Shen Tian continued cultivating beneath the ancient oak tree, but the world around him was no longer the same. After receiving the Eternal Veil Phantom Art, he spent three days mastering every layer of the technique. It was terrifyingly natural to him, as if his soul had once used similar methods. With a single breath, he could vanish from perception entirely, becoming nothing more than a ripple of breeze through the leaves.
With this concealment, Shen Tian began exploring deeper regions of the forest he had avoided before. The deeper he traveled, the more beasts he sensed—some weak, some powerful enough to rule small territories. Normally, someone his age would hide or run.
But Shen Tian walked calmly.
He no longer feared them, and more importantly, they could not sense him unless he allowed it.
He spent weeks fighting in silence, testing his Golden Core's limits, tempering his body in real battle rather than quiet meditation. He rarely killed the beasts; instead, he dodged their attacks with fluid grace, striking only when necessary. His combat instinct felt older than his current lifetime—another part of the heritage he did not yet remember.
During this month, his cultivation thickened, settling firmly in the Middle Stage of Golden Core. His strikes became heavier, his qi more refined, his senses sharper. He could now detect the heartbeat of a bird from miles away, the shift of a leaf falling behind him, the vibration of qi inside distant creatures.
Every night, the System's daily draw chimed.
Most rewards were still moderate—rare herbs, small treasures, or minor defensive arts. Nothing matched the Eternal Veil Phantom Art yet, but each reward was useful in its own way. Shen Tian treated every gain seriously, no matter how small.
But beneath the calm progress, his dreams grew stronger.
The grand palace.
The throne.
The kneeling army.
The warm voice calling his name.
"Tian'er…"
He always woke up with an ache in his chest, hand subconsciously reaching toward something he couldn't recall.
Something he once had.
Someone he once knew