By the time three more months passed, Shen Tian was nearly eleven. His body had refined itself again, becoming lithe and powerful, with the outline of toned muscles beneath his clothes. His spiritual sense expanded so far that it brushed the edge of the mountain beyond the forest.
And the pressure inside his Golden Core intensified.
The advancement approached silently, but Shen Tian recognized the feeling immediately. His cultivation wasn't just deepening—it was transforming. His core vibrated with quiet power, as if knocking on the next threshold.
He prepared calmly.
Sitting beneath the ancient oak tree, he activated the Eternal Veil Phantom Art. The world around him fell quiet. Qi gathered in spiraling waves, circling him like an invisible storm.
Hours passed.
The sky darkened.
Clouds churned above the forest.
He inhaled slowly.
Then—
BOOM.
The breakthrough struck like a falling star.
His Golden Core burst with radiant light inside his dantian, expanding, condensing, then stabilizing with a dense brilliance. His qi surged through every meridian, strengthening them again, widening them, making them capable of supporting far greater power.
Shen Tian stepped into the Late Golden Core Realm.
He opened his eyes, and for a moment, the night seemed to brighten around him. His aura had grown so intensely that even the trees bent subtly toward him, influenced by his newfound pressure—though they could not sense him through Eternal Veil.
He stood, feeling the world differently than before.
He was strong now.
Strong enough to protect himself.
Strong enough to search for answers.
Yet still far from the truth of his identity.
That distance gnawed at him in quiet moments, but Shen Tian didn't rush. He strengthened himself day after day, preparing for a future he could feel looming like a shadow on the horizon