The tremors in the ground had long since stopped.
I crouched at the cave entrance, my fingers still resting on that cracked bluestone. The stone was cold, with bits of debris around its edges, as though something had forced its way out from within. The exhaustion from the three impacts still weighed on my limbs, but I was much clearer-headed than before.
I shouldn't try again.
My spiritual power was full, and my meridians were open, but that barrier was like a wall—unseen, yet impossible to break through. I had once thought that as long as I was strong enough, I could advance. Now I knew it wasn't that simple.
I slowly withdrew my hand and rose to my feet.
The spirit beast lay at my feet, its ears twitching as it looked up at me. It neither cried out nor rubbed against me. It simply watched me. I knew it was waiting for me to make a decision.
I lowered my head and glanced at my palm. The Demon-Slaying Thunder Talisman Seal was still there, pressed against my skin and pleasantly warm. It had accompanied me through several hard battles and could still be used now. But I knew that relying on external aid to force a breakthrough was not the answer. The system had said last time that forcing it would damage my foundation.
Just as I was about to speak, a crisp notification suddenly rang out in my mind.
[Detected that the host is at a critical cultivation juncture and meets the activation conditions. A special guidance mission has been issued: find the 'Breath of Enlightenment,' which can aid the elevation of your state of mind.]
I froze for a moment.
This wasn't an ordinary quiz prompt. The tone was different, and so was the rhythm. It was as though the system was speaking on its own initiative for the first time, rather than waiting for me to ask.
Immediately afterward, a stream of information flooded directly into my mind.
[In the deepest part of the valley lies an unmarked region shrouded in mist all year round. It contains innate pure qi and remnants of heavenly secrets, and was once a secluded cultivation site for ancient cultivators. This place can foster opportunities for sudden enlightenment and is the breakthrough opportunity best suited to your current stage.]
I said nothing.
So there really was a place in this valley that could help someone break through.
I had always thought that dense forest was merely a dangerous area. The mist was thick, the paths slippery, and the spiritual energy chaotic, making it unsuitable for cultivation. That was why I had never gone in that direction despite living here for so long. But now it seemed that it was not an obstacle, but a threshold.
The system continued its message.
[An additional calming mantra is provided for the host's contemplation: Let the heart be still water reflecting the vault of heaven; let thoughts be drifting clouds carried east and west. Seek not achievements and rewards day and night; spiritual light shall naturally pierce the murk.]
I recited it silently once, then again.
The first two lines were easy enough to understand, but the last two felt somewhat vague. Still, I didn't rush to argue. The system never made mistakes. Whatever it gave me was always useful.
I turned toward the spirit beast.
"Did you hear that?" I said. "We may have to change locations."
It gave a low cry and lightly nudged my arm with its horn. It had done that several times before, always either to remind me to pay attention to a direction or to show its agreement.
Something stirred in my heart.
Perhaps I wasn't walking this path alone. It followed me not merely to survive, nor simply because it obeyed my orders. It had its own judgment and could sense the changes around us as well.
I took a deep breath and put the talisman seal back into my storage pouch.
If spiritual power couldn't force its way through, then I would take another path. I would no longer insist on breaking through today, nor would I keep staring at the hot current in my dantian. I would find that place and see what exactly that mist was, and whether it could help me understand something.
I returned to the cave and checked my remaining ointment and dried rations. There wasn't much left, but it was enough to last several days. The Spirit Gathering Array was still operating. Its glow was faint, but stable. This place was safe for now, and I could return later.
I looked once more at the lines carved into the wall.
Seven lines.
The eighth had never been added. Every previous advancement had come quickly—answer a question, receive a reward, and my realm would leap forward. But this time, no one was pushing me, and there were no questions to answer.
Perhaps this was the true beginning.
I sat cross-legged and tried to regulate my breathing according to the meaning of the mantra. I no longer compressed my spiritual power, nor did I guide it toward the barrier. I simply let it circulate naturally, like ordinary breathing.
At first, it was difficult.
My mind was filled with images of my earlier failures, along with that invisible membrane. The more I tried to empty my mind, the more chaotic it became. Only when I focused on the air at the tip of my nose, breathing in and out slowly, did I gradually calm down.
The spirit beast lay beside me, and its breathing slowly synchronized with mine.
I didn't know how much time had passed before I opened my eyes.
The daylight had already slanted, illuminating half the cave entrance. I had not meditated for long, but I felt different. My body was still full of spiritual power, but it no longer felt swollen, nor did it desperately urge me to burst outward.
I stood and patted the dust from my Daoist robe.
"Let's go," I said. "We'll check around the edge first."
The spirit beast immediately rose and took its usual position half a step behind and beside me. It neither blocked the way nor failed to react in time.
I did not head straight into the depths. I first made a circuit around the edge and observed the terrain. The mist rose from the valley floor. It was light in the morning, thick at noon, and dispersed somewhat again by evening. The wind followed a pattern as well, always blowing from the northwest, carrying a faint rotten scent of vegetation.
I noted several easily recognizable rocks and tree stumps so I could retrace my path if I got lost.
When I reached the third marked stone, I stopped.
The woods ahead were darker than elsewhere. The trunks were thicker, while interwoven branches and leaves formed a canopy that barely let sunlight through. The ground was covered in a layer of wet moss. It was soft beneath my feet, yet springy. The mist rose from there in layer after layer, as though it were alive.
I took out the talisman seal and gripped it in my hand.
The spirit beast's ears pricked up, but it neither retreated nor gave any warning. Its nose twitched slightly, as though it were smelling something.
I took a step forward.
The moss beneath my feet made a faint sound. The mist immediately parted slightly to either side, then slowly closed again. The temperature dropped somewhat, but it wasn't cold.
After another two steps, the sounds around me changed. It wasn't wind, nor birdsong, but a low hum that seemed to come from underground.
I stopped.
The system said nothing more and issued no new mission. But I knew I was heading in the right direction.
I looked back at the way I had come.
The entrance was already impossible to see clearly. Only a vague outline swayed within the mist.
The spirit beast moved half a step ahead of me, its feet pointed forward as though scouting the path.
I followed.
Every step I took was steady. The talisman seal remained in my palm, its warmth unchanged. The spirit beast's gait was steady as well, without hesitation.
When we reached the fifth ancient tree, the ground began to slope downward. The incline was slight, but I could feel that we were going deeper.
The mist grew thicker and thicker.
Thirty feet ahead, a standing stone appeared. Its shape was irregular, and its surface smooth, as though it had been washed by water for countless years. There were no carvings or runes on it, yet as I stood before it, I could sense a faint pull, as though something were calling me closer.
I lifted my foot.
Just then, the spirit beast suddenly raised its head.