Breakthrough Success, Cultivating Spiritual Sense

My own voice saying "Let's begin" still echoed in my ears, but my body had already sunk down.

My brow suddenly felt warm, as if a light had ignited from within. The light wasn't dazzling or hot; it slid down my forehead, flowed into the space between my eyes, and then slowly descended, landing in my chest. It stopped there, like a newly lit ember, steadily guarding my mind and spirit.

I knew the System was helping me.

The spiritual power within my body was still circulating along the newly opened channels. That path had been blocked before, but now it was being pushed open bit by bit, like ice cracking in spring, allowing water to slowly seep up from below. The spiritual power wasn't moving quickly, but every step was firm. It no longer charged wildly but instead hugged the edges of the meridians, circling around and around before finally returning to the Dantian.

Something had changed in my Dantian.

It wasn't just a simple accumulation of heat anymore; at the center, something had condensed. It was tiny, almost imperceptible, yet its appearance altered the rhythm of my entire internal energy. All the spiritual power was drawn towards it, not by force or pressure, but like a stream naturally flowing downhill.

I maintained the posture of my hands on my knees, palms facing up, fingertips slightly numb.

That tiny something began to move.

It floated up from the depths of my Dantian, moving along the Ren Meridian. Its speed was glacial, like a fine thread being gently pulled. As it passed the Tanzhong Acupoint, my chest tightened; when it reached my throat, my throat felt constricted; moving further up, it passed behind my nose and headed straight for my brow.

At that exact moment, my consciousness suddenly jolted.

It wasn't dizziness or pain, but a kind of "knowing."

I knew where I was sitting, the shape of the standing stone behind me, that a spirit beast was lying to my right with its left front leg tucked underneath its body and its tail resting gently on the ground. I also knew which direction the wind was coming from, carrying the scent of damp earth, and that dewdrops were falling from the leaves.

These weren't things I saw with my eyes.

They were things I "felt."

I tried to extend that thread a little further out.

Everything within ten paces instantly flooded my mind—the moss three steps to my left was thicker, covered in leaf fragments; a shallow trench, likely carved by rainwater, lay on the ground five steps ahead; a few shafts of light filtered through the canopy above, landing on my shoulder.

The information was too much, too dense; my mind felt stuffed. I took a sharp breath and quickly retracted the thread. Those images vanished instantly, leaving only that tiny something within my body, now hovering quietly at my brow, radiating a faint warmth.

"Is this spiritual sense?" I asked myself internally.

The System didn't reply.

But it had said before that once I completed the guidance, I could enter the next stage. Its silence now meant I no longer needed prompts.

I readjusted my breathing, inhaling and exhaling slowly and evenly. The impact of that brief moment made me realize that my spiritual sense was too weak to be greedy. It was like a newborn child, unable to withstand rough handling.

I tried extending my spiritual sense again, this time only three feet in front of me.

This time, the sensations were much clearer. I could "see" the texture of the ground, the temperature of the stones, and even feel minute vibrations in the air, like some insect crawling nearby. The spirit beast's body heat also became concrete in my perception; it had three old injuries, one on its right hind leg, one on its shoulder blade, and another at the base of its horn, which was itching faintly, which was why it had gently nudged my sleeve earlier.

I withdrew my spiritual sense, not rushing to open my eyes.

That tiny something within my body had stabilized, no longer floating but rooted like a seed in the soil. With each breath, it absorbed a sliver of spiritual power, becoming more solid. I knew that as long as I continued cultivating, it would grow stronger.

Just then, the spirit beast stirred.

It lifted its head, its ears twitched, and then it turned to look in the direction of the standing stone.

I followed its gaze with my spiritual sense.

The surface of the stone looked the same as before, dark and smooth, like waterlogged old wood. But when my spiritual sense touched it, I detected an extremely faint fluctuation within. It wasn't a sound or a vibration, but more like a residual trace, as if someone had sat there long ago and left a sliver of their aura.

I let my spiritual sense glide slowly along the stone's surface.

On the back, near the bottom, I discovered a small indentation. It wasn't naturally formed; its edges were too regular. I focused my perception on it and finally saw clearly—it was a symbol, no bigger than a fingernail, carved so shallowly it was almost worn smooth by time.

But I recognized it.

It was part of a rune structure that the System had once rewarded me with. It was missing two strokes, as if deliberately erased.

My heart skipped a beat.

Could this place... be related to the System?

As I was about to examine it more closely, the spiritual sense within my body suddenly flickered. My brow felt hot, as if I'd been in the sun too long. I realized I had pushed myself too far and quickly withdrew, closing my eyes to regulate my breathing.

A few breaths later, the heat subsided.

I opened my eyes.

The sky was still dim, and the mist hadn't cleared. The spirit beast was still lying beside me, its head turned towards me, its eyes calm.

I reached out and touched its horn.

"Did you feel something just now too?"

It didn't move or make a sound, but instead pressed its head into my palm.

I stood up and stretched my limbs. My meridians were clear, my spiritual power abundant, at least thirty percent stronger than before my breakthrough. Most importantly, I could clearly sense everything around me; even with my eyes closed, I knew if anyone was approaching.

I turned to face the standing stone.

This time, I didn't just look at it.

I released my spiritual sense, gently covering the stone's surface like a thin veil. From top to bottom, I swept over it inch by inch. I examined every part carefully, especially the indentation with the rune.

As I swept over it for the third time, I discovered an anomaly.

Every time my spiritual sense touched the two erased strokes, the fluctuation within the stone would slightly accelerate. Although it only lasted for a fleeting moment, there was indeed a reaction.

This wasn't a coincidence.

I squatted down, placing my fingers beside the indentation.

"If this stone is really related to the System... can you identify this rune?"

I didn't expect the System to respond.

But it actually did.

[Incomplete rune structure detected, 67% match, meets basic certification requirements. Do you wish to complete the missing parts?]

I froze.

"Complete it? How?"

[Consuming 1% of current cultivation's spiritual power can activate the repair program. Warning: If the rune's ownership is unknown or it bears a hostile imprint, a backlash may occur. Continue?]

I looked down at my fingers.

1% of my spiritual power wasn't much. I was at my peak right now, and I could handle this cost. But the risk of backlash... I had no idea who left this stone behind.

I glanced back at the spirit beast.

It stared at the stone, the tip of its horn trembling slightly, as if warning me to be careful.

I took a deep breath.

"Confirm completion."

As soon as I spoke, my palm suddenly felt warm. A faint light emerged from beneath my skin, flowing along my fingers and into the stone. The light was dim, a pale blue-white, like a firefly in the night.

The moment it touched the indentation, the stone began to vibrate.

It wasn't a violent shaking, but a low hum from within, like the sound of chains loosening. Immediately after, the two erased strokes slowly reappeared, shifting from ethereal to solid, finally forming a complete rune.

The instant the last stroke was finished, the entire stone flashed.

The light was weak, a fleeting glimpse.

But in that instant, I saw it.

Inside the stone, there was the outline of a door.