Great! I'll continue from Chapter 9 with a cultivation-focused style, and I'll begin gradually introducing the cultivation system—explaining realms, how one advances, and
Chapter 9: The First Gate of Spirit
Dawn in Glassvale was gray and lifeless.
Even as the sun rose, no warmth touched the trees. No dew shimmered. Just stillness, like the realm was holding its breath.
The group stood near the crumbled shrine, quiet and tense.
Yen finally broke the silence. "We need to understand what happened here. This realm… it's been severed from something. Like the world stopped remembering how to breathe."
Elysia turned to Riven. "When we sealed that beast… something inside you shifted. Your presence—your spiritual aura—feels deeper."
Vera agreed. "Your root pulse is stronger. Are you advancing?"
Riven opened his hand, letting a stream of pale blue energy flow from his fingertips. It shimmered faintly before disappearing into the ground like water on sand.
He nodded slowly.
"I broke through to the Third Vein of Body Foundation."
Kara whistled. "In just one week?"
In this world, cultivation was the path toward power, longevity, and eventually transcendence.
It began with the Body Foundation Realm, the stage where one forged their mortal shell to hold spiritual energy. It had nine veins, each one opened through intense training and connection with the world's elements.
Vein 1–3: Strengthening bones and muscles.
Vein 4–6: Refining internal organs and marrow.
Vein 7–9: Awakening blood essence and aligning it with the world's flow of qi.
Only after all nine veins were unlocked could one step into the Spirit Ascension Realm, the beginning of true cultivation.
Riven had opened three.
And yet… his root aura was far stronger than it should be.
That wasn't because of hard work.
It was because of the Legacy Tree bound to his spirit.
A gift… or a burden?
Even Riven wasn't sure.
The child from the village still hadn't woken.
Kara was treating him gently, surrounding him with spirit threads drawn from her own qi to soothe his inner storm.
But it was Vera who sat closest, chanting low melodies in an ancient tongue.
"Old rites?" Elysia asked.
Vera nodded. "This was passed down by my grandmother. It was once used in mountain villages to quiet souls that had wandered too close to the Hidden Planes."
Yen turned sharply. "You believe he saw one?"
"I don't just believe it," Vera said quietly. "I feel it. There's a scent of wind not from this world clinging to his spirit. Like he stood at the edge of a gate."
Riven's brow furrowed. "Gate?"
Vera met his eyes. "A secret plane, sealed away from the common world. Some call it the Veil Between Roots. A realm not touched by sun or moon—only the oldest bloodlines and legacies know of it."
Silence settled among the group.
And Riven, for the first time, felt the Fivefold Tree pulse... not in power, but in recognition.
That night, he sat in quiet meditation, focusing on the elements inside him.
The Fivefold Legacy Tree shone within his dantian.
The Fire root crackled fiercely, ready to leap forward.
The Water root pulsed calmly, always observing.
The Earth root stood firm—quiet but ever-present.
The Wind root spun gently, catching subtle thoughts.
The Lightning root flickered wild, unstable, and vibrant.
Most cultivators in the world aligned with one elemental root. Rare prodigies could harmonize with two.
But Riven had all five.
Why?
Because the Legacy Tree wasn't natural. It was not of this world.
And beneath the visible roots, hidden deeper in his soul, was the faint outline of something else.
A sixth shadow.
He reached for it—and pain shot through his chest like a sword.
Not yet.
As dawn broke, the child finally stirred.
His eyes fluttered open.
He looked around at the group... then settled on Riven.
"You... have the mark," he whispered.
"What mark?" Kara asked gently.
The boy pointed to Riven's chest—where the roots of the Legacy Tree sat hidden in his soul.
"You've stepped through the First Root," the boy said. "You're being watched by the old ones beneath the soil."
Riven narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
The child whispered one more thing before falling into a deep sleep again:
"You'll find them... in the Plane Where No Wind Blows."