Chapter 26 – The Silent Ascension
The chamber lay in ruin. The air crackled with remnants of ancient energy, swirling like mist around Ye Tianlan's figure. Dust drifted lazily through the faint blue light that pulsed from the cracked runes beneath his feet.
He stood in silence, his chest rising and falling slowly. His robe fluttered with the wind of spiritual pressure leaking from the shattered orb's remains.
Then… it happened.
A faint glow emerged from the fragments of the orb. Tiny streams of light—like fireflies of pure essence—floated toward Ye Tianlan and entered his body without resistance. He didn't resist; he couldn't. The energy recognized him, accepted him.
A deep, resonant hum filled his mind.
"Spirit Core… incomplete. Initiating restoration…"
Ye Tianlan's eyes widened as a flood of ancient runes burned across his consciousness. His meridians blazed like molten gold, and his dantian pulsed violently, as if trying to break through unseen shackles.
The world seemed to vanish.
Only the rhythm of his own heartbeat remained.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Each pulse echoed through his entire being, merging with the residual energy in the ruins. The ground beneath him trembled, and his spirit sea expanded—what was once a small, dim sphere of qi now began to twist, condense, and compress into something far denser.
He gritted his teeth, sweat dripping down his face.
The pressure was unbearable. His body screamed in pain, veins bulging with the surge of uncontrolled energy.
But his eyes burned with calm determination.
"If the heavens want to break me, then let them try."
His spiritual energy whirled violently, forming a miniature storm inside his dantian. The once-chaotic essence began to spiral, aligning perfectly around a new core forming in the center—a crystalline sphere glowing with deep azure light.
The Spirit Core.
A rush of power exploded outward, shaking the entire mountain. Cracks raced along the walls of the chamber as wind and light burst from his body, tearing apart the lingering illusions.
Ye Tianlan slowly opened his eyes. The mask of calm he usually wore was still there—but beneath it, something new shimmered.
A presence.
A force that bent the air itself.
Core Formation Realm – Early Stage.
He had ascended.
He exhaled softly, and with that single breath, the air pressure dropped. The spiritual mist in the chamber spiraled around him like a dragon coiling around its master.
He raised his hand, observing as faint patterns of light danced over his skin—marks left by the ancient orb's essence.
Suddenly, a flicker of memory returned to him.
The voice of the fragment.
Its last whisper—
"When the Seventh Sun rises… return to the Veil."
And along with that whisper came a surge of understanding—an instinct, no… a technique.
He sat cross-legged, closing his eyes once more, letting the remnants of the orb's knowledge sink deeper into his soul. Slowly, runic characters appeared before his inner vision, glowing faintly with golden light.
[Heaven Vein Art – First Movement: Spirit Condensation]
"Gather the essence of heaven and earth, temper the body, refine the core, and conceal one's aura from the gaze of gods."
A faint smile tugged at his lips. "A concealment technique powerful enough to even hide from divine sense…"
He raised his hand and began to weave the first seals. Threads of qi flowed through his veins, forming patterns invisible to mortal eyes. His presence faded, his aura vanished, and within moments, even the lingering spiritual energy around him became silent—as if the world itself forgot he existed.
When he stood again, his eyes gleamed with quiet pride.
"From this moment on," he whispered, "Ye Tianlan no longer exists in the eyes of the heavens. Only a shadow remains."
He turned his gaze toward the exit of the ruins.
Somewhere above, the Celestial Guards were searching, following the echoes of the earlier surge.
But they would find nothing.
Not even a trace.
Ye Tianlan looked one last time at the broken remains of the orb and bowed slightly.
"Thank you, ancestor. I'll uncover your truth."
With a flicker, his figure disappeared—nothing but a ripple in the air left behind.
Outside, as dawn painted the horizon in pale gold, a masked man walked calmly through the misty forest, his aura completely hidden, his spirit newly reborn.
The world had gained a new cultivator at the Core Formation Realm—
And lost sight of the man destined to shake the heavens.