From a loser to an immortal sage

Chapter 47 The Light of Wisdom

The white light faded, and I found myself in a spacious stone chamber. Master Wu, Fairy Meng, and the others were there too, but each of them wore a look of surprise and uncertainty.

The walls surrounding the stone chamber are covered with ancient murals, their colors faded but still revealing their exquisite detail. The murals seem to tell some story, but I cannot yet decipher them.

"What's going on? How did we suddenly get here?" Chief Zhou asked in a gruff voice, looking around as if trying to find a way out.

“It seems we have entered the immortal’s cave.” The usually taciturn Physician Zheng suddenly spoke. He carefully observed the murals on the wall, his brows furrowing slightly.

Just then, a magic circle suddenly lit up on the floor in the center of the stone chamber, its soft light enveloping us. Immediately afterward, a phantom figure slowly emerged—a kind-faced old man, dressed in a long blue robe, holding a whisk, exuding an air of otherworldly wisdom—it was none other than Immortal Chen!

"Everyone, welcome to my cave." The illusory figure of Immortal Chen smiled slightly, his voice gentle and magnetic.

"Junior pays respects to Immortal Chen!" Upon seeing this, everyone hurriedly bowed and paid their respects. Even the usually unruly Chief Zhou restrained his bandit-like manner and appeared extremely respectful.

Chen Xianren's gaze swept over everyone, finally landing on me with a hint of admiration: "You must be Xiao Yao? Not bad, so young yet with such talent."

I was flattered and quickly replied modestly, "You flatter me, Immortal. I only received your inheritance by chance."

"Hehe, no need to belittle yourselves." Immortal Chen shook his head with a smile. "It is your own good fortune that you were able to receive my inheritance. Alright, enough of this small talk. The fact that you have come here means that you have passed the first test."

"The first test?" Wu asked疑惑地, "But we haven't done anything!"

“Hehe, that stone door is the first test.” Immortal Chen pointed to the end of the stone chamber, where a stone door shone with light. The stone door was covered with ancient runes and patterns, exactly the same as the stone door outside the cave. “Only those who are open-minded and free from greed can be drawn into this stone chamber.”

"I see." Everyone suddenly realized.

“And this stone door,” Chen Xianren paused, then continued, “is the entrance to the next level, but it also requires passing a test to open.”

"What kind of test?" I asked quickly, a hint of anticipation in my heart.

Immortal Chen smiled slightly and pointed to the runes and patterns on the stone gate, saying, "Unraveling the secrets hidden in these patterns is the test."

I took a deep breath and walked to the stone gate, my gaze falling on the mysterious patterns. Looking closely, the patterns weren't random; rather, they seemed like… what were they like? I tried to think, but my mind remained a complete blank…

"What? Completely clueless?" Meng Xianzi's cool voice came from behind, carrying a hint of barely perceptible smugness.

I ignored her and focused even more intently on the patterns on the stone gate. Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind... Could these patterns be...?

I held my breath, my gaze fixed on the seemingly chaotic patterns on the stone gate. In my mind, the cultivation techniques and cosmic laws that Immortal Chen had explained before spun rapidly like a revolving lantern. Could it be… that these patterns weren't just meaningless decorations, but rather contained some deeper mystery?

I reached out and gently touched the cold stone door with my fingertips, trying to feel the flow of energy within it. The lines of the patterns varied in thickness and their arrangement seemed to follow no pattern, but for some reason, I had a vague feeling that there was some subtle connection between them.

"Miss Xiao, have you discovered anything?" Doctor Zheng couldn't help but ask when he saw that I hadn't made any move.

I shook my head, suppressing the chaotic thoughts in my mind and forcing myself to calm down. "These patterns... seem to be related to the principles of cultivation and the laws of the universe," I said slowly, my tone tinged with uncertainty.

"The principles of cultivation? The laws of the universe?" Chief Zhou shouted impatiently, "What is all this nonsense? I can't understand a thing of it!"

After thinking about it seriously for a while, Wu Daxia said, "Miss Xiao, doesn't this pattern look like the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation? Could it be that it needs to be stepped on in a specific order to open?"

As he spoke, he was about to step forward to try it, but I stopped him. "Brother Wu, wait! Although these patterns seem simple, the energy they contain is extremely powerful. If you touch them rashly, it may cause unpredictable dangers."

Wu Daxia was taken aback for a moment, then nodded and said, "Miss Xiao is more thoughtful; I was too rash."

I took a deep breath and focused my attention on the stone gate again. The seemingly simple lines in the pattern gradually became complex in my eyes, as if they contained endless mysteries, attracting me to explore them.

Time ticked by, and the atmosphere in the stone chamber grew increasingly tense. Master Wu, drawing upon his extensive experience in the martial world, offered several possible solutions, but all proved to be flawed. Countless thoughts also flashed through my mind, but I couldn't find the right answer.

Just then, Meng Xianzi, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "Perhaps we can try to activate these runes using magic."

As she spoke, she gracefully stepped forward, a dazzling light condensing between her slender fingers, and gently pressed it onto a rune on the stone door.

However, the expected reaction did not occur; the runes on the stone gate remained dull and lifeless…

Fairy Meng's suggestion was like a gentle breeze, dispelling some of my anxiety. Indeed, why were we so fixated on the pattern itself, neglecting the application of magical arts?

Her fingertips shimmered with spiritual light, sometimes as gentle as a spring breeze caressing willows, sometimes as fierce as crashing waves, displaying her mastery of various elemental magics. However, the runes on the stone gate remained unresponsive to her efforts, like a sleeping behemoth, their light lingering dimly.

"How could this be?" Fairy Meng frowned slightly, a hint of doubt appearing on her delicate face. Clearly, she had never encountered such a thorny problem before.

Chief Zhou stamped his feet in frustration and said in a gruff voice, "How are we going to open this broken door? We can't stay trapped here forever, can we?" Although Doctor Zheng didn't speak, his furrowed brows revealed his anxiety.

Seeing their anxious expressions, I secretly resolved to find the answer as soon as possible. I closed my eyes and tried hard to recall what Immortal Chen had said, as well as my insights into cultivation over the past few days.

Patterns, runes, magical arts, cosmic laws… these seemingly unrelated elements collided and merged in my mind. Could it be that the key to opening this door lies not in immense power, but in understanding and utilizing these elements?

Time ticked by, and my thoughts grew clearer. I seemed to see a path leading to truth, and the starting point of this path lay within my own heart…

Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind, as if I had grasped a subtle inspiration, and I blurted out, "I think..."

"I think... I understand!" I suddenly opened my eyes, my voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.

Everyone was taken aback and turned to look at me, their eyes filled with curiosity and anticipation.

"Miss Xiao, what have you thought of?" Wu asked impatiently, his tone tinged with urgency.

I took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions in my heart, and slowly said, "Chen Xianren once said that the path of cultivation is to go against the heavens, but also to follow one's heart. He also said that true strength does not come from external things, but from one's own enlightenment and transformation."

At this point, I paused, my gaze sweeping over everyone before finally settling on the mysterious runes on the stone gate. I continued, "This stone gate may not be a test of our strength, but rather a test of our understanding of cultivation and our self-awareness."

"Self-awareness?" Fairy Meng repeated softly, a thoughtful look flashing in her beautiful eyes.

I nodded and pointed to the runes on the stone gate, saying, "These runes may seem chaotic, but in reality, they may represent various trials on the path of cultivation, as well as our own inner demons and obsessions."

"Only by facing our own shortcomings and overcoming our inner fears can we find our true selves and comprehend the true meaning of cultivating immortality." I said firmly, my eyes burning with conviction, as if I knew everything.

As soon as I finished speaking, I raised my right hand and slowly channeled my spiritual energy into the stone gate. This time, I didn't try to decipher the runes; instead, I poured all my understanding of cultivation and my self-awareness into the spiritual energy.

As spiritual energy was injected, the runes on the stone gate began to emit a faint golden light, and the originally obscure and difficult-to-understand patterns gradually became clear.

I sensed a powerful force surging within the stone gate, as if a sleeping dragon was about to awaken.

"Rumble..."

With a dull thud, the stone door slowly opened, revealing a deep passage, and an ancient and mysterious aura wafted out.

I took a deep breath and stepped inside first, followed closely by the others.

At the end of the passage lay a much wider space, where faint starlight could be seen twinkling...