Days passed inside the cave.
Or perhaps weeks.
Shen Yuan no longer bothered counting.
Time here was measured in subtler ways—by the smoothness of spiritual energy as it circulated through his meridians, by the decreasing resistance in his body, by the faint but undeniable sense that something deep within him was beginning to loosen.
He sat cross-legged, posture unmoving, breathing steady.
In.Hold.Out.
Each cycle was deliberate. Each pause intentional.
The Primordial Edict System remained present, silent unless addressed, observing without interference.
Shen Yuan appreciated that.
Guidance, not control, he thought.Exactly what I need.
The purges had continued.
Not violently anymore—no retching, no burning pain—but a persistent, grinding process. Impurities seeped from his pores in thin, dark traces that he washed away daily in the nearby stream. With each cleansing, his body felt lighter, his senses sharper.
Yet the sensation of resistance remained.
Not in his meridians.
Deeper.
Like a barrier wrapped around his very existence.
"System," Shen Yuan said quietly, eyes still closed. "I think I've reached the surface of it."
There was no surprise in the response.
"Confirmed.""Outer layer of the seal detected."
Shen Yuan exhaled slowly.
"So this is the first lock."
"Correct."
He turned his attention inward, guided by the system's subtle cues. Unlike before, when impurities had been obvious and crude, this obstruction was refined—interwoven with his blood, his bones, even his heartbeat.
Trying to force it would be suicide.
Then I don't force it, Shen Yuan decided.I understand it.
He slowed his circulation further, reducing spiritual energy flow until it was barely more than a whisper. In that stillness, perception sharpened.
The seal responded.
Not aggressively.
Cautiously.
Shen Yuan felt it now—a cold, binding pressure that dulled sensation and restricted expansion. It didn't resist cultivation outright. It merely ensured that nothing could grow beyond a certain point.
Elegant.
Cruel.
"…Whoever did this," Shen Yuan murmured, "knew exactly what they were doing."
"Assessment: High-level intervention," the system replied. "Origin undetermined."
That could wait.
Instead of attacking the seal, Shen Yuan adjusted his cultivation rhythm—aligning it with his heartbeat, his breathing, even the subtle movements of blood through his veins.
Gradually, something changed.
The seal… resonated.
Not strongly.
But enough.
A faint vibration passed through his body, so subtle it might have been imagined.
Shen Yuan's eyes snapped open.
He felt it.
A shift.
"Seal integrity reduced: minimal," the system reported."Effect: Cultivation throughput increased."
Shen Yuan tested it immediately.
He guided a thin stream of spiritual energy inward.
This time—
It flowed more easily.
Not freely.
But better.
A quiet laugh escaped him.
"So that's how it starts."
The change was not dramatic.
There was no surge of power, no warmth flooding his limbs.
But his body accepted energy with less resistance.
His senses sharpened just a little more.
Even his thoughts felt clearer, less constrained.
This is dangerous, Shen Yuan realized.In the best way.
He stood, stretching carefully. His movements were smoother now, his balance steadier. Muscles that had once felt brittle responded with quiet strength.
Still weak.
But no longer fragile.
"System," Shen Yuan said, "estimate progress."
"Current state: Late Body Tempering.""Qi Condensation threshold approaching."
He nodded.
That matched what he felt.
"And the seal?"
"One of multiple layers.""Further unlocking requires increased tolerance."
Shen Yuan looked toward the cave entrance, where the forest lay hidden beyond vines and invisible authority.
"I'm not in a hurry," he said calmly."We do this one layer at a time."
"Optimal strategy confirmed."
He returned to meditation, posture unwavering.
This time, cultivation felt… different.
Not like pushing uphill.
More like slowly removing weights he hadn't known he was carrying.
Outside the cave, the world continued as it always had—beasts hunting, cultivators fighting, the strong devouring the weak.
Inside, beneath the quiet authority of the Primordial Edict System, the first lock on Shen Yuan's existence had begun to open.
Not loudly.
Not completely.
But irreversibly.