The Seven Profound Leaves grew only in one place within a hundred miles: the cliff face of Mount Cangya, where the northern winds carried trace amounts of profound energy from the Sacred Grounds.

Yun Che stood at the base of the cliff, looking up. It rose three hundred feet, nearly vertical, with handholds that looked like they'd crumble under a child's weight. A normal cultivator at the Spirit Profound Realm could scale it in minutes, using profound energy to anchor themselves to the rock.

Yun Che had no profound energy.

'Five minutes,' he reminded himself. 'The Pearl gives me five minutes of enhanced strength. After that, I'm dead weight.'

He activated the Sky Poison Pearl and felt the familiar surge of power flood through his body. His muscles tightened, his senses sharpened, and the world seemed to slow down. He started climbing.

Fifteen feet. The handhold crumbled. He caught himself on a protruding root.

Forty feet. His fingers found a crack in the rock face. The rough stone tore at his palms, and blood made the next handhold slippery. He didn't slow down.

One hundred feet. Four minutes left. His arms were burning now, his legs trembling with exertion.

Two hundred feet. Two minutes. The wind was fierce at this height, tearing at his clothes and threatening to pry him off the cliff face. The Seven Profound Leaves glowed faintly above him, their silver undersides catching the moonlight.

He reached the ledge with thirty seconds to spare. The leaves were right there — seven perfect specimens, their veins pulsing with blue-white light like tiny rivers of lightning. He carefully plucked them and tucked them into his robes.

Then the Pearl's energy ran out, and he had to spend the next hour sitting on that ledge, too exhausted to move, watching the stars wheel overhead and wondering if the universe was punishing him or testing him.

He decided it didn't matter. Either way, he would pass the test.