The night passed without attack.
But no one slept deeply.
Even the forest felt different.
The usual sounds of insects and night animals were quieter here, as if the surrounding environment sensed the shifting spiritual pressure beneath the ground.
Lin Xuan opened his eyes before dawn.
The fragment pulsed again.
Stronger than yesterday.
Not unstable.
Just… aware.
Like a distant echo traveling through the underground network.
Xu Liang was already awake, standing near the edge of the clearing.
"You felt it again," he said quietly.
Lin Xuan nodded.
"Yes."
Xu Liang looked toward the east.
"The pulse interval is shorter now."
Lin Xuan noticed the same thing.
Yesterday the pulses had been slow.
Now they were closer together.
Instructor Han soon confirmed it.
After placing a sensing plate on the ground, thin threads of light spread outward again.
But this time—
The pattern shifted slightly every few breaths.
Senior Qiao frowned.
"The pressure is increasing."
Yan Rui stretched his arms lazily.
"That means the core structure is accelerating."
Instructor Han glanced at him.
"Accelerating what?"
Yan Rui tapped the ground lightly.
"The circulation."
They moved again shortly after sunrise.
No one suggested turning back.
At this point, the investigation had already crossed the point where retreat made sense.
The terrain slowly changed as they continued east.
The forest thinned.
Large sections of exposed stone appeared across the ground.
Ancient rock formations rose from the soil like broken pillars.
Instructor Han stopped several times along the way.
Each time the sensing plates showed the same result.
More active channels.
More pressure.
Closer to the center.
By midday they reached a wide stone basin.
It looked natural at first glance.
But when Instructor Han activated his sensing plate, the ground lit up with dozens of faint intersecting lines.
Xu Liang stared at the pattern.
"This is not a junction."
"No," Instructor Han replied.
"It's a relay."
Yan Rui nodded.
"A large one."
Senior Qiao scanned the area carefully.
"If the network distributes energy outward…"
Xu Liang finished the thought.
"Then relays regulate the flow."
Instructor Han crouched near one of the glowing channels.
"These lines connect to multiple outer branches."
Lin Xuan stepped closer.
The fragment reacted immediately.
Stronger than before.
Not just a pulse.
A response.
Xu Liang noticed.
"You feel it again."
"Yes."
Lin Xuan looked toward the center of the basin.
"There's something under there."
Yan Rui smiled slightly.
"Good instinct."
Before anyone could ask more questions—
The ground trembled slightly.
Not an earthquake.
Just a low vibration.
Instructor Han froze.
"That shouldn't happen."
Senior Qiao's voice sharpened.
"Source?"
Han looked down at the sensing plate.
The light patterns were shifting rapidly now.
Pressure moving through the underground channels.
Not outward.
Inward.
Toward the basin.
Yan Rui's relaxed expression finally disappeared.
"…That's earlier than expected."
Xu Liang immediately stepped back from the center.
"What's happening?"
Yan Rui answered quietly.
"The relay is activating."
Instructor Han shook his head.
"That requires a core signal."
"Yes," Yan Rui said.
"And we are close enough now to feel it."
The vibration grew slightly stronger.
Still not violent.
But unmistakable.
The ancient system beneath the ground was moving again.
Not randomly.
Not naturally.
Something deeper in the network had begun sending signals outward.
And the relay beneath the basin was responding.
Lin Xuan felt the fragment pulse sharply.
For the first time since the investigation began—
It wasn't just reacting.
It was answering.
Somewhere three days ahead—
At the center of the ancient network—
Something had finally started to wake up.