The pillar of spiritual energy did not fade.
It stabilized.
A steady column of light rose from the convergence circle and extended through the chamber ceiling into the sky above.
Lin Xuan stood inside the inner ring.
Motionless.
But his consciousness was no longer focused on the chamber.
The fragment inside his dantian had completely synchronized with the formation beneath his feet.
And information was flowing.
Not memories.
Not voices.
Patterns.
Ancient formation structures, circulation routes, pressure regulators, relay nodes.
Pieces of a massive system designed long before any modern sect existed.
Outside the ring, the others watched carefully.
Instructor Han's hands trembled slightly while holding the sensing plate.
"I've never seen anything like this."
Xu Liang kept his eyes on Lin Xuan.
"Is he in danger?"
Han shook his head slowly.
"I don't think so."
Yan Rui crossed his arms.
"He's not being attacked."
Senior Qiao asked the most important question.
"Then what is happening?"
Instructor Han answered quietly.
"The system is transferring operational data."
Yan Rui nodded.
"Exactly what ancient formations do when a compatible controller appears."
Lin Xuan suddenly inhaled sharply.
More patterns flooded through the resonance.
He saw how the network spread across the mountains.
Hundreds of underground channels.
Dozens of relay stations.
Three major convergence hubs.
And this one—
Was only the first.
The fragment pulsed again.
But this time the sensation changed.
The system was no longer searching.
It had already found what it needed.
Calibration complete.
The pillar of light slowly dimmed.
Not disappearing.
Just stabilizing.
Instructor Han's sensing plate stopped shaking.
"The pressure normalized."
Xu Liang relaxed slightly.
"He's still standing."
Yan Rui smiled faintly.
"Of course."
Lin Xuan opened his eyes.
The chamber returned to normal.
The formation circle still glowed faintly beneath him, but the violent energy surge was gone.
Senior Qiao stepped closer.
"Report."
Lin Xuan thought for a moment.
Then answered honestly.
"The system is not a weapon."
Yan Rui nodded slowly.
"Good start."
Lin Xuan continued.
"It distributes spiritual energy across the region."
Instructor Han immediately understood.
"A cultivation amplification network."
"Yes."
Xu Liang frowned.
"That would explain the relays and junctions."
Lin Xuan nodded.
"They regulate the flow."
Senior Qiao looked toward the formation circle.
"And the convergence point?"
Lin Xuan answered calmly.
"This is the control hub for this region."
Yan Rui whistled softly.
"That's bigger than I expected."
Instructor Han looked excited and worried at the same time.
"If this network fully activates…"
Xu Liang finished the thought.
"…the cultivation environment of the entire region could change."
The Hollow Vein envoy finally stepped into the chamber from the corridor behind them.
He looked at Lin Xuan.
"The calibration finished."
Lin Xuan nodded.
"Yes."
The envoy continued calmly.
"Then the system accepted you."
Senior Qiao's voice turned cold again.
"That does not mean you get access to it."
The envoy didn't argue.
Instead he looked around the chamber.
Then said quietly,
"You should leave soon."
Xu Liang frowned.
"Why?"
The man answered simply.
"Because once the network activates fully…"
He looked toward the chamber entrance.
"…others will notice."
Yan Rui sighed.
"And by others, you mean sects."
The envoy nodded.
"Yes."
Instructor Han slowly realized the problem.
A functioning ancient cultivation network would attract attention from every major power nearby.
Senior Qiao's expression hardened.
"Then we return to the sect immediately."
Lin Xuan stepped out of the inner ring.
The formation dimmed again.
But he could still feel the network now.
Not through the fragment.
Through connection.
Somewhere far beneath the mountains—
The ancient system continued circulating quietly.
Waiting for its next phase of activation.
And the moment other sects discovered what had awakened here—
This quiet investigation would become something much larger.