The stone gate did not open.
Instead, it breathed.
A deep, steady rhythm pulsed through the underground hall, slow and heavy, as if the stone itself had lungs. Each breath sent faint tremors through the floor, enough to make loose pebbles skitter away.
Chang Lee stood frozen.
The warmth in his abdomen stirred uneasily, responding to the rhythm. It was not fear exactly, but something closer to recognition.
Around him, cultivators gathered.
Some looked excited.Others looked afraid.A few looked both.
"So," Yuan Tao whispered, eyeing the gate, "this is either a historic opportunity… or the place where people disappear forever."
Chang Lee didn't answer.
A broad-shouldered man stepped forward, his arms marked with old scars. "Elder Mu," he said, "the pressure's increasing."
Elder Mu nodded. "I know."
Behind them, a short woman with sharp eyes and a perpetual frown adjusted the blades at her waist. "You're letting it react too freely," she said. "If this thing activates fully—"
"It won't," Elder Mu replied calmly.
Her gaze shifted to Chang Lee.
"…Unless that boy loses control."
Yuan Tao immediately stepped half a pace in front of Chang Lee. "He's very controlled," he said. "Emotionally questionable, but spiritually stable."
Chang Lee shot him a look.
The woman snorted. "That's your defense?"
Before the tension could rise further, the gate's runes flared.
A thin line of light appeared along its center.
The underground fell silent.
Chang Lee felt the pendant grow hot—hot enough to hurt. He gritted his teeth, resisting the instinct to pull it away. The warmth in his body surged, fragile and untrained, yet stubbornly present.
Elder Mu's voice cut through the stillness. "Chang Lee."
Chang Lee looked up.
"Do nothing," Elder Mu said. "And I mean nothing."
The line of light widened.
Air rushed out from the gate, ancient and cold, carrying the scent of dust, metal, and something far older than stone.
From within the opening, a shadow shifted.
Something moved.
Chang Lee's heart slammed against his ribs.
The pressure continued to rise.
Chang Lee felt it first in his bones, a subtle vibration traveling upward from the soles of his feet. It was not violent, but persistent, like waves striking a cliff again and again.
The underground cultivators reacted instinctively.
Several stepped back.Others unconsciously reached for weapons.A few closed their eyes and began circulating their weak spiritual energy, faces pale.
"This isn't an attack," muttered an elderly woman leaning on a spear. "It's a summons."
Her words sent a ripple of unease through the crowd.
"A summons?" someone repeated. "For what?"
No one answered.
Yuan Tao leaned closer to Chang Lee. "You're going to tell me if you start hearing voices, right?"
Chang Lee swallowed. "If I do, I'll pretend I didn't."
"That's somehow worse."
Elder Mu moved to the front, planting his staff firmly into the stone. The runes carved into the floor beneath him lit up faintly, forming a stabilizing formation that calmed the air just enough for people to breathe properly again.
"This gate," Elder Mu said, his voice steady but loud, "has not responded in over a century."
Murmurs spread instantly.
"A century?"
"Then why now?"
Elder Mu didn't answer immediately. His gaze was fixed on Chang Lee, sharp and measuring.
"Because foundations are being laid again," he finally said. "And foundations attract attention."
A young cultivator with messy hair and alert eyes stepped forward. "Elder, permission to speak."
Elder Mu nodded. "Go ahead, Qiu Ren."
Qiu Ren looked at the gate, then at Chang Lee. "If this thing opens… are we supposed to follow it?"
The question hung heavily in the air.
Elder Mu exhaled slowly. "No one follows anything blindly."
Yuan Tao whispered, "I like this elder. He sounds like he's survived bad decisions."
Chang Lee almost smiled.
The gate pulsed again.
This time, the reaction was immediate.
Chang Lee's vision blurred as the warmth inside him surged violently. His breath hitched, and he staggered half a step forward before catching himself.
Yuan Tao grabbed his arm. "Easy!"
"I didn't move," Chang Lee said hoarsely. "It pulled."
Elder Mu's eyes narrowed.
"So it has chosen a focal point," he muttered.
The sharp-eyed woman from earlier stepped closer, studying Chang Lee openly now. "You're barely seeded," she said. "If it pours energy into you like this, your body won't hold."
Chang Lee clenched his jaw. "I'm not asking it to."
"That's not how ancient things work," she replied flatly.
Another tremor rolled through the chamber.
Cracks spread along the stone floor near the gate, glowing briefly before sealing themselves again. The air grew heavier, ancient pressure mixing with anticipation and fear.
Somewhere deeper underground, mechanisms long dormant began to shift.
Metal groaned against stone.
Yuan Tao looked around nervously. "Please tell me this place isn't collapsing."
Elder Mu shook his head. "It's waking up."
Chang Lee felt sweat trickle down his spine.
The pendant burned hotter than ever, no longer just warm but searing. He bit back a groan as strange impressions flooded his mind—shadows moving beneath the earth, sealed paths unfolding, watchers turning their attention upward.
He saw nothing clearly.
Only depth.
The gate's center split wider, light spilling out in a narrow column that stretched across the floor like a blade.
The underground cultivators instinctively parted.
Whatever was coming…
It was meant to be seen.
The gate exhaled once more—
And a single foot stepped forward.