Li Tian had a serious problem.
Something buried beneath Heavenly Cloud Sect had called him my child.
An ancient seal was breaking.
The mysterious white fox had vanished.
And his cultivation system, which had always been reliable, had just admitted that it could not guarantee his safety.
Li Tian sat on his bed, staring at the warning screen.
After a long silence, he asked, "System, can I resign?"
No response.
"Transfer my stored cultivation to someone else?"
Silence.
"Delete my existence and let me start over as an ordinary farmer?"
The blue screen flickered.
Request rejected.
Li Tian sighed.
"At least you answered that one."
He lay back on his bed and stared at the ceiling.
His original plan had been straightforward. Cultivate quietly, accumulate enough power to protect himself, and avoid getting involved in the conflicts of powerful cultivators.
He had never wanted to save the world.
He had never wanted to inherit an ancient legacy.
He certainly had never wanted a mysterious voice to call him home from inside a coffin.
Unfortunately, the world seemed determined to ignore his preferences.
Li Tian reached for the scrap of paper left by the white fox.
If it calls you, do not answer.
He read the words again.
"Fine," he muttered. "I won't answer."
Then he heard the voice.
Li Tian.
He immediately covered his ears.
The voice did not come from outside.
It came from somewhere deep within his consciousness.
Come home.
Li Tian pulled the blanket over his head.
"I am home."
Come home, my child.
"This is my home."
You have been away for a very long time.
Li Tian sat up.
"System, silence this voice."
Attempting to block external communication...
Failure.
Attempting to isolate host consciousness...
Failure.
Unknown connection cannot be severed.
Li Tian stared at the screen.
Then he carefully folded his blanket.
"All right. We are going to the library again."
The white fox returned shortly before dawn.
It appeared on the windowsill without making a sound, carrying a small pouch in its mouth.
Li Tian was already awake.
The moment he saw it, he pointed toward the door.
"Explain."
The fox dropped the pouch.
"Good morning to you too."
"Where did you go?"
"Out."
"Why?"
"To investigate."
"Investigate what?"
The fox paused.
"Whether your sect's kitchens have improved their fish soup."
Li Tian closed his eyes.
He was going to need extraordinary patience to survive this creature.
"You left me a warning telling me not to approach the western mountain. Then you disappeared. I heard a voice calling me, and the system detected a bloodline resonance. Now you return with a pouch that smells like fish."
The fox glanced at the pouch.
"It is excellent fish."
"Explain!"
The fox's ears lowered.
For once, it seemed to understand that Li Tian was genuinely angry.
It jumped onto the table and sat down.
"The western mountain is not merely a mountain. Beneath it lies an ancient chamber sealed by a formation older than your sect."
"I read about that."
"Then you know the formation was not created by ordinary cultivators."
Li Tian nodded.
"What is inside?"
"I don't know."
Li Tian stared at it.
"You expect me to believe that?"
"Believe whatever you like."
The fox's voice had lost its usual playfulness.
"I know fragments of the past. I know the seal is weakening. And I know that whatever lies inside has recognized you."
"Why me?"
"I don't know."
"Why does it call me its child?"
"I don't know."
"Why does my system react to it?"
The fox looked away.
"I don't know that either."
Li Tian leaned back.
"So you know nothing."
"I know one thing."
"What?"
The fox's golden eyes met his.
"If the seal breaks completely, the entire Heavenly Cloud Sect may disappear before sunrise."
The room fell silent.
Li Tian looked toward the western mountain.
The sect was home to thousands of disciples, instructors, servants, and elders. Most of them had no idea that anything was wrong.
Chen Wei would probably be asleep right now, dreaming about becoming a famous formation master.
Mei Ling would likely be practicing her sword.
Elder Zhao would be reviewing inspection records.
None of them had chosen to become involved in an ancient mystery.
Neither had Li Tian.
He rubbed his forehead.
"How long do we have?"
The fox shook its head.
"Hours. Days. Perhaps longer. The formation is behaving strangely."
"And what do you intend to do?"
"Nothing."
Li Tian looked at it.
"Nothing?"
"I warned you. My responsibility ends there."
The fox jumped down from the table.
"I am not strong enough to interfere with the chamber. Neither are you, at least not in any way that would be wise."
It headed toward the window.
Then it stopped.
"One more thing, Li Tian."
"What?"
"If you hear that voice again, do not answer it. Not with words, not with spiritual energy, and not with your thoughts."
The fox disappeared through the window.
Li Tian remained seated for a long time.
Then he looked at the system.
"Can you at least tell me whether the fox is lying?"
The system displayed a brief message.
Entity's statements cannot be fully verified.
Li Tian nodded slowly.
"Wonderful. Even the fox doesn't trust the system, and the system doesn't trust the fox."
He stood up and put on his outer disciple robe.
"Let's find someone who knows something."
Chen Wei was still asleep when Li Tian arrived at his room.
His door was open.
Inside, the room looked as though a small natural disaster had occurred. Clothes lay across the floor, books were stacked beneath the bed, and a half-eaten bun rested on a windowsill.
Chen Wei himself was wrapped in a blanket, snoring loudly.
Li Tian kicked the bed.
"Wake up."
Chen Wei rolled over.
"Five more minutes."
"The sect is in danger."
"Then tell the sect to come back later."
Li Tian kicked the bed again.
Chen Wei sat upright so quickly that he nearly fell onto the floor.
"What happened? Demonic invasion? Inner sect rebellion? Did someone discover the weapons pavilion incident?"
"Why would the weapons pavilion incident cause a demonic invasion?"
"Because the world is full of unreasonable people."
Li Tian grabbed a chair.
"I need information about the western mountain."
Chen Wei's expression changed.
"The western mountain?"
"Yes."
Chen Wei looked toward the door.
Then he looked at the window.
Then he began putting on his shoes.
Li Tian frowned.
"What are you doing?"
"Leaving."
"You haven't even heard the question."
"I have heard enough."
Chen Wei tied one shoe and held the other in his hand.
"Everyone knows the western mountain is forbidden. Strange noises come from there at night. The old servants refuse to go near it. And last year, a group of inner disciples went exploring and returned with all their hair turned white."
Li Tian blinked.
"All their hair?"
"Every strand."
"Was it a formation backlash?"
"I don't know."
"An illusion?"
"I don't know."
"A medicinal experiment?"
Chen Wei hesitated.
"That one is possible. Tang Tang was working on a hair-growth pill around that time."
Li Tian stared at him.
"Who is Tang Tang?"
"An alchemy disciple. A dangerous one."
"How dangerous?"
"His last experiment turned a group of medicinal rabbits blue."
"That doesn't sound too bad."
"The rabbits started breathing fire."
Li Tian reconsidered.
Chen Wei finally finished putting on his shoes.
"Anyway, I advise you to forget the western mountain exists."
"I need to know what is beneath it."
Chen Wei stared at him with the expression of a man watching his friend walk toward a cliff.
"Why?"
"Because something down there is connected to me."
For a moment, Chen Wei said nothing.
Then he placed his hand on Li Tian's shoulder.
"Brother, I support you."
Li Tian looked at him in surprise.
"Really?"
"Of course."
Chen Wei nodded solemnly.
"I support you from a safe distance."
He immediately moved toward the door.
Li Tian caught the back of his robe.
"You're coming with me."
Chen Wei's face went pale.
"Can I at least finish breakfast?"
"No."
"Can I write a will?"
"No."
"Can I tell the sect that I was kidnapped?"
Li Tian dragged him outside.
"Certainly. Make sure you spell my name correctly."
The sect's historical archive was located behind the main library.
Unlike the ordinary library, it was protected by a small formation that prevented unauthorized disciples from entering.
Fortunately, Chen Wei knew a side entrance.
Unfortunately, the side entrance was a window.
"This is a terrible idea," Chen Wei whispered.
Li Tian looked at him.
"You suggested it."
"I suggested the possibility of discussing it."
"You said you knew a way inside."
"I do. I never said it was a good way."
Chen Wei climbed onto a low wall and attempted to squeeze through the window.
His robes caught on the frame.
He struggled.
The window creaked.
A nearby stone ornament fell from its pedestal and struck the ground with a loud clatter.
Both men froze.
A voice came from inside the archive.
"Who is there?"
Chen Wei looked at Li Tian in horror.
Li Tian pointed at him.
"You said you knew a way inside."
Chen Wei whispered, "I knew it before I started."
Footsteps approached.
Without thinking, Li Tian lightly tapped the window frame.
A thread of spiritual energy passed through the wood.
The formation flickered.
For one brief moment, the pressure around the window disappeared.
The frame shifted just enough for Chen Wei to tumble through.
He landed on a stack of old scrolls.
The footsteps stopped.
A librarian opened the door.
Li Tian stood outside the window, holding a fallen stone ornament.
The librarian stared at him.
"What are you doing?"
Li Tian looked at the ornament.
"I found this on the ground."
"Then why are you standing outside the archive window?"
"I was returning it."
The librarian stared at him for several seconds.
Then he sighed.
"Put it down and leave."
"Yes, sir."
Li Tian bowed and walked away.
Inside the archive, Chen Wei lay perfectly still beneath a pile of scrolls.
When the librarian finally left, Chen Wei crawled out and dusted himself off.
"Your talent for lying is terrifying."
Li Tian slipped through the window.
"I learned from watching you."
Chen Wei placed a hand over his heart.
"I have never been so insulted."
They searched the archive for nearly an hour.
Most records were useless: old tax registers, sect rosters, cultivation reports, and lists of medicinal supplies.
Then Li Tian discovered a narrow cabinet hidden behind a row of damaged books.
A faded inscription covered its front.
Records of the Founding Era.
He opened it.
Inside lay a single jade slip.
When Li Tian touched it, the Hidden Cultivation System flickered.
Ancient record detected.
Compatibility: Unknown.
The jade slip warmed beneath his fingers.
Images appeared in his mind.
A vast battlefield beneath a sky filled with broken stars.
Countless cultivators stood in formation, facing a shadow that stretched across the heavens.
At the center of the battlefield stood a man in plain white robes.
His face was obscured.
In his hand was a simple sword.
The man raised it.
The stars went dark.
Then the image shattered.
Li Tian staggered backward.
Chen Wei grabbed his arm.
"What happened?"
Li Tian looked down at the jade slip.
Its surface had cracked.
"I saw something."
"What?"
"A battle."
Chen Wei waited.
"And?"
"I don't know."
Chen Wei looked relieved.
"Excellent. We have learned nothing. We should go home."
Li Tian ignored him and examined the inscription beneath the jade slip.
Only a few words remained legible.
When the Silent One returns, the seal shall remember.
Li Tian felt the blood drain from his face.
The voice from beneath the mountain had called him.
The system had detected a bloodline resonance.
And now an ancient record seemed to describe someone called the Silent One.
He put the jade slip inside his robe.
"We're leaving."
Chen Wei nodded immediately.
"Finally, a sensible decision."
As they turned toward the window, a voice came from the doorway.
"Not so quickly."
Elder Zhao stood in the entrance.
His gaze moved from Li Tian to Chen Wei, then to the open cabinet.
His expression was not angry.
That was much worse.
"Explain," he said.
Chen Wei immediately dropped to his knees.
"Elder, I can explain everything!"
Elder Zhao looked at him.
"Then explain."
Chen Wei opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
He tried again.
"Actually, Li Tian can explain it better."
Li Tian slowly turned toward him.
Traitor.
Elder Zhao raised one hand.
"Enough. I know you entered without permission. I want to know why."
Li Tian bowed.
"This disciple was researching the history of the western mountain."
The elder's eyes sharpened.
"Why?"
"Because I heard the mountain was connected to an ancient formation."
"And who told you that?"
Li Tian hesitated.
He could not mention the fox.
He could not mention the voice.
He certainly could not mention the system.
"I found a reference in an old book."
Elder Zhao studied him.
"Which book?"
"The history of the founding era."
The elder's expression changed slightly.
He walked toward the cabinet and examined the empty space where the jade slip had been.
"You touched the record?"
"Yes."
"What did you see?"
Li Tian considered lying.
Then he remembered that Elder Zhao had lived for more than two centuries. He was not an ordinary instructor who could be distracted by a convincing expression.
"I saw a battlefield," Li Tian said carefully. "A man standing beneath a sky full of broken stars."
Elder Zhao became very still.
"What else?"
"Nothing clear."
"Did the man have a sword?"
Li Tian nodded.
The elder slowly closed his eyes.
For several seconds, he remained silent.
When he opened them again, his expression had changed.
The suspicion was still there, but something else had appeared beneath it.
Fear.
"Listen carefully, Li Tian. There are matters in this sect that even the inner elders do not understand. The western mountain is one of them."
He lowered his voice.
"If you discovered something in that record, you must not speak of it to anyone."
Li Tian looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because the last person who investigated the ancient chamber disappeared."
"When?"
"One hundred and eighty years ago."
Li Tian swallowed.
"Who was it?"
Elder Zhao hesitated.
"The sect's founding archive identifies him as the former guardian of the western mountain. His name was removed from the public records."
"Why?"
"That is what I have spent years trying to discover."
The elder looked directly at Li Tian.
"And now, after three years of remaining unnoticed, you have somehow activated a record that has not responded to anyone for generations."
Chen Wei slowly raised his hand.
"Elder, may I ask something?"
"No."
Chen Wei lowered his hand.
Elder Zhao continued.
"I can report you both for trespassing. That would be the easiest solution."
Chen Wei's face turned white.
"However," the elder added, "I would rather understand what is happening."
He took out a small jade token and placed it on the table.
"This grants you access to the sect's basic formation records. You will study them under my supervision. You will tell me if you experience any further unusual phenomena."
Li Tian stared at the token.
"Why are you offering this to me?"
"Because I suspect you know more than you are saying."
The elder's gaze hardened.
"And because I suspect you know less than you should."
Li Tian had no answer.
Elder Zhao pushed the token toward him.
"Take it. And Li Tian?"
"Yes, Elder?"
"If you hear a voice calling you from the western mountain, do not follow it alone."
Li Tian's fingers tightened around the token.
The elder knew something.
Perhaps not everything.
But enough to be dangerous.
"Understood," Li Tian said.
Elder Zhao turned toward the door.
"Good. Now get out before I change my mind."
Chen Wei bowed so deeply that his forehead nearly touched the floor.
"Thank you, Elder! You are the most generous and wise elder in the entire sect!"
"Leave."
Chen Wei ran.
Li Tian followed more slowly.
As he passed the elder, Zhao spoke once more.
"Li Tian."
He stopped.
"Yes?"
Elder Zhao looked at him with a strange, searching expression.
"That man in the battlefield you saw. Did he look familiar?"
Li Tian thought of the image.
The plain white robes.
The sword.
The broken stars.
He remembered the way the man had stood, calm and motionless while the heavens collapsed around him.
"No," Li Tian replied.
It was the truth.
At least, he believed it was.
Elder Zhao watched him leave.
Then he whispered to himself.
"May the heavens forgive us if the Silent One has truly returned."
That night, Li Tian returned to his courtyard and placed the jade token on his desk.
He had gained access to formation records, attracted the attention of an elder, and learned that someone had disappeared while investigating the western mountain.
It was not a particularly productive day.
Chen Wei had gone straight to bed and declared that he would never participate in another investigation.
Li Tian suspected he would change his mind if food or spirit stones were involved.
He sat cross-legged and opened the Hidden Cultivation System.
Host: Li Tian
Public Realm: Qi Refinement, Layer One
Stored Cultivation: 1,125 years
Passive Ability: Hidden Aura
New Discovery: Ancient Record Resonance
He frowned at the last entry.
"System, what is the Silent One?"
The screen remained unchanged.
"Is the Silent One connected to my past?"
No response.
"Is the sealed entity my father?"
Silence.
Li Tian grimaced.
"That was a joke."
The system flickered.
Question cannot be answered.
Li Tian slowly opened his eyes.
The system had ignored many of his questions.
But this was the first time it had acknowledged one and refused to answer.
He leaned back.
"Fine. Keep your secrets."
He began circulating his spiritual energy.
One breath.
Two breaths.
Three.
For a while, the world seemed peaceful.
Then the jade token on his desk began to vibrate.
A faint line of light appeared across its surface.
The system immediately opened.
Warning: Remote resonance detected.
Source: Western Mountain.
Connection strength: Increasing.
Li Tian stopped cultivating.
The token rose several inches into the air.
A series of tiny symbols appeared across its surface, forming a pattern that resembled the nine rings of the ancient sealing formation.
Then a whisper entered his mind.
Li Tian.
He did not answer.
My child.
He remained silent.
The voice grew softer.
You have grown so much.
Li Tian clenched his teeth.
He had never met this entity.
He had no memories of it.
Yet something about the voice made his chest ache with a feeling he could not explain.
A blue screen appeared.
External influence detected.
Attempting to suppress emotional resonance...
Failure.
For a moment, Li Tian felt as though he were standing beneath a vast night sky.
Thousands of stars shone above him.
A familiar figure stood in the distance, dressed in plain white robes.
The man turned.
Li Tian could not see his face.
But he heard the voice clearly.
Come home.
Then the vision disappeared.
The jade token fell onto the desk.
Li Tian sat motionless, breathing slowly.
He did not know who the man was.
He did not know what the sealed chamber contained.
He did not know why the system was unable to protect him from the voice.
But one thing had become clear.
Whatever was happening beneath Heavenly Cloud Sect was not a coincidence.
And his quiet life had already begun to change.
A soft scratching sound came from the window.
Li Tian turned.
The white fox stood outside, its golden eyes fixed on him.
He opened the window.
"You disappeared again."
"I was busy."
"Investigating the fish soup?"
The fox ignored him and jumped onto the desk.
Its gaze fell on the jade token.
For the first time, it looked genuinely alarmed.
"Where did you get that?"
"Elder Zhao gave it to me."
The fox stared at him.
"That fool."
"He's an elder of the sect."
"He's a fool with an elder's robe."
Li Tian picked up the token.
"Do you know what this is?"
The fox nodded slowly.
"It was made from a fragment of the original sealing formation. It should never have responded to you."
"Why did it?"
"Because the seal recognizes something within you."
"Something in my bloodline?"
"Possibly."
"My past life?"
"Possibly."
"The system?"
The fox did not answer.
Li Tian set the token down.
"You keep saying you don't know. But every time I mention the system, you become nervous."
The fox looked away.
"I am not nervous."
"Your tail is shaking again."
The fox sat on its tail.
"Cold weather."
Li Tian folded his arms.
"It's summer."
"Perhaps the summer is cold."
He sighed.
"Fine. I won't ask about the system."
The fox looked relieved.
"Good."
"But tell me one thing. If the seal breaks, what happens?"
The fox's ears lowered.
"The thing beneath the mountain may awaken."
"And then?"
"It may recognize you."
"And then?"
The fox met his eyes.
"Then every powerful being that has been searching for the Silent One may come to this sect."
Li Tian's expression changed.
"How many beings?"
The fox was silent for a long time.
"Enough to turn this world upside down."
Li Tian looked at the ceiling.
He had wanted a quiet life.
He had wanted to cultivate in peace.
He had wanted to remain unnoticed until he was strong enough that nobody could threaten him.
Instead, an ancient being had called him its child, a mysterious system had begun malfunctioning, and the entire world might soon become interested in his existence.
He took a deep breath.
"All right."
The fox blinked.
"All right?"
Li Tian picked up his sword.
"If something comes looking for me, I'll deal with it."
The fox stared at him in disbelief.
"You have no idea what you're facing."
"That has never stopped the world from sending trouble my way."
For a moment, the fox seemed to see something beyond the ordinary outer disciple standing before it.
Then Li Tian put down his sword, checked that the door was locked, and returned to his bed.
"But not tonight," he added. "Tonight, I'm sleeping."
The fox covered its face with both paws.
It had witnessed the rise and fall of powerful cultivators.
It had seen immortals challenge the heavens.
It had watched entire civilizations disappear.
Yet somehow, this insignificant-looking human was the most exhausting creature it had encountered in centuries.
Outside, the western mountain trembled.
Deep beneath the earth, a second crack spread across the ancient coffin.
And inside the darkness, a voice spoke with quiet certainty.
"The seal is weakening."
A pause.
Then the voice whispered a name that had not been spoken for countless ages.
"Li Tian."