The next morning, nothing changed.
That was the problem.
Disciples trained.
Stewards shouted.
Missions were posted on the stone board as usual.
If last night had been a trial, it left no visible mark.
Lin Xuan stood before the mission board, scanning quietly.
Low-risk herb gathering.
Escort task.
Beast subjugation — outer perimeter.
His gaze paused on the last one.
Black Ridge Forest.
Recently increased activity.
Two-man team minimum.
Before he could reach for the slip—
"Taking that one?"
Lin Xuan didn't turn immediately.
The voice was calm. Measured.
Internal disciple robes.
It was the same man who escorted him last night.
Coincidence?
Unlikely.
"Yes," Lin Xuan replied evenly. "It matches my level."
The man studied him briefly, then took the duplicate mission slip.
"I will accompany you."
Not a question.
Black Ridge Forest lay several miles from the sect's outer boundary. The deeper regions were restricted, but the perimeter was considered manageable for outer disciples.
Manageable didn't mean safe.
They walked in silence.
The internal disciple — Senior Qiao — maintained steady pace, neither friendly nor hostile.
"You train at night," Qiao said casually as they crossed the outer stone markers.
"Yes."
"You prefer isolation?"
"It improves focus."
Qiao didn't respond.
But Lin Xuan felt it.
Observation.
Constant.
They entered the forest.
Spiritual energy here was denser, but unstable. Certain areas felt distorted — subtle, unnatural.
Lin Xuan noticed it immediately.
So did Qiao.
"There have been irregular fluctuations lately," Qiao said lightly. "The elders believe something may have migrated from deeper regions."
Migrated.
Not formed.
Which meant it was moving.
Or being driven.
A sudden rustle broke the silence.
Low growl.
From the left.
A Shadow Fang Wolf stepped into view — lean body, dark fur streaked with faint crimson lines along its ribs.
Rank: borderline first-stage spirit beast.
Normal outer disciples would struggle.
Qiao did not move.
He simply watched.
So this was the test.
Not assassination.
Evaluation.
The wolf lunged.
Fast.
Lin Xuan pivoted sideways instead of retreating. Wooden practice sword replaced by real steel now, but he did not release full force.
He aimed for joints, not skull.
Control.
Efficiency.
The wolf's claws grazed his sleeve — shallow tear.
He countered with a low arc slash, slicing across its foreleg.
The beast staggered.
No flashy aura burst.
No fragment activation.
Just technique.
The wolf lunged again, more desperate.
Lin Xuan stepped inside its guard this time, blade driving under its ribcage at an angle.
Precise.
The beast collapsed after several breaths.
Clean.
Controlled.
Breathing steady.
Qiao stepped closer, examining the corpse.
"You didn't use your full spiritual output."
"There was no need."
True.
But incomplete.
Qiao's eyes lingered briefly on Lin Xuan's chest — where the fragment rested unseen.
"You are cautious."
"It keeps me alive."
For the first time, Qiao almost smiled.
"Good."
They moved deeper.
The forest grew quieter.
Too quiet.
Even insects had stopped.
Lin Xuan felt it before he saw it.
The fragment pulsed once.
Sharp.
Not like last night.
This was… resonance.
Something ahead.
Something similar.
Qiao stopped as well.
"You feel it?"
So he sensed it too.
Not the fragment specifically.
But the distortion.
They stepped into a clearing.
The ground was cracked.
Black lines spread across the soil like dried veins.
At the center—
A shard.
Half-buried.
Dark crystal.
Faintly emitting unstable spiritual waves.
Lin Xuan's pulse slowed deliberately.
Another fragment.
Smaller.
Weaker.
But unmistakable.
Qiao stepped forward cautiously.
"So this is the source."
He reached toward it—
The shard reacted violently.
A burst of chaotic energy exploded outward.
The shockwave threw both of them back.
Lin Xuan rolled and stabilized instantly.
Qiao landed harder but recovered.
The shard pulsed again.
Stronger.
Responding.
To him.
Qiao noticed.
His gaze sharpened.
"It reacted to your presence."
Lin Xuan didn't deny it.
Didn't confirm it either.
Before either could move—
The forest trembled.
From deeper within the trees—
Something roared.
Not wolf.
Not ordinary spirit beast.
Heavier.
Ancient.
The ground cracked further around the shard.
As if something beneath was awakening.
Qiao's expression hardened.
"This was not in the report."
No.
This was bigger than a routine mission.
And whatever was buried under Black Ridge Forest—
Had just been stirred.
By resonance.