Lin Mu watched as the canopy thickened into a near-solid expanse of dark green, leaves overlapping leaves, vines choking every gap. Sunlight became a rare thing, reduced to faint emerald glimmers filtering through layers of foliage. The world beneath the canopy was dim, humid, and alive in ways that made the skin prickle.
Lin Mu felt it immediately.
The natural energy here was immense. Earth, wood, and water elements intertwined so densely that they formed a living web. It did not feel oppressive, but comforting in a strange way. Like standing inside the breath of the world itself.
"This place…" Meng Bai murmured. "It feels different."
Lin Mu nodded. "It is rich. Old. Untouched."
Three wide rivers cut through the forest, their waters reflecting faint green light from the canopy above. These were the same tributaries they had seen near the city, now revealed in their full scale. They flowed deep into the rainforest, branching again and again into countless streams.
