Dawn was breaking. Several red clouds streaked across the bright white sky, glowing crimson along the horizon. Yet all of Cloud Break Mountain lay beneath a thin veil of morning mist, fresh and tranquil.
A simple wooden cabin stood quietly atop the mountain, bathed in a few rays of morning sunlight. A white rabbit lifted its head toward the sun, then quickly scampered into the cabin.
The rabbit sniffed gently at the figure sitting cross-legged on the bed. The man opened his eyes and murmured, "Another day already. I can't believe I've been staying on Cloud Break Mountain for seven years. That strange purple radiance really is miraculous."
The man was Hua Dou, who had remained in the mountains to eliminate the Purple-Eyed Toad. During one meditation session, he had discovered a small purple speck of light at the spot where his dantian had once been. It revolved in an enigmatic pattern. As it turned, it drew substances from outside his body into his dantian. Hua Dou had never imagined he would embark on the path of cultivation.
As he marveled at this, a sudden sensation came over him. Streams of purple qi surged from within his body, quickly merging with the purple speck and making it grow larger. The speck, which had originally been the size of a soybean in his dantian, had gradually grown to the size of a fingernail. The purple radiance flowing in and out around him had also picked up considerably.
Only then did Hua Dou understand why he had always felt compelled to draw closer to the Purple-Eyed Toad, even when danger loomed. It was the purple qi within it. That qi held a strange allure for him. Hua Dou found a secluded spot in the valley and began cultivating in peace.
For seven