The vibration did not stop.
It remained low and steady beneath the stone basin.
Instructor Han stared at the sensing plate in his hand.
The pattern of light across its surface shifted rapidly.
Channels that had been faint moments ago were now glowing brighter.
Energy was moving through them.
Not violently.
But with clear direction.
Senior Qiao spoke calmly.
"Report."
Instructor Han answered immediately.
"The relay structure is active."
Xu Liang frowned slightly.
"Fully active?"
"No."
Instructor Han shook his head.
"Partial activation."
Yan Rui crouched beside one of the glowing lines on the stone ground.
He studied the flow carefully.
"The signal came from the core," he said.
Lin Xuan felt the fragment pulse again.
Sharp.
Precise.
Xu Liang noticed his expression change.
"It reacted."
Lin Xuan nodded.
"Yes."
Instructor Han looked at him.
"Stronger than before?"
"Yes."
Yan Rui glanced between them.
"That means the core structure recognizes the fragment."
Senior Qiao crossed his arms.
"That assumption needs proof."
Yan Rui shrugged slightly.
"You just saw the proof."
The vibration beneath the basin intensified slightly.
Still manageable.
But clearly building.
Instructor Han quickly placed three stabilizing markers along the outer edge of the relay pattern.
"If the pressure spikes too quickly, the relay could destabilize."
Xu Liang asked the obvious question.
"And if it destabilizes?"
Han answered bluntly.
"The entire surrounding network will experience backlash."
Senior Qiao's voice hardened.
"Meaning?"
Instructor Han looked around the basin.
"This entire area would collapse inward."
No one needed more explanation.
Lin Xuan stepped closer to the center of the relay basin.
The fragment pulsed again.
But this time—
The ground beneath his feet responded.
A faint line of light appeared along one of the formation channels.
Instructor Han immediately noticed.
"Stop."
Lin Xuan froze.
The glowing line faded slowly.
Yan Rui watched him carefully.
"Interesting."
Senior Qiao looked between them.
"Explain."
Yan Rui pointed at the stone beneath Lin Xuan.
"The relay just recognized him."
Xu Liang frowned.
"That's impossible."
"Not impossible," Yan Rui replied.
"Just rare."
Instructor Han knelt down beside the formation line.
He examined the pattern carefully.
"This structure is designed to detect specific circulation signatures."
Xu Liang looked at Lin Xuan.
"You mean the fragment changed his qi pattern."
Instructor Han nodded slowly.
"Yes."
Yan Rui added quietly,
"And the relay system accepted it."
Senior Qiao's expression grew more serious.
"If that's true…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
Because the implication was obvious.
Lin Xuan might not just be sensing the network.
He might be compatible with it.
The vibration beneath the basin slowly settled again.
The relay activation stabilized.
Instructor Han removed one of the stabilizing markers.
The structure held.
Then he removed another.
Still stable.
Senior Qiao finally nodded.
"We continue east."
Xu Liang agreed.
"If the relay is already responding, the convergence point is not far."
Yan Rui stood up and brushed dust from his robe.
"Probably one more day."
Instructor Han looked surprised.
"You're certain?"
Yan Rui pointed toward the glowing channels beneath the basin.
"These lines are thicker."
He then pointed east.
"The main flow goes that direction."
Lin Xuan felt the fragment pulse again.
Now it was clear.
Not faint.
Not distant.
The source was closer than before.
Far closer.
Senior Qiao gave the order.
"We move now."
No one argued.
The relay basin behind them slowly dimmed as the group moved east again.
But the ancient network beneath the ground continued circulating.
Quietly.
Steadily.
And somewhere ahead—
At the heart of the entire system—
The convergence point was no longer dormant.