Tianhan was making his way down the mountain, carrying within him a new resolve after his breakthrough, when he suddenly stopped.A strange breeze moved through the air… and he could swear he heard someone calling him—a faint yet unmistakable voice, as if time itself had tripped and whispered in his ear:
"Return to me… boy."
He froze, turning sharply.No one was there.But the voice… it was no illusion.
His steps carried him back to the ruined place where the ground had collapsed during his breakthrough. Among the scattered rocks, a dark gap had opened—an entrance leading downward, as though the earth itself had revealed something hidden for thousands of years.
A tightness gripped Tianhan's chest, but he stepped forward.He was no longer the boy afraid of darkness.He had faced a Heavenly Tribulation and survived; there was nothing left to fear.
He slid through the narrow opening, the passage widening as he descended.The air was still—unnervingly still—as if this place had not tasted life in ages. Each step stirred dust that hadn't moved since ancient times.
Then he saw it.
A colossal skeleton seated in meditation, perfectly preserved despite the long-forgotten era it belonged to.
Above its skull, a faint glow pulsed—soft but persistent, like the final ember refusing to fade.
Suddenly, an almost-transparent figure formed in the air: an old man with a long beard and dignified features. His form was blurry, fragile, yet carried a presence so commanding it forced the heart to bow.
The old man spoke, his voice quiet yet echoing with remnants of immeasurable power:
"At last… someone can hear me."
Tianhan's eyes widened. He didn't know what to say.
But the elder continued:
"Fear not… I am no ghost. Just a remnant of consciousness preserved in these bones.My name is Xuan Tian… and when I lived, I reached the Heavenly Realm."
Tianhan's lungs tightened in shock.
The… Heavenly Realm?
In his village, the highest realm he'd even heard of was Spirit Formation. Cultivators in the Spirit Realm were already legends.
But this elder spoke as though it were ordinary.
The old man smiled faintly, sensing his thoughts.
"Boy, you know nothing of the true cultivation path.There are only six realms—and those who surpass them… become myth."
He lifted a translucent hand, and circles of light appeared, hovering in the air:
Bone Refinement Realm – The Foundation.
Spirit Gathering Realm – The Spark of Cultivation.
Spirit Formation Realm – Birth of True Essence.
Spirit Realm – First steps into true power.
Earth Realm – Those who touch the laws of the world.
Heaven Realm – Those who rise above all things.
Then the lights vanished.
The elder spoke with a tone heavy with longing and regret:
"I was a wandering cultivator, with no sect, no clan.Yet I reached the heavens.But my path… ended here."
He gazed at his own skeletal remains as if remembering his final moment.
Then he looked deeply at Tianhan.
"When you broke into the Spirit Gathering Realm, the echo of your power stirred what little of my consciousness remains.I heard your pulse—A pulse… so similar to mine thousands of years ago."
He stepped closer.
"I possess an inheritance… the greatest treasure I left behind.A cultivation art meant to immortalize my name:The Spiritual Foxes Technique."
A shiver raced through Tianhan's spine.
The elder's voice lowered, becoming heavy and sharp:
**"My technique combines three paths:
1.Refining spiritual energy.
2.Refining the body with spiritual energy.
3.Refining the spiritual mind itself.
It is swifter than the wind, deadlier than killing intent, sharper than the blade.Only one who carries my will can master all its paths."**
Then the elder raised his hand, revealing a small black orb swirling with shifting light.
"This is my tool—The Soul-Devouring Artifact.Only seven uses remain…but it was the source of my strength.By devouring my enemies' memories…I learned thousands of techniques."
He stepped even closer.
"I want you… to be my successor."
Tianhan's breath caught in his throat. His hands trembled.
He knew an opportunity like this would never come again.Still, he hesitated for a heartbeat.
But something deep inside whispered:
"You have stepped into the Spirit Gathering Realm…Even the heavens acknowledged you.How can you refuse?"
He fell to his knees and pressed his forehead to the ground.
"Great elder… from this moment…You are my master."
A peaceful smile spread across the elder's fading face, as though his soul found rest after millennia of loneliness.
He murmured ancient words, releasing a soft red glow that briefly connected their spirits.
Tianhan then took the Soul-Devouring Artifact and placed it on the skeleton's forehead.
A silent explosion followed.
Thousands of images flooded his mind—The elder's memories, battles, victories, training, darkest days and brightest triumphs…
Then suddenly, the memories stopped.
Half of them…were missing.
A cold question formed in Tianhan's mind:
"How did he die?What happened?Why is that part gone…?"
But the elder could no longer answer.His ethereal form began dissolving.
"I have done what I must…From now on, boy…your path is the path of the heavens.Do not stop."
And he vanished like drifting dust.
Tianhan sat motionless for a moment, then gathered the elder's bones and buried them with his own hands outside the cave.
He bowed deeply.
Returning inside, he arranged everything he had gained:
The Spiritual Foxes Technique
The Soul-Devouring Artifact
The remnants of a Heavenly Realm cultivator's wisdom
He began training immediately.
The techniques were deep, the paths complex, and the ambient spiritual energy was sufficient for long, secluded cultivation.
Days turned into months.Months into years.
His understanding shifted.His power transformed.His spirit sharpened.Even his vision of the world evolved.
Through meditation, training, and repeated consumption of inherited knowledge…
Four years passed.
Four years that reshaped him entirely.
He was no longer the boy who had entered this cave—
But a cultivator standing at the threshold of another world altogether.
Thus ended the four-year isolation…And a new chapter began.
A chapter carrying the legacy of the heavens.