TWO YEARS LATER…

  The night was thick with mist and the Azure Cloud Sect had long fallen into silence.

  Lanterns dimmed one by one as disciples retreated into their quarters.

  But in the shadow of the outer sect walls, a lone figure crept through the darkness.

  Li Wei moved carefully, his grey servant robes blending into the stone. He carried no lantern or sword, for swords were heavy, and his body was too frail to brandish one. He only carried a knife and a bundle wrapped around his waist, where the half-burnt scroll was hidden.

  His heart beat quickly, but his steps were steady.

  The valley lay beyond the sect’s rear mountains, a place where disciples were forbidden to tread. The elders had declared it off-limits, for the beasts there were fierce and the terrain treacherous.

  But it was also where Li Wei’s two-year long research hinted the Heavenly Dao Lotus might appear, nourished by the convergence of elemental qi that only gathered in such valleys.

  He could not afford hesitation.

  If the lotus was his only chance, he would risk everything.

  As he slipped past the boundary stones, the air grew colder. The trees here were gnarled, their branches twisting like claws against the pale moonlight. The silence was broken only by the distant cry of beasts.

  Li Wei pushed through thorny underbrush, waded across shallow streams, and climbed jagged rocks until the ground sloped sharply downward. After nearly three hours of wandering, he saw something, a faint glow shimmering in the distance like moonlight reflected on water.

  His breath caught.

  There, in the heart of the valley, grew a single lotus. Its petals shone with soft golden light, each vein threaded with colors of the five elements. It floated above a small pond, untouched by dust, radiating a fragrance that calmed the mind.

  The Heavenly Dao Lotus!

  Yet, it was not exactly as the legends described. The old texts spoke of six petals, but this one had twelve, each one radiant enough to outshine the moonlight. The difference didn’t matter to Li Wei. Whatever its form, this was a miracle beyond doubt. His eyes burned. For three long years he had endured mockery and despair. Now… hope lay before him in the form of a flower.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  But the heavens did not grant treasures so easily.

  A low growl rolled across the valley floor.

  From the shadows leapt a beast, its body sleek and crimson, a single horn jutting from its brow.

  The Scarlet Horned Wolf bared its fangs, saliva dripping from its jaws. Its golden eyes locked on Li Wei with hunger.

  Li Wei’s breath froze.

  Even a low-ranked demonic beast was far beyond him in strength. He had no cultivation, no weapon worthy of the fight. But retreat was impossible—the wolf stood between him and the only path out of mediocrity.

  The beast lunged.

  Li Wei threw himself aside, the wolf’s claws raking the earth where he had stood. He rolled to his feet, snatched up a broken branch, and thrust it forward as the wolf pounced again. The wood snapped in two, but it slowed the beast just enough for Li Wei to dive under its belly and scramble away.

  His mind raced. He could not win in a contest of strength.

  As the wolf turned, snarling, Li Wei grabbed a handful of loose stones from the ground. He flung them at the beast’s face, striking its eye. The wolf howled, momentarily blinded.

  Seizing the chance, Li Wei bolted toward the pond.

  But the wolf was faster. It slammed into him from behind, claws raking his back. Pain exploded through him. He fell hard, coughing blood. The beast loomed above, jaws widening for the killing bite.

  At that moment, instinct screamed at him. He grabbed the knife wrapped by the bundle in his waist and shoved it into the wolf’s throat as it lunged. The beast gagged, blood spraying. With a final desperate push, Li Wei kicked the wolf aside.

  The Scarlet Horned Wolf collapsed, twitching once before falling still.

  Li Wei staggered to his feet, chest heaving. His body ached, his wounds burned, but he was alive.

  Then the ground trembled.

  A shadow fell across him, massive and suffocating.

  From deeper in the valley, a larger beast emerged, its body twice the size of the previous wolf’s, its crimson fur darker, its horn longer and pulsing faintly with qi. Its eyes burned like molten gold.

  The Crimson Horned Direwolf!

  The mother.

  Li Wei’s blood ran cold. If the smaller wolf had nearly killed him, this one would tear him apart in a single breath.

  The direwolf padded forward, its growl shaking the air. Behind it, the Heavenly Dao Lotus glowed serenely, untouchable.

  Li Wei’s mind screamed for him to flee, but his body no longer listened. He had reached his limit; every step sent pain lancing through him. He could not fight, nor could he run.

  In that moment of despair, his eyes fell once more on the lotus.

  If he was to die, then let him die seizing his last chance!

  With a ragged cry, Li Wei staggered past the direwolf’s snapping jaws, throwing himself into the pond. He reached out, tearing the lotus from its stem. Without hesitation, he shoved the glowing flower into his mouth.

  The taste was bitter, then sweet, then burning.

  A firestorm erupted inside his body.

  His veins screamed as if molten metal was pouring through them. His crippled dantian twisted, cracked, then shattered completely.

  The ingested lotus released its essence, flooding him with energy that tore apart and remade everything at once. His broken meridians blazed with light, threads of qi pathways stitching themselves together where they had been destroyed. His dantian reformed, glowing like a newborn sun.

  Li Wei fell to the ground, writhing in agony. His screams echoed through the valley as wave after wave of energy seared him. His flesh split and bled, then healed, muscles strengthening with each cycle. Bones cracked and fused, harder than steel.

  At this crucial moment, the direwolf suddenly lunged at him.