Spirit Plant Entry: Immortality Begins with Farming

As dawn broke, Starfall Lake awoke.

It's not the kind of instant shine, but a slow, gradual shine, like water seeping into rice paper.

The inky blue of the sky first faded, turning into a bluish-gray, and then a pale blue light began to shine through from behind the mountain pass to the east. The light was extremely thin, as thin as a cicada's wing, gently covering the surface of the lake.

The silvery light at the bottom of the lake appeared softer in the morning light, no longer so dazzling, but gently sinking to the bottom, like a sleeping pearl.

Chen Yuan was the first to open his eyes.

He barely slept all night—not because he wasn't tired, but because he was afraid. In a place where the spiritual energy was so dense it was almost tangible, letting your guard down was tantamount to suicide.

He sat cross-legged on a smooth rock on the shore, the silvery-white stars in his sea of ​​consciousness maintaining a minimum level of operation, monitoring the flow of every wisp of spiritual energy around him.

Nothing happened that night.

The only sounds were the wind, the water, and the occasional rustling of feathers as the clouds unconsciously flapped their wings in their sleep.

He stood up and stretched his stiff shoulders. The hidden injuries in his meridians had healed by 70%, and the newly formed azure vortex was more solid than the one from the night before. The wind it stirred up as it swirled began to carry the aura of splitting clouds—clear, sharp, like a gale from high above.

"woke up?"

The sound of Lieyun came from the side.

It was awake, and was lowering its head to preen the feathers of its right wing with its beak—those blue streams of light appeared somewhat transparent in the morning light, and when the beak brushed across them, they rippled slightly like water.

"Hmm." Chen Yuan walked to the water's edge and scooped up a handful of water to wash his face.

The lake water was icy cold, which jolted him awake. As the water slipped through his fingers, he felt the pulse of the light at the bottom of the lake—clearer and more rhythmic than the night before, like some enormous creature breathing slowly.

"It's moving," Chen Yuan said.

Lieyun raised his head, his single eye turning towards the center of the lake: "I know. There was a movement just before dawn. It was very slight, but you could hear it if you lay down and listened."

"What did you hear?"

"...The sound of the earth's veins." Lieyun spread his wings, letting the morning light shine on his pale golden frame. "Beneath this mountain, there is something. Not that light, but something deeper. It breathes, and the whole mountain breathes with it."

Chen Yuan listened in silence.

He recalled the feedback from his exploration the previous night—that vast and ancient consciousness, the slumbering pulse.

"This mountain..." he asked, "Does it have a spirit?"

“All mountains have spirits,” Lieyun said matter-of-factly, “but most of them are asleep or too lazy to care. But this mountain is different—more of its spirit is awake than elsewhere.”

It paused, then added:

"And it's watching us."

As soon as she finished speaking, Bai Zhi woke up.

She sat up, rubbed her eyes, her hair sticking up in a mess. Seeing Chen Yuan and Lie Yun looking at her, she paused, then blushed slightly: "...Did I oversleep?"

"No." Chen Yuan handed her the water pouch. "Perfect."

The three of them ate some simple dry rations. Bai Zhi insisted on giving the last piece of jerky to Lie Yun, and this time Lie Yun didn't refuse, taking it and chewing it with a crunching sound.

"What are we doing today?" Bai Zhi asked as she tidied up.

Chen Yuan looked at Lieyun.

Lieyun's single eye turned to the mountains to the west—the direction they had come from yesterday, but deeper in, the mountains were higher and the fog thicker.

"There's a cave in these mountains," it said.

"Hole?"

"Hmm." Lieyun's wings pointed to the side of the highest mountain peak in the west. "Halfway up the mountain, covered by vines. I saw it when I flew over eight hundred years ago. There was spiritual energy coming out of the cave entrance, very dense, even denser than this lake."

It turned to look at Chen Yuan:

"But I didn't dare go in then. Because there were words at the entrance of the cave."

Chen Yuan frowned: "What character?"

"I don't recognize it." Lieyun shook his head. "It's not the writing system we use now; it's much older, and the strokes look like insects crawling. But there's a pattern carved next to it—an eye, vertical, with three swirling vortexes in the pupil."

The water pouch in Bai Zhi's hand fell to the beach with a "plop".

"...Tianmu Sect." Her voice was strained.

Chen Yuan looked at her: "You know?"

"I know a little." Bai Zhi bent down to pick up the water pouch, her fingers trembling slightly. "...I've heard people from the Demonic Sect mention it before. The Heavenly Eye Sect was a major sect three thousand years ago, specializing in pupil techniques and mental cultivation. Their mountain gate symbol is a vertical pupil, with three vortexes representing 'seeing through the three lifetimes'—past, present, and future."

She took a deep breath:

"But the Tianmu Sect was destroyed two thousand years ago. It was completely destroyed; the mountain gate was bombed flat, the scriptures were burned, and not even a few disciples remained. Now, the name is only occasionally mentioned in some ancient books."

The wings of the cloud-splitting creature slowly folded.

"The sect that was wiped out..." The flame in its single eye flickered, "The caves it left behind are either treasure troves or traps."

"Or both," Chen Yuan said.

The three fell silent.

As the morning light grew brighter, the silvery glow on the lake gradually faded into the skylight, leaving only the fine, golden ripples on the water.

The wind blew in from the other side of the valley, bringing the scents of the distant mountains and forests—the bitter fragrance of pine resin, the earthy smell of damp soil, and a faint, sweet floral fragrance.

"Are we going or not?" Lieyun finally asked.

Chen Yuan did not answer immediately.

He walked to the beach directly opposite the center of the lake, squatted down, and placed his hands on the sand.

The power of the silvery stars seeped downwards, through the fine sand, through the soil, all the way down—

Ten zhang. Twenty zhang. Fifty zhang.

At a depth of nearly 100 feet, he "touched" something.

It's not rock, not a spiritual vein. It's a cavity—a huge, winding cavity, like an underground river channel, passing directly beneath Starfall Lake and extending westward, heading straight for the mountain peak that Rift Clouds pointed to.

What flows inside the cavity is not water, but highly concentrated liquid spiritual energy, presenting a strange milky white semi-transparent state, like a solidified river of light, flowing slowly in the darkness.

The main trunk of the spiritual vein.

Chen Yuan withdrew his hand and stood up.

"Go," he said.

Lieyun's wings unfurled with a whoosh: "Now?"

"Now," Chen Yuan said, looking at Bai Zhi, "you stay here."

"No," Bai Zhi said immediately, "I'm going too."

"The cave might be the ruins of the Tianmu Sect," Chen Yuan said, looking at her. "Didn't you say they practiced pupil techniques and mental cultivation methods? That kind of place has a huge impact on the divine sense. Your cultivation level isn't high enough; you might get injured if you go in."

Bai Zhi bit her lip.

Then she looked up, her eyes bright: "But I can sense things—the flow of spiritual energy, lingering emotions, those subtle traces you might overlook. And..."

She paused:

"Moreover, if it really is a relic of the Tianmu Sect, there might be methods related to 'seeing' inside. My perception of plants and trees might resonate with those methods."

Chen Yuan stared at her for three breaths.

"Stay close to me," he finally said. "If you sense anything is wrong, speak up immediately. Don't try to tough it out."

Bai Zhi nodded vigorously.

Lieyun couldn't wait any longer. It flapped its wings, creating a gust of wind: "Come on, come on, I'll carry you across—that mountain looks close, but it takes half a day to walk there. We can fly there in the time it takes to burn an incense stick."

The three climbed back onto the back of the crescent cloud once more.

This takeoff was much smoother—the Cloud Splitter spread its wings, its feathers shimmering with a pale golden halo in the morning light, and with a gentle flap, it lifted off the ground. It didn't immediately rise higher, but flew low over the lake, its claws almost touching the water, leaving two thin ripples in its wake.

As they flew over the center of the lake, Chen Yuan glanced down at it.

The silver light at the bottom of the lake seemed to brighten slightly for a moment, as if it were watching someone go.

The split clouds began to rise.

A mountain breeze swept over me, carrying the crisp chill unique to the early morning. Below, Starfall Lake grew smaller and smaller, becoming a silver-blue eye in the valley, silently gazing at the sky.

The clouds parted and flew towards the highest peak on the west side.

As they drew closer, Chen Yuan could see clearly—the mountain's shape was strange. It wasn't the common cone or ridge shape, but rather resembled a clenched fist, with five ridges extending from the main peak like five fingers, and a deep valley hidden in the middle. The mountain's surface was covered with dark green ancient trees, but somewhere halfway up the mountain, there was a striking patch of grayish-white, like exposed rock.

"That's it," Lieyun said, beginning to slow down.

It circled in mid-air, searching for a landing spot. Finally, it chose a protruding rock platform and slowly descended.

Click.

Its claws gripped the rocks, producing a crisp striking sound. The airflow and feathers dissipated before hitting the ground, leaving only a faint, high-altitude scent.

The three landed.

Chen Yuan's first impression was—quiet.

It's not that there's no sound, it's that all the sound has been absorbed. The "whooshing" sound of the wind whistling through the treetops, the distant birdsong, even their own breathing, all sound muffled and short here, as if wrapped in an invisible membrane.

My second feeling was cold.

It wasn't the temperature that was cold; it was a deeper, bone-chilling cold. The concentration of spiritual energy here was frighteningly high, but its nature was extremely cold and yin; when you inhaled it, it felt like inhaling a mouthful of ice shards.

Bai Zhi shuddered.

"This place..." she said, crossing her arms, "is so heavy with 'thought'."

"Read it?" Lieyun asked.

"Residual thoughts." Bai Zhi looked around, her eyes slightly narrowed. "Many people have stayed here, for a very long time. Their emotions, memories, obsessions... have seeped into the stone, and over time, they have become 'thoughts'."

She pointed to the edge of the rock platform—where there were several deep scratches, as if they had been repeatedly carved with a sharp tool.

"Look at that," she said. "Someone carved something on it, over and over again, until they carved through the stone. That focus... or rather, that obsession... is there."

Chen Yuan walked to the inside of the rock platform.

The vines here grow extremely densely, with thick, dark green tendrils hanging down like curtains, almost completely obscuring the rock face. But if you look closely, you can see an irregular black hole behind the vines, about two people high and three people wide.

There are indeed words carved on the edge of the cave entrance.

It's not carved, but rather looks like it was burned by some kind of high-temperature material, with traces of melting and solidification on the edges of the characters.

The strokes were twisted like insects and snakes, and I really didn't recognize them. But the pattern next to it—a vertical pupil with three vortexes in the pupil—was astonishingly clear. Even after countless years, the lines were still deep and even had an eerie glow.

Lieyun walked to the cave entrance, lowered his head, and brought his single eye close to the words.

"...I don't understand," it said, "but these things are 'breathing'."

"breathe?"

"Hmm." Lieyun's beak gently touched one of the characters, and a very subtle vibration came from inside the stone wall, like a string being plucked. "These characters are not dead. They... are moving. Very slowly, so slowly that you can hardly feel it, but they are definitely moving."

Chen Yuan also reached out and pressed his hand against the stone wall.

It felt cool and smooth to the touch, unlike stone, more like jade. The power of the silvery starlight seeped in, and the feedback he received made him frown—

The entire rock face was densely covered with these characters. Not only on the surface, but also penetrating three, five, or even deeper into the rock, every inch of the stone was engraved with them. Between the characters were extremely fine spiritual energy lines that connected them, forming a complex array of unimaginable size.

And this formation is still in operation.

Powered by the spiritual vein beneath the fallen star lake and using the entire mountain as its base, it has been operating for at least two thousand years.

"This is not a cave dwelling." Chen Yuan withdrew his hand, his voice low. "This is a seal."

The wings of the cloud suddenly tensed.

"Seal what?"

"I don't know." Chen Yuan looked at the dark entrance, "but a formation of this scale can't be sealing anything ordinary."

He paused:

"Do we want to go in?"

Lieyun remained silent.

Bai Zhi walked to the cave entrance and reached out to push aside the hanging vines. The leaves were wet, slippery, and cold to the touch, like snakeskin. She peered inside—

The cave wasn't completely dark inside.

There was light deep inside. A soft, bluish light emanated from the cave walls, illuminating the entire passage in a hazy glow.

The passageway was sloping downwards, with smooth, man-made walls covered by a translucent, crystal-like layer that refracted blue light, resembling an ice cave or the digestive tract of some giant beast.

In the air, tiny, dust-like specks of light floated, slowly rising and falling like sleeping fireflies.

"So beautiful..." Bai Zhi murmured.

"Beautiful things are often deadly," said Riftcloud, but its single eye was also fixed on the light inside the cave, the flames flickering somewhat rapidly. "But this light...where have I seen it before..."

It was lost in memories, its skeleton trembling slightly.

"Eight hundred years ago... no, even longer. When I was very young, I migrated with my tribe and flew over a mountain range covered in snow all year round. Deep in that mountain range, there was an ice cave, and this kind of light was inside the cave... The elder said that it was the light of 'earth vein dew,' a natural phenomenon that occurs when the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is concentrated to the extreme."

It turned to look at Chen Yuan:

"If it is truly condensed earth vein water, even a single drop of water in it would be worth a high-grade spirit stone."

Chen Yuan stared at the cave entrance for a long time.

The wind swept up from the valley floor, rustling the vines. In the distance, the cry of an eagle pierced the silence with its sharp edge.

"Go in," he finally said, "but remember—we're here to find opportunities, not to break seals. If you encounter anything that resembles the core of the seal, avoid it, don't touch it."

Bai Zhi nodded.

Lieyun spread its wings, then folded them back: "I'll guard the cave entrance. The space inside probably isn't very big; I wouldn't have enough room to turn around even if I went in. Besides... if you can't get out, I can still find a way to rescue you."

Chen Yuan glanced at it but didn't say anything.

He took out several items from his storage bag—a thin probe with an illumination bead embedded in the end; several pieces of yellow paper with simple protective runes drawn on them; and a black pebble the size of an egg with fine silver patterns on its surface.

"What is this?" Bai Zhi pointed at the pebbles.

"The Soul-Startling Stone." Chen Yuan handed her the stone. "Hold it in your hand. If you feel an impact on your consciousness, squeeze it hard—it will emit a sharp vibration that can shake you out of the illusion once. You can only use it once, so use it sparingly."

Bai Zhi carefully took it and held it tightly.

Chen Yuan picked up the probe himself. The illumination bead appeared somewhat dim in the dim light at the cave entrance, but as soon as he entered the cave, it immediately lit up with a steady white light, illuminating the area three zhang ahead clearly.

"Stay close," he said, then bent down and crawled into the hole.

Bai Zhi took a deep breath and followed.

As Lieyun watched their figures being swallowed by the eerie blue light inside the cave, its wings unconsciously fluttered gently against the rock platform.

Its single eye stared at the ancient characters at the cave entrance, and the flames flickered slowly.

Then it raised its head and looked at the sky—the morning light had fully spread out, and the sky was a clean, deep blue, without a cloud.

But it always felt that the sky was too clean.

It's so clean it looks fake.

Like some kind of huge, all-encompassing lid.

It shook its head, dismissing the absurd thought, and lay down again, its single eye fixed on the cave entrance.

Inside the cave, the footsteps grew fainter and fainter, fading into the distance.

Finally, it was completely swallowed up by silence.