Wendao Peak, Thousand Steps Cliff.
In the early morning, as dawn broke across the sky, the forty-five new disciples of the Spirit Dao Institute gathered at the top of the cliff.
The clifftop was dominated by a colossal, square-shaped boulder, measuring a thousand paces in both length and width, from which the cliff derived its name.
The disciples sat cross-legged with their eyes closed and heads bowed, using the nodes of the Spiritual Roots in their spines to feel the Spiritual Qi swirling around them.
At this hour, the Spiritual Qi was at its purest. Although they couldn't absorb it yet, they could sense its presence and develop a "qi sense," preparing them for the subsequent Meridian Opening.
Logically, Spiritual Qi should flow like water, distributing itself evenly across the Xuanyuan Continent, but that wasn't the case.
Veins of Spiritual Qi were contained within the earth, known as Spirit Veins.
Wherever a Spirit Vein existed, cultivators would gather.
