Chapter 8 – The Forest Reacts
The morning haze drifted lazily between the towering trees as Lin Tian finished his final breathing cycle. The spiritual mist clung to him, flowing into his meridians with ridiculous ease. His body felt heavier, denser, sharper—like every cell had been reforged overnight.
He didn't need to check his system window. His bones hummed with power. His blood felt thicker. His aura was accidentally leaking into the environment even while fully suppressed.
The Forest of Ten Thousand Fangs reacted immediately.
Birds launched out of their nests. Leaves rustled with no wind. Predators growled from far-off dens. The forest shuddered like it had sensed something it couldn't categorize.
Lin Tian stretched lazily. "Too strong again? Can't blame me."
Even the grass parted around his feet. Not because he stepped on it—but because it bent out of the way.
The second sign that he no longer belonged anywhere near the early realms.
A loud crack echoed behind him. A massive stag emerged from the trees, its antlers carved with natural runes glowing faint blue. Its eyes were alert and intelligent, far too aware for a regular beast.
A Spirit Beast. Mid-tier. Territorial. Dangerous.
But instead of attacking, it approached slowly… then knelt.
Lin Tian raised an eyebrow. "You're bowing to me? Seriously?"
The stag lowered its head fully. A faint wisp of energy floated out from its forehead and drifted toward him like an offering.
Recognition energy—beasts only gave this to creatures far above them in the food chain.
Lin Tian sighed. "I guess I'll take it?"
The wisp sank into his chest. Warm. Pure. Subtle. It felt like a beast telling him, *Please don't kill me.*
Then the stag turned east, stomped once, and disappeared into the dense forest.
Lin Tian looked in the direction it indicated. "Fine. Lead the way, deer mentor."
He slipped between thorny vines and ducked under ancient branches. The forest changed quickly. The qi thickened. The moss on the ground glowed faintly. Every plant felt alive, watching, waiting.
A faint sound reached him.
Flowing water.
He stepped through the last curtain of vines and froze.
A river glowed gold.
Not yellow.
Gold.
Spiritual Liquid.
A rare heavenly material that sect elders hoarded like treasure. A single bowl could push an ordinary cultivator through an entire small realm.
Lin Tian crouched down and touched it lightly.
Warm. Clean. Pure.
His fingertip tingled like someone poured liquid sunlight into it.
"Yeah… this is definitely enough to start a war."
Right then, the familiar system chime rang in his head.
[Ding! Daily Sign-In complete.]
[Reward: Minor Temporal Pool Key Fragment (1/5).]
[Bonus: Constitution refinement—energy compatibility improved.]
Temporal Pool? Constitution boost? The system clearly wasn't playing around.
Lin Tian inhaled, letting the river's glow wash over him. He sat at the riverbank and extended his spiritual sense outward. The sense traveled smoothly—until it hit something.
A wall.
Not a formation. Not a natural barrier. Something like folded space.
A hidden realm fragment.
Lin Tian placed his palm on the golden surface of the river. "Let's see what you're hiding."
The river exploded upward into a golden pillar that tore into the sky. The forest shook violently. Trees bowed. Clouds swirled.
Inside the light, something stirred.
A presence.
Ancient. Patient. Curious.
It spoke.
"Child beyond fate… why have you come?"
Lin Tian snorted. "I want to cultivate. That's it."
The presence paused.
"…Interesting."
The world shattered around him.
His consciousness was yanked into a void—silent, endless, heavy with ancient energy. A river of golden light flowed through the darkness like a cosmic vein.
Trial. Inheritance. Test.
Whatever this was, he had been chosen.
Lin Tian steadied himself. He wasn't intimidated.
"Fine. Show me what you've got."
The void trembled—almost laughing.
Far outside, the golden pillar blasted even higher, sending beast after beast into a frenzy.
The forest had awakened.
And it was coming for him.