The expedition left the ruins before sunset.
At least, that was the plan.
Reality had other ideas.
Less than ten minutes after departing, the earth beneath the forest trembled.
Not violently.
Just once.
A deep vibration rolled through the ground like a distant heartbeat.
Every spirit master stopped immediately.
Hands moved toward weapons.
Spirit rings appeared instinctively.
The Star Dou Forest became silent.
Xu Mingshan’s eyes narrowed.
“Everyone stay alert.” The group formed up quickly.
Several scouts moved outward to investigate.
Nothing appeared.
No spirit beasts.
No enemies.
No visible danger.
Yet the strange feeling remained.
Lin Yuan could feel it more clearly than anyone.
The fragment inside his pack had become scorching hot.
Not enough to burn him.
But enough that he could feel its warmth through layers of cloth.
The Asura Prison was restless.
Its chains rattled continuously within his spiritual world.
Something was happening.
Something connected to the ruins.
Then— Crack.
The sound came from behind them.
Everyone turned.
One of the ancient pillars near the edge of the ruins had collapsed.
Stone fragments scattered across the ground.
A cloud of dust rose into the air.
At first, nobody thought much of it.
Ancient structures collapsed all the time.
Then the dust settled.
And a hole appeared.
A perfectly circular opening hidden beneath the fallen pillar.
Silence spread through the expedition.
Xu Mingshan stared at the newly revealed entrance.
The opening descended into darkness.
Deep darkness.
As though it led underground.
One of the scouts approached carefully.
After several moments, he looked up.
“There’s a staircase.” The vice hall master frowned.
The ruins had already seemed suspicious.
Now a hidden underground structure had appeared.
Several spirit masters exchanged uncertain glances.
A treasure?
A trap?
Nobody knew.
Xu Mingshan considered for nearly a minute.
Then he sighed.
“Looks like we’re not leaving yet.” A few members laughed nervously.
The tension eased slightly.
Still, everyone understood the situation.
Curiosity had won.
An underground structure connected to ancient ruins could not simply be ignored.
Not by Spirit Hall.
Not by anyone.
Preparations began immediately.
Half the expedition remained outside.
The other half would accompany Xu Mingshan underground.
Lin Yuan expected to be excluded.
Instead, the vice hall master pointed directly at him.
“You’re coming.” Several people looked surprised.
Xu Mingshan ignored them.
For some reason he couldn’t explain, he felt Lin Yuan’s presence might be important here.
Or perhaps he simply wanted to keep an eye on the boy.
Either way, the decision was made.
Moments later, a small exploration team descended the staircase.
Ancient stone steps spiraled downward.
The deeper they went, the colder the air became.
Torches illuminated the darkness.
Their light revealed walls covered in dust and age.
The staircase continued for nearly five minutes.
Far longer than anyone expected.
Eventually, it ended.
The group entered a massive underground chamber.
Several spirit masters inhaled sharply.
The hall was enormous.
Larger than some palaces.
Ancient pillars supported a ceiling lost within darkness.
Rows of stone statues lined both sides of the chamber.
Each statue depicted warriors wrapped in chains.
Not prisoners.
Guardians.
The distinction felt important.
Lin Yuan slowly examined the surroundings.
Everything looked ancient beyond imagination.
Thousands of years old.
Possibly older.
Then his eyes settled on the far end of the hall.
A giant door.
Black.
Covered entirely in chain carvings.
Unlike the ruins above, this structure remained intact.
Time had barely touched it.
The moment Lin Yuan saw it, the fragment reacted violently.
Heat surged through his pack.
The chains within the Asura Prison rattled.
A familiar feeling emerged.
Recognition.
The door resembled the gate from his dreams.
Not identical.
But similar.
Very similar.
Xu Mingshan approached carefully.
Several spirit masters followed.
The giant door stood nearly twenty meters tall.
No handle.
No lock.
Only carvings.
And at its center— A circular depression.
About the size of a coin.
Lin Yuan froze.
His heart nearly stopped.
The size matched perfectly.
Exactly.
The same size as the fragment.
Nobody else noticed.
To everyone else, it was merely an unusual marking.
Only Lin Yuan understood.
The fragment belonged there.
The realization sent a chill through him.
The dream.
The key.
The ruins.
Everything connected.
The ancient voice had not been speaking metaphorically.
It was an actual key.
A real one.
Meanwhile, the scholars accompanying the expedition examined nearby inscriptions.
One of them brushed away centuries of dust.
Then his eyes widened.
“I found text.” Xu Mingshan turned immediately.
“What does it say?” The scholar translated slowly.
Many words had faded.
Only fragments remained.
“…First Hall…” “…Keepers departed…” “…Seal remains intact…” The scholar moved further down.
His voice became quieter.
“…if the Gate opens…” Silence filled the chamber.
Everyone waited.
The scholar swallowed.
“…the Trial begins.” Nobody spoke for several seconds.
Trial?
What trial?
Another line remained partially visible.
The scholar continued.
“…only the inheritor…” Then the inscription ended.
The remaining stone had broken away long ago.
The sentence was incomplete.
Yet Lin Yuan felt his pulse quicken.
Inheritor.
The word echoed within his mind.
At that moment— The fragment inside his pack suddenly flashed.
A faint crimson light escaped through the cloth.
Only for an instant.
But Xu Mingshan saw it.
The vice hall master’s gaze snapped toward Lin Yuan.
Their eyes met.
Neither spoke.
The underground hall became deathly silent.
And for the first time since arriving in this world, Lin Yuan realized that keeping the fragment secret might soon become impossible.