The passage twisted and turned, making Xiao Feng sure of the fact that he was lost.
His footsteps echoed against the stone walls, the only sound besides his own breathing and the staff's mysterious hum.
"I really hope you're not leading me to my death," he muttered to the staff. "That would be a very terrible plot twist."
After what seemed like an eternity of careful steps and nervous glances over his shoulder, the passage widened, opening into... darkness?
Xiao Feng squinted. In front of him, the cave ended in a wall of densely tangled vines, so thick he couldn't see beyond them.
"Dead end?" he wondered aloud, disappointment very heavy in his voice.
But Guiding Star hummed louder, its glow intensifying until Xiao Feng had to squint against the light. The golden energy spread from the staff, engulfing his body in a warm, protective aura.
And suddenly, he could see, really see. The vines weren't real at all, but an illusion.
"No way," he breathed out, reaching out with a trembling hand.
His fingers passed straight through the false barrier, meeting no resistance. With a deep breath, Xiao Feng stepped forward, through the illusion, and into what lay beyond.
The sight that greeted him stole his breath away.
He stood in a perfectly circular clearing, enclosed completely within the cave yet somehow open to the night sky above. In the center sat an ancient stone platform, worn smooth by time yet still bearing intricate cultivation symbols along its edges.
Overhead, a massive tree stretched its branches across the open ceiling, its leaves a luminescent blue that cast the entire area in a gentle, otherworldly light. A small spring bubbled beside the stone platform, its water clearer than crystal.
But most incredible of all was the air itself, it was heavily thick with spiritual energy, so dense that Xiao Feng's first breath left him gasping.
"What is this place?" he whispered, his voice swallowed by the heavy silence.
The staff in his hand pulsed once, then fell quiet, as if its task was complete.
Xiao Feng took a cautious step forward, then another. The spiritual energy pressed against his skin like a physical presence, making each movement an effort. Yet it wasn't threatening, just overwhelming, like stepping into an ocean after only knowing shallow streams.
As his eyes adjusted to the blue glow, he noticed a scroll resting on the stone platform. It looked ancient with a yellowed parchment tied with a simple red string.
"Probably shouldn't touch that," he told himself, even as his feet carried him toward it.
He stood over it hesitating before stretching his hand towards it.
Please be safe. Please be safe!
His fingers brushed against the scroll, immediately it dissolved into particles of light that swarmed around him before rushing straight into his forehead.
"Yooo!" Xiao Feng staggered back, clutching his head as information flooded his mind.
Images, words, memories that weren't his own, they crashed through his thoughts like a tidal wave.
A man in simple green robes, sitting in meditation for years without moving. The forest growing around him, responding to his will. His body withering, yet his spirit expanding, merging with the trees, the earth, the very essence of the forest itself.
The Forest Sage.
This place, this hidden sanctuary, had been created centuries ago by a cultivator who had transcended physical form to become one with nature itself.
"He died here," Xiao Feng murmured, understanding without knowing how.
But part of him remained.
As if summoned by his words, a whisper rustled through the luminescent leaves overhead.
So you are back, old friend. But what are you doing in this realm?
Xiao Feng's head snapped up, eyes wide. "Who said that? Who's there?"
Only silence answered him. He looked down at Guiding Star, which had grown warm in his hand.
"Old friend?" he repeated, turning the staff over. "He was talking to you, wasn't he? You've been here before."
So many questions swirled in his mind, but instinct told him answers wouldn't come easily, or quickly.
With a sigh, Xiao Feng moved to the stone platform and sat cross-legged upon it. The moment his body settled onto the ancient stone, he felt it, a connection, a rightness, as if he'd found a place made just for him.
"I guess I'll stay awhile," he decided. "See what this place has to teach me."
Closing his eyes, Xiao Feng began to meditate, drawing the dense spiritual energy into his body. Pain immediately lanced through him, his meridians struggling to handle the concentrated power.
"Argh!" His eyes flew open, his body trembling.
Too much, too fast. This place was no gentle teacher.
Beside him, Guiding Star began to glow again, softer this time. As the light touched him, Xiao Feng felt his channels widening, adapting to allow more energy to flow safely.
"Thanks," he gasped, patting the staff gratefully.
He tried again, more cautiously this time. The pain was still there, but manageable now, a necessary part of growth.