Chapter 9: The Hidden Pavilion
The ascent to the North Cliff was peaceful, broken only by the steady crunch of gravel beneath Mo Yuan's boots. Upon reaching the entrance to his humble cave, he did not sit to meditate right away.
He stood at the cliff's edge, staring out at the endless sea of clouds. In his hand, the black iron token felt as cold as night.
He thought of the Hidden Pavilion and the techniques he would soon choose. For a moment, he considered beginning his practice, but he shook his head.
The light of the Mirror flickered faintly in his mind, a sign that his spirit was tired from the day's conflicts and the strain of the assessment.
'A sword constantly sharpened will eventually break,' he whispered to himself.
With that thought, he entered his cave, lay upon his simple straw mat, and surrendered to a deep, dreamless sleep.
There was no circulation of Qi, no internal focus only the soothing stillness of a mind at peace.
The next morning, the sun rose sharp and clear, cutting through the mountain mist. Mo Yuan stood in the center of the cliffside, his breath forming small clouds of white mist.
Before making his way to the Pavilion, he began his morning practice of the Origin Refinement Scripture.
This technique was the foundation of his being. While other disciples chased after rare, elemental scriptures like the Blazing Sun Method or the Frost Moon Chant, Mo Yuan remained devoted to the simplest and most common text in the Mortal Ascension World.
The Origin Refinement Scripture was practiced by most righteous factions across the world.
It was said to have been created eons ago by an ancestor who had long since ascended to the Immortal World. Its true beauty lay in its simplicity.
It was the most stable foundational technique designed not for speed, but for harmony with the world's laws.
It was a path that could, in theory, carry one from the first breath of Qi all the way to the peak of the Immortal Ascension Realm.
However, the Origin Refinement Scripture was not a single, complete text. It was broken down into many parts, each corresponding to different stages of cultivation.
The part Mo Yuan was practicing only covered up to the Golden Core Realm.
He prayed that the other sections of the scripture, those that could guide him beyond the Golden Core, were stored within the sect's library.
If not, he would be forced to search for them, or worse, switch to another technique entirely.
That would be a great waste of time, as it would mean starting over, re-cultivating his Qi to match a new path.
Mo Yuan knew the path ahead was long.
Qi Refinement. Foundation Establishment. Core Formation. Golden Core.
Each realm was a mountain of its own and he had only just taken the first step.
Beyond that lay realms he could barely comprehend Nascent Soul and above where even reaching a False Immortal was no guarantee.
He let out a quiet sigh, feeling the immense distance he still had to travel.
Although the road ahead was long, Mo Yuan reminded himself that this was the way of cultivation.
As countless sages and top cultivators often said, the path of a cultivator was a lonely one filled with trials, perseverance, and the quiet endurance of time.
Only by walking it step by step could one hope to reach the heights of immortality.
After finishing his morning cycle, he descended toward the Hidden Pavilion.
The tower rose five stories high, standing alone among the misty peaks.
Mo Yuan entered and climbed to the first floor. Dust floated in the sunlight as he stood before the shelves. He had two choices and refused to rush.
First, he considered movement techniques.
The Wind-Rider Steps allowed long, graceful glides but were useless for the explosive combat he expected.
And the Mirage Flicker could create multiple illusions of himself, a clever trick, but it required a level of spiritual control he hadn't yet mastered.
"My Qi is heavy and dense," he mused. "trying to move like the wind goes against my foundation. I need a technique that can turn my weight into momentum."
His eyes landed on Void-Compression Step. As Mo Yuan studied the Void-Compression Step, a frown formed on his face.
The manual was incomplete only the first and second parts were present and the final most powerful step was missing.
Even so, it explained how to use dense Qi to momentarily "fold" the space before one's foot.
To an observer, it would look like a normal step but in an instant, the user could traverse several yards.
For most cultivators, the energy cost would be too high. For Mo Yuan, even this partial version was enough.
After a long moment of thought, Mo Yuan finally made his decision. Despite the technique being incomplete, he chose the Void-Compression Step as it suited him currently.
Next, he turned to his offensive section.
He examined the Seven-Peak Crushing Palm, a technique that released broad waves of Qi to overwhelm a wide area.
He then looked at the Gale-Force Finger, a fast, piercing attack built on speed and precision.
'Wide attacks spread power too thin,' Mo Yuan thought, shaking his head. "And piercing techniques are for those who lack the strength to break defenses head-on. What I need is a strike that can decide victory in a single breath."
He passed over dozens of scrolls before one stirred the Mirror deep within him: Absolute Void Strike.
Within the sect, this technique was labeled a "failed" manual. It demanded that the user gather all the Qi in their body and compress it into a single, razor-thin line along the edge of the palm or a blade.
Most disciples possessed Qi that was scattered and mist-like. No matter how they tried, the power would disperse before the strike could form.
But Mo Yuan was different. His Qi was already perfectly dense.
To him, this was not an impossible demand, but a natural use of his foundation.
Once unleashed, the strike would not merely wound the body, it would cut through the opponent's internal Qi itself, severing their energy at the source.
As Mo Yuan finished reading, his eyes grew calm and steady. 'This is it', he thought. 'This technique was made for me.'
The Absolute Void Strike matched his foundation perfectly. Where others failed, he would succeed. With a single, decisive blow, he could end a fight before it truly began.
After deciding, Mo Yuan clutched the two jade slips, Void-Compression Step and The Absolute Void Strike.
He walked toward the exit, his shadow stretching across the floorboards.