The forging of the Celestial Bond, though it had pushed Li Wei's frail body to the brink with fever and pain, had left him with a radiant spirit, his qi pulsing clearer as if his nascent Golden Core and fledgling Nascent Soul had been strengthened by the unified vow of the Order of the Jade Dawn. The hidden valley, with its shimmering pool, ancient tree, and glowing blossoms, pulsed with an energy that affirmed his path to immortality. Azure Dragon, his scruffy spirit beast, remained a loyal companion, curled by the stone altar as Li Wei pored over the scroll, its worn bamboo slats a sacred guide through his trials. The scroll's latest passage unveiled a climactic new challenge: "The Spirit's Final Call, where the cultivator hears the ultimate summons of the Dao, beckoning the soul to ascend beyond the mortal veil."
In the cultivation novels Li Wei had read in Beijing, final calls were divine moments—summons from the cosmos or ancient masters that marked the threshold of immortality, demanding absolute purity of spirit. The scroll's description was poetic but equally compelling: "Listen for the Dao's final voice in the heart's silence, let qi answer its summons, and rise toward eternity. Purity hears the truth, but doubt seals the soul's fate." Li Wei, tempered by lightning, betrayal, and moments of clarity, felt a surge of awe mixed with trepidation. The valley's whispers, which had guided him through trials like the Celestial Chorus and Spirit's Call, seemed to carry a final, resonant note. Could this be the Dao's ultimate summons? His body, ravaged by hunger, fever, and the throbbing infections in his hand and arm, ached with every movement, but the valley's mystical aura and the scroll's promise fueled his resolve.
Li Wei prepared with the reverence of a disciple awaiting a divine verdict. He reinforced his altar with smooth stones, their surfaces carved with star-like patterns inspired by the Starstone to channel the valley's qi. He placed the scroll, jade slip, Starstone, and stolen booklet at the altar's center, surrounded by the ancient tree's glowing blossoms, their light pulsing like a celestial beacon. Azure Dragon watched, head tilted, as Li Wei sipped the valley's crystal-clear water, its coolness a brief relief against his persistent fever. The scroll suggested a meditative trance to "answer the call," so he chose a clear night, when the valley's sky was a tapestry of stars, to begin.
As midnight cloaked the valley in starlight, Li Wei sat by the altar, the Starstone in one hand, the jade slip pressed to his chest. He chanted the scroll's incantations, their rhythmic tones blending with the valley's whispers, which formed a resonant melody, rising and falling like a divine summons. He focused on his dantian, visualizing his Golden Core as a radiant star, his Nascent Soul a glowing figure ready to answer the Dao. The scroll urged him to "hear the truth," so he opened his mind, letting the whispers guide his trance. The warmth in his dantian pulsed, and he felt a tingling sensation, as if the Dao's voice were drawing closer.
Hours passed, his body trembling from the strain, his fever intensifying, the pain in his infected wounds throbbing with each heartbeat. In his trance, the valley faded, replaced by a starry void where a radiant figure stood—his Nascent Soul, or perhaps the Dao itself—its voice a resonant call: "Will you ascend?" Li Wei's heart raced, doubts flickering—the scroll's jest, the betrayals, his frail body—but he answered, his voice hoarse but resolute: "I am the Dao's." The figure's voice echoed: "The call is your truth." Li Wei's qi surged, his Nascent Soul glowing brighter, but his body faltered, the fever spiking as dizziness gripped him. He collapsed by the altar, gasping, Azure Dragon whining and nudging his face.
The Starstone glowed warmer, as if infused with the call's energy, and his dantian pulsed clearer, as if his soul had answered. Had he truly heard the Spirit's Final Call, or was it another fevered vision? The scroll promised ascent but warned of doubt, and Li Wei chose to believe he'd succeeded. He scribbled in his notebook, hands trembling: "Spirit's Final Call answered. Dao summons, qi rises. Body falters, soul shines." The valley's whispers blended with the starlight, the ancient tree's blossoms glowing brighter.
During the next video call with the Order of the Jade Dawn, Li Wei shared the experience, describing the radiant figure and its resonant call. Zhang Wei called it a "divine summons," urging him to brew an elixir to solidify it. Liu Mei praised his connection but urged medical care: "The Dao calls the soul, but the body must endure." Chen Xiu saw it as proof of ascension, while Zhao Feng, skeptical, suggested delirium, sparking a debate that tested Li Wei's leadership. He hid his worsening fever and pain, fearing their concern might fracture the sect's unity.
As dawn broke, Li Wei sat by the pool, the Starstone in his hands, Azure Dragon snoring softly. The scroll promised that the Spirit's Final Call beckoned to eternity, but warned of greater trials. The valley's energy, his sect's support, and the scroll's guidance bolstered him, even as his body weakened. With his Golden Core and Nascent Soul pulsing as beacons, he felt ready to face the next challenge, his soul answering the Dao's call, one resonant summons at a time toward immortality.