Cultivation changed the body as much as it changed the soul.
By the time Shen Tian reached eleven years old, his appearance had transformed dramatically. His height shot upward, his shoulders broadened, and the childish roundness vanished from his face. Though young, he carried the presence of a young adult—calm, sharp-eyed, and quietly dangerous.
Villagers often mistook him for a wandering cultivator in his late teens.
But Shen Tian didn't mind. He was used to solitude. The forest had raised him more than people had, and the System had guided him more than any master could.
Every day, he trained relentlessly—tempering his Golden Core, strengthening his body, sharpening his qi sense. His growth slowed compared to the explosive leap from childhood, but only because he was already reaching levels impossible for someone his age.
Around this time, the daily draws began changing.
They were no longer minor herbs or simple techniques.
The System sensed his rising level—and responded accordingly.
One morning, after finishing his routine meditation, the familiar chime echoed.
"Daily Draw available."
The reel spun faster than usual.
Colors streaked across his vision—silver, gold, crimson, violet.
It stopped.
And the world inside his consciousness shook.
"Reward obtained: Eternal Veil Phantom Art."
Shen Tian froze.
He felt it.
Powerful.
Ancient.
Terrifyingly rare.
He absorbed the technique instantly—and knowledge poured into him like a tidal wave.
Eternal Veil Phantom Art.
A concealment technique so high-level that not even beings at Realm 20 could pierce it.
A method that could hide everything—cultivation, presence, qi, talent, bloodline, identity, even his physical appearance.
Shen Tian's breath hitched.
This… this changed everything.
With this art, he could walk among kings unnoticed.
He could hide from enemies millions of times stronger.
He could even bury the secrets of his past—until he chose to reveal them.
As the knowledge finished integrating, Shen Tian stood slowly, eyes glowing with a calm determination.
For the first time, he felt prepared to step beyond the forest.
The world was vast.
His destiny was calling.
And soon… he would follow the pull in his bloodline.
The same pull that whispered of a palace far away.
A father he did not remember.
A kingdom he once belonged to.
But not yet.
He would grow stronger first.
He had to.
The future he sensed was enormous.
And he would face it with power.