The air was still.
Qin Feng sat in silence, his body trembling lightly, his blind eyes wet with tears.
Though the world was still a blur, something inside him had changed. It was not vision in the way others had it, he couldn't see color or form, but he could sense the outlines of life, the flows of energy, the shape of space. It was like touching light for the first time.
He brought his hands to his face, unable to stop the quiet sob that escaped his lips.
"I…" he whispered, his voice shaking. "I can see…"
It wasn't much. It wasn't perfect. But it was more than he had ever known.
More than he ever thought possible.
He knelt deeply, pressing his forehead to the cold stone of the shrine floor.
"Thank you," he said. "Thank you… Senior. I will never forget this."
The spirit hovered in silence for a moment, the faint outline of its form flickering in the surrounding glow. Then it spoke, calm and steady.
"You are sincere. That is enough."
Qin Feng looked up toward the presence, the strange clarity in his senses letting him feel the spirit's form. It radiated a quiet, boundless power ancient, but restrained.
"You now stand at the threshold of the third stage," the spirit said. "The Eye has opened. But hear me clearly."
Its voice turned deeper, edged with authority.
"I know you have inherited the Soul Echo Sutra… and I know that it contains ten stages. But you must not attempt to cultivate the fourth."
Qin Feng's expression shifted. "Why? Is it dangerous?"
"It is not a question of danger," the spirit answered. "It is a matter of fate."
It raised its hand, and a glowing seal, etched in golden light, formed in the air. Strange runes swirled within it, flickering like starlight.
"The fourth stage of the Soul Echo Sutra marks the transition from mortal to divine," the spirit continued. "Your body and soul are not yet ready. The energy required to cultivate it properly cannot be found in this lower world."
The seal drifted toward Qin Feng and gently settled into his chest.
He felt it at once, like a door quietly shutting, far within his soul. The fourth stage and beyond… were now sealed.
"This seal will remain," the spirit said, "until you step into Sage Heaven."
Qin Feng took in a long breath, nodding solemnly. "I understand."
There was a long silence between them.
Qin Feng clenched his fists and bowed again, this time lower than before. "You've given me more than I ever dreamed. Not just a way to cultivate, but a reason to rise. I want to repay you, somehow. I must."
There was a pause.
Then the spirit replied, softly this time. "If you truly wish to repay me, then live long enough to reach the Sage Heaven. When that time comes, seek out the Overlord Sect."
"The Overlord Sect..." Qin Feng repeated, carving the name into the deepest part of his memory. "I will. I swear it."
The spirit's voice lingered a moment longer, gentle now, almost like a fading breeze.
"This place is rich in essence. Cultivating here will give you double the results for half the effort. Stay here as long as you need. I have also refined your body while you were unconscious. The impurities have been mostly purged. You will find the path of Body Tempering smoother than others."
Qin Feng's eyes widened slightly at the mention of his body. As he reached inward with his soul sense, he noticed it immediately,his muscles were denser, his bones firmer. The sluggish weight he once carried was gone, replaced by a lightness and flow he had never known.
"…Thank you," he whispered again.
"There is no need. My part in your journey ends here."
And with that… the shrine fell silent.
The light in the walls dimmed. The warmth faded. The voice that had guided him, vanished.
Qin Feng sat still, his breathing calm, his heart burning with purpose. He had been blind. Powerless. Scorned. And yet, today, the world had changed.
and gazed into the invisible patterns of essence flowing around him.
"I won't waste this gift."
The silence of the shrine was his only answer.
But he didn't need one.