The journey along the Celestial Path, though it had pushed Li Wei's frail body to the brink with fever and pain, had left him with a radiant spirit, his qi pulsing clearer as if his nascent Golden Core and fledgling Nascent Soul had been strengthened by the starry trail. 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 climactic new challenge: "The Spirit's Ascendancy, where the cultivator's soul rises to touch immortality, transcending the mortal veil under heaven's gaze."
In the cultivation novels Li Wei had read in Beijing, ascendancy was a pivotal moment—cultivators soaring into divine realms, their souls breaking free from mortal limits to merge with the cosmos. The scroll's description was poetic but compelling: "Let the soul ascend under the stars, its qi merging with the Dao's eternal light. Purity fuels the rise, but doubt anchors the spirit." Li Wei, tempered by lightning, betrayal, and moments of clarity, felt a surge of awe. His earlier trials—the Celestial River, the Starlit Path, the Spirit's Call—had hinted at such transcendence, and the valley's starry nights seemed to beckon him upward. 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 poised for divine ascent. 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 beacon. 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 "rise to immortality," so he chose a clear night, when the valley's sky was a tapestry of infinite stars, to begin.
As midnight cloaked the valley in starlight, Li Wei lay by the shimmering pool, its surface reflecting the cosmos like a mirror. He held the Starstone in one hand, the jade slip pressed to his chest, and chanted the scroll's incantations, their rhythmic tones blending with the valley's whispers, which hummed with celestial urgency. He focused on his dantian, visualizing his Golden Core as a radiant star, his Nascent Soul a glowing figure ready to ascend. The scroll urged him to "merge with the Dao," so he gazed upward, letting his mind drift toward the constellations, imagining his Nascent Soul rising into the starry expanse. The warmth in his dantian pulsed, and he felt a tingling sensation, as if his soul were breaking free.
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 void where his Nascent Soul soared, radiant and weightless, surrounded by swirling galaxies. A voice, resonant and commanding, echoed: "Will your soul ascend to 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: "I am the Dao's!" The Nascent Soul glowed brighter, rising toward a distant star, but his body faltered, the fever spiking as dizziness gripped him. He collapsed by the pool, gasping, Azure Dragon whining and nudging his face.
The Starstone glowed warmer, as if infused with the ascent's energy, and his dantian pulsed clearer, as if his soul had touched immortality. Had he truly achieved the Spirit's Ascendancy, or was it another fevered vision? The scroll promised transcendence but warned of doubt, and Li Wei chose to believe he'd succeeded. He scribbled in his notebook, hands trembling: "Spirit's Ascendancy attempted. Soul rises, qi shines. Body falters, eternity glimpsed." 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 experience, describing the starry ascent and the commanding voice. Zhang Wei called it a "divine rise," urging him to brew an elixir with the valley's water to solidify it. Liu Mei praised his resolve but urged medical care: "The soul ascends, but the body must endure." Chen Xiu saw it as proof of immortality, 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 Spirit's Ascendancy touched immortality, 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 soaring toward eternity, one starry ascent at a time toward immortality.