Sure thing, Maya 🌕🦊 — here's Chapt
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A pale dawn mist wrapped the mountain like silk. Disciples gathered in rows on the jade courtyard, breath steaming in the cold. Bells tolled three times, deep and resonant. The mountain awoke.
Instructor Kao stood before them, robes snapping in the wind. "Last lesson, you lit the spark of your core. Today, you will weave its threads. The Core alone is a vessel—it must learn to breathe through your limbs. Every thread is a bridge between life and spirit. Master them, or your progress will freeze forever."
A collective murmur rippled through the crowd. Ria listened, eyes half-lidded, her own forming core glowing faintly within. The tiny light pulsed, soft but steady, like a newborn heartbeat.
Ren elbowed her lightly. "Bet I can make more threads than you."
She smiled. "You said that last time about sparks. How did that end?"
He grimaced. "With smoke."
Instructor Kao raised a hand, silencing the chatter. "Sit. Breathe. Visualize your core as the sun, your veins as rivers. Send the light through them, one pulse at a time."
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Ria crossed her legs, resting her palms on her knees. The mountain's qi rolled through the air—dense, ancient, alive. She inhaled slowly. The energy within her core stirred and rose, swirling through her body like silver wind. It pushed against her mortal frame, testing its limits.
She exhaled, guiding it downward, through her arms, to her fingertips. It felt like learning to walk again—slow, trembling, but miraculous. A faint shimmer ran across her skin. She felt the world respond: the rhythm of trees swaying, the hum of streams far below.
> Qi Thread Established (Right Arm).
Core Progress — 3 %.
Her heart leapt. One thread.
She drew another breath, sending the flow into her left side. The qi resisted, swirling in chaotic spirals. Her divine instinct told her to force it—but she remembered Instructor Kao's warning. So instead, she softened, letting the flow find its path naturally. It slipped into place, smooth as silk.
> Qi Thread Established (Left Arm).
Core Progress — 4 %.
The faint hum of her Boundless System thrummed with approval, blending with the beating of her mortal heart. The two rhythms intertwined, and she felt… alive in ways she hadn't even as a goddess.
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Across the courtyard, Ren was attempting the same.
"Visualize rivers," Kao instructed.
Ren frowned. "Mine's more like a volcano."
"Then stop erupting."
He gritted his teeth, drawing qi too quickly. A flare of golden light shot from his chest and cracked a roof tile above. The class jumped. Smoke curled upward.
Instructor Kao didn't even blink. "Congratulations. You have destroyed one roof. Now repair it."
Groans of laughter echoed. Ria shook her head, hiding her smile as Ren trudged toward the storage shed.
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Hours passed. The courtyard shimmered with faint lights as students practiced, each thread glowing a different hue. Some flickered and vanished; others pulsed strong and steady. By midday, Ria's whole body thrummed with energy—thin rivers of qi flowing from her center to her limbs, then back again in endless rhythm.
The core in her belly glowed brighter, fed by every return cycle. The System whispered faintly:
> Qi Circulation: Stable.
Core Progress — 4.2 %.
Potential Growth Path: Infinite.
Ria opened her eyes, watching the sunlight dance on the courtyard stones. Infinite. The word rang inside her like a bell.
She had once believed her journey ended with saving creation, but now she understood—it was only the preface. Mortality wasn't a limit; it was a new horizon.
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When training concluded, the disciples gathered for lecture. Elder Hanzo stood before a map carved into the mountain wall—glowing with runes and constellations. His voice carried the calm of wind through pine needles.
"Qi threads form the foundation of your Core. But remember—this is only the first grain of sand on the path. Beyond Core Formation lies Foundation, Spirit, Star, and Void. And beyond those, paths unnamed. Every mountain you climb will reveal another."
He turned, meeting Ria's gaze for a heartbeat. "Some among you will see more than one lifetime before reaching the peak."
Ren, sitting cross-legged with a bandaged hand, whispered, "He means us, doesn't he?"
Ria smiled faintly. "I think he means everyone who refuses to stop climbing."
Hanzo continued, "There are sects beyond this continent—orders that tame storms, forge cities of clouds, and even challenge heavens themselves. Do not mistake your first success for arrival. The Dao stretches longer than numbers, deeper than time."
The disciples bowed low. The mountain seemed to hum in response, as if agreeing with his words.
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That evening, as twilight painted the peaks gold, Ria walked to the lakeside terrace. Her reflection shimmered on the surface, eyes glowing faintly from the light within. The air hummed with quiet music—the sound of life weaving itself through her veins.
Ren joined her, hair still messy from punishment duty. "Roof fixed. Again."
She chuckled. "At this rate, you'll build a whole pavilion."
"Good. I'll call it 'The Hall of Explosive Progress.'"
She laughed softly, then turned serious. "Do you ever feel it? Like something bigger is waiting out there?"
He leaned on the railing. "Every day. Every time I look past these clouds, I think about what's beyond them. The elders talk about a Grand Convergence, but maybe that's just one of a thousand steps."
"One thousand," she repeated, tasting the number. It didn't feel like exaggeration. It felt like a promise.
> Core Progress — 4.5 %.
Next Threshold: Qi Thread Refinement.
She touched her stomach lightly, feeling the warmth there. "Each thread is a note," she murmured. "When they all sing together…"
Ren grinned. "You'll break another roof?"
"Maybe the sky."
They both laughed, the sound echoing over the still lake.
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Later, the night deepened. Lanterns floated above the water like captured stars. Ria sat alone, meditating again, weaving the new threads through her frame. The mountain seemed to breathe with her, its wind filling her lungs. When she opened her eyes, she saw faint images flicker within the lake's reflection—visions of lands far beyond Cloud-Ridge: floating islands, deserts of glass, an ocean where constellations sank into the waves.
> Boundless Universe System Update:
Detected Realms: 7,112 registered; 3,800 uncharted.
Quest Extension — Path of a Thousand Flames: Chapter 24 of 1,000+.
She smiled. Even the System seemed to understand. The story was endless because life was.
The ripples stilled. Her core glowed steady at 4 %, a humble spark compared to what lay ahead, yet enough to light the next step.
She whispered into the quiet, "Then we keep walking."
The mountain answered with a soft sigh of wind, as though approving.
And above them, the stars burned brighter—each one a door yet unopened, each one waiting for Ria's flame to reach it.
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