The morning air was crisp, carrying the scent of charred wood and dust from the ruined arena.
An Bo Tiankong stood in the center, his palms still tingling from the previous day's experiments with the Spirit Probe fragments.
The warmth under his skin pulsed insistently. Not violent. Not bright. Just alive. Persistent.
This energy… it's part of me now.
He clenched his fists, testing the threads of power he could sense. Even at Level 1, Body Tempering Stage—Early Stage, he could feel the seal's faint residual aura reacting to his presence.
The ground beneath him seemed to hum, vibrating slightly with every heartbeat.
Old Man's Arrival
The old man appeared quietly at the edge of the arena, leaning on a staff worn smooth by age. His gaze swept the cracks and ruins before settling on Tiankong.
"You've awakened it further," the old man said, voice calm but edged with tension. "Even at your current stage, you're affecting the seal more than anyone could expect."
Tiankong's hands shook slightly. "I… didn't mean to. It just… reacted."
The old man nodded slowly. "The energy inside you… it has a will of its own. You must learn to control it before it controls you."
First Formal Training
The old man gestured to the cracked ground. "We'll start with basic energy circulation. Focus on each pulse. Feel it. Guide it. Do not force it."
Tiankong crouched, palms flat against the stone.
He inhaled. Exhaled.
Energy stirred within him. A faint pink glow surrounded his hair strands, flickering like a pulse.
Level 1, Early Stage… he reminded himself. I am nothing compared to them.
Yet when he moved, small pulses radiated outward. Dust lifted, cracks widened slightly, and faint waves of energy reached toward the broken runes.
The old man watched silently, expression unreadable. "Good. Now focus. Sub-stages matter. Early, Mid, Late, Peak. Each will produce a slightly different response."
Sub-stage Practice
Tiankong flexed his fingers, imagining the energy flowing from Early Stage into Mid Stage.
Early Stage: soft pulse, barely noticeable ripple.
Mid Stage: more visible, stones tremble, cracks extend slightly.
Late Stage: aura radiates clearly, minor environmental disturbance.
Peak Stage: surrounding air vibrates, subtle pressure felt in bones.
Even with imagination, Tiankong could feel the difference in energy flow. It was like controlling his own heartbeat—but magnified across the ruins.
He stepped forward. The ground responded. Tiny cracks expanded, dust swirled, and a faint hum echoed through the arena.
"This is how you start sensing your surroundings," the old man said. "Even at Level 1, your aura has weight. Understand it. Respect it."
First Technique Reinforced: Pulse Strike
The old man motioned. "Now, channel a technique through your circulation. Simple. Direct. Control is key."
Tiankong clenched his fist. A faint pink glow sparked.
Pulse Strike – Early Tier
Effect: Condenses energy into a focused strike. Temporarily increases impact beyond physical strength.
He struck the ground.
The stone cracked deeper. Dust erupted. Runes pulsed, responding to the energy flow.
Even Level 3, Late Stage demons in the vicinity would feel it, if present.
It's not the damage… it's the aura I'm producing, Tiankong realized. That's what makes the world react.
Unexpected Phenomenon
As he practiced, the ground trembled faintly. Not from him—this was different.
From the deepest cracks, faint, subtle ripples emerged. Pulsing. Watching. Responding.
It's not alive… but it's aware.
The old man's eyes narrowed. "You see it, don't you? The seal itself is stirring. Even a Level 1 cultivator like you can provoke it. Imagine what happens as you grow."
Tiankong felt a chill. It wasn't fear. It was understanding.
I'm connected… somehow. The seal, the fragments, the aura… all of it is responding to me.
The pink strands of his hair flickered as the energy beneath him pulsed, faint but insistent, like a heartbeat echoing in a hollow chamber.
First Lesson Learned
Hours passed. Sunlight fell unevenly across the arena, highlighting dust in swirling patterns.
Tiankong collapsed onto a cracked pillar, breath ragged. His arms shook from controlling the flow of energy, but his heart raced with something else—anticipation.
The old man approached, leaning heavily on his staff. "Not bad for your first day of focused training. You're beginning to feel the difference between sub-stages, and that alone is rare at Level 1."
Tiankong exhaled slowly, trying to calm his pulse. "I can feel it… something inside me. It's… alive."
The old man didn't answer directly. He only fixed his gaze on the horizon, silent.
A soft wind blew across the arena. The runes pulsed faintly, as if warning him: The world has noticed.