Legacy and "Neighbor"

despair.

The rhythm has changed.

The intervals were no longer mechanical but suddenly became rapid, and then a faint blue halo appeared on the surface of the dark silver metal block.

Lu Yuan's Soul Power was instantly severed, and he retreated into the depths of the stone pillar's shadow, holding his breath.

The halo dimmed after three seconds. The regular "tap-tap" sound disappeared, but a more subtle fluctuation of Soul Power was spreading outwards from the metal block.

Like ripples on the surface of water.

This thing has passive sensing capabilities. Lu Yuan lay motionless, his mind flashing back to records of ancient Soul Tool. The core remains that were operating stably might have retained basic functions—detection or alarms.

He waited for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

The fluctuations subsided. The metal block showed no further reaction.

Don't touch it. At least not now. Lu Yuan noted the location and turned his attention back to the deeper part from which the Soul Power fluctuation had first come. It wasn't the metal block itself, but the area behind it, half-hidden by several collapsed rock slabs.

He moved closer to the stone wall.

They bypassed the open area, avoiding other potential sensor zones. The sound of gravel underfoot was swallowed by the wind. It took them half an hour to finally approach the area by taking a roundabout route.

Up close, it became clear that it wasn't a natural collapse. The broken edges of the rock slabs showed signs of tool chiseling, and although worn smooth by wind and sand, the remaining neat lines couldn't lie. Several slabs were leaning together, revealing a dark gap in the middle, barely enough for a person to squeeze through sideways. At the edge of the gap, etched lines, long since blurred, were ancient and rustic.

The protective formation is an ancient design and is no longer effective.

Lu Yuan crouched in front of the gap, but didn't go in immediately.

I picked up a small pebble and threw it in. The sound of it rolling echoed a few times and then disappeared, without triggering anything unusual. I released a wisp of extremely fine Soul Power to probe its senses.

Chaos reigned, even more so than outside. Various elemental Soul Power clashed and tangled within. Strangely, however, these turbulent currents seemed confined to a certain depth; the closer one got to the entrance, the "calmer" it became.

He withdrew his Soul Power, his brows furrowing slightly.

The environment inside is harsh and unsuitable for a long stay. However, the entrance structure is temporarily stable. The source of that regular fluctuation of Soul Power lies deep within.

Lu Yuan squeezed into the gap from the side.

It was dark inside. Sunlight filtered through the cracks in the overhead rock slabs, illuminating less than ten steps. The air was filled with a musty, earthy smell, mixed with the stench of rusting metal. The ground was covered in dust and gravel, soft and spongy underfoot.

He walked very slowly, testing each step with his toes first. He focused his Soul Power into his eyes, barely managing to make out the outline.

Like a man-made passageway, it is severely collapsed. There are chisel marks on the stone walls on both sides, and occasional niches remain, but they are empty. Gravel is falling from the ceiling.

The fluctuations came intermittently from deeper within.

Following the ripples, they cautiously advanced about thirty steps. The passageway turned, and a relatively open space appeared ahead—a hall, mostly buried by collapsed boulders and mud. Only a small area near the entrance remained exposed.

The source of the fluctuation is in the center of that area.

A stone platform, half-buried in the soil and rocks. The surface of the platform is engraved with more complex and broken array patterns. In the center of the patterns, there is a fist-sized, dark blue crystal with a dull color. The surface of the crystal is covered with cracks, and many places have been broken and peeled off.

At this moment, the crystal is flashing on and off at an extremely slow frequency.

Each time it lit up, a faint but regular fluctuation of Soul Power spread outwards.

So that's how it is. The metal debris outside is probably part of the outer perimeter of this ancient ruin. This deep blue crystal is the remnant of some core array or energy source inside. For some reason, after so many years, it has still retained a trace of its most basic operation.

But that's all.

The crystal's light was dim, its fluctuations were weak, and its energy was on the verge of depletion. Most of the surrounding array patterns were broken, the stone platform was buried, and the ruins had long been completely abandoned.

Lu Yuan took a few steps closer and examined the stone platform and the crystal.

Around the crystal's grooves, there were finer engravings resembling characters or symbols. He crouched down, brushed away the accumulated dust, and tried to make them out. The engravings were too worn to be recognized, and most of them were illegible. Only a few vaguely corresponded to a variant of some lost ancient inscription he remembered.

"... the...

He whispered the predicted pronunciation, "Suppressive hub? Or stabilizing core?"

There is too little information.

Shaking his head, he gave up trying to decipher it. He stepped back a few paces to observe the half-collapsed hall. Apart from the stone platform, it was empty, with no valuable artifacts remaining. Perhaps it had long been emptied or destroyed in the collapse years ago.

Just as I was about to leave, my gaze swept across the other side of the hall, near the edge of the collapsed pile of earth and rocks.

There, a small patch of ground was relatively clean, with a thin layer of dust. And, you could vaguely see a few... footprints?

It was very faint, almost covered by freshly fallen dust. But the outline was still there; it was the imprint of a human boot, not very large. The footprint pointed towards the depths of the hall where it was buried and disappeared.

Someone came here recently.

Lu Yuan's heart skipped a beat. He immediately lowered his body, raising his Soul Power perception to its limit, scanning every inch of the surrounding space. There was no sign of life, no hidden Soul Power fluctuations. Apart from the faint, regular light of the crystal and the howling wind outside, it was deathly silent.

He slowly retreated to the corner of the passageway and waited a while. After confirming that there was nothing unusual, he quickly exited the gap along the way he had come.

Back in the sunlight of the stone forest, he leaned against the rock slab and let out a long breath.

The ruins themselves are not of great value. But those footprints... mean that the Thousand Needle Stone Forest is not truly an uninhabited area.

Qingzhu mentioned that there was an "old fellow who didn't want to see anyone" living in seclusion here.

Lu Yuan steadied himself and began to explore the area with greater caution. He no longer focused solely on Soul Power fluctuations, but carefully observed all signs of human intervention, terrain features, and possible signs of habitation.

Upon investigation, they actually found something.

About two hundred paces northeast of the half-hidden entrance to the ruins, there is a sheltered rocky hollow. One side of the hollow is shielded by a natural stone wall, while the other side is covered with several clumps of drought-resistant thorns. At the bottom of the hollow, there is a small puddle of water that seeps out from the cracks in the rocks, forming a small water pit no bigger than a washbasin.

Beside the puddle, there were several flat stones piled up, clearly moved there to be used as stools.

Beside the stone, scattered were some fresh plant stems and leaves—traces of some herb having been processed. Lu Yuan picked up a leaf, brought it close, and smelled it. It had a faint spicy aroma and residual Soul Power; it was a low-level herb called "Adiantum capillus-veneris."

What caught his attention even more was that on the sandy ground on the other side of the puddle, there were several pieces of metal lying around.

The fragment was small, with jagged edges, as if it had been broken off or cut from some object. The cross-section was very new, without any rust. Lu Yuan picked up a piece, and a faint, disordered trace of Soul Power emanated from his fingertips—a typical characteristic of a damaged Soul Tool part.

Someone has processed herbs and metal parts here recently, within the last few days.

Lu Yuan straightened up and glanced across the rocky hollow. On the innermost side of the rock wall, behind the shadow of the thorn bushes, he saw a shack.

It was extremely rudimentary. A few thick tree branches formed a triangular support, covered with tattered animal hides and oilcloth. The entrance to the shack was partially blocked by a crooked stone slab, and it was dark inside.

But scattered on the open ground outside the shack were more things: several empty leather bags reeking of cheap liquor; several well-worn carving knives and hammers; a small pile of cut and polished metal scraps of different shapes; and even two animal hides crumpled into balls and then flattened and pressed on the ground, covered with scribbled and complex lines and shapes drawn with charcoal.

Lu Yuan did not approach.

He retreated behind a protruding rock above the ravine, where the view was excellent, allowing him to observe the hut and the entrance to the ruins, while also providing sufficient concealment. He found a crevice in the rock and hid inside, suppressing all fluctuations of his Soul Power, lying still like a stone.

Wait. If there really is a "neighbor" here, they will eventually come back.

The sun was setting in the west. The stone forest was dimly lit, and the wind was stronger, carrying a biting chill. Lu Yuan remained motionless, even slowing his breathing. His mind replayed those traces—herbs, metal parts, tools, patterns on animal hides.

Although the drawings were hastily drawn, their bold structure and leaps in thought gave him a vague sense of familiarity. They weren't systematic theories from his past life, but rather some kind of unorthodox, intuitive, and adventurous attempt.

The sky was completely dark.

The stone forest was plunged into pure darkness, with only the sound of the wind whistling through the countless stone pillars. Lu Yuan huddled in a crevice, relying on his Soul Power to maintain his body temperature, his eyes fixed on the ground below.

After an unknown amount of time, footsteps could be heard in the distance.

Staggering, unsteady, he trudged through the gravel, his steps uneven, accompanied by heavy breathing and indistinct mutterings.

They've arrived.

Lu Yuan's spirits lifted, and his Soul Power quietly gathered in his eyes, enhancing his night vision.

A figure staggered out from the depths of the stone forest and headed towards the stone hollow. By the dim starlight, it could be seen that it was a man, tall and thin, with a hunched back. His hair was long and messy, gray and white, like a clump of withered grass draped over his shoulders. He wore a leather apron so dirty that its original color was no longer discernible, covered with dark stains.

He carried a tattered leather bag, which swayed as he walked, making a dull thud as liquid collided.

The smell of alcohol. Even from a distance, Lu Yuan could smell the strong, cheap alcohol mixed with sweat and the rust of metal.

The man walked to the puddle, stopped, bent down, scooped up some water and splashed it haphazardly on his face, then plopped down on a rock, grabbed the leather bag, and gulped down several large mouthfuls. After drinking, he coughed violently, coughing until he curled up into a ball.

"Cough cough... Damn it... backlash..." he cursed hoarsely, his voice filled with pain and frustration, "So close... I calculated it correctly... the materials are fine... why... why just not..."

He pounded his head and took a few more gulps of wine.

After a long while, he finally stood up unsteadily and walked towards the shack. He moved aside the stone slab blocking the door and crawled inside. A moment later, a dim yellow light shone through the gaps in the animal hide of the shack.

Soul Guidance Lamp.

The light was dim, but enough for Lu Yuan to see the general outline of the shack's interior.

After turning on the light, the man seemed to have exhausted all his strength and slumped down on a pile of clutter. His back was to the entrance, so Lu Yuan could only see his back and profile—haggard, with sunken eyes and an unshaven beard. But in the dim light, his eyes suddenly flashed with a terrifying, almost obsessive glint.

He reached out and grabbed a piece of animal hide from the side, held it up to the lamp, and stared intently at the rough drawings on it. His other hand unconsciously gestured in the air, his fingers twisting as if Simulation some kind of complex Soul Power operation or structural assembly.

"No... this place... energy overload... this place is too fragile... where is the balance point...?" he muttered to himself, his voice growing softer and softer until it became a painful groan, "It's over... it's all over... this path is blocked..."

He dejectedly threw away the animal skin and grabbed the wine bag to gulp it down.

Lu Yuan's pupils suddenly contracted in the darkness.

Just now, when the man picked up the animal hide, the light illuminated a corner of the design. Although it was only a fleeting glimpse, the wild and audacious energy circuit design, the idea of achieving complex functions with the simplest structure, and the annotations at several key points that subtly resonated with some of his advanced theories from his past life...

This down-on-his-luck, drunken man living in a shack in the stone forest...

Lu Yuan's heart began to pound.

The "old fellow who didn't want to see anyone" that Qingzhu mentioned. Those scattered metal parts and tools. Those familiar, yet brimming with inspiration and chaotic, desperate design drawings on animal hides.

And then the name "Mo Chen" suddenly came to mind—an exiled visionary, a lost Key.

Could it be him?

Lu Yuan lay prone behind the rock, his breath almost stopped. The night wind blew through the stone forest, making a sobbing sound. In the shack below, the dim yellow light flickered, illuminating the man's hunched and lonely back, and the bag of cheap liquor in his hand that seemed to never be finished.

The night in Shilin is still long.