Chapter 5: The Path to Eternity (1)

"Anlin! Anlin!"Xun woke up to a sweet, flowery scent. It smelled like jasmine with a hint of lilac. Probably his wife or one of her maids. He was glad that the pain and the thunderbolts were all just a bad dream. He was safe now.But a part of his mind asked if that was true. There were some clues nagging at him that it wasn't. For one, he didn't recognize the voice calling out to him. And second, his name was Xun, not Anlin.He opened his eyes with a start. What met his eyes weren't silk curtains or soft female faces. Instead, he saw a boy with skin as dark as coal mere inches from his face. It took all three centuries' worth of control to not scream."Anlin? Thank the heavens, you're awake. We have to go now. I'll help you get through the Wood Path," the slender boy said."Where am I?" Xun asked."In front of the Thunder Path. You got out. You're safe now. But if we don't get to the top of the mountain, then we'll have failed."Xun creased an eyebrow as he remembered seeing the boy battling one of the elemental souls earlier. The scent he smelled was coming from him. "Weren't you already almost through your path?""So? I came back when I saw that you had escaped the Thunder Path. We swore a vow that we'd help each other. Dashan and Anlin, we'd both become disciples and cultivators and explore the path to eternity together. I checked with Yifan and we decided that I'd be the one who came down to help you."Xun nodded, trying to piece the fragments of information into something coherent."I know you're tired, Anlin. But I'll help you take the Wood Path.""Wait." Xun needed more time to think. A sudden influx of memories from his new body's previous owner muddled his own thoughts. "Give me a second. The sect won't accept me as a disciple if I pass with your help.""So what? We'll solve that problem when we get there. It's better than staying a mortal for the rest of your life." There was a directness in Dashan that reminded Xun of his younger self, where everything was either right or wrong and little room for nuance in between. This was back when he was called a sword prodigy. "I'm sorry Anlin. We don't have time right now. The entrance exam is almost over and if we don't make it, it'll all have been for naught."The boy raised Xun's arm up and slipped it forward. Then, he pushed with his legs and slung Xun over his wide shoulder."Wait," Xun said. Dashan's steps didn't slow. Xun curled his hands into fists and beat against the boy's back. "Hold on. I'm going to die."Dashan immediately put Xun down. "Where are you hurt? I thought you were okay since Disciple Zeran checked over you and gave you a pill."Was Zeran the one who saved me? Xun filed the name away for later."No, it's not that. It's my spirit channels. They're damaged. If the wood souls even touch me, I'm dead.""Oh, that's easy. I have a plan; I'll distract the souls while you climb.""And what if one slips through?""That's just a risk we'll take. I'll do my best to keep them away.""What if I don't want to take that risk?"Dashan stared into Xun's eyes. "Anlin, are you really going to give up here? Your family died so you would get a chance to become a cultivator. Are you turning your back on them?"Xun answered with his actions.He struggled to his feet and walked over to the Spiritless Path. Unlike the other routes, there were no elemental souls lining the sides of the path. It was just a simple set of stone stairs to the top of the mountain."I've decided," Xun said. "This is my path.""Are you sure, An?" Dashan followed behind as Xun hobbled up the steps, taking a single step every time Xun took two. "If you use this path, you'll become a laborer. You'll be stuck in the Foundation Realm. You won't be happy.""There's an old saying. If you're not a fish, how could you know if a fish is happy? This is the path that I've chosen. And I'm happy with it."At that moment, a gong reverberated across the mountain. Dashan's face showed a struggle between convincing his friend otherwise and looking out for his own future. "Sure, alright, whatever you say. We don't have much time left. Make sure you reach the top, Anlin."Xun nodded and took another shaky step to climb higher on the Spiritless Path.About a quarter of the way up, his legs began to spasm from the exertion. Xun had to take longer pauses between each step and catch his breath. Before long, he was spending more time resting than climbing.So what happens if I don't make it into the sect? Xun's mind began to wander. Could I get the cultivation resources as a mortal?There were stories of mortals who got lucky and stumbled upon an inheritance and became cultivators. But those were the rare exception. There were also mortal families with close ties to cultivators that would sometimes be gifted resources. From the memories Xun browsed through, Anlin's family was not like that.If I can't get into this Nine Thunders Sect, I'll be too old to try for another cultivation sect. At that point, it'll take me years to get the right cultivation resources. Time that I can't afford to lose.That thought gave him new strength. He stared at the peak of the mountain and climbed higher and higher.About halfway, Xun was exhausted. There was still so much to climb and so little strength he had left. Then, he felt a hand lift his arm and help him climb. He turned his head and found Dashan next to him."We also made a promise that we'd share the fortune and suffer the misery together. I couldn't let you become a laborer by yourself now, could I?" Dashan said with a smile. He heaved, and Xun felt his body launch through the air.Perhaps having a family and a sect was a distraction. But friends might not be. The path to eternity is a lonely journey. Having someone with me, it might just be worth it.