivation novels Li Wei had read in Beijing, forges were mystical crucibles—sacred fires where cultivators refined their spirits or crafted divine artifacts to ascend to higher realms. The scroll's description was poetic but compelling: "Rekindle the forge under heaven's gaze, let the soul be reshaped by the Dao's flame, and rise with a spirit purified. Craft with clarity, for impurity dims the soul's light." Li Wei, tempered by lightning, betrayal, and moments of clarity, felt a surge of determination. His earlier forging attempts—the Spirit Forge, Celestial Forge, and Hidden Forge—had ended in shattered blades or fleeting visions, but this trial called for reshaping his Nascent Soul itself, a challenge both daunting and exhilarating. 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 smith forging a divine relic. 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 flame. 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 under the stars to "rekindle the forge," so he chose a clear night, when the valley's sky was a tapestry of infinite light, to begin.
As midnight cloaked the valley in starlight, Li Wei sat by the altar, 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 fiery intensity. He focused on his dantian, visualizing his Golden Core as a radiant star, his Nascent Soul a glowing figure ready to be forged anew. The scroll urged him to "reshape the soul," so he imagined his qi as a flame, melting his Nascent Soul into a molten form, ready to be molded into a purer essence. The warmth in his dantian surged, pulsing in rhythm with the stars' twinkling light, and he felt a tingling sensation, as if his soul were being reshaped.
Hours passed, his body trembling from the strain, his fever intensifying, the pain in his infected wounds throbbing with each heartbeat. In his trance, the valley faded, replaced by a starry expanse where a forge of light blazed, his Nascent Soul standing within, molten and radiant, surrounded by flames of qi. A voice, resonant and commanding, echoed: "Can your soul withstand the fire?" Li Wei's heart raced, doubts flickering—the scroll's jest, the betrayals, his frail body—but he chanted louder, visualizing his Nascent Soul taking shape, a luminous figure stronger than before. The flames roared, and his qi surged, but his body faltered, the fever spiking as dizziness gripped him. He collapsed by the altar, gasping, Azure Dragon whining and nudging his face.
The Starstone glowed warmer, as if infused with the forge's fire, and his dantian pulsed clearer, as if his soul had been refined. Had he truly reshaped his Nascent Soul, or was it another fevered vision? The scroll promised purification but warned of impurity, and Li Wei chose to believe he'd succeeded. He scribbled in his notebook, hands trembling: "Celestial Forge Reborn kindled. Soul reshaped, qi purified. Body falters, spirit rises." 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, describing the fiery forge and his molten Nascent Soul. Zhang Wei called it a "divine reforging," urging him to brew an elixir with the valley's water. Liu Mei praised his effort but urged medical care: "The forge shapes the soul, but the body must endure." Chen Xiu saw it as proof of ascension, while Zhao Feng, skeptical, suggested delirium, 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 Celestial Forge Reborn purified the soul, 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, he felt ready to face the next challenge, his soul reshaped by the Dao's fire, one starry forge at a time toward immortality.