Ethereal Star Pavilion

Clad in blood-stained robes, Chen Yunlong's weathered face contorted with pain as he slowly regained consciousness.

A groan escaped his lips as he opened his eyes. Examining his body, he found that with the exception of the pounding in his head, his wounds seemed to have healed.

Looking around the room, Chen Yunlong finally took notice of his surroundings.

He found himself in the center of a circular room, surrounded by intricately carved walls made of a fine dark wood.

The floor was covered in a beautiful array of tiles, depicting various constellations and starry skies, painting a wonderful sight of mythical beasts and wondrous beings.

In the center of the room, directly above him, was a large dome-shaped ceiling made of glass, revealing a breathtaking view of the night sky. The stars shone brightly, and he could feel their power pulsing through the very air around him.

It was a sight he had never seen before—with such perfect constellations absent from the mortal realm—he couldn't help feeling a sense of awe and wonder.

"Amazing! But more importantly—I'm alive?" he muttered in disbelief, taking a moment to collect himself from his sporadic thoughts. "No, it can't be. I remember falling into the icy waters of the Blackwater River before losing consciousness. Even if I survived my wounds, I'd surely have drowned."

He shook his head, feeling that speculation was pointless. Rising to his feet, he examined the starry landscape, his eyes widening as a realization dawned upon him.

"Hm. Although this place looks much different than I remember, I'm sure I have been here before. But last time I was here, this was just a plain room holding the Immortal's Heart!" he exclaimed, his voice shaking with a mix of surprise and confusion.

"It's the same mysterious structure I discovered in that spatial rift, isn't it?! But why am I here? That couldn't have all just been a dream, right?"

Chen Yunlong immediately attempted to channel his Qi, but to no avail.

His dantian had truly been shattered, and he found his bloodied robes a testament to the fact that the events leading up to his arrival had undoubtedly happened.

With a struggle, he walked around the room, attentively observing in search of any clues that could help him understand his situation.

"Hm? A stone stele?" he questioned as he noticed an old stone plate.

Kneeling down, Chen Yunlong saw that it was covered in a thick coat of dust. He wiped his hand across it as a low cough escaped his lips.

Squinting, he was able to make out the legible text on the stele. "This place seems to be called the 'Ethereal Star Pavilion.' How grand," he smiled in appreciation, "Though, this place truly lives up to its name."

"Indeed, of all the places you've seen in your realm, few could even hold a candle to this," another voice abruptly echoed out within the room.

Chen Yunlong narrowed his eyes, but there was no trace of fear in his expression.

"Now that you've spoken, wouldn't you like to show yourself?" he stood upright, warily looking around.

All around him, the constellations suddenly flashed a brilliant silver, their glittering light enrapturing Chen Yunlong as the silver merged together to form a murky figure, impossible to be clearly distinguished.

"What are you?" Chen Yunlong hesitantly asked.

"I am a spirit born from the essence of the stars and the cosmos. I have existed for eons, watching over the Ethereal Star Pavilion and guarding its secrets," the spirit patiently explained.

Chen Yunlong looked at it with reverence, but his heart was tinged with melancholy at the mention of spirits. His spear, Longyuan, had developed a very faint sentience that had qualified it as a spirit weapon, but now it was gone.

"I can sense your sadness, but worry not, child. The spirit of your spear still exists, slumbering deep within you."

'Child?' the old Chen Yunlong nearly tripped in shame, despite understanding that he was in fact a child in comparison to this spirit's age.

But more importantly, he felt a spark of hope reignite within him.

"You said Longyuan's spirit still exists inside of me? But how can I save it? My dantian was destroyed, and despite my many years of cultivation, I've never heard of a method to reconstruct it."

The spirit's form flickered in the starry light, "Just because you never found a method, doesn't mean they don't exist. Once you manage to recultivate, you'll be able to reunite with your precious spear once again. The Mortal Realm has long since fallen behind, but change is near."

"Change?" Chen Yunlong took a deep breath before he asked skeptically, "You mean the Immortal's Heart? Why did you allow me to take it out of here?"

"The unsealing of the Heaven's Gate was inevitable. It could have been delayed for thousands upon thousands of years, but the cultivators of the Mortal Realm would always be held back by the sealing of the realm, unable to reach the Celestial Realm, much less surpass it"

The spirit continued, "As I showed you in those visions, there are many sealed in the Immortal Realm, many of which pose threats that will inadvertently harm those in the Mortal Realm. And unlike those in the Mortal Realm, they aren't bound by constraints that prevent them from reaching higher levels."

"As such, the best case scenario was to wait for a decent person to appear and place a bet on them."

Chen Yunlong squinted, "You... placed a bet on me?"

"Correct. You were a decent enough pick, and after seeing your performance, I am more than satisfied."

"And what if I would've died?" he asked cautiously.

"I wouldn't have let that happen. As for your shattered dantian, that was within my expectations. You did well as a rogue cultivator, but your foundation was too weak in comparison to the clans of this realm, let alone the higher realm."

Chen Yunlong gripped his fists in anger, but quickly took a deep breath and calmed himself, 'Now's not the time for anger. I must focus on what's important.'

The spirit seemingly smiled, "This is why I chose you; you know how to keep your cool. Even when surrounded and fighting to the end, you held firm to your path and never gave in to the temptation of using the Immortal's Heart for your own gain."

"Ai," Chen Yunlong sighed. "What are your expectations of me?"

"Simple. Follow your path as you freely desire."

"That's it...? What do you get out of this?"

The spirit hesitated before answering mysteriously, "Most likely, nothing. The past and future is far too distant, and yet so close to my grasp. I issue a willess will and with open arms, embrace the ever-changing now."

Chen Yunlong looked at the spirit deeply, "Alright, enough with the riddles. I'll follow my path. In the future, you can tell me if your bet was right."

"Of course! Now, I will give you a very simple introduction to this place. This is the main room of the Ethereal Star Pavilion. In the future, many other rooms will be unlocked. That will come about naturally, you'll see for yourself when the time comes."

"As for fixing your dantian and cultivating," the spirit appeared to wave its hand as the constellations once again glowed, a mass of starlight gathering into what appeared to be a small book.

"Take this," it tossed the book in Chen Yunlong's direction.

Catching it in his hands, he looked down at the title, taking in a breath of cold air as he admired the cover, titled 'Astral Constitution.'

"This is a body-refining technique; you can review it on your own the next time you return to the Ethereal Star Pavilion. To get in, just will your entry with your soul like you would your spatial ring. But remember, only your soul enters."

It continued, "And before you ask, the Ethereal Star Pavilion exists within your soul. The day you left with the Immortal's Heart, I secretly binded it within your soul."

"Wait! Are you saying my body is still in the—"

"Don't worry about it! I made sure to protect you from drowning. But in the future, I will not interfere to help you in any danger. If you are to die, then so be it."

"Brutal," Chen Yunlong clicked his tongue lightheartedly, "And you're making a weak old man cultivate a body-refining technique. How harsh."

"Hmph. I'm making you cultivate a technique that you should never have had the fortune of coming into contact with! How harsh of me!" the spirit grunted back.

"Alright, thank you for blessing me with this technique. What should I call you? You know my name, so it's only fair you tell me yours, don't you think?"

"..."

Silent for a brief moment, the spirit quickly said, "You can call me Chime. I'm sending you out now, so have a nice swim! You'll probably hate water after this, and I have no clue when you'll get out, but what's the difference between days, months, even years after cultivating as long as you did? Consider it another tribulation!"

Before Chen Yunlong could respond, Chime waved its hand and forced him out of the Ethereal Star Pavilion, the book falling to the ground.

"Until he gets out of that river, it's best I hold onto this." Chime shook its head, dispersing back into the constellations.

* * *

Meanwhile, Chen Yunlong found himself back in his body, being thrown around like a ragdoll in the tumultuous current.

Hitting rock after rock, his head was spinning, but he wasn't wounded in the slightest.

Thankfully, Chime had helped to treat his life-threatening injuries. However, his body was still badly beaten and far too weak for him to summon any strength of his own.

'I've experienced much worse than this!' he thought with gritted teeth.

Days went by.

Along the way, he saw many strange things in the river with him.

There were all sorts of debris, from empty pill bottles and broken weapons to the occasional sight of a lifeless body.

A week went by, and then another.

But the day of his rescue was finally near.