immortal pagoda

chapter 5: Awakened

"Hope?"

When Lu Li heard this, he looked at Fan Zhengping excitedly. In times of despair, nothing was more precious than hope. As long as there was even a sliver of hope, anything was possible.

"Yes, hope." Fan Zhengping nodded. "As mortals, you naturally have no choice. However, if you possess spiritual roots, my master may accept you as a disciple, just as he did with me."

Spiritual roots.

Hearing these words, Lu Li's excitement dimmed, and he muttered in disappointment, "We participated in the Qingyang Sect's awakening ceremony, but none of us awakened spiritual roots."

"No spiritual roots?" Fan Zhengping frowned at first, then suddenly stared at Lu Li as if he had made an important decision. "Wait here."

Without another word, he rushed into the hall. Lu Li hesitated, considering leaving, but glanced at the closed door beside him and chose to remain seated.

Not only were Fatty Chen and Qin Shouren still inside, but he doubted he could escape on his own given their current circumstances.

Moments later, Fan Zhengping returned, carrying several jade bottles in his hands. Sitting back down, he spoke solemnly, "These are Awakening Pills that I secretly refined. There are one hundred and twenty in total. Take them. If any of you manage to awaken spiritual roots, tell me, and I will plead with my master on your behalf. Perhaps he will spare you."

"Awakening Pills?" Lu Li looked at the pile of jade bottles and shook his head. "We've already taken them before."

"I know." Fan Zhengping explained, "People assume five-element spiritual roots are the weakest, but that's not true. Below them are six-element, seven-element, eight-element, and even nine-element spiritual roots, collectively known as Miscellaneous Spiritual Roots. Awakening these requires an excessive number of Awakening Pills."

He continued, "However, even if you awaken such a spiritual root, your cultivation speed will be slower than a turtle's crawl. You might never even reach the first level of Qi Refining. But... it's still better than having no hope at all."

Hearing this, the dream of cultivation that had been extinguished within Lu Li rekindled. Even if he only had a Miscellaneous Spiritual Root, as long as he could cultivate, he wouldn't give up.

"Thank you." Lu Li grabbed all the jade bottles. No matter the outcome, he would give it a try.

After a brief exchange, Lu Li hurried toward the rooms.

He first entered Room Three, where he found Chen Zhong. Handing him four jade bottles, he explained what had happened. Unexpectedly, Fatty Chen cursed him for being foolish and refused to accept them.

Having no choice, Lu Li left the bottles on the ground before heading to Qin Shouren's room. Unlike Fatty Chen, Qin Shouren hesitated only for a moment before taking them. "If there's even a chance, I'll take it," he said resolutely.

Fan Zhengping observed everything in silence, noting that Lu Li had a stable personality and a sharp mind. If he could awaken even a Miscellaneous Spiritual Root, perhaps he might reach the first level of Qi Refining in his lifetime.

Once Lu Li finished distributing the pills, Fan Zhengping stood up, locked the door, and left.

Seated on the grass, Lu Li wasted no time swallowing the Awakening Pills. Even a prestigious sect like Qingyang Sect wouldn't allow a mortal to squander such precious resources. He truly had to thank Fan Zhengping for his generosity.

After swallowing the first pill, he immediately checked for changes—but there was none.

A quarter of an hour later, still nothing.

With a sigh, Lu Li took another.

Before he knew it, three hours had passed. He had taken eighteen pills, yet his body showed no reaction.

Just as he was about to lose hope, a trembling voice came from a small hole in the wall beside him. "Mud Monkey, Mud Monkey, look! I think I... I awakened..."

Lu Li was stunned. He grabbed Qin Shouren's outstretched hand and saw a faint mist emerging from it. His eyes widened in disbelief. "Damn! You… you really awakened!"

"Hahaha! I have spiritual roots! I can become an immortal!" Qin Shouren shouted excitedly.

Not long after, Lu Li heard him running to the adjacent wall, likely showing off to Chen Zhong. A moment later, Fatty Chen glanced at the jade bottles outside his door and, without hesitation, ran to grab them.

That night, Lu Li consumed all forty Awakening Pills, yet there was still no sign of awakening. He lay helplessly on the hay, his heart heavy with despair.

The next morning, Qin Shouren's excited voice jolted him awake.

"Lu Li! Fatty Chen awakened too!"

Lu Li's breath hitched. He turned away silently.

By noon, Fan Zhengping returned and opened the doors, allowing them to step outside for fresh air. Upon hearing that both Qin Shouren and Chen Zhong had successfully awakened, Fan Zhengping was visibly surprised. "I'll plead with my master to let you both stay and assist with refining elixirs."

Qin Shouren, noticing Lu Li's despondence, handed him three jade bottles. "I still have twenty-five Awakening Pills left. Try again."

Chen Zhong did the same. "I have twenty more. On the path to immortality, we three brothers must walk together."

At first, Lu Li hesitated. If forty pills couldn't awaken him, what would another twenty-five do? Even if he succeeded, his spiritual roots would likely be worthless. But when he saw the hope in their eyes, he took the pills anyway.

Fan Zhengping, perhaps unused to companionship, continued explaining cultivation techniques to Chen Zhong and Qin Shouren throughout the day. Lu Li sat beside them, listening absentmindedly, envy flickering in his heart.

As the sun set, they rushed to the kitchen, busily preparing a meal, their joy palpable.

But Lu Li remained absent-minded. That night, he returned to his room and swallowed the pills one by one, forcing himself to ignore his rising despair.

Again, disappointment followed.

By dawn, he had consumed thirty more pills. Yet, nothing had changed. Only five remained.

The next day, he refused to leave his room.

Chen Zhong and Qin Shouren visited, trying to comfort him. But there was nothing they could do. With heavy hearts, they left him alone.

"No... I can't give up."

Lu Li stared at the final jade bottle and uncorked it.

One.

Two.

Three.

Suddenly, his body shone brilliantly. A dazzling nine-colored light—gold, green, blue, red, brown, white, purple, black, and bright yellow—erupted from within him, illuminating the entire room.

Lu Li trembled with excitement. "I... I awakened!"

Hearing his shout, Chen Zhong and Qin Shouren rushed in. Upon seeing Lu Li's glowing form, they rubbed their eyes in disbelief.

"What's going on?" Qin Shouren asked in shock.

Their awakenings had been faint and subtle, but Lu Li's was overwhelming—his entire body was radiating light.

Fan Zhengping ran inside and swallowed nervously. "Is this... really an awakening?"

Chen Zhong and Qin Shouren froze. "Could it be... that it's not?"

Fan Zhengping hesitated, his expression unreadable. "I don't know. I've never heard of such an awakening before. Unfortunately, I'm only at the first level of Qi Refining. If a Foundation Establishment master were here, they could directly determine what kind of spiritual root you possess..."