Chapter 5: The Sky Itself Trembled
The forest had grown quieter over the past few days.
Not because the beasts had vanished—but because they'd learned to stay far away from him.
Lin Tian walked through the ruins of a once-mighty beast den, his hands clasped behind his back. The ground was scorched black, spiritual essence still lingering like a dying flame. Every sign of resistance had long been erased.
He paused before a cracked boulder, faint inscriptions carved into its surface. Ancient runes pulsed weakly, like the final heartbeat of something long dead.
"An inheritance stone," he murmured. "But faded… must have been here for thousands of years."
[Ding! Sign-In location detected: 'Fallen Beast King's Altar'.]
[Reward: High-Heaven Grade Technique — *Primordial Origin Breathing*.]
A faint smile curved his lips. "Perfect timing."
He sat down, legs crossed. The ground beneath him vibrated as his breathing synchronized with the natural rhythm of the forest. The technique's essence wrapped around him like invisible waves.
Every inhale drew the surrounding spiritual energy into his lungs; every exhale refined it into pure power. Trees began to wither within a hundred-meter radius, their life force drained to fuel his ascension.
Moments turned to hours.
When he finally opened his eyes, the air rippled like water.
His aura was terrifying—dense, heavy, and boundless. If an ordinary cultivator stepped within ten steps of him, their meridians would shatter instantly.
"Mid-Spirit Refinement Realm," he muttered. "Too slow."
A shadow flickered behind him. A beast—massive, scaled, and horned—emerged, its eyes burning with golden light. It had waited for the perfect moment to strike.
Its claws slashed through the air with a sound like tearing metal.
Lin Tian didn't turn. He simply raised one finger.
A thread of golden light erupted.
*Boom!*
The creature disintegrated, leaving behind only a trembling echo.
He stood, brushing dust from his sleeves. "Another wasted effort."
[Ding! You have absorbed beast essence. Cultivation +2%.]
"Still not enough," he said quietly, glancing toward the distant mountains. Beyond them lay civilization—sect territories, empires, and cultivators who thought themselves strong.
He turned his gaze upward.
The sky had shifted color. Clouds twisted unnaturally, forming a faint vortex above him. The sheer density of his spiritual energy had begun to affect the heavens themselves.
The forest trembled. Beasts fled.
Lin Tian exhaled softly. "Seems I can't even hide my strength anymore."
He took his first step out of the forest.
The world responded with thunder.
Each stride carried him further toward destiny, the Sign-In System humming faintly within his mind. Ahead lay sects that ruled nations, treasures older than memory, and foes who believed themselves untouchable.
He smiled faintly.
"Let's see how long that illusion lasts."