Mount Tai breathed with an ancient stillness, mist curling around its stone paths like memory made visible. Fang Ze slowed his steps as he and Su Qingxue moved away from the crowded tourist routes. The noise of the modern world gradually faded, replaced by a pressure that could not be explained by altitude alone.
"This place feels… heavier," Su Qingxue murmured, unconsciously slowing her breathing.
"That's because it's close," Fang Ze replied.
He did not explain further. Some things were better sensed than taught.
Long before arriving, Fang Ze had felt the disturbance—an unstable Qi node forming beneath the eastern slope. In his past life, this minor realm had gone unnoticed, its value overlooked by those chasing grander miracles.
Yet for beginners, it was priceless.
Elsewhere on the mountain, others felt it too.
Zhang Rui adjusted the collar of his coat as he climbed steadily. His family, a prominent Beijing business clan, had recently received a sealed warning from a discreet government contact—stay away from unstable zones. The message alone had confirmed the rumors were real.
Behind him, Liu Wenhao followed in silence. Unlike Zhang Rui, his family had ties to old military research projects. He had grown up hearing whispers of "special phenomena" long before they appeared on the news.
He Yun walked last. Her grandfather had once worked with a now-defunct geological institute that vanished overnight. The compass he left her—now trembling faintly—had brought her here.
None of them knew each other well. None trusted coincidence.
Back on the abandoned platform, Fang Ze knelt, fingers brushing cold stone. Beneath it, a closed loop of energy pulsed steadily. He released a controlled thread of Qi. The air warped, forming a narrow distortion.
Su Qingxue held her breath.
From the mist, footsteps approached.
Zhang Rui was the first to notice the anomaly. "So it wasn't just my imagination…"
Moments later, their paths converged.
High above, unnoticed by all, a single red indicator lit up inside Beijing's Special Anomalous Bureau.
Spatial fluctuation confirmed. Monitoring initiated.
Within the mountain, an ancient gate—long forgotten—slowly opened.