The faint pulse that Lin Xuan sensed did not last long.
It disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared.
But the feeling it left behind was clear.
Somewhere far away, another part of the ancient network had reacted.
Lin Xuan remained seated in the courtyard, his eyes focused on the ground beneath him.
The connection he had with the system was still weak.
He could not control anything.
But he could sense changes.
And the pulse he had felt moments ago had definitely come from outside the sect's territory.
"That means the network is connected farther than we thought," he muttered quietly.
The next morning, the outer sect became busier than usual.
Several groups of disciples were discussing something in the training courtyard.
Lin Xuan overheard fragments of their conversation as he walked past.
"I heard the elders are investigating something."
"Investigation?"
"Yeah. Something about the spiritual energy around the mountains changing."
Another disciple frowned.
"I noticed that too. Cultivation feels smoother these past few days."
Someone else added,
"My senior brother broke through yesterday."
Lin Xuan kept walking.
None of them understood the real reason.
But the effects were already spreading.
Later that afternoon, Lin Xuan was summoned again to the small hall near the inner sect.
When he entered, the same group was already waiting.
Senior Qiao stood near the window.
Instructor Han was studying several sensing plates placed across a stone table.
Xu Liang leaned against one side of the room with his arms folded.
Yan Rui sat casually in a chair, looking bored.
Senior Qiao spoke the moment Lin Xuan arrived.
"You felt something last night."
It was not a question.
Lin Xuan nodded.
"Yes."
Instructor Han immediately looked up.
"Describe it."
Lin Xuan thought carefully before answering.
"A pulse."
"Very faint."
"And not from beneath the sect."
Xu Liang's expression sharpened slightly.
"Direction?"
Lin Xuan shook his head.
"I can't tell exactly."
"But it was far away."
Instructor Han placed another sensing plate on the table.
The surface of the plate lit up with flowing lines of light.
Several faint branches extended outward from the main formation pattern.
He pointed to one of them.
"We detected something similar."
Yan Rui raised an eyebrow.
"You did?"
Instructor Han nodded.
"The sensing formations recorded a brief fluctuation from the eastern region."
Xu Liang frowned.
"How far?"
Han answered calmly.
"At least several hundred kilometers."
The room grew quiet.
Senior Qiao spoke slowly.
"That confirms the theory."
Yan Rui leaned forward slightly.
"The network isn't local."
"No," Instructor Han said.
"It's regional."
He tapped the sensing plate again.
"The convergence node we activated is only one part of a much larger system."
Xu Liang let out a slow breath.
"That means there could be dozens of nodes."
"Or more," Han replied.
Yan Rui suddenly laughed softly.
"Well, that explains the scale."
Everyone looked at him.
He gestured toward the sensing plate.
"You don't build a system like this just to help one sect cultivate."
Instructor Han nodded.
"Exactly."
Senior Qiao's expression darkened slightly.
"Which means others will start noticing soon."
Lin Xuan remained silent.
But his thoughts were already moving.
If the network extended across such a large territory, then the ancient civilization that created it must have possessed unimaginable resources.
More importantly—
If multiple nodes existed…
Then someone else might eventually discover them.
Senior Qiao finally looked at Lin Xuan.
"From now on, pay attention to every change you sense."
Lin Xuan nodded.
"I will."
Instructor Han added,
"Even the smallest fluctuation could tell us something about the network's structure."
Xu Liang glanced at Lin Xuan for a moment.
Then said calmly,
"That also means you've become the only person who can detect the system directly."
Yan Rui smirked.
"Which makes him extremely valuable."
Senior Qiao shot him a cold look.
"Enough."
Outside the sect, the afternoon sky slowly darkened as clouds gathered over the distant mountains.
Far beyond the territory of Lin Xuan's sect—
Inside a hidden valley surrounded by steep cliffs—
A group of cultivators stood around an ancient stone platform.
Strange formation lines covered the ground beneath their feet.
One of them suddenly stepped forward.
"The formation reacted again."
Another cultivator narrowed his eyes.
"You're sure?"
"Yes."
He pointed toward the glowing lines on the platform.
"The spiritual flow changed direction for a moment."
The leader of the group looked toward the distant horizon.
His voice was low.
"So the old network has truly begun moving again."
None of them spoke after that.
Because they all understood what it meant.
Something buried since the ancient era had begun to awaken.
And soon—
Many forces across the region would begin searching for the source.