Chapter 2: The Hidden Realm’s Trial
Li Tian stepped through the shimmering portal, leaving behind the roar of the waterfall for an eerie silence. He emerged in a vast, mist-shrouded forest, where towering ancient trees stood like silent sentinels and the air thrummed with dense spiritual energy. The hidden realm was a world apart—wild, untamed, and pulsing with power.
He inhaled deeply, the energy tingling against his skin. "This place… it's perfect."
The system's voice rang in his mind, steady and mechanical. **[Host has entered the Hidden Realm. Time dilation active: 1 year outside = 100 years inside.]**
Li Tian's eyes widened. "A thousand years here is just ten years outside?" His fists clenched with excitement. "I can cultivate for a millennium without losing my place in the world."
**[Correct. The system will now initiate your first major quest.]**
A translucent screen materialized before him, glowing with text.
**[Quest: Reach the Peak of Foundation Establishment within 100 years (Hidden Realm Time).]**
**[Reward: Unlock the Dao Companion Guidance Function.]**
"Dao Companion Guidance Function?" Li Tian asked, curiosity piqued.
**[The Dao Companion Guidance Function will assist you in locating and forming bonds with your destined dao companions. It is a crucial part of your journey as the Dao Sovereign.]**
His pulse quickened. The system had hinted at dao companions before, but now it offered a concrete path to them. "So, after this quest, I can start finding them?"
**[Affirmative. Focus on your cultivation for now. The hidden realm offers opportunities—and dangers.]**
Li Tian nodded, resolve hardening. A century to reach the peak of Foundation Establishment—a stage that took most cultivators decades or even centuries—was ambitious, but with the system and this realm's resources, he would succeed.
---
### **The First Century: Foundations of Power**
The initial decades in the hidden realm passed in a whirlwind of discipline. The system dictated a rigorous routine: meditating beneath cascading waterfalls to purify his Qi, practicing martial forms until his body ached, and studying ancient texts it conjured for him. His progress was staggering. In ten years, he reached the 9th Layer of Qi Condensation. By the twentieth, he broke into Foundation Establishment.
The realm tested him relentlessly. Spirit beasts—some as large as hills—lurked in the shadows. Once, a jade-scaled serpent cornered him, its venomous fangs gleaming. Only a rare talisman, a timely system reward, saved him. Each trial forged him anew, sharpening his skills and deepening his connection to the Dao.
By his fiftieth year, atop a cliff overlooking a sea of clouds, the system issued a new challenge.
**[New Quest: Comprehend the Dao of Wind.]**
**[Reward: Windrider Boots (Immortal Grade)]**
"The Dao of Wind?" Li Tian muttered. "I've only begun to grasp the Dao itself."
**[The hidden realm's winds are ideal for this insight. Observe them. Let them teach you.]**
For years, he studied the breezes weaving through the trees, the gales sculpting the clouds. He felt their rhythm, their freedom. One stormy night, as thunder roared, he stood on the cliff's edge, eyes closed, syncing his breath with the tempest. Enlightenment dawned—a thread of wind Qi wove into his being.
**[Quest Complete: Comprehend the Dao of Wind.]**
**[Reward: Windrider Boots (Immortal Grade)]**
Silver boots appeared, humming with energy. Slipping them on, Li Tian took a step and felt the world blur—he could cross vast distances in moments. "Incredible," he breathed.
---
### **The Quest's End: A Glimpse of Destiny**
By the hundredth year, Li Tian stood at the peak of Foundation Establishment, his aura steady and potent. The system spoke again.
**[Quest Complete: Reach the Peak of Foundation Establishment.]**
**[Reward: Unlock Dao Companion Guidance Function.]**
A new screen flickered to life, displaying a map of the Nine Heavens Realm. Twenty faint lights pulsed across it, scattered like stars.
**[These markers indicate your destined dao companions. As your strength grows, the system will guide you to them.]**
Li Tian stared, a thrill rising within him. "Twenty… each one tied to my path." Who were they? Prodigies? Hidden gems? He pushed the questions aside—his cultivation came first.
---
### **Centuries of Ascendancy**
The following centuries were a testament to his will. Guided by the system's quests, he soared through the Mortal Realms. By year five hundred, he reached the Nascent Soul Realm, his nascent soul a radiant echo of himself, exuding quiet might.
The realm revealed more than just trials. In crumbling ruins, Li Tian found treasures: artifacts, scrolls, and a fragmented jade slip. It described the Dao Sovereign Physique's potential—harmonizing multiple Daos and sharing insights with dao companions to amplify their power.
"So that's why they matter," he mused, tracing the slip's faded runes. "Together, we'll transcend what I could alone."
---
### **The Final Trial: Heavenly Tribulation**
As the thousandth year neared, Li Tian approached the Transcendent Realm, the gateway to immortality. His youthful features now bore the weight of centuries, but his eyes blazed with resolve. The system issued its final challenge.
**[Quest: Survive the Heavenly Tribulation and Ascend to the Immortal Realms.]**
**[Reward: System Upgrade – Enhanced Guidance for Immortal Realms.]**
The Heavenly Tribulation loomed—a divine crucible of lightning, wind, and fire. On the eve of his millennium, dark clouds churned overhead, crackling with menace. As the first bolt struck, Li Tian met it head-on, his cultivation roaring to life.
Nine waves battered him, each fiercer than the last. Lightning scarred the earth; winds tore at his spirit. Yet, with every clash, his Dao deepened. When the ninth wave faded, golden light bathed him, and immortal energy surged through his veins.
**[Quest Complete: Survive the Heavenly Tribulation.]**
**[Reward: System Upgrade – Enhanced Guidance for Immortal Realms.]**
He had ascended—an Earth Immortal born from a thousand years of struggle.
---
### **A New Beginning**
As he prepared to leave the hidden realm, the dao companion map glowed brighter, sensing his readiness. Before he could step through the portal, the system chimed.
**[New Quest: Locate Your First Dao Companion.]**
**[Location: Jade Lotus Sect, Eastern Continent.]**
**[Reward: Dual Cultivation Technique (Immortal Grade)]**
Li Tian's breath hitched. "My first… she's out there."
He glanced back at the realm that had shaped him, then stepped through the portal, heart alight with anticipation. A millennium of solitude had forged him into a titan, but now, his journey would weave with others—twenty women destined to share his path to eternity.
**[End of Chapter 2]**