CHAPTER 131 — First Day in the Astral Forge Sect
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1. Standing Under a Mountain
The crushing gravity of the Astral Forge Sect continued to weigh down on Lin like a cosmic anvil.
He stood on the training platform—barely—and sweat streamed down his body in thick rivulets. His muscles trembled. His spine groaned. Every breath felt like inhaling molten metal.
And yet…
He was still standing.
Around him, dozens of other Outer Court disciples watched with varying degrees of surprise, amusement, or indifference.
The elder overseeing the courtyard—Elder Rowan—crossed his arms and nodded faintly.
"Good. Most void-crossers collapse for an hour before they even attempt to rise. You're… tolerable."
Lin felt that was the greatest compliment the man had given anyone all morning.
Elder Rowan flicked his finger, and the training platform hummed.
"Now walk."
Lin's expression froze.
"…Walk?"
Rowan smirked.
"You survived the lower realm. Perhaps you fought armies, demons, or the abyss.
Here? You will learn to walk."
The pressure intensified.
Lin gritted his teeth.
He lifted one foot.
It weighed as heavy as a boulder.
But he lifted it.
And placed it forward.
A single step.
Only ninety-nine thousand more to go.
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2. Meeting Fellow Disciples
As Lin struggled through his slow-motion walk, a young woman approached him with a faint grin.
She wore the sect's outer disciple uniform but had two long braids and sharp golden eyes, like a predatory bird studying prey.
"You're the new void-survivor, huh? The one Elder Rowan dragged in."
Lin managed a stiff nod.
"Yes… I'm Lin."
"I'm Jiya," she said. "Metal affinity. Third-stage Astral Meridian Realm."
Lin blinked.
That realm wasn't even on the list in his lower world.
Jiya chuckled at his expression.
"Don't worry. Your cultivation terms don't mean much here. Everything resets at the bottom."
Another disciple joined them—a tall young man with a muscular physique and a thin scar running across his forehead.
"Kade," he introduced himself. "Gravity body cultivator. First month here."
Lin nodded again.
Jiya smirked and leaned close.
"Don't be discouraged. Kade couldn't stand for three days when he first arrived."
Kade's eye twitched.
"I told you that in confidence."
"You have no confidence," she shot back.
Lin couldn't help a faint smile.
Even here—on a higher plane where divines walked among giants—people still argued like normal cultivators.
It made this impossible place feel a little more human.
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3. Why the Astral Forge Sect Accepts Lower Realm Survivors
As the group continued their slow training walk around the platform, Lin finally managed enough breath to ask:
"Why does the sect… accept void survivors at all? I would think… we're too weak."
The one who answered wasn't Jiya or Kade.
It was Elder Rowan, who had been eavesdropping with the unmistakable glint of boredom relief.
"Lower realm cultivators are weak," Rowan said bluntly. "But they have one thing our disciples lack."
Lin frowned.
"…Which is?"
"Desperation."
Rowan gestured at the training courtyard.
"Children born in the Titan Realm live their whole lives knowing they are blessed with superior talent, resources, and laws.
But void survivors? You clawed your way here through catastrophe. You fight for every breath."
His eyes sharpened.
"That makes you… interesting."
Jiya muttered, "He means entertaining."
Rowan didn't deny it.
"If you survive here, you become disciples without equal. If you die, well…" he shrugged, "the sect spent nothing."
Lin understood.
In this world, life was cheap—unless one proved otherwise.
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4. The Struggle of the Saint and Dragon Bai
Inside Lin's inner earth, Shengyuan's voice reverberated faintly.
> "Lin… even my reconstructed Saint Foundation is trembling. This world is… magnificent and terrifying."
Aurora appeared beside him, flickering with strain.
> "Master, I calculate that full adaptation to this realm will require progressive strengthening of your internal laws. Even Dragon Bai is affected."
The dragon hatchling lay curled in his stone-like egg-nest, tiny wings twitching.
> "Heavy… heavy… why is flying… so hard…?"
Lin exhaled through gritted teeth.
"We'll adapt together. Just endure."
He silently resolved that his companions would not fall behind him in this world.
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5. The First Lesson: How to Breathe Properly
Elder Rowan clapped once.
"Enough walking. Sit."
Lin nearly collapsed gratefully.
Rowan sat with the posture of a stone statue and tapped his chest.
"Gravity cultivation begins with breath.
You must circulate qi through your meridians in a compressed spiral."
Lin blinked.
"A… spiral?"
"Not a simple spiral. The Astral Spiral. The pattern mirrors the formation of cosmic vortices—you will circulate qi in a triple-helix rotation."
Lin stiffened.
"That's… complex."
Rowan smirked.
"And necessary. If you don't adjust your qi flow to match the laws of this realm, your own spiritual power will crush you."
Lin swallowed.
The lower realm truly was a sandbox compared to this.
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6. Lin's First Attempt — Failure
Rowan gestured.
"Begin."
Lin closed his eyes and circulated his spiritual power in a double spiral.
The gravity instantly doubled.
His face slammed into the ground.
The courtyard erupted in laughter.
Jiya called out, "Wrong pattern! Spiral tighter!"
Kade added, "Don't worry, I face-planted for an entire week."
Rowan sighed.
"Lower realm cultivators. No patience."
Lin picked himself up slowly.
Breathing heavily.
And tried again.
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7. His Second Attempt — Progress
This time…
He felt something.
A subtle shift.
A resonance between his qi and the ambient gravity.
His meridians tightened.
His core pulsed.
The pressure lessened by a fraction.
Rowan's eyebrows lifted.
"Oh? You've learned faster than I expected.
You are not talentless after all."
Jiya whispered, "That's Rowan-speak for 'brilliant.'"
Kade whispered back, "He said the same thing to me when I stopped hyperventilating."
Lin managed a faint smile despite himself.
He circulated the triple-helix spiral again.
This time… he breathed normally.
Not easily.
Not comfortably.
But normally.
Rowan nodded.
"That will do for now."
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8. Learning the Sect's Culture and Rules
Rowan finally stepped back and recited with practiced boredom:
"New disciple orientation:
Rule One:
Strength determines status.
If you lose, obey the winner.
Rule Two:
Do not fly above the Middle Terraces unless permitted.
You'll fall to your death.
Rule Three:
Forgemasters outrank combat disciples within sect grounds.
If a Forgemaster says jump, you jump under astral pressure.
Rule Four:
Do not harm a Titan.
Even a Titan child could crush you."
He glanced pointedly at Lin.
"Especially you."
Jiya muttered, "He picks favorites."
Kade elbowed her. "He picks victims."
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9. Lin Receives His First Assignment
Rowan handed Lin a jade slip.
"You begin with Gravity Tempering: First Stage.
Complete the cycle five thousand times."
Lin blinked.
"…Five thousand?"
"That's the warm-up. Outer Court disciples complete ten thousand per day."
Lin inhaled through his nose.
This realm wasn't just stronger—
it was relentless.
But there was a fire in his chest.
A challenge he hadn't felt in a thousand struggles before.
For the first time in a long while…
He wasn't the strongest person in the room.
He wasn't even in the top hundred.
And he loved it.
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10. Jiya's Warning
As training ended, Jiya approached him again, voice softer.
"Lin… a small warning.
Void survivors either become monsters…"
She tapped her chest.
"Or corpses."
He met her eyes evenly.
"I'll choose monster."
She grinned.
"Good. Then keep up."
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