As I continued through the tunnel, I reached what could loosely be called a chamber, though it wasn't what I had exactly imagined it to be.
There was nothing, and there wasn't a way leading upward into the tree's height as I'd imagined.
Instead, the path led downward.
Naturally formed and sloping gently into the depths, the passage grew darker and more constricted with each step. The further I descended, the heavier the air became, dense with spiritual energy. The wooden walls gave way to compacted earth and stone as I descended deeper.
After roughly ten minutes of descent, the passage opened.
"..."
In front of me was not only a chamber, but something more akin to a hidden world.
The space rivaled the scale of the chamber where I had encountered the White Tiger's mural, but size was the least remarkable thing here.
What stunned me was the sight before me.
The entire chamber was a living garden, overflowing with life that defied all logic.
Trees grew sideways, others upside-down, and some even spiraled around each other in patterns that hurt to look at. Flowers floated weightlessly midair, their roots dangling freely as if nourished by nothing but pure Wood Qi. Vines stretched across the space like veins, pulsing with visible life essence, so condensed that they even glowed.
And at the far end of the chamber was a mural.
Unlike the White Tiger's carving etched into the stone, this one had grown from the wall, formed entirely of bark and moss that had somehow woven itself into a picture of the Azure Dragon.
The dragon's massive form coiled across the mural's surface. Even from a distance, the scale it implied was vast.
I took a few steps closer, and my vision suddenly blurred.
A heartbeat later, I was no longer in the chamber.
The world had changed again.
Now I stood in the heart of an endless forest, unlike anything in the Wood region I'd traveled before. The difference between the two was like the difference between heaven and earth.
The trees stretched to pierce the heavens, their trunks wider than entire cities. The canopy above was so thick that no sky was visible, only an endless ceiling of green, glowing with its own light.
And through this divine woodland moved the Azure Dragon.
Colossal and elegant beyond description.
Its movements were not forceful like the White Tiger's, and there was no crushing intent. The Azure Dragon flowed, like a river given form.
Where it slithered across the land, it left trails of flourishing life in its wake. Flowers bloomed, and trees sprawled. Moss blanketed the earth, and new creatures took their first breath.
Even the forest bowed in reverence.
And as I watched, I noticed something.
Its movement wasn't singular, and it shifted between forms of traversal. One moment, it coiled inward and then vanished, reappearing somewhere far away in a blink. Another moment it rode the sky, gliding through air that flowed like a current beneath it. At times, it didn't even move, and the world bent to accommodate it.
It was mesmerizing.
How long I stood there watching, I couldn't say.
Then, the dragon paused.
It turned, slowly, and for the first time its golden eyes, burning with deep wisdom, locked with mine.
There was no hostility. No greeting either. It just looked at me.
Then its mouth opened as if to speak, but no sound came forth.
Moments passed like that, and then the Azure Dragon shook its head slowly.
Not in disapproval.
But in quiet disappointment. As though seeing something that could be but wasn't.
Before I could respond, the forest rippled before it collapsed.
My senses returned, and I found myself standing once more in the underground chamber, staring at the mural of the Azure Dragon.
Breathing heavily, I could still feel the trace of that forest lingering in my mind and the dragon's eyes watching me.
Unlike my encounter with the White Tiger, no enlightenment stirred within me this time. The Azure Dragon had looked at me and shook its head. It said everything.
I let out a small breath.
So I lacked affinity for wood.
"That's right, junior brother~"
A voice came from behind, light and teasing.
Instinct took over as I channeled Qi to my feet and launched backward in a blur.
At the entrance of the chamber, leaning casually against the curved wooden archway, stood a woman.
It was Liang Ruxue.
And for the first time, I saw her face-to-face.
To call her striking would be an understatement. In both of my lives, I had never seen someone quite like her.
Her waist-length hair shimmered with shades of emerald, flowing like a waterfall that shifted hue with the light, from near-black at the roots to a vibrant jade at the tips.
Her eyes matched the green of her hair.
Gone were the standard sect robes. She wore flowing green silk, overlaid with a close-fitting vest that left her arms and legs exposed. On her right arm, a tattoo-like marking moved subtly beneath her skin as if it breathed.
At her waist, a woven sash held several gourds and pouches... and most notably, five Major Wood Shards.
Five?
By the current cycle, she should have at most one. The second would not appear for another two days. That could only mean one thing: Major Shards could be crafted from minor ones. My theory was now confirmed.
My gaze shifted back to her.
The most striking detail of all was the crown on her head, a circlet of wood and vines that twisted into a wreath, adorned at the center with a single glowing white flower. It pulsed softly like a heartbeat.
Every inch of her radiated Wood Qi. And yet I couldn't sense her cultivation at all.
More concerning, I had maintained awareness of my surroundings the entire time. Even when focused on the mural, my Qi had remained alert. I should have noticed her approach, just as I had with Zhao Wuying.
But she had simply appeared.
"You can relax, junior brother," she said with a breezy smile, pushing off the arch and strolling inside. Her footsteps left blooming flowers in her wake. "I'm not here to fight. Well... not yet, anyway."
She glanced past me to the mural of the Azure Dragon, and her expression softened, touched with awe.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" she murmured, stepping closer to the living wall. "The first time I saw it, I cried. Imagine that, me, crying." She laughed lightly. "But it was so much at once. All that life."
She looked over her shoulder, her lips quirking again.
"But you didn't cry, did you? Didn't feel anything. The Azure Dragon looked at you... and found you lacking."
Her words weren't cruel, just matter-of-fact.
"No wood affinity," she continued, turning to face me fully now. "Which is unfortunate, considering where we are. This is my domain, after all. Every tree, every blade of grass in this entire region listens to me."
She took a step closer.
"So I wonder, junior brother... What's a metal cultivator doing in the Azure Dragon's domain? Shouldn't you be off in the West, giving prayers to your White Tiger?"
She had seen through me with no effort. Zhao Wuying hadn't recognized my path until I revealed it, but she knew it from a glance.
Danger behind beauty.
I stood straighter, letting the tension ease from my limbs without truly dropping my guard.
"I'm collecting shards," I said evenly. "The elemental cycle brought me here."
"Mmm, yes, the shards." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "See, junior brother, you're the one everyone's been talking about. The one who arrived at the sect only months ago yet rose from a mortal to the seventh stage of Qi Condensation, and it looks like you are rapidly approaching the eighth stage of Qi Condensation as well."
She began circling me slowly, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, wasn't it? The prodigy alchemist. The one who killed a Foundation Establishment elder."
Her eyes gleamed with amusement.
"So that's why I haven't had the chance to meet you here till now. Wandering around like a lost little lamb, scrounging for scraps while the rest of us fight for the main dish," she laughed again. "How adorably inefficient."
I remained silent.
It was clear she knew more about the sanctum than I did. But the mockery in her words was a smokescreen. Still, I couldn't figure out what her real intention and goal were
"You still don't get it, do you?" she asked, suddenly stopping in front of me. Her voice lowered, barely above a whisper. "You don't know what the shards are truly for. You don't know why we're really here."
She leaned in, her warm breath tickling my ear.
"We're not just collecting shards, junior brother. We're competing for them. The Obsidium Sanctum isn't a training ground, but it's more of a trial. And at the end of this month, whoever has accumulated the most value in shards will benefit the most."
Her smile widened, revealing perfect white teeth."And right now, stumbling around collecting Minor Shards?" She let out a light chuckle. "You're in dead last."
She stepped back, crossing her arms beneath her chest.
"But I like you. You have good instincts. You made it here without any guidance, after all. So I'll make you an offer, junior brother."
The flowers in her hair bloomed brighter, and I felt Wood Qi surge through the chamber.
"Give me all your Shards, however many you have, and I'll let you walk out of here unharmed. I'll even give you some information about how the sanctum really works. Consider it... an investment in a promising junior."
She smiled sweetly.
But the chamber had changed.
Vines crept along the floor, coiling from the walls and ceiling. Slowly, the room closed in.
"Or," she said, voice still light, but laced with something sharp, "you can refuse. And we'll settle it properly."
She raised a hand slightly, and the vines responded like hounds on a leash.
Then she extended her palm toward me, expectant.
"So," she said, her voice calm, patient, utterly certain.
"What will it be?"
I still couldn't discern her true objective. The shards were clearly valuable, but her behavior suggested they weren't her primary goal. There was something else driving this encounter.
Still, my options were severely limited.
I was surrounded by a domain saturated with Wood Qi, wrapped in a living trap of vines, and standing across from someone whose cultivation I couldn't even sense. Even Crimson Surge wouldn't be enough, not unless I activated the final stage, and doing so would carry permanent consequences far too severe to justify in this situation.
With a quiet sigh of resignation, I lowered my hand. First, Zhao Wuying, now this. It seemed getting robbed was becoming a pattern in this sanctum.
"Senior Sister, you leave me no choice," I said, releasing all the shards I'd collected over the past days to float free.
With a casual wave of her hand, the shards streamed through the air toward her, each one attaching itself to her woven sash with a soft click. They arranged themselves in neat rows, glowing faintly.
Her smile widened considerably. "Junior brother, you really are as intelligent as they say."
Then, without any warning, she moved.
A sudden blur, and in less than a heartbeat, she was standing directly in front of me.
I'd been maintaining vigilance the entire time and moved to sidestep, but the vines responded even faster. They erupted from the floor and walls, wrapping around my ankles and wrists, binding me completely in place.
I immediately circulated Qi throughout my body, forming a defensive layer and bracing for an attack.
But no strike came.
Instead, I felt arms wrap around me.
"...?"
My mind went blank for a moment.
The vines held me immobile as she pulled me into a tight embrace, pressing my head against her chest. The scent of spring rain rose, and I could feel the steady pulse of Wood Qi radiating from her core.
Of all the scenarios I had prepared for, this wasn't one of them.
What is even happening right now?
Is this... some form of cultivation technique I'm unfamiliar with? Or is she simply—
"Junior brother, you're so adorable when you're obedient!" She laughed, the sound vibrating through her chest. "I couldn't help myself. And now I feel terrible for taking all your shards, so here—"
Despite still holding me, I felt something shift. The weight of the Metal Shards returned to my possession, each one materializing back as if they'd never left.
This woman's behavior made no logical sense whatsoever.
Only once the shards had fully returned did she step back with a satisfied twirl, her long green hair catching the light as she turned.
"Now then, time to uphold my part of the deal."
She faced me again, expression light but focused.
"But first," she said, tapping a finger to her lips, "why don't you tell me what you already know? Let's not waste time repeating things."
I saw no reason to withhold information at this point. I explained everything I'd discovered over the past few days: the thirty-hour cycles, the four, or rather five, symbols, the elemental transitions following the generative sequence, the light following the reverse destructive cycle, the difference between Minor and Major Shards, the large mountain, and my deduction that the other disciples had likely been briefed beforehand.
She listened with complete attention, her expression shifting from amused to impressed as I continued.
When I finished, her smile grew even wider than before.
"Brilliant," she said softly. "You figured all of that out with zero guidance in only one week. No wonder the sect is keeping such a close watch on you."
Then, to my complete bewilderment, she moved forward and embraced me again.
The vines tightened, preventing any escape attempt.
What is happening right now?
She leaned her head slightly against mine.
"You are even more interesting than I thought."
And that made me even more concerned.
I severely lacked any coherent understanding of the girl standing before me.
Eventually, with what seemed like genuine reluctance, she withdrew from the embrace and took several steps back. The vines finally loosened their grip, allowing me to move freely once more, though I held no misunderstandings about my situation. If she decided to restrain me again, there would be nothing I could do to prevent it.
I was at a clear disadvantage here.
Even if our cultivation levels were the same, this situation would still have been annoying to deal with. But with her being an entire major realm above me, it was futile to try to resist.
As if unconcerned with any of this, Liang Ruxue began humming a soft tune I didn't recognize before finally speaking.
"You've figured out quite a lot, junior brother," she said, with a pleased tilt of her head. "But you're still missing a few critical points. Not that I blame you. You've been flying blind."
She gestured vaguely in the direction of the mountain. "That mountain at the center of the sanctum... that's the key to everything."
I waited silently for her to continue.
"After exactly nine complete elemental cycles, forty-five days to be more exact, pass, the barriers separating the five elemental regions from the central mountain will dissolve simultaneously. Only then can we enter it."
"So, currently, accessing it is impossible?" I asked.
"More than impossible. The barrier will actively reject any attempt to approach. If you were to try to force your way through, it would inflict serious, potentially permanent damage."
She began pacing slowly, her fingers trailing along the nearby vines as she spoke.
"During these forty-five days, every disciple is competing to gather as many shards as possible before the final phase begins."
I didn't ask any questions and just carefully listened to her words.
"Of course, that naturally leads to conflict," she said with a light shrug. "Just because I hold these shards now doesn't mean I'll keep them. Anyone strong or cunning enough could take them from me."
Her eyes met mine with knowing amusement.
"You've already noticed, haven't you? There's no way to truly secure the shards. They can't be stored in spatial pouches. They can't be hidden in the environment, as the elemental shifts would displace them, and their energy signatures would alert any disciples in that region. The only viable method is to carry them on your person at all times."
She tilted her head, studying me.
"Which presents a rather significant problem for you specifically, doesn't it?"
I gave a slight nod. My cultivation was the weakest among all disciples in the sanctum by a considerable margin. That made me an obvious target. However, it also created potential opportunities. If the other disciples dismissed me as insignificant, I could potentially exploit that oversight.
She reached into her woven sash and drew out one of her Major Wood Shards.
"But there's another function the shards serve," she continued, her tone shifting to something more instructive. "Once you possess a Major Elemental Shard, you can consume it to receive a concentrated burst of enlightenment, but only if you have affinity with that element. A Major Wood Shard, for example, would be completely useless to you in this regard."
She let the shard slip back into its pouch.
"The first time you use one, the benefit is substantial. A rush of understanding, and you might even break through a bottleneck. But each subsequent use brings diminishing returns." She paused, letting that sink in. "And once you use a Major Shard for enlightenment, it disappears entirely. Which means you need to make a choice: use it now to strengthen yourself, or save it for whatever awaits at the mountain."
She turned away from me fully now, her expression unreadable.
"Think carefully, junior brother. Every decision in this place carries weight, and no one but you will bear the consequences."
Then, she slowly walked toward the chamber's entrance, the vines parting before her.
Just before crossing the threshold, she paused and glanced over her shoulder one final time.
"Oh—and a word of advice," she added, her voice light but laced with meaning. "Make sure you collect at least one Major Shard for each element, meaning for you, fifty Minor Shards of each type. Trust me... it'll matter when the time comes."
She gave a faint, knowing smile.
"See you soon, Kiyotaka."
Not 'junior brother' this time, but my given name.
And then, just like that, she was gone.
I stood there for several moments, processing everything she'd revealed.
She'd shared a great deal of critical information. But this caused new questions to rise.
What exactly was waiting at the mountain?
What exact role would the shards play once we gained access?
There were no clear answers. At least, not yet.
With a final glance at the Azure Dragon mural, I turned and made my way back through the tunnel.
I was, in a way, back to square one.
Liang Ruxue had returned my Metal Shards, forty-two in total, but the rest, the Water, Wood, Fire, and Earth shards I'd collected, were now gone. Traded, or more accurately, taken in exchange for knowledge. But I couldn't say it wasn't worth the cost.
I couldn't be entirely sure she'd spoken the full truth. But from what I'd seen and what I'd deduced on my own, her words fit together too cleanly to be dismissed as lies.
Thirty-seven days remained...
I needed a strategy.