heaven-earth tempering pathway*

"Haaaa~ such a pleasant day~," Zhou Tiandi exclaimed as he stretched his body upon emerging from his cultivation cave. For the past month, he had continuously holed up in his cave allocated to him by the sect, in an attempt to hide away from trouble.

"To think I'll hole up in that cave for days... I am starting to feel a bit concerned regarding my mental health..."

As the memories of the past month flooded his mind, a wave of depression washed over him. 

He couldn't help but vent his frustration, "Argh...! It's all because of that protagonist bastard!!"

The mere thought of the cause of his constant distress, the 'protagonist', annoyed Tiandi. It was all because of that guy's random frown that he even had trouble sleeping and his every waking moment was spent in restlessness.

"...Well, let's just calm down. It's not like I have any real beef with him. Yeah, let's just do what I'd planned for today!"

For the past month, Tiandi had diligently gathered as much information as he could while carefully avoiding any encounters with the protagonist. He had meticulously prepared a to-do list, and today was the day he intended to cross one of the items off his list.

His destination was the 'heaven-earth tempering pathway', one of the best ways to test oneself in the sect. The facility consisted of a grand stairway that projected pressure upon the challengers, with the intensity increasing with each step. 

It was a test of both body and mind, and those who reached greater heights were rewarded accordingly, including an allowance of various resources based on their rank.

The primary reason Tiandi had chosen to undertake this challenge was simple—money. Money had a way of solving most problems, regardless of the world or any specific circumstances. 

And even for those problems that couldn't be solved with money, having money made finding solutions much easier.

Moreover, the heaven-earth tempering pathway was only open to those at the core formation realm or below, making it an excellent opportunity for Tiandi, who was at the peak of the foundation establishment real, just a step away from core formation.

As an added benefit, that protagonist had not yet taken part in this challenge, so it was a safe opportunity for Tiandi to aim for the top.

However, Tiandi couldn't help but remind himself to exercise caution, "I have to be careful not to reach too high..."

The current disciple ranked first on the pathway happened to be none other than the protagonist's ex-fiancee, the one who had unilaterally ended their engagement and threw gifts at Mr protag's face.

"Not only that... She's the chief disciple..."

Being the chief disciple meant she was directly tutored by the sect master and was the most likely successor to lead the sect. Tiandi knew that provoking either the chief disciple or the vengeful protagonist could land him in a precarious situation.

"All right! Let's aim for the top 100!"

Tiandi made up his mind. The only way to live peacefully in this complex world was to aim for a rank that was notable but not too conspicuous. He wanted others to think along the lines of "Quite impressive for someone with no backing. Although he can't even come close to our prized chief disciple/young master/lady/heavenly dog! Hahahaha!"

...

...

...

"Wow..."

Tiandi marveled at the sight of the heaven-earth tempering pathway. It was located on a relatively small mountain, consisting of only 108 steps, which was fewer than the typical xianxia stereotypes that filled Tiandi's mind. However, what made these steps remarkable was their unusual height and width, spacious enough for someone to sit comfortably in the lotus position.

As Tiandi observed, dozens of disciples were scattered across the steps, meditating quietly. It seemed like the perfect moment to begin his ascent, while everyone else was absorbed in their practice.

Climbing the first 12 steps proved to be simple, requiring no use of his qi. However, upon stepping onto the 13th, Tiandi began to feel a slight pressure. It was an odd sensation as if a gentle wind was pushing against every part of his being.

The pressure wasn't overly troublesome, but the excessively tall steps were an annoyance to Tiandi. Nevertheless, he pressed on.

With each step, the pressure increased, still manageable but noticeable. In just a few dozen seconds, Tiandi reached the 24th step, being careful not to disturb his fellow disciples, lest he offend some influential figure.

Upon reaching the 25th step, Tiandi came to an abrupt halt. His entire body felt as if it was being compressed inward, and it seemed like an invisible hand was squeezing his heart.

"Urgh..."

Tiandi's heart pounded in his chest, his eyes dilated, and sweat began to bead on his forehead. Feeling nauseous, he decided to sit down in the lotus position, mirroring the posture of the others who were meditating.

As he outwardly appeared to be contemplating the Dao, inside, Tiandi was in turmoil.

'What even is this? It's not spiritual qi... It doesn't seem to be just physical... What is this sensation?!'

To an outsider, it seemed as though Tiandi had started a deep meditation session, pondering the mysteries of the universe. But in his mind, he felt as if his dreams of wealth were slipping away.

'Don't tell me they're doing something to my soul?! Damn it! These xianxia fucks!! They're like cultists of natural selection on elephant steroids!'

Tiandi's mind raged against the situation, cursing the world of xianxia and its bizarre rules.

'Xianxia lunatics! Insane maniacs! Fu-'

He continued to vent his frustration mentally for nearly half an hour, trapped in this unexpected and unsettling experience on the heaven-earth tempering pathway.

...

...

...

'Phew... Let's calm down, there's no way the sect will use soul methods against disciples under the nascent soul realm. It's not like this is a demonic sect.'

Tiandi attempted to quell his rising anxiety by reasoning with himself. The idea of the sect resorting to soul manipulation on disciples below the nascent soul realm seemed far-fetched and out of character for a non-demonic sect.

'Then is it an illusion?'

His brows furrowed as he delved into the possibilities. Tiandi decided to employ one of the techniques he had recently learned to investigate further.

"Doesn't seem like it... Perhaps a mix of both?"

The situation remained puzzling, and he couldn't definitively conclude whether it was an illusion or something more complex.

"Or is my cultivation simply too low?"

Taking a deep breath, Tiandi started to circulate his cultivation method. Over the past month, he had abandoned his previous cultivation method in favor of one he had modified to better suit his triple spiritual roots.

While he couldn't claim to have created a completely original cultivation method, he had made significant adjustments to existing techniques to craft something tailored to his needs.

"Hmm..."

As he cultivated, Tiandi became acutely aware of the abundant qi surrounding him.

'There's a lot...'

In situations where such a substantial concentration of qi gathered in one place, typically one of three outcomes would occur:

A special phenomenon might manifest.

The qi would disperse on its own.

A spiritual treasure might be born.

'They're trapping it...'

The sect had employed spirit collection and sealing formations to amass an immense reservoir of qi. Additionally, they had implemented formations designed to test the disciples in various ways.

'So why the heck does it feel like some dark mage is squeezing the astral form of my heart!'

The unsettling pressure continued to weigh on Tiandi, defying his understanding and causing him significant discomfort. Despite his lack of knowledge in the realm of formations, he couldn't help but feel that something peculiar was at play.

Tiandi, feeling a bit frustrated by his inability to explore the mysteries of the situation due to his lack of knowledge in formations, decided to calm himself and resume climbing.

As he extended his spiritual sense once more, he encountered the same resistance. It seemed as though there was an invisible barrier preventing his consciousness from reaching further.

However, Tiandi was not one to easily give up. He had faced and conquered many challenges throughout his life, from defeating "Crawl Prince" to conquering "Light Spirits" and mastering "Youth Bangles."

Yes, Tiandi was a gamer, not because he lacked a life, but because he chose to have many lives in various virtual worlds. He was a tryhard who would spend hours mastering even the most trivial aspects of his games.

While probing with his spiritual sense, he suddenly had an epiphany. His heartbeat slowed, his qi flowed harmoniously with the surrounding qi, and any disruptive elements were controlled and absorbed.

Enveloping himself in his spiritual qi, Tiandi became one with the flow, beginning to comprehend the concept of harmony. With this newfound understanding, he continued his climb up the steps.

'Huh... This is easier than I thought...'

He continued to ascend.

'Huh... Heh... Hehe, hahaha, this is fun!'

His pace quickened.

'My body feels so light! Ah... The feeling of surpassing others is so great!'

He climbed even faster.

'Haha, I shall soar like a drag-'

But just as he was lost in his semi-psychotic thoughts, his reverie was abruptly interrupted by the presence of a young woman, around 17 years old. She wore a lavish azure dress, her hair and eyes gleamed with the color of gold, and a sweet fragrance surrounded her.

Normally, such a sight would have made Tiandi's heart skip a beat, and truthfully it did, just... for an entirely different reason.

'Fuck'

Fuck indeed, he had unwittingly climbed higher than he should have in his excitement and now found himself face to face with none other than the protagonist's ex-fiancee, the direct disciple of the sect leader.

"You..."

Her voice was soft as talc and sweet as sugar, almost causing Tiandi's heart to skip a beat for the other reason.

However, he maintained his composure, slowly closing his eyes and assuming the lotus position to cultivate.

This was his ultimate defense mechanism, a strategy he had honed after countless hours of pondering: the art of avoiding any and all interactions.

"I felt like I was about to have enlightenment, however, it was just a false alarm," he thought to himself, mentally employing his evasion tactic.

He also knew that this tactic could be further enhanced with an extra layer of cringe.

"Perhaps it was due to your ethereal beauty..."

Something so cringe-inducing that no sane person would dare approach him after this.

'Yeah, let's just cultivate for a while...' Tiandi concluded, determined to stick to his master plan of avoidance.