Cultivation starts with picking up attributes
Chapter 103: Ch-103: Journey Back

Chapter 103: Ch-103: Journey Back

The dock groaned beneath the weight of supplies as the small spirit ship swayed gently against the morning tide.

Pale mists curled around the pier like fingers reluctant to let them go, and the first rays of sunlight shimmered across the vast expanse of the Great Ocean.

It stretched endlessly before them—deep, unknowable, and whispering secrets in its slow, eternal voice.

Tian Shen adjusted the straps on his pack, gazing out at the horizon.

"So... we really are doing this."

Feng Yin stood beside him, dressed in traveling leathers with her hair braided tightly back, a fox-fur clasp holding her cloak in place—a small gift from Little Mei.

She didn’t answer right away, only watching the mist part as their ship, The Pale Lark, hummed to life with gentle spiritual energy.

From behind them, Elder Su appeared with the quiet grace of falling snow.

"Try not to get seasick, pretty boy. Or at least not on the first day."

Tian Shen narrowed his eyes.

"I won’t."

"Maybe not," Little Mei corrected, hopping aboard in her human form. She wore a wide-brimmed hat and carried absolutely no luggage. Her bag resting in the storeroom.

"What’s in your bag?"

Feng Yin asked curiously.

Little Mei beamed.

"Snacks, snacks and extra snacks."

Drowsy fluttered overhead and landed at the ship’s mast, ruffling her feathers and letting out a long, imperial cluck, as if declaring dominion over the vessel.

As the ship began to pull away from the dock, Feng Yin stepped beside Tian Shen, her voice low.

"The ocean is old. Wiser than most cultivators. Don’t underestimate it."

He glanced at her.

"You sound like an old hag."

For that his foot paid the price.

"Ouchh, Sorry. I was interested the wrong, ok?"

Tian Shen’s response was silenced by the wind, which picked up suddenly—carrying the scent of salt, the chill of distant lands, and something deeper, older... lurking.

...

The first two days passed without incident, save for Little Mei loudly complaining about the lack of dessert.

The Pale Lark glided smoothly over the waves, guided by spirit runes etched into its polished wood hull.

Drowsy took her job seriously as lookout, perching atop the mast like an ancient guardian.

Tian Shen stood at the bow often, eyes scanning the horizon. For the first time in a long while, he felt something in his chest besides restlessness.

Excitement. The same storm that had them almost buried just months ago had now become a tide pushing them forward.

That night, as silver moonlight bathed the deck, Feng Yin approached him with two cups of warmed rice wine.

"To the journey."

She said simply.

He accepted the cup, brushing her fingers with his.

"And to not falling off the boat."

They drank quietly, watching the stars ripple on the sea.

...

On the third day, the weather turned.

Clouds thickened like bruises in the sky. Wind howled across the deck, and spirit runes pulsed frantically to keep the ship steady.

"Hold the lines!"

Elder Su shouted, her voice slicing through the wind.

"Foxy, ward the stern!"

Little Mei, in her fox form now, darted across the deck with surprising speed, pressing talismans into the ship’s corners.

Tian Shen drew his sword and plunged it into the deck, channeling his qi through the blade to reinforce the spiritual barrier.

Feng Yin stood beside him, hands weaving a defensive formation in the air.

Then came the wave.

Not water, but a presence—a creature of the deep. A massive eye breached the surface, blinking slowly.

The sea parted like curtains before it, revealing a glimmering spine that stretched across the horizon.

Everyone froze.

Except Drowsy and Elder Su.

The creature lingered for a moment—watching, measuring. Then it sank back beneath the waves with a hum that reverberated through their bones.

Silence fell, broken only by Little Mei’s whisper.

"What... was that?"

"The ocean’s terror."

Elder Su said calmly.

...

Day five brought them into the Whispering Belt.

The air turned thin and cold. The waves stilled, glass-like.

Drowsy clung to the mast, eyes closed.

Elder Su activated a spirit calming formation, wrapping them all in a bubble of calm.

Even with the formation, Tian Shen could feel something brushing against his soul.

When they finally emerged into clear waters, no one spoke for a long time.

...

On the seventh day, the sea turned shallow, and trees began to rise from it like giants waking from slumber.

The Great Verdant Forest.

Towering trunks stretched toward the sky, their leaves shimmering with qi.

Birds of impossible color flitted through the air. The scent of earth and ancient rain filled their lungs.

They docked at a natural landing made of twisted roots. The moment Tian Shen stepped off the ship, the forest breathed. Leaves rustled in greeting. The wind carried a distant chime.

"Just like the last time, same."

Feng Yin whispered.

"It always has been," Elder Su replied. "Even before the first cultivator ever set foot here."

Little Mei looked around cheekily.

"I smell mushrooms."

They ventured in.

...

The forest welcomed them with a strange, living grace—vines shifting gently aside, flowers blooming as they passed, as though curious about their presence. Shafts of emerald light filtered through the thick canopy, and the air buzzed with subtle, pulsing life.

Tian Shen ran his hand along a bark-covered trunk as wide as a house. It pulsed beneath his palm.

"It feels everything," Elder Su confirmed, her eyes scanning the shifting patterns of leaves above.

"The Forest doesn’t forget. And it doesn’t easily forgive, because it obeys the law— ’survival of the fittest’."

"I hope it likes snacks," Little Mei said, offering a spirit fruit to a passing squirrel spirit the size of a small cat.

It blinked at her, sniffed once, and promptly stole the entire pouch from her belt before vanishing into the foliage.

"My snacks!!"

She cried out, tried to chase, but Tian Shen stopped her, coaxing her with lies.

As they made their way deeper, the forest grew denser, its paths winding and full of mischief.

A particularly chatty Spirit tree refused to let them pass unless Tian Shen solved a riddle. He failed.

Feng Yin stepped forward, solved it in three seconds, and smirked at him the entire time they walked past.

"Your brain’s good for hitting things," she teased. "Not for solving riddles."

"I resent that."

"Only because it’s true."

The forest wasn’t all fun and games, though.

By the fourth hour, they encountered a nest of mist spirits—shimmering brightly.

Tian Shen nearly touched one, halted only when Drowsy pecked his ear sharply.

"Ow! Okay, okay—I get it, you’re the boss."

Elder Su drew a small fan etched with golden runes and waved it once. The mist shattered, dissolving like smoke in the breeze.

"Stay focused," she warned.

Deeper still, they came upon a glade ringed by luminous mushrooms.

In the center stood a tree whose branches hung low, adorned with glowing fruits pulsing with quiet energy.

"The Heartwood Tree, probably 5-star one," Feng Yin said with reverence. "This is quite a catch—"

Elder Su swiftly stole—*Ahem*, I mean rightfully took it and shoved it in her storage ring even before Feng Yin finished her part.

They rested a while near the tree. Drowsy settled into the crook of a branch, preening her feathers while Little Mei picked a glowing fruit and bit into it with a delighted squeal.

"Sweet," she said. "And lemony."

The last leg of the forest journey was quieter, more reflective.

Even the wind seemed to hush as they approached the forest’s final edge. And then, finally, the trees parted.

The Northern Mountains stood ahead like ancient guardians, their jagged peaks slicing into the sky.

Feng Yin’s breath caught.

"There it is," she whispered.

Tian Shen took her hand.

She smiled faintly, leaning her head against his shoulder.

Behind them, Elder Su paused at the treeline, gazing at the road ahead.

"shall we continue the journey, lovebirds?"

She said, a little dissatisfied.

Feng Yin flushed a little at that.

"Let’s go."

Tian Shen said, showcasimg his shamelessness.

Together, with spirits high and shadows looming, they stepped from the forest—toward the past they left behind and the future they would now claim.

...

In a clearing of soft moss and pale flowers, they made camp. Fireflies formed constellations above their heads.

Feng Yin lay beside Tian Shen, her head resting against his chest.

"We’re close," she murmured.

He nodded. "To home."

Drowsy perched near the fire, eyes half-lidded. Little Mei snored loudly, her tail wrapped around her like a blanket.

Elder Su sat cross-legged, eyes closed, lips moving in silent meditation.

That night, the forest gave them dreams of the past—faces long gone, battles half-remembered, a fox spirit under a blood-red moon.

...

Tian Shen stood at the edge, heart thudding.

Feng Yin took his hand.

Behind them, the forest rustled—a farewell, or a warning.

They stepped forward.

And the northern wind greeted them like an old friend or an old troublemaking child that came back with more.

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