The days following the meeting passed quietly.
At least on the surface.
Inside the sect, daily life continued as usual.
Outer disciples practiced their techniques in the training fields. Inner disciples moved between cultivation halls and resource buildings. Elders carried out their duties as if nothing had changed.
But for those who knew the truth—
Everything felt different.
Lin Xuan had returned to his normal routine.
Cultivation.
Training.
Observation.
Yet every night when he sat down to circulate his spiritual energy, he could still faintly sense the ancient network beneath the mountains.
The connection had not disappeared.
If anything, it had become slightly clearer.
Still distant.
Still weak.
But undeniably present.
It felt like a massive structure slowly stabilizing beneath the earth.
On the fourth night after the meeting, Lin Xuan sat cross-legged in his courtyard again.
The moonlight fell softly across the stone floor.
He closed his eyes and began circulating his spiritual energy.
The flow through his meridians felt smooth and steady.
Better than before.
Not dramatically stronger.
But more stable.
After several cycles of cultivation, he felt the familiar sensation again.
A faint current beneath the ground.
Lin Xuan slowly opened his eyes.
"It's still expanding," he murmured.
The circulation pattern he sensed had become wider compared to a few days ago.
The network was gradually stabilizing across a larger area.
Meanwhile, inside the inner sect hall—
Instructor Han stood beside a large table covered in sensing plates.
Several elders were present.
Each plate displayed lines of spiritual flow spreading across the surrounding region.
Instructor Han pointed to one section.
"The circulation density has increased again."
One elder frowned.
"Across the entire territory?"
Han nodded.
"Yes."
Another elder leaned closer to the plates.
"The pattern resembles a large formation grid."
Senior Qiao stood nearby with his arms folded.
"That's exactly what it is."
The elders remained silent for a moment.
One of them finally spoke.
"If this continues, other sects will definitely notice."
Instructor Han answered calmly.
"They probably already have."
At that moment, a disciple entered the hall and bowed respectfully.
"Reporting to the elders."
Senior Qiao turned toward him.
"Speak."
The disciple hesitated briefly.
"We received a message from a nearby sect this morning."
The atmosphere in the hall immediately changed.
One elder asked sharply,
"What kind of message?"
The disciple answered carefully.
"They asked whether our sect has noticed any unusual fluctuations in the regional spiritual energy."
No one spoke for several seconds.
Instructor Han sighed quietly.
"So it begins."
Senior Qiao nodded slowly.
"It was only a matter of time."
Another elder asked,
"What did we tell them?"
The disciple replied,
"We said our formations are still investigating."
Senior Qiao nodded once.
"Good."
Back in the outer sect—
Lin Xuan finished his cultivation and stood up slowly.
The night air was cool.
The trees around the courtyard moved gently in the wind.
For a moment, everything felt peaceful.
But Lin Xuan knew that peace would not last long.
If other sects had already begun noticing the changes in spiritual energy, then sooner or later someone would start investigating the source.
And when they did—
The ancient network beneath the mountains would no longer remain hidden.
Far away, in another mountain region—
A group of cultivators stood beside a massive observation formation.
The formation platform glowed faintly with moving lines of spiritual light.
One of the cultivators spoke quietly.
"The fluctuations are becoming more regular."
Another nodded.
"Yes."
He studied the formation carefully.
"The pattern looks like a circulation system."
Their leader remained silent for a moment before speaking.
"Track the direction of the flow."
The other cultivators immediately began adjusting the formation.
Lines of light shifted across the platform.
Slowly pointing toward a distant region of mountains.
The same mountains where Lin Xuan's sect stood.
The leader's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Interesting."
He looked toward the horizon.
"If someone has activated an ancient system…"
His voice lowered.
"…then we must find it before anyone else does."