I stumbled out of the Firefly King's portal and into blinding daylight. The air hit me like molten lead—dense, heavy with a rarefied pressure that pressed down on my bones. I staggered forward to a cliff edge and looked down. Below stretched a vast canyon glowing with silver veins of qi-lightning, and overhead the sky itself seemed alive with faint firefly motes drifting between clouds.
My chest heaved.
"This… isn't anywhere I know."
Inside my chest I felt a sudden flutter, a warmth, almost like the first rays of dawn.
Felicity stirred within me. Her voice was groggy but curious, she brushed up against my mind.
"Ash…? Where are we? when you entered the inheritance, I went dormant, I felt—nothing, all this time you were training? Then you...wait, you're absolutely glowing master!"
I laughed, tired but exhilarated, lifting a hand where fireflies of my now scattered dantian still circled.
"Yeah. I guess I picked up a few tricks."
I tried to take a step forward, but the weight of the battle essence of the land crushed down on me, forcing my knees to buckle. If it weren't for my crystalized skeleton, I would probably be a smear on the ground! I thought to myself.
This land wasn't just rich with rarified Qi—it was hostile, the ambient energy of centuries of fallen cultivators congealed into a field that rejected weakness.
I dragged myself to a cliffside alcove and slumped against the rock, sweat breaking out on my forehead. "If I don't figure this out, I won't survive long enough to show or save anyone. Why the hell did the firefly king send me here!?"
Felicity's spirit stirred sharper now, fully awake, sensing the change in me.
"Your dantian feels...divided, master. Like your qi isn't one pool anymore but… hundreds."
I touched my forehead, closing my eyes. The Firefly King's words echoed in my skull ''Do you think I'm a sixty-token inheritance for nothing?'' The promise of a mental tower—four floors of treasures, techniques, and secrets—waiting inside me, still lingered in my mind, no pun intended.
But how to reach it?
I forced myself into lotus position, the firefly motes circling me dimly, I tried to "descend" inward. All I was met with was fog. Resistance. The inheritance existed but locked.
I clenched my fists, "NO! I punched the cliff wall, and a tremor shook the valley. "There has to be a way."
Then, suddenly—an idea. I smirked, remembering my Spirit-man technique. "What if I was looking at this wrong? What if it's not, exactly inside my mind, but within my spirit?"
I exhaled, loosening my body, and let my Spirit-Man peel free from my physical form.
Exiting my flesh and standing in spirit-man form I turned, expecting only to see my limp shell of flesh.
Instead, my jaw dropped.
Perched squarely on the shoulders of my seated body was a luminous, many-tiered Pagoda of Light, humming with the pulse of eternity. Each floor flickered with countless fireflies orbiting within, as though entire worlds spun inside it.
I whispered, half in awe, half in glee, "The Firefly King wasn't kidding… my inheritance is sitting right here, right on my shoulders!"
Felicity gasped through our bond, her voice quivering.
"Ash… you're carrying a whole damn palace on your back!"
The Spirit Pagoda stirred, its upper windows glowing like lanterns in the night. A whisper rolled out, the same eternal childlike voice I'd heard before.
"Climb if you dare, little spark. Each floor requires comprehension, not comfort. But if you rise… you will never fade."
My eyes lit with determination.
"Then let's see what the first floor has in store for me."
And with that, my Spirit-Man stepped into the luminous doors of the pagodas first floor.
I stepped across the luminous threshold, and the world unfolded into a hall lit by drifting constellations of fireflies. The ceiling seemed endless, a starry dome where each mote flickered with faint fragments of memory—battle cries, falling empires, victories snatched from ruin.
At the center of the hall rose a great lotus-shaped dais, and upon it rested treasures sealed in golden light. Four clear paths spiraled out from the dais, each lined with faint murals of the Eternal Firefly King's battles.
The childlike king's voice echoed warmly, though laced with ancient weight:
"The First Floor is for sparks like you—new flames, stubborn flames. Here lie tools of survival, of persistence. Earth-grade treasures for the eternal beginner."
My eyes scanned the glowing relics and weapons of the First Floor, all of which were Earth Grade.
There was the legendary Lantern-Spear of Flickering Dawn! – It was a humble looking black iron spear capped with a lantern-shaped blade that glowed faintly. Each thrust ignited firefly motes, disrupting enemy senses. Perfect for piercing defenses.
There was a pair of odd looking twin crescent blades, their edges refracting light. When thrown, they split into dozens of shimmering blades!
In a glass case was the Starlit Chain – A coil of links made from condensed star-steel. When infused with qi, the chain could become links of light itself, able to bind spirits and corporeal foes alike.
My hand twitched. The spear called to my taste for direct battle, but the starlit chain whispered of control and creativity. I didn't choose any just yet—I wanted to move slowly, unlocking every minor secret first.
I turned my attention to the Martial Techniques also Earth Grade.
The fireflies on the murals burst into motion, enacting the techniques before my eyes.
The Lotus Step was a highly refined movement technique, each footfall left not one but a sequence of "after-sparks" that bent pursuit and could even redirect attacks back toward their source.
There was the Swarm Sheild technique –A highly refined version of the simple Mote Swarm Veil, instead of just confusing enemies, my swarm could become tangible, forming shields that absorbed strikes.
One technique caught my attention in particular, Eternal breath: A high-level breath technique that could fold Vestigium force into something even greater. Once fully mastered each inhale and exhale a cultivator took would harmonize them with the flow of heaven and earth, each breath a microcosm of persistence. With this breathing technique at my disposal, I could begin cultivating Eon Force!
Then my gaze fell upon a crystal jar sitting on the dais, glowing so brightly it outshone every weapon. Inside, a viscous amber liquid rippled like molten dawn. Just breathing in the scent of it filled my lungs with vitality, as though I had slept a thousand years in one breath.
The Firefly King's voice dropped into a reverent tone:
"The Prime Elixir. My eternal reserve. A single sip grants 200 years of life and can recover any cultivator from death's door. I used it to survive wars against those far stronger than me."
My throat went dry.
"200 hundred years…of life?! From a single sip?"
The King laughed softly. "Careful, little spark. Drink without need, and you'll waste eternity's wine. Hoard it, and you become its prisoner. It is not a weapon—it is a vow to continue."
My fingers trembled as I touched the prime elixir, feeling its warmth bleed into him. With this… not only could he save himself, but he could pull his friends back from the abyss. Frey-jita and Lord Imperion suddenly seemed more like threats that I and Felicity could overcome.
The child king appeared at his side now, hands folded behind his back, smiling faintly.
"Do not greedily chase every flame, Ash. Learn persistence. The First Floor is survival itself. The higher floors… are for eternity."
I nodded, overwhelmed, but determination sharpened in my eyes.
"Then I'll master every technique here. And when the time comes—I'll make sure none of my spark's fade."