From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 43 Guidance in the Mist

The morning sunlight streamed through the window, casting a golden glow on my face. I stretched, slipped the warm jade bracelet onto my wrist, pushed open the door, and prepared to head to the immortal's cave.

It is said that this place was once the cultivation site of an enlightened immortal, rich in spiritual energy, where one might find an opportunity to break through their bottleneck. One of the rewards for winning first place in the competition is the chance to enter it alone for a day and seek one's own destiny.

Following the map's directions, I traversed a dense jungle and arrived at a secluded valley. However, the scene before me took me by surprise. The valley entrance, marked on the map, was now shrouded in a thick fog, making it impossible to see anything inside.

"Is this the test of the immortal's cave?" I wondered to myself, taking a deep breath and channeling my spiritual energy into my eyes, trying to see through the mist. However, the mist seemed to possess a special power; my vision couldn't penetrate it at all, and instead, I felt a stinging pain in my eyes.

I was unwilling to give up, so I tried to use the Wind Control Technique to dispel the fog, but the spell hit the fog and it was like a mud ox sinking into the sea, without making a ripple.

"This mist is very strange!" a loud voice came from behind me. I turned around and saw Wu the Hero, a chivalrous swordsman of the martial world, known for his generosity and righteousness, and also quite accomplished on the path of cultivation. Along with me, Fairy Meng, Chief Zhou, and Doctor Zheng also qualified to enter the Immortal's Cave.

"Brother Wu, have you found anything?" I asked.

Master Wu shook his head, staring solemnly at the mist before him. "This mist is extraordinary; even my all-seeing eyes can't see through it."

My heart sank. Even Wu Daxia's clairvoyance couldn't see through it. It seems this fog is indeed not simple.

"Why don't we join forces and give it a try?" Fairy Meng suggested, holding a white jade longsword in her hand, the blade emitting a faint cold light, clearly ready for battle.

"Wait," Master Wu said, stopping the crowd with a furrowed brow, "This matter is too suspicious..."

"Wait," Wu Daxia reached out to stop the eager Meng Xianzi, his brows furrowed, "This matter is too strange..."

He looked around, his tone grave. "This fog came suddenly and covered the entire valley entrance so precisely; it couldn't have formed naturally. I've traveled the martial world for many years and have seen many similar formations, specifically designed to trap prey that have strayed into them."

Wu Daxia's words sent a chill down my spine. I recalled the stinging pain I felt in my eyes when I tried to probe with my spiritual power. Could this mist be offensive?

“Brother Wu is right,” Doctor Zheng, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up. “This mist seems to contain a peculiar energy fluctuation. Prolonged exposure may damage one’s spiritual senses.”

Fairy Meng narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly, and with a gentle wave of her white jade sword, sword energy sliced ​​through the air, creating ripples at the edge of the mist. "I sense that this mist is not without pattern; it seems to be an illusion produced by some kind of formation. As long as we find the pattern, we can break it."

“Fairy Meng is right,” I suddenly remembered seeing similar records in ancient books, “Some formations cannot be broken by brute force; you need to find the core of the formation in order to dismantle it.”

"But where exactly is the core of this formation?" Doctor Zheng looked around, his bewildered tone tinged with worry.

Fairy Meng remained silent, closing her eyes and slowly releasing her divine sense to carefully sense the energy fluctuations within the mist. Her jade-like face appeared even more serene in the sunlight, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, like a nimble cat hunting its prey.

Time ticked by, and the surroundings were so quiet you could hear a pin drop, with only the occasional bird call echoing through the valley. We all held our breath, not daring to disturb Fairy Meng's investigation, for fear of missing any clue.

"I've got it!" Fairy Meng suddenly opened her eyes, a glint of light flashing in them. "I've found some patterns, but this fog is unpredictable, and I need some time to deduce a way to break it."

However, at this moment, Chief Zhou, who had been silent all along, suddenly let out an impatient snort, "Hmph, it's just a mere fog, why bother with all this trouble!"

Before he finished speaking, his spiritual power surged, and a huge golden-backed cleaver in his hand whistled through the air as it slashed fiercely at the mist before him...

"Chief Zhou, no!" Wu the Hero exclaimed, trying to stop him, but it was too late.

The golden-backed cleaver, carrying a sharp blade aura, slashed fiercely at the seemingly ethereal mist. A dazzling golden light flashed, and the mist, as if torn apart by a gale, revealed a huge gash. Chief Zhou laughed triumphantly, about to step into the opening, when suddenly several beams of cold light shot out from it!

"Watch out!" I cried out in alarm. The cold light was incredibly fast, whistling through the air, heading straight for Chief Zhou's face. Chief Zhou clearly hadn't expected any hidden danger in the mist, and could only hastily raise his sword to defend himself.

"Clang, clang, clang!" A series of metallic clanging sounds rang out, forcing Chief Zhou to retreat repeatedly, his face extremely pale. Upon closer inspection, I realized that the gleaming light was actually from countless thin silver needles, each shimmering with a chilling light, clearly coated with deadly poison!

"What a treacherous trap!" Wu Daxia's expression changed as well. He drew his longsword, and the sword energy crisscrossed, slicing down several silver needles that had slipped through the net.

Chief Zhou was still in shock, cold sweat pouring down his back. He cursed with lingering fear, "What kind of damned formation is this? How could it be so vicious!"

Ignoring his complaints, Doctor Zheng quickly walked to the spot where the silver needles had fallen, examined them carefully, and his expression became even more grave. "The poison on these silver needles is extremely rare. I need some time to prepare the antidote." With that, he took out a small medicine furnace and some bottles and jars from his robes and began to work.

Fairy Meng remained focused with her eyes closed, seemingly undisturbed by anything around her. I was extremely anxious, but knew I couldn't afford to lose my composure. I walked over to Hero Wu and whispered, "Brother Wu, have you figured out the intricacies of this formation?"

Master Wu shook his head, his brows furrowed. "This formation is strange and unpredictable. I have never seen a similar record. However..." He paused, a hint of doubt in his voice, "I feel that there is a familiar aura in this mist, but I can't quite put my finger on it."

A familiar scent? A thought flashed through my mind... Could it be...?

Just then, a frail and aged voice suddenly echoed in my mind: "Child...feel with your heart...the mist is not an obstacle...but a guide..."

It's Immortal Chen! I suddenly looked up, gazing into the depths of the mist. Could it be...?

The voice of Immortal Chen? Could this mist really be a guide? I suppressed my excitement and tried to calm myself down. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and, following the method Immortal Chen had taught me, probed a wisp of my mind into the surrounding mist.

At first, I only felt a chill and emptiness, as if I were in an endless abyss. Just when I was about to give up, Immortal Chen's voice rang in my mind again: "Calm your mind and focus your spirit, feel the flow of spiritual energy..."

I steadied myself, banishing all distracting thoughts, and tried to perceive every subtle change in my surroundings. Gradually, I felt as if I were touching an invisible barrier, sometimes icy cold, sometimes carrying a faint warmth.

Could this be the guidance that Immortal Chen spoke of? A thought struck me, and I tried to touch the barrier with my spiritual power. However, my spiritual power was like a mud ox entering the sea, failing to stir up any ripples.

"Don't force it, just feel it with your heart..." Chen Xianren's voice rang out again, carrying a hint of comfort and encouragement.

I took a deep breath, forced myself to calm down, and stopped insisting on breaking through with brute force. Instead, I tried to feel the changes in that barrier with my heart.

Time passed second by second, and just when I was about to lose patience, I suddenly felt an extremely faint fluctuation of spiritual energy, which flashed by like the faint light of a firefly.

I suddenly opened my eyes and looked in the direction from which the spiritual energy fluctuation came. There, the mist seemed to be thinner than in other places...

"Let's go!" I strode off without hesitation and headed in that direction.