From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 2 Exploring the Hidden Valley

In the secluded valley, birdsong and fragrant flowers filled the air, a place shrouded in tranquility and seclusion. I walked along the rugged mountain path, my heart filled with anticipation for the unknown.

"Hey lady, wait for me!"

A clear voice came from behind me. I turned around and saw a girl in a pale yellow dress running towards me. The girl was about fourteen or fifteen years old, with a pair of bright, sparkling eyes and two shallow dimples when she smiled, making her very cute.

"Are you calling me?" I asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Yes," the girl ran up to me, panting, "I saw that you were also going to the place of spiritual root awakening, so I was wondering if we could travel together. My name is Zhao Ling'er, what's yours, sister?"

Then I remembered that this valley was the only way to the place where the spiritual roots of the cultivation sect "Tai Xu Sect" were awakened. It seemed that this girl was also going to try her luck. Since I had just arrived here, it would be good to have a companion. So I replied, "My name is Xiao Yao. I was just feeling bored by myself. In that case, let's go together."

And so, Zhao Ling'er and I traveled together. Along the way, we chatted and laughed, sharing our experiences and aspirations for the future. Ling'er was lively and cheerful, and we quickly became acquainted. She told me that she had dreamed of becoming a powerful cultivator since she was a child, and that she had secretly slipped away when she heard that the Taixu Sect was recruiting disciples.

"I've heard that the place where spiritual roots awaken in the Taixu Sect is extremely mysterious, and only those with the right destiny can find it!" Ling'er said, blinking her big eyes.

Looking at her innocent face, I couldn't help but pat her head and say, "Ling'er, the path of cultivation is full of dangers and is not child's play. You are still young, so you should go back."

"I'm not afraid!" Ling'er said firmly. "I've made up my mind, I must become a cultivator!"

Seeing how determined she was, I couldn't persuade her any further, and could only silently pray that she would get what she wanted.

As we walked, we came to the front of a deep canyon. The cliffs on both sides soared into the clouds, and the valley floor was shrouded in mist, making it difficult to see clearly.

"Sister, look!" Ling'er exclaimed, pointing to a cliff deep in the canyon. "There looks like a cave there!"

I looked in the direction Ling'er pointed and sure enough, I saw a hidden cave entrance on the mountain wall. The entrance was shrouded in a light blue curtain of light, making it appear and disappear.

"Could that be..." A thought flashed through my mind. Could this be the entrance to the place where spiritual roots awaken?

Ling'er and I exchanged a glance, both seeing a glimmer of hope in each other's eyes. We cautiously approached the cave, a powerful surge of spiritual energy emanating from the entrance, sending chills down our spines.

"This light screen seems to be a kind of barrier..." I reached out and touched the light screen, and a tingling sensation came from my fingertips.

Ling'er also tried touching it and exclaimed in surprise, "Such powerful spiritual energy! It seems this place is indeed extraordinary!"

As I gazed at the mysterious cave before me, a sudden unease welled up within me. An inexplicable premonition told me that this cave was not as simple as it appeared on the surface…

"Let's be careful and go in to take a look," I said to Ling'er in a low voice, my tone serious.

Ling'er and I carefully passed through the light barrier. A powerful surge of spiritual energy instantly enveloped us, and I felt dizzy and almost lost my balance. When I came to my senses, I found ourselves in a spacious cave.

The cave was dimly lit, with only faintly glowing luminous pearls embedded in the walls, barely illuminating the surroundings. There seemed to be a path leading deeper into the cave, but it was obscured by a thin layer of white mist.

"Sister, it's so eerie here..." Ling'er's voice trembled slightly, clearly frightened by the strange atmosphere.

I gripped the dagger in my hand and whispered, "Be careful, this place is probably full of traps and mechanisms."

No sooner had I finished speaking than a "crack" sound came from beneath our feet, followed by a violent tremor as the stone slab beneath our feet began to collapse rapidly. I reacted quickly, grabbing Ling'er and leaping onto a relatively stable stone platform nearby.

"Ah—" Ling'er exclaimed, her face turning pale.

I looked down and saw that the place where we had just been standing had turned into a bottomless abyss. A chilling wind blew from the abyss, sending shivers down my spine.

"That was close!" I patted my chest, still shaken. If I hadn't reacted quickly, we probably would be in the abyss by now.

"Sister, what do we do now?" Ling'er gripped my arm tightly, her eyes filled with fear.

I looked around and found that the cave was more complicated than we had imagined, full of traps and mechanisms, and a slight mistake could lead to certain doom.

"It seems we must find a way to break these mechanisms." I pondered for a moment, my gaze falling on a mural on the cave wall.

The murals depict ancient runes and patterns that seem to conceal some kind of secret.

“These runes…” I carefully examined the contents of the mural, and a sudden flash of inspiration struck me, “Could these runes be the key to solving the mechanism?”

I tried to infuse my spiritual energy into the runes on the mural, but the mural did not react at all, as if it were just an ordinary mural.

"What's going on? Could my guess be wrong?" I frowned, filled with doubt.

Just then, a familiar voice came from behind: "You two little girls, what are you doing in such a dangerous place?"

I turned around and saw an old man in a blue robe with a white beard and white eyebrows standing at the entrance of the cave, looking at us with a worried expression.

"Pharmacist Sun!" Ling'er and I exclaimed in unison.

Pharmacist Sun is a famous pharmacist in a nearby village. He is proficient in medicine and formations. Ling'er and I had seen him a few times in the village before.

"Pharmacist Sun, what are you doing here?" I asked in surprise.

“I heard that a mysterious cave appeared near the place where the spiritual roots of the Taixu Sect awakened, so I thought I would come and find out. I didn’t expect to meet you here,” Pharmacist Sun explained. “This cave is very dangerous. You two little girls should come out with me quickly.”

“But…” I wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by Pharmacist Sun.

"There are no 'buts'. This is not a place for you," Pharmacist Sun said sternly. "Come with me!"

Seeing that Pharmacist Sun was determined, I knew that no matter how much I insisted, it would be useless, so I had no choice but to leave the dangerous cave with him.

With the help of Pharmacist Sun, we finally found a way to break the barrier and re-enter the cave. This time, we avoided all the traps and mechanisms and successfully reached the depths of the cave.

Deep inside the cave was a stone chamber, in the center of which stood a huge stone wall covered with dense ancient runes.

“These runes…” I recognized them at a glance; they were exactly the same as the runes on the murals I had seen outside the cave!

Pharmacist Sun walked to the stone wall, carefully examining the runes on it, his brows furrowed, remaining silent for a long time...

Pharmacist Sun remained silent for a long time, his brows furrowed, as if the carvings on the stone wall were not runes, but some unsolvable riddle. Unable to contain my curiosity, I cautiously asked, "Pharmacist Sun, are these runes... related to the awakening of spiritual roots?"

Pharmacist Sun sighed, turned to look at me, and seemed to have a hint of appreciation in his cloudy eyes: "Yao girl, you are indeed smart. That's right, these runes are indeed related to the awakening of spiritual roots, but these runes are ancient and obscure, and I only recognize a few of them."

My heart skipped a beat. Could it be that there was still hope for my spiritual root to awaken? "Then... how can I decipher these runes?"

Pharmacist Sun stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and said, "To decipher these runes, we need a special medicinal catalyst to stimulate the spiritual power within them, so that we can glimpse their secrets."

"What kind of medicinal ingredient?" I asked eagerly. I would do anything to awaken my spiritual root.

"This medicine is called 'Seven-Star Grass.' It requires the collection of seven kinds of spiritual herbs that grow in different extreme environments to be refined," said Pharmacist Sun, pulling out a yellowed ancient book from his robes. He opened it to a page, pointed to the illustrations, and said, "These Seven-Star Grasses grow in..."

Following Pharmacist Sun's finger, I saw that the ancient book depicted seven different kinds of spiritual herbs, with their growing environments marked next to them: cliffs, volcanic lava, dark seabed... all of which were dangerous places.

My heart sank. These places were simply beyond the reach of Ling'er and me with our current abilities.

As if reading my mind, Pharmacist Sun put down the ancient book in his hand and said earnestly, "Yao girl, I know these places are dangerous for you, but..."

Before Pharmacist Sun could finish speaking, I resolutely said, "Pharmacist Sun, you don't need to say anything more. My mind is made up. No matter how dangerous it is, I will collect all the Seven Star Grass!"

Ling'er held my hand tightly and said firmly, "Sister, I'll go with you!"

Pharmacist Sun looked at us and nodded with satisfaction. He didn't try to dissuade us anymore, but handed me the ancient book: "Since that's the case, then I will give this book to you two. It records the detailed characteristics and collection methods of the Seven Star Grass. Be careful in everything you do."

I solemnly accepted the ancient book and bowed deeply to Pharmacist Sun: "Thank you, Pharmacist Sun!"

The next morning, Ling'er and I packed our bags, said goodbye to Pharmacist Sun, and embarked on our journey to find the Seven Star Grass.

“Sister, look, it seems to be the ‘Burning Heaven Valley’ mentioned in the ancient books just ahead…” Ling’er pointed to a valley shrouded in thick smoke, her voice tinged with fear.

I took a deep breath, gripped the dagger tightly, and my eyes gleamed with determination: "Let's go, for our future, let's fight!" With that, I grabbed Ling'er and plunged into the billowing smoke of Burning Heaven Valley, leaving behind only a long sigh from Pharmacist Sun...

Thick smoke billowed, choking me so much I could barely open my eyes. As soon as I stepped into Burning Heaven Valley, a scorching heat wave hit me, the ground beneath my feet was charred black, and the air was thick with the acrid smell of sulfur.

"Sister, be careful!" Ling'er grabbed my hand and warned me anxiously.

I nodded, slowed my pace, and cautiously observed my surroundings. Ancient texts record that a monster called the "Fire Scale Lizard" lives in Burning Heaven Valley. It feeds on flames, is violent and extremely dangerous.

We proceeded cautiously, and finally, on a cliff where lava flowed, we found the first spiritual herb described in the ancient texts—the Crimson Flame Grass. The Crimson Flame Grass was entirely crimson, and reflected in the lava, it resembled a burning flame, alluring and beautiful.

"Sister, look!" Ling'er pointed at the Crimson Flame Grass and shouted excitedly.

However, my heart sank suddenly. Around the Crimson Flame Grass, a huge Firescale Lizard was coiled up. Its body was covered with crimson scales, and its copper bell-like eyes gleamed with a fierce light as it watched us warily.

"Roar--"

The fire-scaled lizard roared, opened its blood-red maw, and spewed out a ball of scorching flames, attacking us.

"Ling'er, get out of the way!" I pushed Ling'er away, but I didn't have time to dodge myself. My arm was grazed by the flames, and I felt a burning pain.

"Sister!" Ling'er exclaimed and quickly helped me up.

"I'm fine." I forced myself to endure the pain and took out a talisman from my pocket. It was a protective item that Pharmacist Sun had given us.

I quickly chanted the incantation, activating the talisman. A golden light flashed, transforming into a light shield that blocked our path. The fire lizard's flames sizzled against the light shield, but they couldn't break through its defenses.

Seeing that its attack was ineffective, the fire-scaled lizard became even more enraged. It pushed off with all four limbs, and its massive body charged towards us like an arrow released from a bow.

I dared not be careless, so I activated another talisman, which transformed into a bolt of lightning and struck the Firescale Lizard.

"boom--"

The lightning struck the fire-scaled lizard, creating a deafening explosion. The fire-scaled lizard let out a miserable cry as its massive body was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground. After struggling for a few moments, it fell silent.

Seeing this, I breathed a sigh of relief and quickly ran to the Crimson Flame Grass, carefully picked it, and put it into the jade box I had prepared beforehand.

"Sister, are you alright?" Ling'er asked worriedly.

"I'm fine." I shook my head, looking at the Crimson Flame Grass in my hand, my heart filled with joy. This was not only our hope, but also proof that we had overcome the danger.

And so, we forged ahead through thorns and brambles, overcame numerous difficulties, and finally gathered all the Seven Star Grass, returning to Pharmacist Sun's residence.

Pharmacist Sun took the Seven Star Grass, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes. He immediately began refining it, and after seven days and seven nights, the flames in the furnace gradually died down.

"It's done!" Pharmacist Sun looked at the crystal-clear pill in his hand and a relieved smile appeared on his face.

He dissolved the elixir in water, then led us to the stone wall covered with runes, and evenly applied the elixir to the runes.

Instantly, the runes on the stone wall seemed to come alive, emitting a dazzling light, and a powerful spiritual energy wave emanated from the stone wall, filling the entire cave.

Pharmacist Sun stared solemnly at the stone wall, his lips moving slightly as if he were silently chanting some incantation.

A moment later, the light faded, and the stone wall returned to its calm state. Only one line of ancient text stood out clearly in the dim cave:

"To seek immortality, one must first undergo trials of life and death..."

Pharmacist Sun turned around, staring intently at me, and said, word by word, "Yao girl, are you willing to accept this test of life and death?"