The unveiling of the Hidden Truth Reborn, with its radiant vision and profound realization that the Dao was in his persistent striving, had left Li Wei with a clarified spirit, his qi pulsing stronger 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 transcendent new challenge: "The Celestial Path, where the cultivator walks the trail of the heavens, guided by the eternal light of the Dao toward immortality."
In the cultivation novels Li Wei had read in Beijing, celestial paths were mystical journeys—cosmic trails that led cultivators to divine realms or ultimate enlightenment. The scroll's description was poetic but compelling: "Under the stars' eternal gaze, let the soul tread the path of light, guided by the Dao's radiance. Purity leads to eternity, but doubt leads astray." Li Wei, tempered by lightning, betrayal, and moments of clarity, felt a surge of anticipation. His earlier visions—of the Starlit Path, the Celestial River, and the Celestial Gate—had hinted at such a trail, and the valley's starry nights seemed to beckon him forward. 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 pilgrim embarking on a divine journey. 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 stars on earth. 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 "tread the path," 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 guidance. He focused on his dantian, visualizing his Golden Core as a radiant star, his Nascent Soul a glowing figure ready to walk the path. The scroll urged him to "follow the light," so he gazed upward, letting his mind drift toward the constellations, imagining his Nascent Soul stepping onto a trail of starlight. The warmth in his dantian pulsed, and he felt a tingling sensation, as if the stars were guiding him forward.
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 his Nascent Soul walked a radiant trail, its path lined with glowing orbs like those from the Starlit Trial. A voice, resonant and gentle, echoed: "Will you walk the Dao to eternity?" Li Wei's heart raced, doubts flickering—the scroll's jest, the betrayals, his frail body—but he chanted louder, visualizing his Nascent Soul stepping forward, its glow merging with the path's light. The trail stretched 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 path's radiance, and his dantian pulsed clearer, as if his soul had walked the trail. Had he truly tread the Celestial Path, or was it another fevered vision? The scroll promised a path to eternity but warned of doubt, and Li Wei chose to believe he'd progressed. He scribbled in his notebook, hands trembling: "Celestial Path glimpsed. Soul walks, qi shines. Body falters, trail endures." 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 radiant trail and the guiding voice. Zhang Wei called it a "divine journey," urging him to brew an elixir with the valley's water to solidify the path. Liu Mei praised his resolve but urged medical care: "The path guides 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 Path led 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, he felt ready to face the next challenge, his soul walking the starry trail, one radiant step at a time toward immortality.