The renewal of the Hidden Pact Reborn, 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 forever bound to the Dao. 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 final passage unveiled a transcendent culmination: "The Eternal Dawn, where the cultivator embraces the infinite light of the Dao, finding immortality in the heart's unending pursuit."
In the cultivation novels Li Wei had read in Beijing, eternal dawns were climactic ascensions—moments where cultivators transcended mortality, their souls merging with the cosmos in a blaze of divine light. The scroll's description was poetic but profound: "As dawn breaks, let the soul embrace the Dao's infinite light, for immortality lies not in the end, but in the journey's heart. Clarity shines, but doubt dims eternity." Li Wei, tempered by lightning, betrayal, and moments of clarity, felt a surge of awe. His journey—through storms, betrayals, visions, and the scroll's jest—had taught him that the Dao was in his striving, not a distant realm. 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 to embrace this final truth.
Li Wei prepared with the reverence of a pilgrim greeting the dawn of eternity. 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 beacon of eternity. 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 at dawn, so he chose the moment when the first light touched the valley, its rays mingling with the blossoms' glow, to begin.
As the sky lightened, the valley bathed in a golden haze, Li Wei sat by the shimmering pool, its surface reflecting the dawn like a mirror of eternity. 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 a serene melody. He focused on his dantian, visualizing his Golden Core as a radiant star, his Nascent Soul a glowing figure ready to embrace the Dao. The scroll urged him to "embrace the infinite light," so he let his mind drift, reflecting on his journey—lightning, betrayals, the Celestial River, the Starstone's glow—not as feats of divinity, but as steps of persistence, a man's heart refusing to yield. The warmth in his dantian pulsed, and he felt a tingling sensation, as if the dawn's light were merging with his soul.
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 boundless expanse of golden light where his Nascent Soul stood, radiant and serene, bathed in the Eternal Dawn. A voice, soft but commanding, echoed: "Is your heart the Dao's?" Li Wei's heart raced, doubts flickering—the scroll's jest, his frail body—but he answered, his voice hoarse but resolute: "The Dao is my journey, my heart's pursuit." The light swelled, enveloping his Nascent Soul, and he saw his trials as stars in a constellation, each a testament to his will. The vision was exhilarating, 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 dawn's light, and his dantian pulsed clearer, as if his soul had embraced eternity. Had he truly glimpsed the Eternal Dawn, or was it another fevered vision? The scroll promised immortality in the journey, and Li Wei chose to believe he'd succeeded. He scribbled in his notebook, hands trembling: "Eternal Dawn glimpsed. Dao is the journey, soul shines. Body falters, heart ascends." The valley's whispers blended with the dawn's light, 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 golden light and the voice's wisdom. Zhang Wei called it a "divine ascension," urging him to brew an elixir to solidify it. Liu Mei praised his insight but urged medical care: "The dawn lights the soul, but the body must endure." Chen Xiu saw it as proof of immortality, while Zhao Feng, skeptical, suggested delirium, yet their debate softened, unified by Li Wei's conviction. He hid his worsening fever and pain, fearing their concern might fracture the sect's unity.
As the sun rose higher, Li Wei sat by the pool, the Starstone in his hands, Azure Dragon snoring softly. The scroll promised that the Eternal Dawn was the heart's immortality, with no trials beyond but the journey itself. 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 stood, smiling under the valley's stars, ready to continue, his heart eternal in the Dao's light, one radiant dawn at a time.