The wind carried with it the dry scent of ancient dust. Among mounds of stones covered in spiritual moss, Jun Tian sat silently, his body surrounded by streaks of golden and blue light. Each streak formed part of a complex formation—a tangle of symbols that pulsed almost lifelike.
A year ago, he had been cast into that unknown place. The intercontinental teleportation, corrupted by forces he did not understand, had hurled him into the interior of a forbidden zone, a forgotten desert teeming with demonic beasts.
However, by sheer luck—or fate—he fell within an ancient barrier. A formation of concealment and defense that, even after countless ages, still withstood the winds of time.
For months, he studied each line, each rune engraved on the stones. The inscriptions formed a matrix that connected to something much larger—an ancient art of the legendary Sect of Eternal Formations.
The sect, according to the jade fragments he found, had been destroyed during the so-called Celestial Rupture, an event that split the Ascension Realm into seven continents and caused the spiritual world to collapse upon itself.
Jun Tian closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling the spiritual Qi circulate in his meridians. His spiritual foundation had become as solid as jade. Slow but steady progress had led him to the peak of the Spiritual Foundation Realm.
Still, he knew: true advancement depended not only on inner cultivation but on understanding the laws that underpinned the Dao.
"The formations aren't just methods of defense…" he murmured, tracing a symbol in the air. "They are echoes of the world's laws."
A soft laugh echoed around him. Yue Lian, in her spiritual form, floated above the ancient altar, her gaze curious. Her silver hair moved like mist in the subtle breeze that swept through the ruins.
"You are becoming a true disciple of the formations," she said, smiling slightly. "If the ancient sect still existed, you would be welcome among its masters."
Jun Tian smiled slightly. "If they still existed, perhaps the world wouldn't be so shattered."
"The world always shatters, Jun Tian. It's in the nature of the Dao," Yue Lian replied enigmatically. "Creation is born from destruction, and destruction generates new creations."
Before him, she landed lightly, her eyes shining with a deep light. "But tell me… what exactly are you seeking to understand by studying these ancient formations so much?"
A few moments of silence later, Jun Tian calmly replied:
"I want to understand how the world sustains itself. If I ever reach the pinnacle, I want to be able to restore the balance that was lost in the Celestial Rupture… or at least understand how it was broken."
Yue Lian watched him for a long time, in silence. There was something in his words, a conviction that came not just from an ambitious cultivator, but from someone who had witnessed something beyond this world. She knew Jun Tian was different, for from the day she found him, wandering among the currents of chaos, she had known that there was something sealed inside him, something even she couldn't fully decipher.
"You speak like someone who has seen the world crumble," she said at last.
He looked away, staring into the void beyond the ruins. "Perhaps I have."
There was silence once more, except for the soft humming of the formations turning back on. Lines of luminescent light snaked along the floor, converging in the center of the altar. The air vibrated with energy as a golden light rose from the ground, radiating symbols that intertwined in a projection: the emblem of the Eternal Formations Sect.
Then, from the void, an ancient voice rose, calm, far away, a whispered rumor of times.
The one who perceives the Circle of Seven Lines beholds the Path of Heaven, yet let him not attempt to exercise total control, for balance is a burden to those who would be wise.
The light vanished, and silence again dominated the area.
Jun Tian took a deep breath then said, "The Circle of Seven Lines. seems to be the core of this whole structure.
"It may be the key to understanding the ancient formations," Yue Lian said. "But be careful. There is too much power in the words of those who touched the Dao of the Eternal Lines. Even sealed, this place pulsates with a kind of energy that the modern world has forgotten."
Jun Tian nodded. "I know. But that's why I'm here."
Time passed slowly. Over the course of that year, Jun Tian honed his understanding of the matrices of sealing, concealment, and spiritual amplification. He was already able to reconstruct a small defensive formation and even manipulate the spiritual flow around him with unusual precision.
Each time Yue Lian observed him, she saw him approaching a threshold. One more step, and perhaps he could feel the first spark of the laws of the Dao.
One night, while cultivating under the pale glow of the moon, he suddenly opened his eyes.
Time appeared to have stopped. The stars shone slowly, and it was as if time itself was breathing.
For a moment, Jun Tian felt something. an invisible presence enveloping the sky and earth and greater than any technique.
It was like the formations he studied were only pale shadows of something vaster: the very fabric of the laws sustaining the world.
However, the feeling was suddenly gone.
He took a deep breath and stood up, staring at the horizon beyond the ruins.
"When I leave this place.he whispered, perhaps the real journey will begin.
Yue Lian, still floating beside him, smiled serenely and said:
"Then let the sky bear witness, Jun Tian. For when you leave, the Ancient Heaven Ruins will breathe again."