The sun was rising slowly, tinting the sky with golden and lilac hues.
The morning breeze blew from the east, bringing with it the gentle sound of leaves dancing in the wind.
Jun Tian walked along the narrow path that led back to the city, his body light and his mind serene.
Even tired from the nite of cultivation, his steps were firm — there was a new energy within him, silent but pulsating, like a heart of light.
As he walked, he couldn't shake the feeling that something within him was about to change.
The Qi in his body flowed more smoothly, responding to each beat of his heart.
It was as if the world around him breathed with him — the sky, the earth, the wind, everything pulsing in sync.
"The moment is coming..."
The voice that echoed in his mind was not his.
It was soft, ancient, feminine — the same one that had guided him the previous nite.
The Nine-Color Lotus was alive, and each day it seemed to understand more about him than he did himself.
Jun Tian stopped walking.
Looking at the horizon, where the mountains stretched like sacred shadows, he made a decision.
He wouldn't go back home yet.
He knew his parents wouldn't notice his absence, and maybe it was better that way.
Today, he would break the final limit of Qi Gathering.
Today, he would take the first true step on the path of cultivation.
The mountain looked different at dawn.
The rays of sunlight pierced thru the clouds, casting shimmering lights on the trees.
Spiritual birds flew in pairs, and the distant sound of a river echoed like an ancient song.
Jun Tian sat on a rock at the top, the same place where he had meditated the nite before.
He closed his eyes.
Within her spiritual sea, the Nine-Colored Lotus slowly spun.
The petals opened one by one, revealing a core of white light so pure that it made the heart tremble.
"To condense is to understand."
"The true Qi is not just energy... it is the harmony between the body, the soul, and the world."
These words echoed inside him like silent thunder.
So, he took a deep breath.
The spiritual Qi around began to vibrate.
The breeze stopped, the leaves settled — even the sounds of the forest disappeared.
An invisible presence took over the place, dense and alive.
Jun Tian began to guide the Path of the Ascending Breath of Eternity.
His body became the center of an invisible current, and the Qi from the environment began to flow toward him.
At first, the flow was gentle.
But as he deepened the rhythm, the Qi began to roar like a river meeting the ocean.
Inside his dantian, the Qi began to concentrate into a single point.
Spinning, compressing, purifying.
Each cycle made him tremble, each breath brought him closer to the limit.
So... it happened.
A silent explosion of light shone within him.
Not an ordinary light — it was the fusion of the nine colors.
They intertwined in spirals, forming a translucent sphere, golden at the center, surrounded by halos of rainbow.
The common spiritual Qi transformed before his inner eyes, acquiring density and brilliance.
It was the True Qi — the hallmark of the Condensation Realm.
Jun Tian felt the world change.
His mind expanded, touching the edges of the surrounding space.
He could feel the movement of the ants under the stone, the flow of the wind among the leaves, even the distant beating of a deer's heart in the valley below.
It was as if the universe accepted him as part of itself.
But at the same time... something dangerous happened.
The sky above the mountain trembled.
Clouds began to move irregularly, as if something powerful were about to be born.
Spiritual lights began to emerge around — celestial phenomena that usually accompanied the advancement of legendary geniuses.
Jun Tian opened his eyes — and the fright paralyzed him.
No! If someone sees this...!
Before he could act, the Nine-Colored Lotus shone in his mind.
Its power expanded in all directions, covering the sky.
In an instant, all the lights disappeared, swallowed by a serene darkness.
The wind ceased, and the Qi of the environment was gently dispersed.
Outside, nothing remained — not even a spiritual flicker.
It was as if nothing had happened.
Jun Tian gasped.
I felt my heart pounding, but a smile appeared on my face.
"So that's it... the power of a hidden advance."
He stood up slowly.
His skin seemed lighter, his eyes shone with lightness.
Each breath carried power.
The body, the mind, and the soul were in perfect harmony.
"Realm of Qi Condensation..." he murmured. "The first step of the Dao ladder."
He looked at the horizon.
The sun was already high, bathing the world in golden light.
Jun Tian sat down again and closed his eyes, savoring the moment.
Within her spiritual sea, the Nine-Colored Lotus floated peacefully, emitting a gentle aura.
And then, for the first time, he felt something different emanating from it — an emotion.
Not human, not divine... but pride.
"Continue, Jun Tian."
"Eternity begins in silence."
A gentle breeze blew thru the mountain, scattering petals and leaves.
The young cultivator smiled, his gaze serene like that of someone who understood their own destiny.
That morning, under the rising sun, Jun Tian took his first step on the true path of immortality.