Li Xuan woke before dawn.
A thin layer of light touched the window, not strong enough to brighten the room, but enough to show the shape of the bed, the cracks in the walls, the shadows on the floor.
He opened his eyes slowly.
His body still hurt, but the pain felt distant — like it was behind a wall.
What mattered was the warmth inside him.
It moved on its own now.Quiet.Steady.Alive.
This was the day.
The day he would break the final layer.
The day he would open his dantian.
He sat up with a calm breath.
No excitement.No fear.
Just determination.
Before he even reached for his robe, the Grand Immortal spoke:
—Do not train in here. This room is too close to last night's search. Someone might still be watching.
Li Xuan nodded. "I thought so."
—Go to the pine grove behind the training fields. It is quiet in the early morning, and the trees can mask your presence.
Li Xuan quietly grabbed his robe and left his room.
The cold morning air hit his skin, waking him fully. Mist hung low across the ground, covering the grass like soft smoke.
He walked quickly but carefully toward the pine grove.No one else was up yet.
No guards.No disciples.No Zhao Ren.
Just silence.
When he reached the grove, he sat beneath a tall pine tree. The branches blocked most of the sky, creating a quiet, hidden pocket of darkness.
He crossed his legs and closed his eyes.
The broken blockage pulsed faintly inside him — soft, fragile, ready to be destroyed.
—This is your final barrier, the Immortal said. Break it, and your dantian will awaken.
Li Xuan nodded once.
Then he breathed deeply.
The warm Qi inside him gathered into a small sphere — tiny, weak, but more stable than ever before.
He guided it to the thin barrier.
The barrier resisted.
This last piece was stubborn — the hardest part of the knot. The part that had resisted for ten years.
Li Xuan's forehead tightened.
He pressed harder.
The warmth pushed.The barrier trembled.
Crack.
A single sound.
He felt it.
Li Xuan took a slow breath.His heart beat faster.
He pushed again, stronger.
Crack.
Another sound.
This time deeper.
His hands trembled slightly.
Sweat formed on his back.
His ribs hurt.
But he didn't stop.
He pushed again—
Crack.
And again—
Crack.
The Immortal's voice grew firmer.—Good. You are close.
Li Xuan clenched his jaw.
He pushed with everything he had—
CRACK—
Something snapped.
A sharp internal pain hit him like a lightning strike. His body jerked. His breath caught in his throat.
Li Xuan gasped.
Then—
BOOM.
Not a sound he heard with his ears.
A sound he felt.
The barrier shattered completely.
A flood of warmth exploded through every part of his body — chest, legs, arms, spine, fingers. His vision blurred. His heart beat wildly. His breathing trembled.
Inside him—
A space opened.
A real space.
His dantian.
A small, empty void inside his lower abdomen — waiting for Qi.
Waiting for life.
Waiting for strength.
Li Xuan's breath shook.
"…I… I did it…"
The Immortal's voice was proud — genuinely proud.
—Yes, Li Xuan. Today, you have become a cultivator.
Li Xuan slowly opened his eyes.
The world looked different.
The morning light felt sharper.The pine scent smelled stronger.His heartbeat sounded clearer.
He felt alive in a way he never had before.
He placed his hand on his stomach.
The dantian pulsed faintly — a new organ, a new power, waiting to be filled.
Li Xuan exhaled.
This moment…was the first true step of his cultivation path.
A step he carved himself.
After a long moment of silence, he stood slowly. His legs felt lighter. His balance felt steadier. Even his breathing felt smoother.
But before he could take another step—
A soft voice came from behind the tree trunks.
"You broke it."
Li Xuan froze.
He turned slowly.
Yan Ling stepped out from between the trees, her hair slightly messy from the morning wind, her expression unreadable.
She looked directly into his eyes.
"You opened your dantian," she said quietly.
Li Xuan felt his chest tighten.
"…How did you know?"
Yan Ling stepped closer.
She tapped her temple gently.
"I can sense changes in Qi. Even tiny ones."
Li Xuan held her gaze.
Yan Ling crossed her arms. "You're still hiding your improvement from the sect. Good. But breaking your blockage creates a wave — small, but noticeable to someone like me."
Li Xuan swallowed.
"Did… anyone else sense it?"
Yan Ling shook her head slowly.
"Not here. Not at this distance."
A breath of relief escaped him.
But Yan Ling's next words hit him like a blade.
"But if you continue to grow this fast… others will notice soon."
Li Xuan's heartbeat tightened again.
Yan Ling looked at him with a calm, serious expression.
"Li Xuan," she said softly, "the moment the sect realizes you're not trash anymore… your real battle begins."
Li Xuan didn't look away.
"Then I'll be ready."
Yan Ling stared at him for a few seconds.
Then she smiled — a small, rare smile.
"Good," she whispered. "Then let's see how far you can go."