The faint resonance, like a phantom limb, persisted in Valerius Ren's spiritual senses. It was subtle, almost imperceptible to anyone else, but to Kaelen's ancient soul, it was as distinct as a thunderclap. It was the signature of the 'Abyssal Echo Stone,' one of the lesser, yet still incredibly potent, treasures he had acquired from the Abyssal Heart Secret Realm. The Echo Stone was a unique artifact, not for combat, but for its ability to subtly resonate with other powerful artifacts from the same realm, acting as a low-frequency beacon.
"Impossible," Kaelen thought, his mind racing even as his young body maintained a serene posture during breakfast with his parents. "The Echo Stone was meant to be with my main treasure, the 'Void Heart.' How could it have manifested here, in this desolate realm, separate from me?"
The Void Heart was the treasure that had enabled his reincarnation, a one-time use ability that had shattered his form in the Upper Realm but preserved his consciousness. The Abyssal Echo Stone, however, was a distinct entity, designed to track and locate other Abyssal Heart relics. Its presence here implied that another treasure from that realm, perhaps one he hadn't even realized he possessed or one that had been lost, was also on Xylos.
This was a development that both thrilled and unnerved him. On one hand, any fragment of his past power was invaluable in this qi-starved world. On the other, the Abyssal Heart treasures were not ordinary artifacts. They pulsed with a unique, ancient energy that could draw unwanted attention, even in a realm as ignorant as this.
His investigation began subtly. During his 'daily strolls' around the Valerius estate, he expanded his spiritual perception, pushing the boundaries of his senses. He wasn't looking for qi, but for that specific, ethereal resonance. It was like searching for a single, unique frequency in a sea of static.
He found the resonance to be strongest not within the manor itself, but emanating from the direction of the nearby Jade Serpent River, specifically downstream, towards the denser, less-traveled forests. It was a faint pull, but undeniable.
"Ren, my boy, are you feeling well?" Lady Seraphina asked one afternoon, finding him staring intently at the river from the manor's dilapidated balcony. "You seem lost in thought often these days."
Ren turned, offering a practiced smile. "Just enjoying the view, Mother. The river is quite beautiful."
Seraphina smiled, a hint of sadness in her eyes. "It is. But sometimes, I wish you would play more, like other children."
"I find contemplation more... enriching," Ren replied, his tone perfectly innocent. He knew his words often sounded strange coming from a child, but his parents attributed it to his 'unusual intellect.'
His opportunity came a few days later. Lord Alaric, still basking in the reflected glory of Ren's performance at the gathering, decided it was time for a 'family outing' – a hunting trip into the Valerius ancestral woods, a rare event given their dwindling resources.
"Ren, you will join us," Alaric declared at dinner. "It's time you learned the ways of the hunt. A true Valerius must be capable in both martial arts and the wilderness."
Ren's internal response was a cold, calculating satisfaction. "As you wish, Father," he replied, a hint of eagerness in his voice that pleased Alaric.
The next morning, the small hunting party – Lord Alaric, two older Valerius guards, and Ren – ventured into the forest. The air was crisp, the scent of pine and damp earth filling the senses. Ren walked with a light, almost silent tread, his senses expanded, constantly tracking the faint resonance. It grew stronger with every step deeper into the woods, leading them further along the riverbank.
They tracked a small herd of deer for a while, a mundane exercise in stalking that Ren found tedious. He could have brought down the entire herd with a single qi blast in his past life. Here, he had to rely on stealth and the crude hunting bows of this realm.
Suddenly, the resonance intensified, pulsing with a distinct clarity. It was close. Very close. It was coming from a small, overgrown gully that branched off from the main river.
"Father," Ren said, pointing subtly. "I believe the deer went that way. I saw fresh tracks." He fabricated the detail with practiced ease.
Alaric, eager for a successful hunt to bolster the family's spirits, nodded. "Good eye, Ren! Let's follow them."
They descended into the gully, the vegetation growing denser, the light dimming. The resonance was now almost overwhelming, a powerful hum in Kaelen's spiritual perception. It was radiating from a small, almost invisible cave entrance, hidden behind a curtain of thick vines.
"Wait," one of the guards muttered, raising his bow. "I hear something."
A low growl echoed from within the cave. A beast. Not a common forest animal, but something with a faint, wild spiritual aura.
"A Spirit Beast!" Alaric whispered, his eyes widening. Spirit Beasts were rare in the Valerius lands, their presence usually indicating a minor spirit vein. This was an opportunity. Its core could be valuable.
"Stay back, Ren," Alaric commanded, drawing his sword. "Guards, flank me!"
Kaelen, however, was already moving. He didn't care about the Spirit Beast. He cared about the resonance. It was coming from inside that cave.
As the guards cautiously approached, a creature burst forth. It was a large, grey-furred wolf, its eyes glowing with a faint, malevolent light, its fangs dripping with saliva. It was a Low-Tier Spirit Beast, perhaps equivalent to a cultivator at the 5th Layer Body Refinement – a formidable opponent for the Valerius guards.
The wolf lunged at the nearest guard. Alaric roared, engaging the beast. The clash was fierce, the wolf's speed and raw power testing the guards' limited cultivation.
Ren, ignoring the melee, slipped past. The resonance was pulling him, a siren song from his past. He squeezed through the narrow cave entrance, the air inside thick with the musky scent of the beast and a faint, ancient spiritual energy that was not of this realm.
He moved deeper into the darkness, his eyes, accustomed to the gloom, quickly adjusting. The cave opened into a small, damp chamber. And there, nestled amidst a pile of bones, glowing with a faint, almost imperceptible dark light, was a stone. It was roughly spherical, the size of a human head, and etched with intricate, swirling patterns that seemed to shift and writhe.
The 'Shadow Orb.' Another treasure from the Abyssal Heart Secret Realm, a relic of profound darkness and immense power, capable of manipulating shadows and illusions. Its presence here was a profound mystery. How had it arrived? And why here, in this insignificant Lower Realm?
As Ren reached out, his fingers brushing the cold, smooth surface of the Shadow Orb, a surge of power, dark and familiar, coursed through his body. It was a jolt of recognition, a connection to a power he had long thought lost. But with the connection came something else: a faint, ethereal whisper, not of his own thoughts, but of something ancient, something that had been dormant for millennia.
It remembers.
Ren froze, his hand still on the Orb. The whisper was fleeting, almost a figment of his imagination, yet it sent a shiver down his spine that had nothing to do with the cold of the cave. The Shadow Orb was not merely a treasure; it was sentient, or at least, held a fragment of the Abyssal Heart's ancient will. And it seemed to hold secrets far deeper than he had anticipated, secrets that could unravel the very fabric of his reincarnation. What did it remember? And what did it know about his true past? The path ahead, he realized, was far more intricate, and potentially dangerous, than he had ever imagined.