The night was quiet.
A gentle wind moved through the trees outside Lin Tian's window, rustling the leaves softly. The city lights flickered in the distance, painting the sky with a faint orange glow. Most people in the city were asleep, unaware that something unusual was about to happen.
Inside his room, Lin Tian sat cross-legged on his bed.
His eyes were closed, and his breathing was slow and steady.
After many nights of cultivation, he had finally stabilized his First Stage of Cultivation. The thin spiritual energy of Earth slowly flowed toward him, forming an invisible whirlpool around his body.
Although the energy here was weak compared to the universe he once lived in, Lin Tian had already adapted to it.
Patience was something every cultivator needed.
"Earth's spiritual energy is thin," Lin Tian thought calmly, "but it still exists. If I continue cultivating, I can slowly rebuild my strength."
The faint streams of energy entered his body through his meridians, circulating through his limbs before returning to his dantian.
Everything was peaceful.
Until suddenly—
Buzz.
Lin Tian's eyes opened.
A strange vibration passed through the air.
His sharp senses immediately noticed something unusual.
"What was that?"
He stood up slowly and walked toward the window.
At first glance, the city looked normal. Cars moved along distant roads, and apartment lights flickered across the skyline.
But Lin Tian's eyes narrowed.
Far in the distance, beyond the tall buildings and city lights, something strange was happening in the sky.
A faint ripple.
Like water being disturbed.
The air itself seemed to bend slightly.
"That…" Lin Tian whispered.
He could feel it clearly.
Spiritual energy.
But not the natural, thin spiritual energy that normally existed on Earth.
This energy was stronger.
Much stronger.
And unstable.
Lin Tian's heartbeat quickened slightly.
"That kind of fluctuation shouldn't exist on Earth."
In his previous life, he had fought countless battles across galaxies. His experience allowed him to recognize dangerous energy instantly.
The fluctuation he sensed was not natural.
It felt like something had opened.
"A spatial disturbance?"
Lin Tian frowned.
If that was true, it meant something extraordinary had happened.
Space itself had been disturbed.
He quickly grabbed his jacket and stepped out of his room.
Outside the Building
The night air was cool.
Lin Tian walked out of his apartment building and looked toward the horizon again.
The strange ripple in the sky had disappeared.
But the energy remained.
Faint.
Hidden.
Yet his senses could still detect it.
"It's coming from the north."
His eyes shone slightly.
The distance was far, possibly several kilometers away.
Normal people would never notice it.
But Lin Tian was not normal anymore.
Without hesitation, he began walking quickly through the quiet streets.
The city at night was peaceful.
Streetlights illuminated empty sidewalks. Occasionally, a car passed by, but most of the roads were quiet.
As Lin Tian moved closer to the source of the fluctuation, the energy became clearer.
"Yes… this is definitely not natural."
The spiritual energy here was slightly thicker.
Almost like a small gathering point.
After walking for nearly twenty minutes, Lin Tian arrived near the edge of the city.
In front of him was a large hill covered in trees.
It was a small forest park that most people visited during the day.
But at night, the place was completely empty.
Lin Tian stepped inside.
The deeper he walked into the forest, the stronger the strange energy became.
Leaves crunched under his feet.
The wind moved quietly between the branches.
Then—
He stopped.
His eyes widened slightly.
In the center of a small clearing, the air was twisting.
A faint crack of light floated in the darkness.
It looked like a thin tear in space.
Small.
Unstable.
But real.
Lin Tian stared at it silently.
"A spatial crack…"
His voice was low.
He had seen similar phenomena before in the cosmic battlefield of his previous life.
When powerful forces collided, space itself could break temporarily.
But on Earth?
That should be impossible.
Earth's spiritual energy was far too weak to cause something like this.
Which meant—
"This didn't happen naturally."
Lin Tian stepped closer to the crack.
The air around it vibrated faintly.
A small amount of spiritual energy leaked out from the opening.
His eyes brightened.
"This energy… it's purer than Earth's."
He slowly extended his hand.
But just as his fingers approached the crack—
BOOM.
The crack suddenly trembled violently.
A powerful wave of energy burst outward.
Lin Tian instantly jumped backward.
The shockwave shook the trees around him.
Leaves scattered everywhere.
Then—
The crack closed.
The strange light disappeared completely.
Silence returned to the forest.
Lin Tian stood still, staring at the empty space where the crack had been.
After several seconds, he slowly exhaled.
"That was close."
If he had been standing a little closer, the energy explosion could have injured him.
Even though he had reached the first stage of cultivation, his body was still weak compared to his former power.
He walked back to the center of the clearing.
The spatial crack was gone.
But the ground beneath it had changed.
Lin Tian knelt down.
His fingers touched the soil.
Warm.
And filled with spiritual energy.
His eyes suddenly narrowed.
Half-buried in the dirt was something small.
Something glowing faintly.
Lin Tian picked it up carefully.
It was a tiny crystal.
Transparent.
About the size of a marble.
Inside the crystal, faint light moved slowly like flowing water.
Lin Tian's breathing paused.
"A Spirit Crystal…"
He stared at it in disbelief.
Spirit crystals were extremely valuable cultivation resources in the universe.
They contained condensed spiritual energy.
Even a small piece could significantly help cultivation.
But finding one on Earth?
That was unbelievable.
Lin Tian closed his fingers around the crystal.
"This must have come from the spatial crack."
The crack had likely connected Earth to another place for a brief moment.
And this crystal had fallen through.
His eyes slowly filled with excitement.
"If one crystal appeared…"
"Then maybe there are more."
Lin Tian stood up and looked toward the sky.
The stars above were shining quietly.
For the first time since his rebirth, he realized something important.
Earth might not be as simple as he thought.
If spatial cracks could appear…
If spirit crystals could fall from them…
Then perhaps Earth was connected to something far greater.
Something hidden.
Something dangerous.
But also—
Something full of opportunity.
Lin Tian smiled faintly.
"Interesting."
He placed the spirit crystal inside his pocket.
With this crystal, his cultivation speed would increase greatly.
But more importantly—
He had discovered the first real mystery of Earth.
And his instincts told him this was only the beginning.
Far above the planet, beyond the silent stars…
Something had started to move.
And soon, the peaceful world of Earth might change forever.
Lin Tian looked at the dark sky one last time before turning back toward the city.
"Looks like things are going to get interesting."