Chapter 8: The First Advance
Han Feng returned to Misty River Village shortly before dawn.
The eastern sky was beginning to pale, but the village was still wrapped in darkness.
He moved quietly through the empty streets.
His clothes were damp with dew, his breathing slightly heavier than usual, and several shallow scratches crossed his arms from his journey through the Misty Forest.
He ignored them.
His attention was fixed on the small bundle in his hand.
The leaves of the Spiritual Vine of the Crescent Wind.
Even after being separated from its roots, the leaves still carried a faint spiritual aura.
Han Feng glanced at them.
A small smile appeared on his face.
The trip had been dangerous.
But it had been worth it.
Now he only needed to discover whether his guess was correct.
He returned to his cabin and carefully locked the door.
Only then did he allow himself to relax.
Han Feng sat against the wall and closed his eyes.
His body was exhausted.
He had spent most of the night moving through the forest, avoiding Gu insects and searching for spiritual plants. At one point, he had nearly been discovered by a Blood Fang Wolf.
The memory made him frown.
He had been lucky.
Too lucky.
Han Feng didn't like relying on luck.
Next time, he would need a better method of detecting danger.
But that could wait.
For now, he had something more important to deal with.
He placed the leaves on the wooden table.
The Spiritual Vine of the Crescent Wind was not particularly valuable.
At least, not according to the village's records.
Its spiritual energy was too scattered to be considered a high-grade cultivation resource.
Most Gu Masters used it as a supplementary ingredient for low-level medicines.
But Han Feng had noticed something different.
The plant's spiritual energy possessed two distinct characteristics.
One was gentle and orderly.
The other was unstable and constantly changing.
A perfect match for the Dual Chaos Larva.
Han Feng stared at the leaves.
"Let's see if my guess was right."
He took out a small iron cauldron.
He filled it with clean water and placed it over a weak flame.
Once the water began to heat, he carefully crushed the leaves and placed them inside.
A fresh scent spread through the cabin.
The spiritual aura in the water slowly became stronger.
Han Feng didn't drink it immediately.
Instead, he closed his eyes.
His consciousness entered the space within his mind.
The Celestial Diagram appeared.
It was different.
Han Feng's expression changed.
The hexagram was pulsing more rapidly than usual.
Its golden lines seemed to respond to the spiritual energy outside his body.
"So you noticed it too."
He remained silent for several breaths.
Then he opened his eyes.
The infusion was ready.
Han Feng sat cross-legged on the floor.
The cauldron was placed before him.
He took the first sip.
The effect was immediate.
Warmth spread from his throat through his chest.
Then—
Pain.
Han Feng's brows tightened.
The spiritual energy was far denser than he had expected.
It rushed through his meridians like a small river suddenly breaking through a dam.
He immediately circulated his Qi.
Slowly.
Carefully.
If he allowed the spiritual energy to move freely, it would damage his meridians.
He took another sip.
The Celestial Diagram began to shine.
Han Feng felt a connection form between the diagram, his Qi, and the Dual Chaos Larva.
The Gu reacted.
Its small body trembled inside his dantian.
Han Feng's expression became serious.
"Don't rush."
The Gu seemed to ignore him.
Its two essences began moving faster.
Order.
Chaos.
The two forces collided.
Han Feng's meridians shook.
Pain shot through his body.
His teeth clenched.
For a moment, he thought he had miscalculated.
The Dual Chaos Larva's aura was becoming more unstable rather than less.
Han Feng immediately stopped absorbing the spiritual energy.
But it was too late.
The Celestial Diagram had already begun reacting.
The hexagram rotated.
One line after another lit up.
A powerful force erupted within his consciousness.
Han Feng's face turned pale.
"What are you doing?"
The diagram gave no answer.
It never did.
Instead, it drew the chaotic energy from the Gu and pulled it toward itself.
Han Feng felt his consciousness tremble.
The pain was almost unbearable.
He wanted to break the connection.
But then he noticed something.
The two conflicting essences weren't disappearing.
They were being separated.
The Celestial Diagram was dividing them into their fundamental properties.
Han Feng's eyes widened.
He understood.
The diagram wasn't simply balancing the Gu.
It was analyzing it.
The thought sent a chill through him.
"Could it be..."
Before he could finish, the two energies began returning to the Gu.
But this time, they were different.
They no longer collided.
They revolved around one another.
Like two opposing currents trapped within the same river.
The Dual Chaos Larva trembled violently.
Han Feng's body shook.
Then—
Boom!
A wave of Qi exploded outward.
The oil lamp went out.
The windows rattled.
Han Feng coughed violently.
For several seconds, he could hear nothing except the pounding of his own heart.
Then silence returned.
Han Feng remained motionless.
He didn't dare move.
He checked his meridians.
No serious damage.
His Qi was depleted.
His body was exhausted.
But...
The connection remained.
Han Feng slowly turned his attention toward the Dual Chaos Larva.
His eyes widened.
The Gu had changed.
Its body was slightly larger than before.
The blue and golden patterns across its body had become clearer.
Two tiny translucent structures had appeared along its back.
They weren't fully developed wings yet.
More like the beginnings of them.
Its eyes had also changed.
A faint silver glow could be seen within them.
Most importantly...
Its aura was completely different.
Stable.
Dense.
And strangely profound.
Han Feng stared at it for a long time.
"So you evolved."
The Gu moved slightly across his palm.
Han Feng could feel the connection between them.
It was stronger.
Much stronger.
He could also sense something else.
The Dual Chaos Larva was no longer merely carrying two opposing essences.
They had become intertwined.
Perfectly balanced.
Han Feng's expression became complicated.
He should have been happy.
Instead, he felt cautious.
The Celestial Diagram had done something he hadn't expected.
It hadn't simply strengthened the Gu.
It had changed its foundation.
That meant his previous understanding of the diagram was incomplete.
Very incomplete.
Han Feng looked toward the darkened lamp.
A thought suddenly occurred to him.
If the diagram could transform the foundation of a Gu...
What else could it transform?
His expression gradually became serious.
There was another question.
Why?
Why did the Celestial Diagram possess such an ability?
Where had it come from?
And why had it appeared inside him?
Han Feng had no answers.
For now.
He pushed those thoughts aside.
There was something else he needed to verify.
His own body.
He closed his eyes and circulated Qi.
The difference was immediately obvious.
His meridians felt stronger.
His Qi moved more smoothly.
His spiritual perception had increased.
Even his physical body seemed to have improved slightly.
Han Feng slowly opened his eyes.
A faint smile appeared.
He had advanced.
Not by relying on the village's cultivation methods.
Not by receiving guidance from an elder.
And not by consuming some miraculous treasure.
He had done it himself.
Through the Celestial Diagram.
Through the Dual Chaos Larva.
Through careful calculation.
This was his first real step onto the path of cultivation.
But Han Feng didn't allow himself to become arrogant.
He knew exactly how insignificant this achievement was.
There were cultivators in this world who could destroy him with a single thought.
There were Gu Masters whose experience alone was worth more than everything he currently possessed.
His strength was still pitiful.
His foundation was shallow.
And his enemies were beginning to notice him.
Han Feng stood.
His legs nearly gave out.
He caught himself against the table.
He laughed quietly.
"Still weak."
That was fine.
Weakness could be changed.
Ignorance could be changed.
But opportunities...
They didn't always appear twice.
Han Feng looked toward the eastern sky.
The first rays of sunlight were beginning to illuminate the village.
The annual assessment was approaching.
By then, he needed to be ready.
He looked down at the evolved Gu.
A faint silver light flashed within its eyes.
Han Feng's smile disappeared.
There was something else.
A strange sensation had appeared in his consciousness during the evolution.
For only an instant, he had seen something within the Celestial Diagram.
A seventh mark.
It had appeared between the six points of the hexagram.
Then vanished.
Han Feng stood completely still.
His eyes narrowed.
"Six points..."
He looked inward.
Nothing.
The seventh mark was gone.
Had he imagined it?
No.
He was certain.
He had seen it.
Han Feng's expression became solemn.
The Celestial Diagram still had secrets.
Far more than he had imagined.
And perhaps...
So did the path he had just stepped onto.
Outside, the village slowly began to wake.
Inside the cabin, Han Feng extinguished the remaining embers of the fire.
The first advance was complete.
But the real journey had only just begun.