The Hidden Origin Realm did not shake this time.
It *resonated*.
Jiang Chen stood still as the sword beside him emitted a slow, continuous pulse. The projection map above it flickered—one point had already lit up. Now, two more began to glow at the same time.
Not faintly.
Not gradually.
But as if something inside them had been waiting for this exact moment.
Mu Qinglan felt it immediately. "More responses?"
Jiang Chen nodded.
"…Two."
A pause.
"…Simultaneous."
Zhou Yan frowned. "That's not normal."
Han Wei added quietly, "Nothing about him is normal."
Lin Xue didn't speak, but her frost energy tightened around her instinctively. The air itself felt heavier now, like unseen chains were being pulled open across distant space.
---
Far away, inside a different fragment of the Hidden Origin Realm—
Second Fragment Ruin
A collapsed stone temple sat buried under layers of spiritual dust and time. Inside, a man stood frozen in meditation, his body locked in a sealed state that suppressed every trace of his cultivation.
Spirit Core Realm peak.
But forcibly compressed to the lowest possible output—like a flame trapped under glass.
His eyes snapped open.
"…That signal again."
His hands trembled slightly.
Then—
his body cracked.
Not breaking.
Unsealing.
---
At the same time, in another fragment—
Third Fragment Ruin
A shattered underground hall lit up with ancient markings. A woman knelt in the center of a broken formation array, her aura sealed at Spirit Condensation peak, though her true foundation had once reached far beyond that in fragments.
Her eyes opened slowly.
"…Commander…"
A pause.
Then her expression changed.
"…It's not an illusion this time."
---
Both ruins reacted at once.
Hidden formations activated across centuries-old seals.
Chains of law suppression shattered layer by layer.
Not forcefully.
But obediently.
As if they had been waiting for the correct command.
---
Back in the Hidden Origin Realm, Jiang Chen's Origin Thread surged.
This time, stronger.
Not unstable.
But expanding.
Mu Qinglan's eyes narrowed. "Your aura—"
Jiang Chen raised a hand slightly.
"…It's not me."
A pause.
"…It's them."
---
The sword vibrated again, louder now.
The projection split.
Three points lit up.
First ally.
Second ally.
Third ally.
All awakening at once.
---
Inside Second Fragment Ruin, the man dropped to one knee as his sealed cultivation forcibly realigned.
Spirit Core peak suppression shattered.
But instead of collapsing into instability—
his energy stabilized at Spirit Core peak, compressed and refined beyond normal limits.
He exhaled sharply.
"…We survived."
A pause.
"…He really returned."
---
Inside Third Fragment Ruin, the woman stood slowly.
Her suppressed cultivation surged upward briefly before stabilizing at Spirit Core mid, though her foundation carried traces of far higher intent.
She looked at her hands.
"…We were reduced."
A pause.
"…Not destroyed."
---
Back in the Hidden Origin Realm, Zhou Yan stepped back slightly. "Three awakenings at once…"
Han Wei swallowed. "That's not a coincidence."
Lin Xue whispered, "…It's a system."
---
Jiang Chen's gaze sharpened slightly.
"…They were all sealed at the top limit of this realm."
Mu Qinglan frowned. "Top limit?"
Jiang Chen nodded once.
"…Each of them was forced down to match this world's highest cultivation boundary."
A pause.
"…To prevent overflow."
Zhou Yan's expression changed slightly. "So they were… artificially suppressed?"
Jiang Chen replied calmly.
"…Yes."
---
The sword pulsed again.
And then—
a faint surge of energy returned through it.
Not external.
Internal.
A system response.
---
**[Network Reconnection Detected]**
**[Authority Link Restored: Partial]**
**[Cultivation Stabilization Applied]**
---
Jiang Chen felt it instantly.
A controlled push not forceful, not overwhelming but corrective.
His cultivation, previously stuck in unstable transition, began to rise slightly.
Not a breakthrough.
But a refinement.
Golden qi condensed deeper.
Origin Thread stabilized further.
His aura became denser without increasing volatility.
---
Mu Qinglan's eyes widened slightly. "…Your cultivation just increased."
Jiang Chen nodded.
"…Slightly."
---
Inside all three ruins, the awakened allies felt it too.
A shared resonance passed through them.
Their sealed cultivation cores aligned with something beyond the realm.
Not power.
Not technique.
Authority continuity.
---
Second Fragment Ruin man spoke slowly.
"…We are being synchronized."
Third Fragment Ruin woman nodded slightly.
"…To Commander."
---
Back in the Hidden Origin Realm, Jiang Chen closed his eyes briefly.
The projection above the sword now showed three active points.
But more faint ones flickered in the distance.
Many more.
---
Mu Qinglan watched him quietly. "…How many are there?"
Jiang Chen opened his eyes.
"…More than I remember."
A pause.
"…But less than before."
---
The sword's glow dimmed slightly, then stabilized.
As if confirming readiness.
---
Zhou Yan finally spoke.
"…So what now?"
Jiang Chen looked at the projection.
At the scattered lights beginning to reconnect.
Then at the distant horizon of the Hidden Origin Realm.
And beyond it everything above.
---
"…We expand."
A pause.
"…Carefully."
Another pause.
"…And we don't stop until they're all awake."
---
Far above the layers, unseen yet again something adjusted its attention.
Because now, it was no longer a single anomaly.
It was a network reactivating.
And that was far more dangerous.