The silence after Jun Tian's advance was almost absolute.
The spiritual energy that had previously roared around him now receded like a calm tide, leaving only traces in the air—soft and dense, like luminous mist.
Jun Tian slowly opened his eyes. Within his pupils, a steady glow lit up, reflecting his newly acquired power.
The Spiritual Foundation Realm.
The step that separated ordinary cultivators from those capable of touching the true Dao.
He inhaled deeply. Each breath seemed to merge with the world itself, and spiritual Qi flowed naturally through his meridians—light, controlled, and unshakable.
The foundation he had built was solid as iron, firm as a mountain.
"Now... I can go deeper."
His voice was a whisper among the wind.
With a slight jerk, his body moved—fast as lightning.
The weight of the air had vanished; Each step made him feel like he was part of the Secret Realm itself.
The ancient ruins, the spiritual forests, and the dense mists now opened before him, as if recognizing his strength.
Yue Lian appeared beside him, floating gently. Her translucent form undulated under the spiritual pressure of the place.
"Jun Tian, your advancement was incredible... But I sense something has changed in the Realm. The energy around it seems... alive."
He kept his gaze fixed ahead, his footsteps echoing among ancient formations and stones marked with long-forgotten inscriptions.
"Yes. Ever since I woke, I've felt a presence. Something distant... watching."
The two of them advanced among ruins covered in spiritual moss. Some still glowed faintly, revealing traces of ancient battles.
The air grew colder, and the spiritual qi thickened.
Spirit beasts began to appear along the way—creatures with strength equivalent to the fourth realm, their bodies covered in luminous patterns and fierce gazes.
Jun Tian, however, moved like a shadow.
No blow touched him; no roar reached him.
With precise movements, he dodged, attacked, and moved forward—without wasting energy, without hesitation.
Yue Lian watched silently, admiring his control and calm.
After hours of traversing forests and spiritual valleys, Jun Tian reached a vast gorge.
The mist there was dense, almost liquid, and deep within it, a blue light pulsed gently. Each pulse made the ground vibrate, like the distant beating of a heart.
He stopped at the edge, staring into the darkness that stretched below.
"This is it... the inner area of the Secret Realm."
Yue Lian looked around uneasily.
"I sense something... too deep. This energy... isn't natural."
Jun Tian remained motionless, his gaze fixed on the blue light.
"No. It feels... like an echo. Like something is stuck, trying to react."
A frigid blast burst from the canyon, carrying shreds of old power.
The ground shook under him, not an earthquake, but enough to ripple the air.
Spirit energy surged up from deep inside, like a hidden wave, and spread out.
It was shapeless and wordless, but when Jun Tian caught it, he felt something: a distant, half-forgotten feeling.
A call.
A whispered stirring, as though an ancient eye groaned open in darkness.
He closed his eyes for a second, sensing the movement of energy.
Something is moving within the Secret Place, but it's still asleep.
His eyes snapped open with resolve.
Let's go deeper, come on. If there's something there, I have to know what it is. I cannot quit.
Yue Lian stumbled, but nodded.
"Alright. But. if the Realm is answering you, the others will feel it too."
Jun Tian smiled faintly.
"Let them. The path that I have walked has never been easy."
He took a step forward and leapt into the thick mist.
The blue light shone again, radiating in his determined eyes.
As his form was engulfed by the mists, the Secret Realm's heart pulsed once again—a stronger, more vibrant beat.
A great distance away, in the center of the Realm, far below the layers of old seals and broken formations, a faint light burst forth for an instant.
It was not yet an awakening. only a hint of something beginning to stir.
An omen.
A quiet reminder that Jun Tian's nudge had brushed against the thread of destiny lying latent at the heart of that lost world.