### Chapter 86: The Five Spirits Pagoda (Part 1)
Lin Yi stared up at the towering structure, its silhouette half-shrouded in the five-colored mist. The first layer's gate loomed open, revealing a dark interior, as if inviting him into a centuries-old secret.
"Five Spirits Pagoda…" he murmured, running a hand over the cold stone of the塔's base. The characters on the lintel seemed to pulse faintly, as if responding to his presence. As a five-spirit root cultivator, he felt an odd 共鸣 (resonance)—this place, somehow, was meant for him.
He took a step inside, his defenses still flaring. The moment he crossed the threshold, the gate slammed shut behind him with a thunderous *boom*, cutting off the misty world outside.
The first floor was a vast hall, its walls lined with murals. Each depicted a cultivator channeling one of the five elements—wood, fire, earth, metal, water—their movements fluid, as if frozen in the act of casting spells. The air hummed with dense spiritual energy, far richer than anything he'd felt in the cave outside.
"Whoa…" Lin Yi breathed, circling the murals. The cultivators in the paintings weren't using swords or talismans—they relied solely on their bodies, their meridians glowing with elemental light. It reminded him of the *Five Spirits Tempering Technique*.
At the center of the hall stood a stone platform, upon which rested a crystal orb. It pulsed in rhythm with his breath, as if syncing to his spiritual energy.
Curious, Lin Yi reached out to touch it. The orb flared, and a voice echoed through the hall—ancient, impartial, as if carved from stone:
"Five-spirit root cultivator. Pass the first trial to ascend."
The murals suddenly lit up, beams of colored light shooting toward him—green (wood), red (fire), yellow (earth), white (metal), blue (water). They converged, forming a swirling vortex of energy.
Lin Yi tensed, ready to dodge, but the vortex didn't attack. Instead, it seeped into his body, probing his meridians. He grunted, feeling his newly tempered meridians strain—this energy was pure, unadulterated elemental power, far stronger than the spiritual energy in pills.
"Trial of Affinity," the voice said. "Channel the five elements. Prove your worth."
Lin Yi's eyes narrowed. He'd spent months mastering the *Five Spirits Technique*, tempering his body with each element. He closed his eyes, recalling the first three transformations—Skin, Flesh, Meridians—and let the elemental energy flow.
Wood energy tangled with his meridians, testing their flexibility. Fire energy blazed, testing his resilience. Earth energy pressed down, testing his foundation. Metal energy sharpened, testing his focus. Water energy surged, testing his adaptability.
Sweat poured down his face. This trial wasn't about strength—it was about harmony. Five-spirit roots were mocked as "trash," but here, they were a *gift*. He needed to balance all five, not fight against them.
"Relax…" he muttered, letting go of his resistance. He visualized his meridians as a river, each element a stream merging into it. Wood nurtured, fire ignited, earth grounded, metal refined, water sustained.
The vortex glowed brighter, then dissolved into a shower of light. The murals dimmed, and the crystal orb rose, floating toward him.
"Affinity confirmed," the voice said. "Receive the first inheritance."
The orb pressed against his forehead, flooding his mind with knowledge—a manual titled *Five Spirits: Blood Tempering*. It was the next stage of his technique, far more detailed than the fragments he'd gleaned before.
Lin Yi's eyes shot open, excitement surging. This was no coincidence. The *Five Spirits Technique* and the Five Spirits Pagoda were linked—this was his 宿命 (destiny).
The stone platform rumbled, revealing a staircase leading to the second floor.
He glanced back at the closed gate, then up at the staircase. "Only eighteen floors…" he grinned. "Let's see what's next."
With the *Blood Tempering* manual etched in his mind and his meridians thrumming with balanced elemental energy, Lin Yi ascended. The first trial had only just begun, but he knew—this pagoda would change everything.
Outside the镯子, the cave's chaos raged. But inside, Lin Yi was taking a step toward power greater than he'd ever imagined.