Riley vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving behind nothing but a faint ripple of energy where he once sat.
When he reappeared, it was within a secluded underground chamber—hidden beneath layers of spiritual barriers and formations meant to keep intruders out.
The air inside was dense with spiritual energy.
Threads of golden qi floated lazily in the air like fireflies, converging toward the figure of an old man sitting in the center of the room.
He was cross-legged, his breathing steady and rhythmic.
His skin glistened faintly as streams of spiritual light flowed along his meridians.
He was clearly in the midst of an important breakthrough.
Every breath he took drew in more energy, and faint cracks of thunder echoed within his spiritual sea.
Success was near—he could feel it.
Given a few more minutes, he would break past his bottleneck and ascend to the next realm.
But Riley had no patience for that.
"Wake up," Riley said simply.
