"Proceed," Li Chen said, his voice unwavering. The System's warning about the energy cost was dire, but this was a necessary expenditure.
A profound thrum resonated from the silver medallion in his hand. It wasn't a sound, but a feeling—a deep, searching pulse that expanded outwards from him. In his mind's eye, the System's map of the ruins dissolved, replaced by a detailed topographical schematic of the entire Azure Serpent Mountain range. Visible to him as a shimmering silver wave, washed over the landscape, penetrating deep into the stone, through ancient forests, and past mist-shrouded peaks.
His own spiritual energy, guided by the System, was being siphoned into the medallion, fueling the search. He felt his reserves plummet, a dizzying emptiness opening up inside him, but he held firm. The silver wave traveled for what felt like an eternity, and then, faintly, three echoes returned.
On the vast map, three locations began to pulse with a soft, silver light, their energy signature a faint harmonic of the medallion's.
[Scan Complete. Three potential resonance points detected.]
[Point Alpha:] Located deep within the abandoned 'Crimson Vein' spirit stone mine on the western slope. [Point Beta:] Situated behind the 'Whispering Veil' waterfall in the southern valley. [Point Gamma:] At the summit of 'Dragon's Tooth Peak,' the highest and most treacherous peak in the range, perpetually shrouded in violent spiritual storms.
Li Chen's initial elation was tempered by a cold dose of reality. His ancestors had not made it simple. Two of these were almost certainly decoys, designed to waste the time of any who might find the key, or worse, lead them into a trap. He was still weak, his resources limited. He could only afford to choose one path.
"System," he said, his breathing shallow from the energy expenditure. "Cross-reference the geological and spiritual data of these three points with the principles of 'Spiritual Geomancy' from the codex."
[Acknowledged. Analyzing…]
The System began to overlay new data streams onto the map—lines of energy, or Ley Lines, that crisscrossed the mountains like a celestial circulatory system.
[Analysis of Point Alpha (Mine):] Geologically stable, but located on a dormant, nearly dead Ley Line. Spiritual energy is stagnant and thin. Designation: Low-value location. [Analysis of Point Beta (Waterfall):] Sits on a powerful Water-attribute Ley Line. The energy is abundant but chaotic and dispersive, unsuitable for establishing a stable, large-scale formation array. Designation: Sub-optimal location. [Analysis of Point Gamma (Peak):] The peak itself is a convergence point. Three major Ley Lines—one Earth, one Metal, and one Heavenly Wind—intersect directly beneath the summit. The spiritual energy is incredibly dense, powerful, and balanced. Designation: Optimal location. Prime candidate for a sect's foundation.
The conclusion was obvious. The decoys were clever, playing on classic ideas of hidden treasures. But the true sanctuary, the foundation for a sect of master engineers, was located at the place with the best access to raw power and sublime natural structure. The Heart of the Mountain.
Dragon's Tooth Peak. A place most cultivators avoided, seeing the violent spiritual storms as a deadly hazard. The Celestial Formation Sect, however, would have seen it as a natural defensive shield and an unparalleled power source.
The goal was clear, but the path was impossible. The climb alone was legendarily difficult, and the storms could tear a cultivator to shreds. He couldn't go now. He needed to prepare. He needed to get stronger, and he needed better equipment.
He sat down, the exhaustion hitting him hard, but his mind was already at work, ignited by the new functions of his upgraded System.
"System, access the [Cultivation Path Modeler]. Using my current physical data, design an optimized three-day cultivation regimen focused on core stability and Qi recovery."
[Modeling… Regimen created. Focus on the 'Foundation Stabilization Meditation' technique from the codex. Optimal practice times are dawn and dusk. Projected Body Integrity after 3 days: 58%.]
It wasn't a huge jump, but it was a start. Next, the gear.
"Access the [Master Blueprint Archive]. Search for blueprints related to traversal in extreme environments."
A list of blueprints, many of them incomplete, scrolled by. He saw designs for heat-retention cloaks, climbing claws, and oxygen-filtering arrays. One caught his eye: [Gecko-Talon Gauntlets], a theoretical design for gloves and boots that could adhere to sheer surfaces.
The blueprint called for rare materials: the silk of a Sky-Spider and the talons of a Cliff-Drake. He had neither.
This was the test. "System," he said, a slow smile forming on his face. "Open the [Material Synthesis Engine]. Let's design a composite material. The goal is to replicate the adhesive and durability properties of the original blueprint using salvaged materials from these ruins."
The interface shifted, opening a new and complex workshop in his mind. On one side was the required property list from the [Gecko-Talon Gauntlets]. On the other, a list of available materials: Ironwood fibers, Silverwood sap, crushed stone, the sinew of spiritual beasts he could scavenge from corpses.
His work was just beginning. He was no longer just a survivor. He was an architect, an engineer, a creator. And he had a mountain to climb.