Li Wu learns the Hollow Lotus Tomb

The cliffside barrier listens. Li Wu stands before the seam where stone, bridge, and old law converge, and the path refuses him without proof.

Li Wu threads wood, water, and earth through his stance, not as an attack, but as a key. The barrier clicks once, then again, as if recognizing the rhythm beneath his qi.

The final law opens a narrow passage, and the stone network answers by revealing the route deeper into the cliff. Beyond it, the same tether that bound him to the Shadow Sect's gateway trembles, pulled taut by the new threshold.

Li Wu sets his weight on the first stone and the bridge answers. Ownership settles under his foot, then he parts the next slab free and slides it forward into place, keeping the passage from pinching shut.

The stones drift in a slow chain around him, each one claimed, released, and claimed again. The cliff face stays cold and narrow, but the law no longer resists his stride.

A thin strain runs through his meridians as the bridge takes notice of every step. The crimson lattice beneath his skin gives one faint pulse, then quiets.

Elder Han watches the pattern from the rear span, his gaze sharp and measured. He does not interfere, only tracks the way Li Wu turns separation into movement.

Li Wu keeps the rhythm steady and the stones obey in sequence, one in front, one beneath, one released behind. The passage opens its throat around him.

By the last step, the cliffside passage stands open ahead of him. Behind, the bridge resettles with a soft shiver, and the gap remains bridged by the law he has already spent.