Path of the Forgotten.

The cocoon sealed itself.

Lin Feng stumbled back, heart pounding not from fear — but from recognition. As though something ancient had just brushed his soul, nodding in grim approval. His breathing steadied unnaturally fast. The wound on his side? Gone. The fatigue in his limbs? Evaporated.

But when he looked down — his skin was pale, almost translucent for a moment. Threads of black flickered beneath it before vanishing like smoke. He took one step forward — and the chains around the cocoon shuddered, resisting whatever had just occurred. He didn't stay.

---

Meanwhile — In the Upper Ruins

Lan Xueyin knelt before a crumbled monument, her finger trailing a strange script across the stone. > "Language of the Hollow Vein sect…" she murmured. "But these characters… they're reversed."

Behind her, an inner sect disciple approached cautiously. "Senior Sister Lan… the others have begun hunting spirit beasts. Should we—"

She raised a hand and the disciple fell silent. A moment passed before she replied: > "Go. I will follow."

The moment he vanished, she stood, narrowed her eyes, and whispered: > "Lin Feng… what did you find down there?" She didn't know how she knew. But she was sure — something beneath the ruins had shifted… and he was at the center of it.

---

Elsewhere – Among the Mist and Blood

A group of five disciples had cornered a silver-furred spirit wolf — a rare grade-two beast. They surrounded it, blades drawn, preparing for a synchronized strike. But none of them noticed Han Yu seated calmly on a nearby ridge, cross-legged in quiet cultivation. His expression was composed, eyes closed Until the moment the wolf leapt — and each disciple slipped on mist that wasn't there a moment ago. They screamed and the wolf escaped, injured but alive.

Han Yu opened his eyes. > "Sloppy." His gaze turned to the east, toward where Lin Feng had vanished. > "He's no longer the same. It's too soon…" His tone darkened.

> "If they sense him again, he won't survive. I must be the first to reach him."

---

Back Below – Emerging from the Shadows

Lin Feng crawled out of the narrow archway, his eyes adjusting once more to natural light. He felt… different. His senses were heightened, but his cultivation hadn't increased. His dantian and Qi was still dormant. But something deeper hummed — a quiet rhythm in his bones. Like echoes walking beside him. And then… it stopped. He turned.

A girl stood several feet away. Thin frame, short black hair, eyes grey like ash — and completely unfamiliar. She tilted her head. "You weren't supposed to survive that fall."

Lin Feng said nothing.

She stepped forward, brushing aside a fallen leaf. > "There's a path ahead… and you're not ready for it but neither was I." She tossed him a sealed slip of paper and vanished — no Qi movement, no technique flare. Just… gone.

Lin Feng opened the slip and saw a hand-drawn symbol. A spiraled eye. And beneath it written: "When they come looking, do not speak."

"When they offer aid, do not trust."

"When the sky forgets your name… remember you are not alone." His fingers trembled, just for a moment.

---