The moment they stepped past the entrance…
The world changed.
The narrow stone passage slowly widened, but the deeper they went, the heavier the air became. It wasn't suffocating — it was dense. Thick with ancient earth energy that had slept for centuries.
Every step felt heavier.
Every breath felt deeper.
The walls of the cavern were no longer dull stone. Veins of golden-brown light pulsed faintly beneath the surface, like roots carrying life through the mountain itself.
Some disciples began to slow.
"…The pressure… it's increasing," one muttered, his voice strained.
Another clenched his jaw. "This isn't normal spiritual pressure… it feels like the earth is watching us."
Elder Mu did not turn back.
"Stay calm. Do not resist it. Let the energy pass through you."
At the front—
Xiao Tu walked quietly.
Barefoot.
Each step he took landed softly, without force. The ground beneath him did not resist.
Instead…
It responded.
Faint ripples spread outward from his feet, subtle and warm, like a silent greeting returned.
Lan Yue noticed it immediately.
Her fingers tightened around the jade slip hidden in her sleeve.
It flickered faintly.
Recording.
Observing.
Every movement.
Every resonance.
Her eyes lowered.
Her heart… did not feel calm.
After what felt like an hour of descent, the path split.
No—
Not split.
Shifted.
The ground trembled gently, and without warning, the entire passage reformed itself. Walls moved like flowing sand. Stone pillars rose between them.
"…What is this?!" a disciple shouted.
"Stay together—!" Elder Mu began—
But it was too late.
The earth did not obey voices.
It obeyed something deeper.
In an instant—
The group was separated.
Each disciple stood alone, surrounded by different pathways, different chambers, different echoes of the same ancient ruin.
Lan Yue's breath caught.
"Xiao Tu—!"
But he was gone from her sight.
Only silence answered.
Darkness shifted into light.
For each disciple…
A different world formed.
One saw endless treasures buried beneath golden soil — riches beyond imagination.
Another saw himself standing atop the sect, powerful, respected, worshipped.
Another felt crushing fear — buried alive, unable to escape.
The Earth Vein did not test strength.
It tested the heart.
Some fell to their knees.
Some shouted.
Some tried to seize illusions that dissolved like dust.
Some passed.
Most struggled.
But Xiao Tu…
Saw none of that.
No illusions.
No temptation.
No fear.
Only—
Silence.
A long, endless path of quiet earth.
He stood there for a moment, looking around.
"…Nothing?" he whispered softly.
The ground beneath him pulsed once.
Gentle.
Familiar.
He smiled faintly.
"…Then I'll just walk."
And so he did.
No hesitation.
No resistance.
No expectation.
Just quiet steps… forward.
The path ended.
Before him—
A vast underground chamber opened.
It was unlike anything above.
No sharp edges.
No broken ruins.
Only smooth, flowing stone, shaped by time itself.
At the center…
A pool of golden-brown energy flowed slowly in a circular motion.
Not water.
Not qi.
Something deeper.
Something older.
The Earth Vein.
Xiao Tu stepped closer.
His heart slowed.
His breath softened.
The moment his foot touched the edge of the pool—
The entire chamber resonated.
A low, deep pulse echoed outward.
Not loud.
Not violent.
But filled with emotion.
Loneliness.
Time.
Silence.
"…You've been here… alone for a long time," Xiao Tu said gently.
The energy stirred.
Not violently.
Not defensively.
It moved toward him.
The golden-brown aura rose slowly from the pool.
It did not rush.
It did not attack.
It approached… like a cautious hand reaching out.
Xiao Tu did not move back.
He did not circulate qi.
He did not try to absorb it.
He simply stood there.
And accepted it.
The moment the aura touched him—
Warmth spread through his entire body.
Not overwhelming.
Not explosive.
Gentle.
Like soil after rain.
Like roots drinking quietly beneath the ground.
The aura flowed into him—
Through his skin.
Through his meridians.
Into his soul.
His breathing deepened.
His heartbeat slowed.
Every crack within his soul…
Began to mend.
Inside him—
The fragmented layers of his Split Soul began to stabilize.
The fractures that once trembled…
Now settled.
Not fully healed.
But no longer breaking.
His cultivation rose quietly.
No surge.
No explosion.
Just a steady… natural growth.
Late Stage Split Soul.
He opened his eyes slowly.
There was no excitement in them.
Only calm.
"…Thank you," he said softly.
The Earth Vein pulsed once more.
Elsewhere—
Lan Yue stumbled through her own path.
Her trial had not been power.
Nor fear.
It was memory.
She saw Xiao Tu smiling at her.
Trusting her.
Believing her.
Again.
And again.
And again.
"…Stop…" she whispered, her voice breaking.
"I didn't mean to…"
"I never wanted to…"
But the illusion did not stop.
Because it wasn't showing lies.
It showed truth.
Her steps faltered.
Tears blurred her vision.
"…I'm sorry…"
When she finally broke through—
She found herself near the core chamber.
And what she saw…
Made her heart tremble.
Xiao Tu stood at the center.
Surrounded by warm, flowing earth aura.
Calm.
Peaceful.
Untouched by greed.
Untouched by struggle.
While others fought their trials—
He had simply walked.
And the Earth…
Had embraced him.
Lan Yue covered her mouth.
Her chest tightened painfully.
The jade slip in her sleeve burned slightly—
Recording everything.
Every detail.
Every truth.
Her fingers trembled.
But she did not stop it.
She couldn't.
Xiao Tu slowly moved.
His feet pressed gently against the ground.
He took one step forward.
Then another.
The earth responded instantly.
A soft tremor spread outward—
Controlled.
Balanced.
Stable.
The Sixth Step of Great Destruction Steps.
He paused.
Closed his eyes.
Felt it.
Refined it.
But when he tried to move further—
A faint resistance appeared.
Like a boundary he could not cross.
"…The Seventh…" he whispered.
"…not yet."
He lowered his foot.
He did not force it.
The aura slowly settled.
The chamber returned to calm.
Other disciples began to appear one by one—
Exhausted.
Breathing heavily.
Holding small rewards—
Healing pills.
Minor treasures.
They looked at Xiao Tu—
Then at each other.
No one spoke.
But the difference was clear.
Too clear.
Lan Yue lowered her gaze.
Her heart felt heavier than ever.
Deep inside—
Xiao Tu felt something else.
A faint presence.
Watching.
Measuring.
Calculating.
Not from the Earth Vein.
From above.
From outside.
From people.
He understood.
Not fully.
But enough.
Yet—
He smiled softly.
And said nothing.
Far away—
Through the bloodline—
Little Water felt it again.
A shift.
A quiet unease.
"…Little Earth…" he murmured.
This time—
No answer came immediately.
Because Xiao Tu…
Chose silence.
Not out of fear.
But out of trust.
And beneath the ancient mountain—
The Earth Vein pulsed one last time.
Not in warning.
Not in fear.
But in quiet sorrow.
As if it already knew—
This blessing…
Would not save him from what was coming.
--- Waiting ---