No one spoke for several breaths after the stranger's words.
"The central convergence point is waking up."
Instructor Han was the first to recover.
"That is impossible," he said calmly.
The stranger tilted his head slightly.
"Is it?"
Han frowned. "The network has been dormant for decades."
"Dormant is not the same as dead," the man replied.
Senior Qiao's gaze sharpened.
"You claim the core is active again."
"I said it is waking," the stranger corrected. "Not fully active."
Xu Liang studied him carefully.
"You tested a junction you didn't understand."
"Yes."
"And nearly caused a collapse."
The stranger didn't argue.
"That's how testing works."
Xu Liang's eyes narrowed slightly.
Reckless.
But not foolish.
The masked Hollow Vein cultivator finally stepped forward.
"You're not from any local sect."
"No."
"Independent?"
The stranger considered the question.
"Something like that."
Senior Qiao was losing patience.
"Names are usually exchanged in situations like this."
The man smiled faintly.
"You can call me Yan Rui."
Maybe real.
Maybe not.
But it was something.
Instructor Han spoke again.
"You said the convergence point is three days east."
"Yes."
"How do you know?"
Yan Rui pointed toward the ravine.
"This junction is not random."
Lin Xuan already understood that.
But Yan Rui continued anyway.
"It distributes pressure from the deeper system."
He pointed toward the forest beyond the ravine.
"If the central structure begins circulating again, outer junctions start fluctuating."
Instructor Han nodded slowly.
That matched what they had observed.
Xu Liang crossed his arms.
"You're assuming the activation originates from the center."
Yan Rui looked at him.
"It does."
"You sound certain."
"I followed the flow."
Xu Liang didn't respond immediately.
Because that answer meant something important.
If Yan Rui could follow the flow—
He had a sensing ability similar to Lin Xuan's fragment.
Senior Qiao turned toward Instructor Han.
"If the convergence point is active, we must confirm it."
Han nodded.
"This exceeds the original investigation."
"Which means we report back."
But no one moved yet.
Because the masked Hollow Vein cultivator spoke.
"If we leave now, the center may activate before anyone returns."
Senior Qiao looked at him.
"You suggest continuing?"
"Yes."
Xu Liang added quietly,
"If the convergence point stabilizes or collapses without observation, we lose critical information."
Instructor Han hesitated.
The risk was obvious.
But the opportunity was also obvious.
Lin Xuan said nothing.
But the fragment inside his dantian vibrated again.
Faint.
Directional.
East.
Yan Rui noticed.
Of course he did.
His eyes lingered on Lin Xuan for a moment.
Then he looked toward the deeper forest.
"I'm going either way," he said.
"No sect orders. No investigation report."
Senior Qiao's voice was flat.
"You expect us to trust you."
"No."
Yan Rui shook his head slightly.
"I expect you to make the logical choice."
Silence settled across the group again.
Three factions now stood at the ravine:
• Azure Ridge Sect investigators
• A Hollow Vein observer
• An independent cultivator with unknown motives
All interested in the same thing.
The awakening convergence point.
Senior Qiao finally spoke.
"We move east."
Instructor Han exhaled quietly but nodded.
Xu Liang didn't object.
The masked cultivator said nothing, which was agreement enough.
Yan Rui simply smiled faintly.
Lin Xuan felt the fragment align again.
Stronger now.
Not just sensing nodes.
Not just sensing junctions.
Something deeper in the underground network was slowly circulating.
And if Yan Rui was correct—
They were walking toward the heart of it.
Three days away.