The Prodigy of the Hidden Realm

Lily hesitated for a moment, then walked toward the door of the pagoda. But as she approached the towering structure, she realized that what seemed close at first actually took her a long time to reach. By the time she stood before the bright red door, she was drenched in sweat.

Wiping her forehead, she finally grasped the enormity of the nine-story pagoda. Standing beneath it, she felt as small as an ant. The overwhelming sight of the pagoda made her feel a deep sense of awe.

"Linglong Pagoda," Lily whispered to herself. She bowed three times with reverence, her heart a little calmer but still filled with curiosity.

Just as she finished her bow, the tower seemed to tremble slightly. The massive red door creaked open slowly.

Lily jumped in shock and instinctively turned to flee. But even after running a hundred meters, nothing happened. The pagoda remained still, and the door was now wide open.

She took a deep breath, steadying her mind, and squashed the rising panic. I might as well go in and see for myself, she thought. She couldn't stay outside forever—there had to be a way out of this strange place.

Gathering her courage, she stepped forward again, this time into the pagoda. What she found inside, however, took her completely by surprise.

Rather than the wide, empty hall she had expected, the entire space was filled with shelves—massive shelves, as tall as the pagoda itself, brimming with books. The hall stretched out for about an acre, and the shelves seemed to extend forever. There were thousands of books, carefully organized into distinct sections. Lily stood in awe, scanning the vast collection.

She looked up at the towering shelves, which were divided into various sections: medicine, farming, martial arts, animal husbandry...

Lily walked closer, her eyes scanning the labels on each section. The medicine section alone was split into several subcategories, such as "Introduction to Chinese Herbal Medicine," "Complete Guide to Planting Techniques," and "Pharmaceutical Preparation." Martial arts had its own division too—everything from fitness and self-defense to advanced techniques like internal cultivation and lightness skills.

The sheer variety of books was overwhelming. She was both dazzled and confused. Where do I even begin?

Her gaze shifted to a section that stood out among the rest—Cultivation.

Her heart skipped a beat. Was it really the type of cultivation she thought it was? The kind that involved immortals?

Curiosity overtook her, and she walked toward the section, eyes widening in disbelief. Sure enough, the books in this section were about immortality, alchemy, and even celestial techniques like array formations and divination.

Her breath caught in her throat. Could it be? Could immortality truly exist in this world? She had already experienced reincarnation; maybe there was truth to the legends of immortals after all.

As her mind raced, she pulled a book off the shelf titled Complete Guide to Alchemy. Opening it, she found herself astounded. The text explained that in order to begin the cultivation process, one would need to take a special elixir, known as Xisui Dan, to cleanse their body and enhance their spiritual roots. Only those with fire-type spiritual roots could become alchemists.

But the benefits of becoming an alchemist were enormous. For one, taking pills to enhance one's cultivation would be far more efficient than conventional methods. Even when advancing to higher stages, such as foundation building, one would need specific pills like Foundation Pills.

There were other pills, too—like the Small Healing Pill, which could restore nearly all health to a person on the brink of death, or the Great Healing Pill, which could even revive the dead. But the most advanced pills, like the Nine-Turn Great Healing Pill, could only be refined by someone at the Nascent Soul stage.

Lily's mind buzzed with excitement at the possibilities. But the more she read, the more she felt the crushing weight of reality. How could she become a cultivator if she didn't even have the Marrow Cleansing Pill? And she certainly didn't have the fire-type spiritual roots required to refine pills.

Her heart sank as she glanced at the shelves, filled with books on advanced cultivation techniques. It seemed so far out of reach.

But she wasn't ready to give up yet. With all these books here, she refused to let go of the idea of cultivation so easily. Maybe there's a way to get the Marrow Cleansing Pill...

Frustrated and desperate for a break, Lily turned away from the shelves and walked toward the center of the hall, where a crystal-clear spring was bubbling. She had been so caught up in everything, and now her body reminded her—she was thirsty and exhausted.

Without thinking much about it, she cupped her hands and took a deep drink from the spring. The moment the water hit her lips, she knew something was different. It was cool and sweet but not overly so, with a warmth spreading through her body the moment it settled in her stomach. She felt her pores open and her muscles relax, a sense of comfort washing over her that she hadn't realized she'd been craving.

Could this be... immortal water? she thought, her mind whirling with excitement.

As she drank her fill, a voice suddenly broke through her thoughts.

"Er, Lily? Lily, where are you?" It was her mother's voice, filled with worry.

Lily froze. Oh no! I forgot I was supposed to be with Aunt Sylvia. They must be panicking.

Her heart raced. How was she supposed to explain where she had gone? She didn't even know how to get out of this place herself.

Just as panic set in, the world around her seemed to twist. In the blink of an eye, she was back in her bed, the sounds of her mother and aunt calling out to her echoing in her ears.

Lily blinked, disoriented for a moment. She let out a breath of relief, glad to be back, though she still couldn't understand what had just happened.

The room was dim as the sky outside darkened. Thankfully, no one was there. Her mother and Aunt Sylvia had gone outside to look for her.

"Mom, I'm here!" Lily quickly dressed and ran outside, calling to them.

"Oh, my dear girl! You scared me half to death!" Mary exclaimed, rushing over to her.

Lily felt a strange pang in her chest. In this life, at least I have parents who care. It was a feeling she had never known in her past life, where her parents in her past life had only ever used her for publicity and profit—had they ever truly cared for her from the bottom of their hearts? But now, she felt even more grateful for fate's mercy. Not only was she free from being exploited, but she had also finally experienced genuine family love.

She smiled, relieved, but that moment of peace was short-lived. As she walked to her mother's side, aunt Sylvia wrinkled her nose and said, "Lily, you didn't fall into the cesspool, did you? You smell awful!"

Lily froze, looking down at herself. To her horror, she saw that her clothes were covered in dark, foul-smelling muck.

"Really, child, how did you fall into the cesspool?" Mary asked, holding her nose in disgust.

Lily could only laugh awkwardly. Well, I guess it's just a small sacrifice for the immortal spring...

Sylvai quickly boiled a large pot of water, insisting Lily take a thorough bath to wash off the smell. As Lily soaked in the warm water, she suddenly noticed something odd. The wound on her wrist, the one she had gotten earlier, was completely healed. Not only that, but the red heart-shaped birthmark she had been born with had returned to its original form, only now it was even deeper in color.

The changes, small as they seemed, made Lily feel a strange, inexplicable sense of destiny.