In the center of the Azure Cloud Sect stood the Ancient Dao Tree.
It had existed for over 3,000 years. Its roots were said to pierce through ley lines, its bark etched with the Dao patterns of every sect master to have walked these lands.
It blossomed only once every five centuries.
Meditating beneath it could grant visions of the heavens.
Sitting under it was considered an honor.
Climbing it was punishable by expulsion.
That changed when a certain divine cat peed on it.
Elder Mei remembered the event vividly.
It was early morning. The mist still clung to the stones. Birds chirped softly. And then—
"Mrrrow."
Whiskers stretched, yawned, sauntered up to the Dao Tree… and sprayed it casually.
At first, the elders panicked. There was a faint cracking sound, and several outer disciples screamed, expecting the tree to explode.
But then… something strange happened.
The tree shivered.
Its branches rustled.
Leaves bloomed—out of season.
And a soft, humming glow began to pulse from its trunk.
A flower bud opened in fast forward.
It shaped itself… into a cat.
"Is… is the Dao Tree worshiping him?" Elder Mei whispered.
"I think it's building him a shrine," Sect Master Wu replied in a hushed voice.
Indeed, within the hour, the tree had grown a smooth, stone-textured platform at its base—sun-kissed and leaf-shaded—where Whiskers promptly climbed up and fell asleep.
Above him, glowing vines twisted together and formed a leafy canopy resembling a great feline crown. Blue flowers with golden stamens bloomed around his paws.
The tree exhaled mist.
So did half the sect.
And that was how the Shrine of the Dreaming Claw came to be.
Part II – Offerings and Worship
Word of the miracle spread quickly.
Disciples began placing offerings at the shrine.
At first it was simple:
Roasted spirit fish.
Sliced lotus roots drizzled with honey qi.
Blankets woven from moon-thread.
Then it got competitive.
One disciple made a golden fish sculpture that played lullabies when touched.
Another trained spirit squirrels to fan Whiskers with leaf fans.
One particularly ambitious alchemy student brewed a "Pill of Endless Nap" (which turned out to be just a very strong sedative).
Whiskers accepted most offerings in silence.
Except for the spirit squirrel fanners.
"They chirped. I don't do chirping while napping."
The squirrels retired.
Some visiting cultivators mistook the shrine for a test.
One tried to meditate on the platform beside Whiskers and was promptly knocked 20 feet back by a single flick of the cat's tail.
The words burned into the arena tiles afterward:
"This shrine is not for you."
Sect Master Wu had the inscription framed.
Soon, the entire courtyard around the Dao Tree was redesignated.
No training. No loud talking. No sparring. No walking without socks.
It became known across the realm as:
"The Sacred Zone of Supreme Stillness (So the Cat Doesn't Wake Up)"
Part III – The Dreamvision Pilgrims
With the shrine came… pilgrims.
Beast clans from afar. Cultivators in silence. Entire spirit sects who believed Whiskers was a manifestation of the Dao itself.
They would sit at the edge of the courtyard, eyes closed, in total silence.
Whiskers ignored them.
Mostly.
One turtle monk named Wu-Lian sat still for seven days without blinking.
Whiskers leapt into his lap, purred once, and slept there for four hours.
Wu-Lian ascended to the next realm the moment Whiskers woke up and left.
One disciple tried to fake enlightenment to gain favor.
He posed dramatically. Chanted in rhythm. Posed with incense sticks.
Whiskers teleported him into a compost pile without standing up.
The legend of the shrine grew so large that by midsummer, the Sect had to:
Redesign the walking paths to redirect traffic around the zone.
Assign "Quiet Guardians" to shush people carrying metal objects.
Develop a "Naptime Warning Bell" that signaled when the shrine zone was active.
Elder Mei made a sign:
"DO NOT CROSS THE STONE LINE IF THE CAT IS ON HIS BACK WITH ALL FOUR PAWS UP. That is the Deep Sleep Phase. You may not survive the consequences."
Xi-Xi, Whiskers' tiny phoenix disciple, built a mini shrine beside the main one, complete with doodles of herself and her master.
Whiskers stared at it for a long time.
Then he flicked his tail and made it glow faintly gold.
Xi-Xi screamed in joy for six minutes straight.
Part IV – Dream Echoes and Visions
As the shrine grew, strange phenomena began to emerge.
Disciples who meditated near (but not on) the shrine reported glimpses of ethereal beasts walking through dreamscapes.
Flowers sprouted from cracked stones.
Nightmares were banished. Even insomniacs began sleeping peacefully when near the zone.
Elder Mei confirmed it after months of quiet study:
"The shrine doesn't just radiate spiritual qi. It radiates peace."
"It is… as if the Dao itself is resting. Through him."
And once, just once, during a particularly cold night when the clouds were heavy and the moon was veiled—
Whiskers stirred.
Eyes still closed.
He purred.
The entire sect fell asleep.
Even the ghosts of ancestors in the spirit tablets reportedly went quiet.
When everyone woke up the next day, the crops were twice as tall, the air smelled of starlight, and the ancient lion statue had learned how to smile.
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🗺️ Bonus: Map of the Azure Cloud Sect & Cat-Designated Zones
(as recorded by Elder Mei and edited by - certain Disciple Lin)
🏯 Azure Cloud Sect Overview
Located on: the Mistleaf Mountains
Known for: Spirit Beast lore, rare herbs, the Cat Shrine
Size: Moderate — three peaks, nine courtyards, thirty-six side halls
🐾 Whiskers' Claimed Zones (Do Not Enter Without Salmon Tribute)
Dao Tree Courtyard (Sacred Zone of Supreme Stillness)
Status: Shrine Zone
Rules: Silence required. No spells. Soft shoes only.
Shrine: Active glowing platform. Cat naps here 60% of the time.
Herb Garden #3 (The Mossy Mat of Judgment)
Location of the infamous incident where Whiskers sneezed an invader into another dimension.
Often used by Xi-Xi for practicing chirp meditation.
Whiskers sometimes rolls in the golden mint patch here.
Outer Pavilion Roof (Sunbeam Observatory)
No longer accessible to humans.
Whiskers sunbathes here when he wants solitude.
Has triggered accidental weather patterns.
Koi Pond (Restricted Bathing Pool)
Fish are not for disciples.
Whiskers occasionally "trains" here by batting ripples with one paw.
Visitors report improved qi circulation after sitting nearby.
Alchemist Wing (Now "Fish Storage and Nap Bunker")
Used to be a high-grade pill refinery.
Whiskers converted it into a heated fish room.
Attempts to remove the cat resulted in the ceiling collapsing gently on the intruders.
Miscellaneous Locations:
Squirrel Grove: Abandoned by spirit squirrels after the Fan Incident.
Cloudbridge Hall: The only place Whiskers hasn't claimed. Disciple Lin speculates it's "too drafty."
Xi-Xi's Tiny Shrine: Next to the main shrine. Glows when she meditates happily.
Mushroom Hill: No one is sure why mushrooms grow in paw-shaped patterns. Elder Mei suspects divine influence.