Jian Dan arrived beneath an ancient blue pine, its vitality radiating spiritual energy. Flecks of green light flowed into its trunk before dispersing again—inhaling, exhaling, as if the tree itself were cultivating.
She pressed her palm against the bark, sensing the pine's rhythmic pulse. Gradually, her own spiritual energy synchronized with it. Her wood spirit root surged to life, greedily absorbing the surrounding wood-attributed qi.
Without hesitation, Jian Dan used Lightfoot Technique to leap onto a thick branch, wide as a barrel, and lay flat upon it.
Closing her eyes, she attuned herself to the tree's vibrations, mirroring its breath. With each cycle, wood qi coursed wildly through her meridians, circulating in Great Heavenly Cycles to mend the hairline fractures left by her previous breakthrough—when she'd jumped three levels straight into Foundation Establishment.
Wood governs vitality. The energy not only repaired the cracks but nourished her meridians.
All night, the emerald qi flowed through her 81 major meridians. By dawn, her early Foundation Establishment prowess had solidified further, reaching its peak. "Luck truly is part of strength", she mused.
Lost in cultivation, Jian Dan remained unaware of the world beyond.
Part 2: The Expedition Team
Less than a kilometer away, a team in hazard suits huddled over a map, arguing.
A man in green protective gear pointed at a marked location. "This is the spot. We're close—just head this way."
"You said that yesterday!" snapped a woman in orange. "Are we lost? This is Shennongjia—who knows what's out there?"
The other three members stayed silent, their disagreement palpable.
"Fine," the green-suited man said firmly. "Rest here. At dawn, the Big Dipper won't lie. I'll scout ahead one kilometer. Wait one hour; if I don't return, follow my trail. I'll leave markers."
Tightening his backpack, he handed the map to another teammate and strode toward Jian Dan's direction.
Jian Dan's breathing remained steady, cycling qi through the Five Elements:
Wood feeds Fire; Fire feeds Earth; Earth feeds Metal; Metal feeds Water; Water feeds Wood
An endless loop.
She sensed it—this was her chance to break through to mid-Foundation Establishment. There was no turning back now.
The five elemental qi coiled together, lashing at the barrier to the next stage. Once. Twice. Thrice. Each strike weakened it further. Gathering all her energy, Jian Dan launched a final assault—
"Boom!"
The barrier shattered.
Spiritual energy surged toward her, seeping through her skin into her meridians, swirling in chaotic currents before settling in her dantian. Her dantian was now two-thirds filled with liquefied qi. Still, she pushed on, compressing every wisp to its limit. Around her, the agitated qi rippled outward, rustling leaves and carrying a refreshing breeze.
The green-suited man, Zheng Da, slowed his steps as he felt the forest's strange stirrings. Yet he pressed forward—until he stood beneath Jian Dan's tree.
Circling it, he found nothing amiss. But a nagging instinct made him look up—
With her breakthrough, Jian Dan's "Ice Skin- Jade Bones Demon Body Art" advanced to Layer 2: Membrane Refinement. This stage tempered the subcutaneous membrane, forming a protective layer that turned her body into a living magical artifact—drastically boosting her defense.
Zheng Da hadn't organized this expedition idly. His family had spent generations deciphering an ancestral treasure map, finally pinpointing Shennongjia's depths as the location.
His online "adventurer" recruits, however, proved useless. Now, he seized the chance to ditch them.
As he gazed up at the tree, fate intertwined—
Past and present would collide.
Similar, yet different.