The man with the silver spiral mark did not move.
Neither did anyone else.
The stone corridor felt narrower now, the air heavier as the two sides faced each other across the ancient passage.
Senior Qiao stepped forward half a pace.
"You were expecting us."
The man did not deny it.
"Yes."
His voice was calm.
Controlled.
Not arrogant, but not cautious either.
Xu Liang studied him carefully.
Foundation realm.
But the man's qi felt more refined than most cultivators at that level.
Yan Rui spoke quietly beside Lin Xuan.
"That mark isn't common."
Xu Liang heard him.
"Meaning?"
Yan Rui kept his eyes on the stranger.
"Hollow Vein doesn't give that symbol to ordinary members."
The masked Hollow Vein cultivator behind them remained silent.
But his posture changed slightly.
Respect.
Or caution.
The stranger's gaze finally shifted away from Lin Xuan.
"You stabilized the junction earlier."
It wasn't a question.
Instructor Han answered calmly.
"Yes."
The man nodded once.
"That prevented unnecessary damage."
Senior Qiao frowned.
"You say that as if the damage would inconvenience you."
"It would," the stranger replied.
"The network is still calibrating."
Xu Liang's eyes narrowed.
"So the activation was intentional."
"Yes."
Instructor Han stepped forward slightly.
"You activated the convergence point."
The man considered the statement.
Then answered.
"We accelerated it."
Silence filled the corridor again.
Because that meant something important.
The ancient network awakening was not an accident.
Someone had deliberately started it.
Senior Qiao's voice hardened.
"For what purpose?"
The Hollow Vein cultivator looked toward the deeper end of the corridor.
"Restoration."
Yan Rui laughed quietly.
"That's a generous word."
The man glanced at him briefly.
"You prefer another term?"
Yan Rui shrugged.
"Reactivation of a forgotten energy distribution system that could reshape cultivation territories."
The man did not argue.
"Accurate enough."
Lin Xuan felt the fragment pulse again.
Sharper this time.
The stranger noticed.
His eyes returned to Lin Xuan immediately.
"There it is."
Xu Liang stepped slightly in front of Lin Xuan.
"Explain."
The Hollow Vein cultivator spoke calmly.
"That fragment inside him."
Yan Rui sighed softly.
"Here we go."
The man continued,
"It belongs to the central system."
Instructor Han's expression changed.
"Impossible."
"No," the man said.
"Just incomplete."
Senior Qiao's aura tightened slightly.
"You're saying the fragment is part of the convergence mechanism."
The man nodded once.
"A small part."
Xu Liang looked at Lin Xuan.
Then back at the stranger.
"And you intend to retrieve it."
The man shook his head.
"No."
That answer surprised everyone.
Even Yan Rui raised an eyebrow.
"Then what do you want?"
The Hollow Vein cultivator answered simply.
"Him."
He pointed directly at Lin Xuan.
The atmosphere instantly shifted.
Senior Qiao's voice turned cold.
"That will not happen."
The man didn't react.
"The network is responding to him."
Xu Liang said calmly,
"Then we'll take him away from the network."
The man looked toward the deeper corridor again.
"That may not be possible anymore."
Instructor Han frowned.
"Why?"
The man finally gave the information he had been holding back.
"Because the convergence point has already begun the second phase of activation."
Yan Rui's expression changed.
"…Second phase?"
The Hollow Vein cultivator nodded.
"Yes."
Xu Liang's voice sharpened.
"What does that mean?"
The man looked directly at Lin Xuan again.
"It means the core is searching for the missing component."
The fragment inside Lin Xuan pulsed violently.
For the first time—
It felt like something was calling it.
And the source of that call was no longer distant.
It was somewhere just ahead.
At the convergence point itself.