With his breakthrough completed, Shen Tian began practicing the Eternal Veil Phantom Art at higher levels. He learned to cloak not just his qi, but his very presence—sight, sound, breath, warmth, even his spiritual signature. If he stood still long enough, he could become indistinguishable from the empty air.
The forest beasts no longer sensed him unless he wished it.
He moved like a drifting ghost.
He also tested his strength, punching boulders into dust and leaping across tree canopies with ease. His control refined, his movement lightened, and his understanding of combat deepened. But despite his growing strength, Shen Tian made sure never to grow arrogant. A flicker of instinct whispered constantly:
There are beings far stronger than you.
The daily draws continued. Most days brought moderate rewards, but one day, the reel flashed with a rare silver light.
"Reward obtained: Heavenly Blood Refinement Sutra."
When the knowledge entered him, Shen Tian's breath shuddered.
This technique… was meant for bloodlines.
High bloodlines.
Sleeping bloodlines.
Royal bloodlines.
He didn't know why, but a strange fear and hope struck him at the same time.
Why would the System give him such a technique?
What was the System preparing him for?
What was sleeping within him?
He practiced the first layer of the sutra immediately, and something inside his blood stirred—just barely. A whisper of awakening. A faint pulse of heat.
He knew—his bloodline was real.
And it was terrifying.
But not yet awakened.
Shen Tian closed his eyes and calmed his breathing.
He would face that truth when the time came.
For now, he focused on strengthening himself further