Lin Yuan remained perfectly still.
The voice had been faint, like a whisper carried across countless ages.
Yet he knew he had not imagined it.
Slowly, he closed his eyes again and circulated the Evergreen Scripture.
The Green Spirit Sapling swayed gently within his spiritual sea, its leaves glowing with a soft emerald radiance.
It reached downward once more.
This time, however, the moment his spiritual sense touched the ancient root beneath the mountain, an invisible force pushed him away.
His consciousness snapped back into his body.
Lin Yuan frowned.
"It doesn't want me to approach... not yet."
As the day drew to an end, Elder Sun dismissed the disciples.
One after another, they left the Spirit Spring, discussing their gains excitedly.
Some had broken through small bottlenecks.
Others had merely consolidated their cultivation.
Lin Yuan quietly blended into the crowd.
He told no one about the voice or the ancient root.
Some secrets were safer left buried.
That evening, he returned to Mistwood Forest.
His cultivation had reached the Fifth Stage of the Body Tempering Realm, allowing him to venture slightly deeper than before.
The forest was noticeably quieter.
The spirit beasts of the outer region no longer posed much of a threat.
As he searched for spiritual herbs, the Green Spirit Sapling suddenly reacted.
Its branches pointed toward a narrow ravine hidden by thick vines.
Lin Yuan carefully pushed the vines aside.
Inside, he found a small valley untouched by human hands.
Spiritual flowers bloomed everywhere.
Butterflies formed from pure spiritual qi danced through the air.
In the center of the valley stood an ancient tree stump.
Though long dead, it still emitted an astonishing life aura.
Lin Yuan slowly approached.
The closer he came, the more violently the Green Spirit Sapling trembled.
"It recognizes this place..."
He placed a hand upon the weathered stump.
For a brief instant, a vision flashed before his eyes.
An enormous emerald tree stretched into the heavens, its branches supporting stars, its roots reaching into endless worlds.
Countless cultivators knelt beneath it in worship.
Then the image shattered.
Lin Yuan stumbled backward, breathing heavily.
"What... was that?"
The stump had become completely ordinary again.
As if the vision had never existed.
However, nestled within a hollow at the center of the stump was a single emerald seed.
It was no larger than a fingernail.
The moment Lin Yuan picked it up, the Green Spirit Sapling released a joyful pulse.
The seed dissolved into countless specks of emerald light and merged with the sapling.
Its trunk thickened slightly.
The emerald flower became more vibrant.
Most importantly...
A tiny golden vein appeared beneath the bark.
It was the first trace of a completely new power.
Not spiritual qi.
Something older.
Something far more profound.
Lin Yuan stared inward in astonishment.
"What is this energy?"
Before he could investigate further, a loud roar shook the valley.
ROAR!
The ground trembled.
Birds took flight in panic.
Lin Yuan's expression changed.
A powerful spirit beast had sensed the disturbance.
Heavy footsteps echoed from the entrance of the valley.
A gigantic black bear, over three meters tall, emerged from the shadows.
Its fur shimmered like iron, and every breath carried an overwhelming pressure.
Unlike the Shadow Panther...
This beast's aura was on an entirely different level.
A Second-Order Spirit Beast.
Equivalent to a cultivator in the Spirit Gathering Realm.
The Iron Mountain Bear's crimson eyes locked onto Lin Yuan.
It let out another earth-shaking roar before charging forward, each step cracking the earth beneath its feet.
Lin Yuan tightened his grip on his dagger.
He knew one thing immediately.
He could not win.
The only question was...
Could he escape?