Chương 4

Soul-Calming Talismans and other mind-stabilizing talismans served another purpose in Seed of Ascension. They could function as consumable entry passes. The key was the symbol inscribed on the back. If a talisman bore an Ember Mark, it contained a special guidance technique created by the Divine Sects. Once activated, the talisman calmed the user's mind and guided their consciousness into an Ember Sanctum. These sanctums existed entirely within the mind. They were nothing like physical hidden realms.

No matter what happened inside, challengers could fight without fear of permanent injury or death. The worst possible outcome was simply wasting an entry attempt. Back when Elara had been sitting safely on Earth playing a video game, that feature hadn't seemed particularly impressive. Now that she was trapped inside Seed of Ascension without so much as a logout button? She could practically kiss the developers for it.

Elara first harvested the rest of the mature Glowmist Grass and stored it carefully in her wooden herb box. Then she returned to her room, pressed the Soul-Calming Talisman against her forehead, and prepared to enter the Ember Sanctum. In theory, the presence of the Ember Mark meant the sanctum itself should already exist. But this era was far earlier than the game's official timeline. She needed to confirm it for herself.

If the Ember Sanctum truly existed, she wouldn't have to worry much about finding more entry talismans later. As long as she cleared the first trial, the sanctum itself would grant her a permanent method of access. Elara recited the activation verse and circulated her qi. Her eyelids grew heavy. A few moments later, she slipped into a deep sleep.... Elara's eyes snapped open. The gray mist surrounding her consciousness scattered. Golden light poured through. She looked up.

A colossal gate rose before her, towering well over a hundred feet into the air. Ancient characters were carved across the plaque above it. [Stairway of the Great Dao] Elara's breath caught.

"It's exactly the same." A grin spread across her face.

"This really is an Ember Sanctum." And more importantly—"No one's cleared it yet." When Elara had first started playing Seed of Ascension in her previous life, the game had already been running for several months. By then, it had become a worldwide phenomenon, and she had joined millions of other players chasing the hype. For cultivators, Ember Sanctums were among the most popular places to grind progression and hunt for treasure. But the sanctum before her was different from the one she remembered.

Only the first step of the Stairway of the Great Dao was visible. It gleamed with brilliant gold. Everything beyond it lay buried beneath thick white mist that refused to disperse. Elara remembered the relevant game lore. The Ember Sanctum had originally been designed as a competitive treasure realm open to all players. Every level offered different rewards. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Clearing a trial earned one reward.

Setting a new record earned another. And the player holding the best overall record for a level could receive something even better. According to the lore, the Ember Sanctums had been jointly created by the six great Divine Sects of the Central Lands. They had poured enormous resources into preserving their inheritances. Many of the treasures stored inside were unique. Once claimed, they were permanently marked as obtained and could never be awarded again.

By the time Elara started playing, the strongest players had already pushed the Stairway past the seven-hundredth level. Most of the valuable first-clear rewards were long gone. Even when she managed to clear a trial herself, all she got were the leftovers. First clears? Server records? Those had absolutely nothing to do with a casual player like her. But now... Elara clenched her fists.

"The players haven't even arrived yet." She looked up at the endless mist.

"So for me, this place is basically an untouched top-tier treasure vault." There was no reason to hesitate. She stepped onto the first golden stair.

"I made it in. Now I clear as much as I can." Her vision blurred. A heartbeat later, the world changed. Elara found herself sitting inside an enormous ancient academy hall. She recognized the first trial immediately. It was an illusion realm designed to test basic learning ability. The sanctum would randomly choose one of three basic talismans. As long as the challenger learned to craft it within three days, the first level was cleared. In practice, it was almost a tutorial reward.

The three possible talismans were the Soul-Calming Talisman, the Tranquil Mind Talisman, and the Spirit-Soothing Talisman. All three stabilized the mind. The message was obvious. Clear the first level, and you learned how to enter the Ember Sanctum again. Fail even this? Then you probably had no business attempting the later trials. A cool voice sounded inside Elara's mind. The next instant, the hall filled with the murmur of hundreds of students reciting from their texts. Elara looked down.

Her clothes had changed. She now wore a clean white academy robe and sat behind a wooden desk. At the front of the hall stood an elderly instructor with snow-white hair and an almost ageless face. A golden-crimson flame was embroidered across his blue robe. The Ember Mark of the Divine Sects.

"Students, turn to page thirty." His voice carried effortlessly through the hall.

"Today, we will study the construction of the Soul-Calming Talisman." Elara glanced around while opening her book. The classroom was far larger than she had expected. There had to be several hundred students present. Even from near the back, she could hear the instructor perfectly. Then she noticed something strange. Every student except the instructor had a face hidden behind white mist. No features. No identities. Just vague silhouettes. Elara turned back— And nearly jumped.

The old instructor was suddenly standing beside her desk. He smiled pleasantly.

"Young lady, learning requires concentration." His tone was mild.

"Try not to let your attention wander. This lesson will be especially important for you." Elara nodded quickly. At the same time, she instinctively tried to inspect him. Nothing happened. Her perception vanished into him like a stone dropped into a bottomless lake. Elara went very still. Even though this old man was only an image produced by the trial... He was terrifyingly powerful. As though sensing what she had attempted, the instructor merely smiled and returned to the front. Then the lesson began in earnest.

"Talismans are one of the fundamental pillars of a cultivator's arts..." The instant the lecture ended, Elara found herself somewhere else. A quiet stone chamber. Candles flickered along the walls. A wooden table stood before her, covered with yellow talisman paper, brushes, ink, and every material she would need. An hourglass rested beside them. A voice sounded once again. [Time Limit: Three Days.] [Complete a valid talisman within the allotted time.] [Qi consumption and physical fatigue will not affect you within this trial.] Elara recalled everything she had just learned. She picked up a sheet of yellow paper. Dipped the brush into the prepared ink. And began. Maybe it was because she had practiced talisman crafting back when this world had only been a game. Maybe it was Practice Makes Perfect. Either way, she took to the process surprisingly quickly. Her brush moved smoothly. Each stroke connected cleanly with the next. Soon, the full pattern was complete.

Then came the real challenge. Elara circulated her qi and guided it into the paper. The talisman immediately released a thin curl of pale yellow smoke. Failure. Elara barely reacted. She grabbed another sheet. Once. Twice. Three times.... On her eighth attempt, the lines across the talisman began to flicker. The entire sheet trembled on the edge of collapse. Then— A faint blue glow spread across its surface. Elara shot to her feet.

"Yes!" Before the word had fully left her mouth, the chamber vanished. She was back at the foot of the Stairway of the Great Dao. The mist covering the second stair slowly parted. [Congratulations.] [Stairway of the Great Dao — Level 1 cleared.] [Rewards acquired:] [Guidance Art] [Dao Embryo Pill] The Guidance Art was exactly what Elara had expected. Learning to craft an entry talisman was only half of the process.

The Guidance Art completed it, allowing her consciousness to follow the Ember Mark and enter the sanctum properly. But the second reward... Elara stared at the notification.

"No way." Two items materialized before her. She barely glanced at the Guidance Art before grabbing the jade box. Elara lifted the lid. A pale red pill rested inside. Cloudlike markings flowed naturally across its surface. Her heart skipped. It really was a Dao Embryo Pill.

"How is this the reward?" Elara could hardly believe it.

"Is this because I'm the first person to clear the level?" When she had cleared Level One in her previous life, she had received nothing more than a few basic pills used by Qi Refining cultivators to gather qi. Useful, sure. But completely ordinary. A Dao Embryo Pill was in another league entirely. This was the kind of treasure that could fundamentally improve a cultivator's potential.

It refined the body, strengthened the meridians, and elevated one's cultivation aptitude without the usual hidden damage or side effects. More importantly, its benefits weren't limited to a single breakthrough. It improved the foundation itself. Elara looked back toward the Stairway of the Great Dao. For the first time, the endless white mist no longer looked intimidating. It looked like treasure.

"This Ember Sanctum..." She tightened her grip on the jade box.

"The rewards here might be far better than I ever imagined."