2026-09-28 16:19:07Night had fallen over the city.
The noise from the streets had gradually faded, leaving only the occasional sound of passing cars and the distant barking of a dog.
Inside the Carter home, everyone had gone to bed.
But Julian was still awake.
He sat alone in his bedroom with the lights turned off and the curtains slightly open.
Moonlight slipped through the window, casting a pale glow across the floor.
Julian sat cross-legged, his hands resting on his knees.
His breathing was slow and controlled.
Tonight, he wasn't going to waste time.
He closed his eyes and began cultivating.
A faint trace of spiritual energy drifted through the open window.
Julian immediately sensed it.
He guided the energy toward himself, carefully drawing it into his body.
The moment it entered his meridians, his brow tightened.
The energy was incredibly weak.
It moved through his body like a thin stream struggling against a dry riverbed.
"This is far too little."
In his former world, spiritual energy had been abundant.
He could cultivate for hours without worrying about running out of energy.
Here, even gathering a small amount required concentration.
But Julian didn't stop.
He had once started with nothing.
He could do it again.
He continued guiding the energy through his meridians, slowly strengthening Ethan's weak body.
Minutes passed.
Sweat appeared along his forehead.
His muscles began to ache as the spiritual energy circulated through places that had never been properly cultivated.
Julian remained still.
He had endured far worse pain during his centuries of cultivation.
Compared to those days, this was nothing.
Then, after several more minutes, a faint warmth spread through his chest.
Julian's breathing paused.
Something had changed.
The spiritual energy was moving more smoothly.
His body was slowly adapting.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"At least the foundation isn't completely useless."
He continued cultivating.
Then something unexpected happened.
A strange pulse passed through the floor.
Julian's eyes opened immediately.
He remained motionless.
There it was again.
A faint pulse.
Almost like a heartbeat.
His expression slowly changed.
The sensation had come from beneath him.
Julian placed one palm against the wooden floor.
He closed his eyes and focused.
Another pulse.
This time, he felt it clearly.
The spiritual energy wasn't coming from outside.
It was coming from beneath the house.
Julian's eyes narrowed.
He slowly stood.
Could there be something hidden underneath the Carter home?
He released a small amount of spiritual sense.
The sensation traveled downward.
Through the wooden floor.
Past the foundation.
Deeper into the earth.
Julian concentrated harder.
The deeper his senses went, the older the energy seemed to become.
It wasn't fresh spiritual energy.
It carried a strange, ancient feeling.
Julian's expression became serious.
"What exactly is buried here?"
He pushed his spiritual sense farther.
Then he felt it.
An object.
Something buried deep beneath the house.
It was small, but it contained a surprising amount of spiritual energy.
Julian tried to sense its shape.
His spiritual sense suddenly trembled.
A strange pressure pushed back against him.
Julian immediately withdrew his senses.
His eyes narrowed.
That wasn't natural.
Whatever was beneath the house had some kind of protection around it.
"Interesting."
He stared at the floor.
The Carter family had lived here for years.
Had they known about it?
Or had Ethan's father known?
The thought made Julian pause.
His father's disappearance.
The debt.
The hidden spiritual formation beneath the city.
And now an ancient object beneath the Carter home.
Perhaps these things weren't separate.
Before Julian could investigate further, a sudden knock came from downstairs.
His expression changed.
He listened.
Nothing.
Then another knock sounded.
This time, harder.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Julian stood.
His eyes became sharp.
"Who could be visiting this late?"
He quietly opened his bedroom door.
The hallway was dark.
Julian stepped outside and listened again.
Another knock echoed through the house.
He descended the stairs.
Each step was quiet beneath his feet.
When he reached the living room, he saw Sarah standing near the front door.
Her face was pale.
Lily stood behind her, gripping her mother's arm tightly.
"Mom?" Julian called softly.
Sarah turned.
"Ethan..."
Her voice trembled.
"I don't know who it is."
Julian looked toward the door.
The knocking came again.
Three heavy knocks.
Lily moved closer to Sarah.
"Who is outside?"
Sarah shook her head.
"I don't know."
Julian's gaze hardened.
He slowly walked toward them.
"Stay behind me."
Sarah nodded.
Lily didn't say anything.
She simply held onto her mother.
Julian stopped a few steps from the door.
He could hear nothing from outside.
No footsteps.
No voices.
Nothing.
That silence was more suspicious than the knocking itself.
Julian closed his eyes.
He focused his senses.
There.
Someone was standing outside.
Julian's expression became cold.
He couldn't sense any spiritual energy from the person.
But there was something else.
Killing intent.
Very faint.
An ordinary person might never notice it.
But Julian had spent centuries facing enemies who wanted him dead.
He knew that feeling immediately.
Someone had come looking for the Carter family.
And they weren't here to talk.
Julian opened his eyes.
His gaze settled on the door.
Behind him, Sarah whispered,
"Ethan, who is it?"
Julian didn't answer immediately.
His mind was already racing.
The person outside was hiding their spiritual energy.
That meant one of two things.
Either they were an ordinary person who meant harm...
Or they were a cultivator.
And if they were a cultivator, then someone had discovered something about the Carter family.
Perhaps even something connected to the secret beneath the house.
Julian's hand slowly reached for the door handle.
His expression remained calm.
But his eyes had turned cold.
Whatever was waiting outside...
He was ready to find out.
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THE HIDDEN PASSAGE
Julian moved through the narrow passage.The walls were old and damp, covered with faint symbols.Behind him, the footsteps of the two men echoed through the temple.They were getting closer.Julian increased his pace.The passage suddenly divided into two paths.He stopped.Both paths looked identical.Julian closed his eyes and released his spiritual sense.The left path contained nothing.The right path carried a faint trace of spiritual energy.He turned right.After several minutes, the passage opened into a small chamber.Julian stepped inside.There was a stone table in the center.On it sat several old books.Julian approached them.Most were written in a language he didn't recognize.But one book was different.Its cover carried the same symbol from his father's notebook.Julian opened it.The first page contained a simple sentence.The gate has existed for thousands of years.He turned the page.It cannot be destroyed. It can only be sealed.Julian's eyes narrowed.So that w
THE OLD TEMPLE
The next morning, Julian left the house early.The city was already busy.Cars filled the roads while students hurried toward the university.Julian walked quietly through the crowd, his mind focused on the message in his father's notebook.Find the old temple.He had spent most of the night thinking about it.There were no details about its location.Only the strange symbol beneath the message.Julian stopped near a quiet street and looked around.He released his spiritual sense.Faint spiritual energy drifted through the city.Most of it was weak.But one direction felt different.Julian turned toward the outskirts.There.A small trace of the same energy he had felt beneath the abandoned building.He followed it.After nearly an hour, the busy streets disappeared.The buildings became fewer.Trees covered both sides of the road.Eventually, Julian reached an old path hidden behind thick bushes.He stopped.A broken stone stood beside the path.The same symbol from his father's note
THE FATHER'S SECRET
Julian returned home before nightfall.The house was quiet.Sarah was in the kitchen preparing dinner while Lily sat at the dining table, scrolling through her phone.“You're back,” Sarah said.Julian nodded.“Yeah.”He forced himself to remain calm.His mind was still inside the underground chamber.The black stone.The broken chains.His father's warning.Never let him find the gate.Julian went upstairs.Once inside his room, he closed the door and sat on the edge of the bed.He needed answers.His father's disappearance had always been strange.But now Julian knew it was connected to something far bigger.He looked around Ethan's room.Everything appeared ordinary.Then his eyes landed on the old wooden desk.It had belonged to Ethan's father.Julian walked toward it.He opened the drawers one by one.Nothing.He checked underneath the desk.Still nothing.Then his fingers touched something unusual.A small mark had been carved beneath the desk.Julian paused.He pressed it.Click
THE THING BENEATH
The floor cracked open.Julian stepped back as dust filled the room.Beneath the broken floor was a narrow staircase leading into darkness.The scarred man stared at it.“We need to leave.”Julian looked at him.“You know what's down there.”The man remained silent.“My father,” Julian said.The man's expression changed.“He found this place years ago.”Julian's eyes narrowed.“What did he find?”“I don't know exactly. But he spent a long time studying it before sealing the place.”“And you helped him?”The man nodded.“He told me never to disturb the formation.”Julian looked down the staircase.“Then why did it activate?”The man had no answer.Julian stepped onto the first stair.“Wait.”Julian stopped.The scarred man looked at him seriously.“You don't know what you're walking into.”Julian glanced back.“Neither do you.”Then he continued downward.The scarred man followed.The staircase was cold and silent.Ancient symbols covered the walls, almost hidden beneath years of dust.
THE ABANDONED BUILDING
The next morning, Julian left the house early.The streets were already beginning to fill with people.Cars moved through the busy roads, students hurried toward school, and shops slowly opened their doors.To everyone else, it was an ordinary morning.To Julian, the city felt different.He could sense faint traces of spiritual energy scattered throughout the streets.Most people couldn't feel it.But he could.His eyes remained calm as he walked toward the abandoned building.After several minutes, he finally reached it.The building stood between two older shops, its walls stained from years of neglect.Broken windows stared down at the street.The entrance was covered with dust.Julian stopped outside.He could feel it.The same formation.The spiritual energy beneath the building was much stronger than before."Someone doesn't want people finding this place."He pushed the door open.Creak.The sound echoed through the empty building.Dust floated through the air.Julian stepped i
THE HIDDEN ENEMY
Julian returned home before sunrise.The house was quiet.He closed the front door carefully and looked toward the staircase.Everyone was still asleep.For a moment, he stood there thinking about the stranger.Your father was right.Those words wouldn't leave his mind.Julian went upstairs and entered his room.He locked the door.Then he placed the small black metal piece on his desk beside the spirit jade.The symbols on both objects were identical.That wasn't a coincidence.Julian sat down and examined them carefully.The metal piece contained almost no spiritual energy, yet the symbol itself felt ancient.He touched it.A faint warmth spread across his fingertip.Suddenly, the spirit jade reacted.Its silver light flickered.Julian immediately pulled his hand away.The two objects began glowing at the same time.Then a thin line of light appeared between them.Julian stared.A pattern slowly formed on the desk.It looked like a map.His eyes narrowed.The pattern showed several
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