The night had fallen quietly over the city.
Lights from countless buildings flickered like stars across the streets below. Cars moved slowly through the roads, their headlights forming glowing lines in the darkness.
Inside the small apartment, Lin Tian sat cross-legged on the floor.
The room was silent.
Only the soft sound of his breathing filled the air.
Since the memories of his past life had fully returned, Lin Tian had spent the entire day thinking and planning.
His situation was clear.
He had been reborn on Earth in a weak body with almost no cultivation foundation.
However, he also carried knowledge from a lifetime of cosmic battles and powerful cultivation.
That knowledge was his greatest advantage.
But first, he needed to understand something important.
The true condition of Earth.
Lin Tian slowly closed his eyes.
His breathing became steady and deep.
Inhale.
Exhale.
The simple breathing technique he had used earlier slowly activated again.
In his previous life, he had mastered extremely complex cultivation methods, but those techniques required strong bodies and powerful energy environments.
Right now, his fragile body could only handle the most basic method.
Still, the basic method had one advantage.
It sharpened his spiritual perception.
Lin Tian focused his mind completely.
Gradually, the world around him seemed to grow quiet.
The distant sounds of traffic faded.
The ticking of the clock softened.
Even the faint hum of electricity inside the apartment became distant.
Instead, another sensation slowly appeared.
Energy.
At first it felt like a faint breeze brushing against his skin.
Almost impossible to notice.
But as Lin Tian concentrated harder, the sensation became clearer.
Tiny particles of spiritual energy floated in the air around him.
They were incredibly thin.
Weak.
Almost invisible.
Compared to the powerful cosmic energy he once absorbed in deep space, Earth's energy was like a drop of water in a desert.
Yet Lin Tian did not feel disappointed.
Instead, his eyes slowly opened with a thoughtful expression.
"So it really exists…"
Earth still contained spiritual energy.
This meant cultivation was possible.
But something felt strange.
Lin Tian closed his eyes again and focused deeper.
He allowed his consciousness to expand outward slowly.
Beyond the walls of the apartment.
Beyond the nearby buildings.
Beyond the busy streets.
His spiritual perception spread like an invisible wave.
The process was difficult.
His current body was weak, and using spiritual sense required energy.
But Lin Tian continued patiently.
A few minutes passed.
Then something surprising happened.
Far beneath the surface of the city…
He sensed a faint pulse.
It was extremely weak, but its presence was undeniable.
Energy.
A deeper source of spiritual energy.
Lin Tian's eyes opened suddenly.
"That energy…"
It felt different from the thin spiritual particles in the air.
This energy was older.
Denser.
More stable.
As if it had been hidden underground for a very long time.
Lin Tian stood up slowly and walked to the window.
He looked down at the sleeping city.
People moved through their normal lives without noticing anything unusual.
But beneath the ground…
Something existed.
Something ancient.
Lin Tian's mind began connecting the pieces.
In his previous life, Earth had eventually become one of the important cultivation centers for humanity.
At that time, researchers had discovered something shocking.
The planet contained hidden spiritual energy veins.
These veins were like underground rivers of energy flowing deep within the planet.
For thousands of years, they had remained mostly dormant.
But once activated, they could release powerful cultivation resources.
Lin Tian frowned slightly.
"But those veins were discovered much later…"
In his previous life, the discovery had happened after the first alien invasion.
Scientists and cultivators working together had finally uncovered the hidden energy network beneath Earth.
But now…
Lin Tian had sensed something similar already.
Which meant one thing.
The energy veins had always existed.
Humanity simply lacked the ability to detect them earlier.
A faint excitement appeared in Lin Tian's eyes.
"If I can find them first…"
The thought filled him with determination.
Energy veins could dramatically accelerate cultivation.
Even a small one could provide enough energy to support many cultivators.
For Lin Tian, discovering such a place early would be a huge advantage.
However, there was still a problem.
His spiritual sense was not strong enough to locate the exact position.
The pulse he felt was distant and vague.
Like hearing a faint echo in a large canyon.
Lin Tian leaned against the window and thought carefully.
Then he smiled slightly.
"Of course…"
There was another method.
In his previous life, many cultivators used special formations to amplify spiritual perception.
These formations could gather nearby energy and reveal hidden spiritual flows.
But creating such a formation required materials.
Crystals.
Metals.
Energy conductors.
Lin Tian looked around the small apartment.
Obviously, none of those materials existed here.
At least not in the traditional sense.
However, Earth was now a modern technological world.
Technology itself could act as a kind of energy conductor.
Computers.
Electronic circuits.
Magnetic fields.
With enough creativity, they could serve as substitutes.
Lin Tian walked toward the desk and opened the laptop.
The screen lit up, casting a soft glow across the room.
He began searching quickly.
Maps of the city.
Geological reports.
Underground structures.
His fingers moved across the keyboard with surprising speed.
Hours passed.
Outside, the city grew quieter as midnight approached.
Finally, Lin Tian leaned back in the chair.
Several locations were now marked on the digital map.
Areas where underground structures, natural mineral deposits, and unusual energy readings had been reported.
Most scientists considered them normal geological phenomena.
But Lin Tian recognized the patterns.
"These could be energy nodes…"
If he was correct, those locations might connect to deeper spiritual veins beneath the planet.
Of course, he could not confirm it yet.
But it was a good starting point.
Lin Tian closed the laptop and stood up.
His body felt tired.
After all, this body had not yet adapted to long periods of concentration.
But his mind felt excited.
For the first time since his rebirth, he felt the path ahead becoming clearer.
Earth was not an ordinary planet.
Hidden beneath its peaceful surface lay ancient spiritual power.
Power that most humans could not see.
But Lin Tian could.
And he intended to use it.
He walked back to the window one more time.
The sky above the city was filled with distant stars.
Each star represented another world.
Another civilization.
Another possible battlefield.
Lin Tian's expression became serious.
"In my previous life… humanity discovered these things too late."
"We were always reacting to the enemy."
"But this time…"
His eyes hardened with determination.
"This time we will be ready."
He closed the window and returned to the center of the room.
Once again, he sat down cross-legged.
His breathing slowed.
The faint spiritual particles in the air slowly gathered around him.
Even though the amount was small, it was enough for now.
Lin Tian whispered quietly to himself.
"The hidden energy of Earth…"
"I will find it."
"And when I do…"
"Everything will change."
In the silent apartment, the invisible currents of spiritual energy continued drifting through the night.
And deep beneath the sleeping city, the ancient energy veins of Earth pulsed slowly—waiting for the one who had finally sensed their existence.