Li Tian had decided to do three things.
First, he would cultivate without attracting attention.
Second, he would investigate the ancient formation without getting himself killed.
Third, he would prevent Chen Wei from creating another plan.
By sunrise, all three objectives had failed.
“Brother Li! Wake up!”
Li Tian opened his eyes.
Chen Wei stood beside his bed, holding a bowl of steaming medicinal soup.
Li Tian immediately sat up.
“Where did you get that?”
“From the medicinal hall.”
“Did they give it to you?”
Chen Wei looked offended.
“Of course.”
“Why does it smell like burnt shoes?”
“Because the alchemist said it would improve your cultivation.”
Li Tian stared at the bowl.
Then he stared at Chen Wei.
“Did the alchemist actually say that?”
“Well, he said it would improve someone's cultivation. He didn't specify whose.”
Li Tian pulled his blanket over his head.
“Throw it away.”
“But I paid three spiritual stones!”
“Then consider it a valuable lesson.”
Bao Bao appeared from beneath the bed, sniffed the soup, and immediately retreated.
“I have survived ancient wars, sealed dimensions, and the destruction of entire spirit-beast civilizations,” the fox declared. “I refuse to die because of breakfast.”
Chen Wei looked down at the bowl.
“Perhaps I should try it first.”
“An excellent idea,” Li Tian replied.
Chen Wei took one sip.
His expression froze.
His eyes watered.
Then he rushed toward the window.
“WHY IS MY TONGUE NUMB?”
Bao Bao laughed so hard that he rolled across the floor.
Li Tian calmly got out of bed.
“Because some lessons are more expensive than three spiritual stones.”
Later that morning, Li Tian visited the cultivation courtyard assigned to the inner sect's guest disciples.
The recent attacks had forced the elders to tighten security, but normal cultivation activities had resumed. Disciples sat beneath trees, practiced sword techniques, or circulated spiritual energy through their meridians.
Li Tian chose a quiet corner behind an old pine tree.
It was far enough from the main path to avoid curious eyes, yet close enough to the protective formations that he could sense any disturbance.
Exactly where he wanted to be.
He sat cross-legged and opened the Hidden Cultivation System.
[Host Status]
Public Cultivation: Qi Refinement Layer 1
Stored Cultivation: 1,170 years
Hidden Aura: Active
Formation Affinity: Active
Memory Recovery: 0.04%
Li Tian studied the stored cultivation.
He had accumulated more than a thousand years of cultivation energy, yet he had barely begun to understand how to use it safely.
The system had warned him not to release too much energy near the Ninth Seal. It had also warned him that excessive internal circulation might awaken dormant memories.
He needed a method that would improve his control without exposing his true strength.
“System,” he whispered, “can I refine the stored cultivation into a more stable form?”
[Analysis initiated.]
A faint golden light appeared around his spiritual channels.
[Current meridian stability: 71%.]
[Stored cultivation can be used to reinforce internal channels.]
[Warning: Forced refinement may cause spiritual backlash.]
[Recommended method: Gradual circulation through existing meridians.]
Li Tian nodded.
That sounded manageable.
He began circulating a tiny amount of stored cultivation through his meridians.
At first, nothing unusual happened.
Warm energy flowed through his body, following the familiar paths used in Qi Refinement. His breathing gradually slowed, and the noise of the courtyard faded into the background.
Then the energy reached his lower dantian.
A strange sensation spread through his abdomen.
It felt as though a tightly knotted thread had begun to loosen.
Li Tian frowned.
The system immediately responded.
[Internal circulation anomaly detected.]
[Dormant meridian structure identified.]
[Classification: Unknown.]
The golden light around his body flickered.
Li Tian stopped circulating energy.
But the sensation continued.
Something inside his dantian had awakened.
He could feel a second pathway connecting his spiritual channels, one that did not appear on any cultivation diagram he had ever studied.
It was narrow, ancient, and almost completely dormant.
A faint memory surfaced.
A white-robed man sat beneath a starless sky.
Before him floated a golden sphere containing countless lines of light.
The man spoke calmly.
“Cultivation is not the accumulation of power.”
The sphere rotated.
“It is the removal of everything that prevents you from understanding it.”
Li Tian's breathing stopped for an instant.
The memory disappeared.
He opened his eyes.
“What was that?”
The system displayed another message.
[Memory fragment detected.]
[Source: Unknown past-life record.]
[Recovery progress unchanged.]
[Warning: Memory access remains restricted.]
Li Tian rubbed his forehead.
“Even when I try to cultivate quietly, I get mysterious memories.”
A familiar voice answered from above.
“Perhaps the memories dislike your personality.”
Li Tian looked up.
Bao Bao was sitting on a branch, chewing a spiritual fruit.
“How long have you been there?”
“Long enough to witness your deeply unimpressive meditation posture.”
“Get down.”
“No.”
Li Tian flicked a pebble toward the branch.
Bao Bao dodged it without difficulty.
“Violence! The path of cultivation has corrupted you!”
Li Tian sighed and returned his attention to his dantian.
Despite the interruption, something had changed.
The strange meridian pathway remained open.
His spiritual energy flowed through it more smoothly than before, and the tightness he had felt in his channels had disappeared.
The system's status changed.
[Meridian stability: 71% → 76%.]
[Internal control improved.]
[Stored cultivation consumed: 5 years.]
[Remaining stored cultivation: 1,165 years.]
Li Tian blinked.
Five years had been consumed.
Yet he felt no weaker. If anything, his spiritual energy was more responsive than before.
He could control each thread of energy with greater precision.
He raised one finger.
A tiny spark of spiritual light appeared above it.
He moved the light from one fingertip to another without letting it disperse.
Then he split it into three smaller sparks.
All three remained perfectly stable. The source of this chapter is novelping.com.
Li Tian smiled.
This was useful.
Very useful.
He did not need to reveal overwhelming strength if he could improve his control enough to solve problems with minimal energy.
A new notification appeared.
[Minor breakthrough achieved.]
[Internal Cultivation Control: Improved.]
[Public cultivation remains unchanged.]
[Hidden cultivation remains concealed.]
Li Tian dismissed the message.
For the first time in days, he felt that his cultivation was progressing in a way he could understand.
Then the system added one final line.
[Warning: The dormant meridian structure is not part of the standard mortal cultivation system.]
Li Tian's smile faded.
“Of course it isn't.”
By midday, word of the eastern corridor incident had spread through the sect.
Some disciples claimed Li Tian had punched a Void Shade into oblivion.
Others insisted he had destroyed it with a secret sword technique.
One particularly imaginative rumor claimed he had summoned an ancient dragon and ordered it to devour the creature.
Chen Wei improved the story whenever he repeated it.
According to his version, Li Tian had stood beneath the collapsing barrier while the Void Shade attacked from every direction. Then, at the decisive moment, Chen Wei had shouted a secret command that weakened the creature.
When Li Tian confronted him, Chen Wei looked completely unashamed.
“I never said I defeated it.”
“You said you shouted a secret command.”
“I shouted, 'Don't let it eat us!' That was a command.”
“That was panic.”
“Panic is an important component of battlefield communication.”
Li Tian decided that arguing was pointless.
He was about to return to his courtyard when Mei Ling approached.
She carried a wooden practice sword and wore a pale blue training robe.
“I heard you were cultivating here.”
“Who told you?”
“Chen Wei.”
Li Tian closed his eyes.
“I need to have a serious conversation with him.”
Mei Ling smiled.
“He also said you defeated the Void Shade using a mysterious technique.”
“The formation did most of the work.”
“And the creature you caught with your hand?”
“It slipped.”
She stared at him.
Li Tian stared back.
Finally, Mei Ling shook her head.
“You know, you are becoming increasingly difficult to understand.”
“I've been told.”
She handed him the wooden sword.
“Practice with me.”
Li Tian looked at the weapon.
“Why?”
“Because I want to understand your footwork.”
“My footwork is ordinary.”
“Then you should have no problem demonstrating it.”
Li Tian realized he had walked into a trap.
Mei Ling stepped into the practice area and raised her sword.
“Three exchanges. You don't need to defeat me. Just defend yourself.”
Li Tian considered refusing.
But if he refused every time she asked him to practice, she would become even more suspicious.
Besides, his newly improved control might help him imitate an ordinary Qi Refinement cultivator more convincingly.
He picked up the wooden sword.
“Three exchanges.”
Mei Ling nodded.
“Begin.”
Her first strike came toward his shoulder.
Li Tian stepped aside.
Her second strike targeted his waist.
He turned his wrist and deflected it.
The third came low, aiming for his knee.
He moved backward, allowing the blade to pass just in front of him.
Three exchanges.
No injuries.
No unusual spiritual aura.
Perfect.
Mei Ling lowered her sword.
“Again.”
Li Tian blinked.
“You said three exchanges.”
“I did. Now I want three more.”
“That seems unfair.”
“Cultivation rarely asks for permission.”
She attacked again.
This time, she changed her rhythm midway through the first strike.
Li Tian adjusted automatically.
His feet moved along a path he had never consciously practiced, his wooden sword turning at precisely the right angle to guide her attack away from his body.
Mei Ling's eyes widened.
Their swords met.
For a fraction of a second, Li Tian felt a strange pressure in his wrist.
The wooden sword in his hand vibrated.
Then a thin crack appeared along its length.
Both cultivators stopped.
Li Tian stared at the broken sword.
Mei Ling stared at him.
The courtyard grew quiet.
Li Tian slowly lowered the weapon.
“Poor quality.”
Mei Ling took the broken half from his hand.
“This sword was reinforced with spiritual wood.”
“Perhaps the wood was old.”
She examined the crack.
It was perfectly straight, running along the blade from the point of contact with her sword.
“You didn't strike hard enough to break it.”
Li Tian remained silent.
Mei Ling looked into his eyes.
“What was that movement?”
“What movement?”
“The way you redirected my strike.”
“I copied your footwork.”
“No, you didn't.”
Li Tian searched for an answer.
Then Bao Bao's voice rang from the pine tree.
“He learned it from watching you!”
Mei Ling turned toward the fox.
Bao Bao immediately hid behind the trunk.
Li Tian sighed.
The fox had just made everything worse.
Mei Ling looked back at him.
“You learned my sword movements after seeing them only a few times?”
“I have a good memory.”
“That is not an answer.”
“It is the only one I have.”
For a moment, Mei Ling seemed ready to press him further.
Then she lowered the broken sword.
“Fine. I won't ask today.”
Li Tian relaxed slightly.
“But next time, use a sword that can survive your practice.”
She walked away with the broken weapon.
Bao Bao emerged from behind the tree.
“You are welcome.”
Li Tian turned toward him.
“For what?”
“For saving you from an uncomfortable conversation.”
“You made the conversation worse.”
“But you survived it.”
Li Tian pointed toward the fruit in the fox's paw.
“Give me that.”
Bao Bao swallowed it whole.
“Too late.”
That afternoon, Elder Zhao summoned Li Tian to the main hall.
The elder stood beside a large table covered with formation diagrams and broken artifacts.
“You have been making progress,” Elder Zhao said.
Li Tian bowed.
“I am trying to learn.”
“Your analysis of the defensive network has been useful. Han Feng believes you may be able to identify the remaining altered formations.”
“That is generous of him.”
“It is also dangerous.”
Elder Zhao placed a small black stone on the table.
“This was recovered from the eastern corridor after the Void Shade disappeared.”
Li Tian examined it.
The stone was no larger than a fingernail. Its surface was smooth, except for a tiny symbol carved into one side.
The system immediately flashed.
[Unknown artifact detected.]
[Spatial residue present.]
[Connection: Incomplete.]
Li Tian withdrew his hand.
“Where did it come from?”
“We don't know. It appeared after the Void Shade vanished.”
Elder Zhao studied him.
“Can you sense anything unusual?”
Li Tian chose his words carefully.
“It feels as though the stone has absorbed spiritual energy.”
“That is correct. But it has also retained a trace of something else.”
“What?”
“An imprint.”
The elder's voice lowered.
“An imprint of the formation that brought the creature here.”
Li Tian's expression became serious.
If the stone retained the formation's imprint, it might reveal where the Void Shade had entered the sect.
He examined the symbol again.
Nine short lines surrounded a dark center.
The same nine-ring pattern.
His fingers tingled.
A faint voice whispered inside his mind.
Remember.
Li Tian pulled his hand away.
Elder Zhao noticed immediately.
“What happened?”
“Nothing. I thought I heard something.”
“From the stone?”
“Perhaps.”
The elder placed the artifact inside a sealed box.
“Then we will not examine it further until the sect master approves.”
Li Tian nodded.
That was sensible.
For once, someone had decided not to touch the mysterious object.
He appreciated the improvement.
Elder Zhao looked at him thoughtfully.
“Li Tian, I want you to understand something. Whatever the Void Court is seeking, it appears to be connected to you. I cannot promise that the sect will be able to protect you from every threat.”
Li Tian remained quiet.
“But you are a disciple of Heavenly Cloud Sect,” the elder continued. “As long as you follow the sect's rules and do not endanger the other disciples, you will not face this alone.”
Li Tian bowed deeply.
“Thank you, Elder.”
For the first time since the ancient coffin had awakened, the words felt comforting rather than burdensome.
He had no idea whether the sect could protect him from the Void Court.
But Elder Zhao had offered something valuable.
Not certainty.
Trust.
That night, Li Tian returned to his courtyard and resumed cultivating.
He did not attempt another breakthrough.
Instead, he focused on controlling the spiritual energy already circulating through his body.
He moved a single thread of energy through his meridians, divided it into smaller streams, and guided them back into his dantian.
The process was slow.
At times, the energy resisted his control. At other times, the dormant meridian pathway seemed to guide it naturally.
Gradually, his breathing became steady.
His spiritual channels warmed.
The room around him faded from awareness.
For a brief moment, he felt as though he were standing beneath an endless sky filled with stars.
A voice spoke from somewhere beyond the darkness.
“You have finally begun to understand.”
Li Tian opened his eyes.
The vision vanished.
But something remained.
A tiny golden mark had appeared at the center of his dantian, faint enough that he could barely sense it.
The system flashed.
[Minor breakthrough achieved.]
[Internal Cultivation Control: Stable.]
[Dormant Meridian Structure: Partially awakened.]
[Stored Cultivation consumed: 5 years.]
[Remaining Stored Cultivation: 1,160 years.]
Then a new line appeared.
[Ancient technique fragment recovered.]
[Technique name: Silent Dao Circulation.]
[Current comprehension: 1%.]
Li Tian stared at the message.
A technique from his unknown past.
A technique that improved his internal control without forcing him to reveal his cultivation.
For once, the system had given him something useful without immediately attaching a terrifying warning.
He smiled.
“Finally. Some good news.”
Then the final notification appeared.
[Warning: Silent Dao Circulation may alter the host's relationship with the Ninth Seal.]
Li Tian's smile disappeared.
He looked toward the western mountain.
Far below its peak, the ancient coffin remained motionless.
Yet a faint golden line had appeared across its black surface.
For the first time, the light was not silver.
It was the same gold that had appeared in Li Tian's dantian.
Inside the coffin, a voice whispered.
“He has begun to cultivate the Dao again.”
Another voice answered.
“Then the others will notice.”
“Let them.”
The golden line widened.
“Before they find the truth, the boy must learn to control his strength.”
A long silence followed.
Then the first voice spoke again.
“And if he remembers everything?”
The answer came softly.
“Then we must pray that he remembers why he chose to forget.”
To be continued…