After a long and winding journey, Xiao finally stood before the towering gates of the Sheanmen Sect.
The path had stretched on for three months, filled with twists and turns, but the challenges he had expected never quite materialized which disappointed Xiao but he would never let anyone know.
Despite the vastness of the wilderness he crossed, no fierce beasts beyond his level blocked his way, nor did any bandits emerge from the shadows to test his strength.
His journey was surprisingly uneventful, as though the world itself had parted to let him pass. Yet, amidst that calm, a strange unease began to settle over him.
Each step felt heavier, not from exhaustion but from an odd sense of anticipation, like something unseen was waiting for him.
As Xiao neared the sect, he reflected on the path behind him. While his body had not been truly tested, his mind had endured its own quiet battle.
The solitude of the open road had forced him to confront his doubts, whispering fears of the unknown into the silence of his thoughts.
Each night under the stars, he questioned whether his journey had been too easy, too quiet. Were the real trials waiting for him behind those imposing gates?
But that didn't mean the journey was without struggle. One would say the mysterious book he had acquired from the strange altar back in the village posed its own challenge for Xiao.
The book was an enigma. For some reason, whenever Xiao opened it, only the first page would reveal itself, filled with symbols and script he could not comprehend.
He had spent days trying to decipher its contents but eventually gave up, assuming he might understand more about it once he reached the sect and gained access to its library.
Though his journey lacked conflict, it wasn't devoid of encounters. Xiao passed two carriages along the way, though he chose not to stop.
Curiosity flickered briefly and he wondered what they were doing headed in the opposite direction of him where there was nothing but caution prevailed. Asking questions to the wrong people could lead to trouble, and trouble was something he had learned to avoid even if he was disappointed by it.
During this time, Xiao's cultivation had progressed. He reached the second stage of Qi Condensation, his qi becoming purer and his dantian expanding.
He was surprised by his speed because three months to advance a stage was very hard for a normal cultivator but he thought it would take many times longer just because of his spiritual root and how greedy it takes to satisfy the purity of it's qi.
Normally, it could take years even for a talented cultivator, but the daily pills he had been receiving sped up the process significantly.
Meanwhile, Xiao has been saving the system point and they have grown to around 5,403. Although he could have unlocked the Yang family medallion, Xiao chose to save those points in case of an emergency.
Even though daily missions no longer required him to exercise, Xiao continued training, understanding the importance of a strong body to a cultivator. He used anything he could find such as trees, boulders, even the rough terrain itself, all to build his strength.
Throughout the journey, Xiao questioned Jing often, learning much from him. He asked about joining the sect, to which Jing always replied, "I'll show you once we arrive."
Finally, after all that time passed, Xiao arrived at the location Jing had led him to, supposedly the Sheanmen Sect. But as Xiao looked around, confusion crept in. All he saw was an expanse of desert, endless sand stretching out before them, with nothing in sight.
Xiao was perplexed, especially after they had left the main road and traveled west, deeper into the desert.
It had been fifteen days since they entered this barren wasteland. Jing had advised them to bring provisions, but Xiao hadn't expected their journey to take them through such a desolate landscape.
"Where is your sect?" Xiao asked, his tone laced with suspicion. Though he had opened up slightly to Jing on their long journey, trust was still something Xiao did not easily give.
"Oh, you thought we were at the sect already?" Jing chuckled softly, shaking his head. "You are sorely mistaken."
Without another word, Jing began to focus his qi. Xiao felt the shift in energy as Jing unsealed his dantian, allowing his qi to flow freely.
Xiao didn't intervene, confident that even if Jing tried something, he could track him down easily. Years of hunting had given Xiao a keen sense for following trails.
Jing's fingers moved in the air, drawing incomprehensible symbols, and then he began to speak in a language that Xiao had never heard:
"Zk'hanir sthal vohra… Jh'raln iske varo yut…"
His words sent a chill through the air, vibrating with power. As Jing continued, he etched the strange symbols into the sand using his qi, and the ground seemed to shimmer in response.
The symbols glowed faintly, pulsing with energy, and after a minute, the faint outline of a door appeared, flickering into existence as though emerging from the fabric of reality itself.
Jing's voice broke through the tense atmosphere, urgent now. "Carry me to the door, quickly! My qi won't hold much longer."
'Should I trust him any further?' Xiao wondered, his mind racing. This door could be a trap, something he wouldn't be able to fight once inside.
But as he saw the edges of the door begin to fade out of existence, he knew there was no time to hesitate. Without another thought, he ran.
With slight hesitation, Xiao rushed to Jing's side, hoisting him up and carrying him toward the door. As they neared it, Xiao saw the edges of the door beginning to blur, fading from existence.
There was no time to hesitate. He pushed the door open and dashed inside, not bothering to glance beyond the threshold. The door was disappearing rapidly, and in that moment, speed was more important than caution.
As Xiao glanced behind him, he saw the door vanish completely. He released a sigh of relief, then looked down at the person he was carrying which was Jing, who had passed out from qi depletion.
"Wake up, Jing," Xiao said, shaking him gently in an attempt to wake him. When Jing didn't respond, Xiao shifted his focus and began to look around.
What he saw left him amazed.