The path to the Forbidden Ground was not meant for the living.
Lin Chen limped through the darkness, one hand pressed against his broken ribs, the other trailing along the cold stone wall. Every breath sent fire through his chest. Blood dripped from a cut above his eye, mixing with the sweat on his face.
But the blue arrow in his vision never wavered.
Two kilometers.
He had to make it two kilometers.
Behind him, faint shouts echoed through the night. Zhao Tianlong was organizing a search. They would find him soon. If he was caught before reaching the Forbidden Ground—
He didn't let himself finish the thought.
The terrain grew rougher. The carefully maintained paths of Qingyun Sect gave way to wild undergrowth and jagged rocks. Ancient trees loomed overhead, their branches blotting out the stars. The air grew cold. Heavy.
Wrong, something whispered at the back of his mind. This place is wrong.
Ahead, a weathered stone arch marked the boundary. Beyond it, the forest seemed to breathe—a slow, rhythmic pulse that vibrated through the ground. Runes were carved into the archway, glowing faintly red. Warning formations.
The Forbidden Ground.
Sign-in location reached.
Warning: You are about to enter a restricted zone. Detection probability: 89%. Death rate upon detection: 97%.
Proceed?
Lin Chen almost laughed. After everything that happened tonight, death was supposed to scare him?
He stepped through the arch.
The change was immediate. The temperature plummeted. His breath crystallized in the air. The trees here were different—twisted, skeletal, their bark covered in symbols he couldn't read. No birds sang. No insects buzzed.
Silence. Absolute silence.
Sign-in location: Qingyun Sect Forbidden Ground — Ancient Spirit Grave.
Sign-in available. Proceed?
"Yes," he whispered.
The world went white.
---
Pain.
Not the dull ache of broken bones. Not the sharp sting of cuts and bruises. This was something else. Something that reached into his very soul and pulled.
Lin Chen fell to his knees, his hands clawing at the dirt. His body was on fire. His meridians—the channels through which spiritual energy flowed—were being ripped open and remade. Every nerve screamed.
Reward acquisition in progress…
He tried to scream, but no sound came out. The energy pouring into him was too vast, too ancient. It filled him like water filling a cracked vessel, spilling over, breaking him apart piece by piece.
Reward 1: Divine Root Bone (Mythic Tier)
— Your cultivation talent has been elevated to the highest known rank.
Something shattered inside him. His root bone—the very foundation of his cultivation—cracked, split, and reformed. The defective, broken bone that had trapped him at Qi Condensation Level 1 for three years was gone.
In its place, something pure.
Spiritual energy rushed into him from all directions. The air itself seemed to bend toward his body. For the first time in his life, he could feel the Dao—the underlying truth of the world—like a song playing just beneath his awareness.
Reward 2: Nine Stars Celestial Art (Heaven Rank)
— A cultivation method that aligns the practitioner's meridians with the nine celestial stars. Grants accelerated cultivation speed, enhanced physical attributes, and unique star-based techniques.
A flood of knowledge poured into his mind. Diagrams. Meridian pathways. Breathing techniques. The Nine Stars Celestial Art unfolded before his inner vision like a map of the heavens.
Reward 3: Foundation Establishment Pill (x1)
— A high-grade pill that guarantees breakthrough to Foundation Establishment when combined with proper method.
A warm pill materialized in his palm, glowing faintly with golden light.
Lin Chen sat in the dirt, shaking. Sweat soaked through his robes. Blood still crusted his face. By all appearances, he was still the same broken disciple who had crawled up this mountain.
But inside—
Inside, he was changed.
Cultivation assessment:
Previous: Qi Condensation, Level 1
Current: Qi Condensation, Level 1
Note: Root bone replacement complete. New cultivation method acquired. Actual power level exceeds nominal rank. Host's true combat ability is currently equivalent to Qi Condensation, Level 7.
Seven levels. He had jumped seven levels in a single moment.
And he hadn't even taken the Foundation Establishment Pill yet.
Lin Chen looked at the pill in his hand. His heart hammered against his ribs. Foundation Establishment was the dream of every outer disciple. It was the threshold that separated the weak from the strong. Su Yao had reached it after five years of dedicated training, and the entire sect had celebrated her as a genius.
He could reach it tonight.
Recommended: Complete current cultivation base consolidation before breakthrough. Rushing may reduce long-term potential.
Lin Chen closed his fist around the pill. The system was right. He could feel the energy swirling inside him, wild and untamed. His new root bone was still settling. His meridians were still healing. If he forced a breakthrough now—
No. Patience.
He slipped the pill into his sleeve.
Hidden mission triggered: Survive the Forbidden Ground.
Objective: Escape the Forbidden Ground without being detected by its guardian.
Reward: ???
Failure: Death.
Time remaining until guardian patrol cycle completes: 00:14:32
Lin Chen's blood ran cold.
Guardian?
A sound echoed through the darkness. Deep. Resonant. Like a heartbeat, but too loud, too slow.
Thump.
The ground trembled.
Thump.
Something massive was moving through the trees.
Lin Chen moved.
His body responded differently now. Where before every step was agony, now he flowed through the darkness with a grace he had never known. His new cultivation method was already working, cycling spiritual energy through his reformed meridians, strengthening his muscles, sharpening his senses.
He could see in the dark now. Hear the whisper of leaves from a hundred meters away. Feel the flow of spiritual energy in the air like currents in a river.
Thump. Thump.
The guardian was close. He could hear its breathing—a low, wet rasp that seemed to come from everywhere at once.
Lin Chen ran.
The blue arrow reappeared, pointing back toward the sect. He followed it, weaving between the twisted trees, his feet barely touching the ground. His ribs still ached. His body was still damaged. But compared to what he had endured tonight—
This was nothing.
The stone arch came into view. Ten meters. Five. Three.
Thump.
Something crashed through the trees behind him. A shadow larger than any beast he had ever seen. Hot breath washed over his back, reeking of rot and death.
Lin Chen dove.
He hit the ground rolling, tumbled through the arch, and sprawled onto the grass outside the Forbidden Ground.
Silence.
He lay there, chest heaving, waiting for the end.
But the guardian did not follow. It could not leave the Forbidden Ground.
Hidden mission complete.
Reward: Guardian's Blessing — For the next 72 hours, your cultivation speed is increased by 200%. Additionally, your presence is slightly masked from spiritual detection.
Lin Chen let out a shaky breath.
He had done it.
He had entered the Forbidden Ground. He had received rewards beyond anything he had ever dreamed. He had escaped with his life.
And now—
Now he was strong.
He pushed himself to his feet, looking back down the mountain toward the sect. Lights still burned in the outer disciple quarters. Somewhere down there, Zhao Tianlong was still looking for him. Su Yao was probably already asleep, not giving him a second thought.
They thought he was trash.
They thought he was finished.
Lin Chen touched the Foundation Establishment Pill in his sleeve. A smile spread across his bloodied face.
They had no idea what was coming.
End of Chapter 2
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