Nothing happened.
For a moment—
It felt like everything had stopped.
No signals.
No pressure.
No presence.
Just silence.
Back inside the sect—
No one spoke.
Because silence like this—
Wasn't peace.
It was preparation.
Instructor Han finally broke it.
"…All readings normal."
Xu Liang frowned.
"That's worse."
Yan Rui nodded slowly.
"…Way worse."
Senior Qiao stood with his hands behind his back.
"They confirmed everything they needed."
A pause.
"They won't probe again."
Lin Xuan didn't move.
Because he felt it—
Even without the connection.
"They're repositioning," he said quietly.
Far beyond—
The leader stood at the peak.
But now—
He wasn't alone.
Behind him—
Several figures appeared.
Each one—
Silent.
Each one—
Watching.
"…Confirmation?" one of them asked.
The leader answered calmly.
"Valid."
A brief pause.
"…And the controller?"
"…Real."
Silence.
Because that answer—
Changed the entire situation.
Another figure stepped forward slightly.
"…Then we proceed to phase two."
No hesitation.
"No more observation."
The leader didn't object.
Because he had already decided.
"…Agreed."
Back inside—
Lin Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"They're gathering."
Instructor Han looked up.
"…You can feel that?"
"Yes."
Not clearly.
But enough.
Like distant pressure—
Building.
Xu Liang crossed his arms tightly.
"…How many?"
A pause.
Lin Xuan answered—
"More than one."
Silence.
Yan Rui exhaled slowly.
"…So it's starting."
Senior Qiao turned slightly.
"Not yet."
A pause.
"But soon."
Far beyond—
The figures stood in formation.
Not a scattered group.
But structured.
Connected.
"…We don't rush," one of them said.
"We isolate."
Another added—
"We map his limits first."
The leader spoke—
"He's adaptive."
A pause.
"…And deliberate."
Silence.
Because that made things harder.
"…Then we force mistakes," another said.
No disagreement.
Back inside—
Lin Xuan closed his eyes again.
The network responded.
But differently now.
Not extending outward.
Pulling inward.
Condensing.
Instructor Han noticed immediately.
"…He's retracting the network?"
Xu Liang frowned.
"Why now?"
Senior Qiao answered—
"To reduce exposure."
Yan Rui added—
"And to strengthen control."
Lin Xuan's voice was calm.
"They're not testing anymore."
A pause.
"They're preparing to break me."
Silence.
Because that wasn't exaggeration.
It was fact.
Far beyond—
"…Begin outer pressure."
The command spread.
Multiple formations activated—
Not toward one point.
But across the entire boundary.
Back inside—
The array reacted instantly.
"Wide-range disturbances detected!"
Instructor Han's voice rose.
"Multiple regions—simultaneous!"
Xu Liang's eyes widened.
"…They're attacking everywhere?"
"No," Lin Xuan said.
"They're creating noise."
Yan Rui understood instantly.
"…To hide the real move."
Senior Qiao nodded slightly.
"Exactly."
Far beyond—
The formations pulsed.
Not breaking.
Not striking.
Distorting.
"…Increase variance," one figure ordered.
The fluctuations grew.
Unpredictable.
Chaotic.
Back inside—
The array became unstable.
"Signal clarity dropping!"
"Interference rising across all channels!"
Instructor Han gritted his teeth.
"…We can't track anything clearly!"
Xu Liang looked toward Lin Xuan.
"…Can you still see it?"
A pause.
Lin Xuan answered—
"…Barely."
Because this—
Was different.
Not direct.
Not clean.
Messy.
Deliberately messy.
Far beyond—
"…Now."
A single word.
But it triggered something else.
One formation—
Didn't follow the chaos.
It stayed—
Perfectly stable.
Hidden within the noise.
Back inside—
Lin Xuan's eyes snapped open.
"…There."
Yan Rui turned instantly.
"You found it?"
A pause.
"…One."
Not five.
Not many.
One.
But different.
Far beyond—
The leader moved.
Not with the others.
Alone.
"…Let's see," he murmured.
Back inside—
Lin Xuan stood still.
Because now—
He understood.
This wasn't pressure.
This was a hunt.
And he—
Was the target.
To be continued… 🔥