Mo Xuan stood quietly at the edge of the enormous subterranean lake.
The cave stretched around her almost endlessly, like a forgotten world buried deep within the mountain.
Massive stone pillars rose toward the ceiling like the ruins of an ancient city, their shadows swaying gently under the dim light emitted by crystals embedded in the walls.
The crystals glowed in different colors.
Jade-like green…
Deep blue…
And pale gold.
Their light reflected on the still surface of the water, appearing like tiny stars dancing in the darkness of the cave.
For a brief moment… the place seemed unreal.
Mo Xuan slowly raised her gaze.
Dozens… no, perhaps hundreds of small translucent creatures floated in the air.
They moved together like a school of fish.
Silent.
Graceful.
A faint glow of shard energy shimmered within their bodies.
Mo Xuan narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Shiao…"
The word slipped quietly from her lips.
In the world she had come from, these creatures were known as Shard Spirits — beings born from the condensation of shard energy itself.
Obtaining even a single Shiao was considered extremely rare.
Even the great clans had waged bloody wars for just one.
But here…
They floated in the air like dust.
Mo Xuan remained silent for several seconds, observing their movements carefully.
"They aren't moving randomly…"
She noticed something strange.
All the Shiao in the cave seemed to orbit a specific point in the center of the lake.
Like a silent whirlpool.
Spinning slowly around something invisible.
Her gaze sharpened.
"What are they guarding?"
At that moment…
A distant memory surfaced in her mind.
A line from an old manuscript she had read many years ago.
It was a book containing fragments of ancient records about the origin of shard energy.
At the time, most scholars believed these texts were mere superstition.
But now…
The words echoed clearly in her mind.
"Where shards gather beyond reason…
a silent valley is born deep within the earth."
Mo Xuan whispered softly,
"…The Silent Valley."
Her eyes roamed the cave once more.
A place hidden from the world above.
A place where shard energy concentrated unnaturally.
A place seemingly ignored by the world itself.
"Could this… be one of those places?"
Her gaze returned to the center of the lake.
If the manuscript was correct…
Then whatever the Shiao were guarding was no ordinary thing.
Mo Xuan took a single step forward.
Then stopped abruptly.
Her brows furrowed slightly.
Something invisible pressed against her body.
A light resistance filled the air.
She tried to take another step.
Tensed her muscles.
But her body refused to move.
"…A barrier?"
Her voice was calm, but her gaze grew more serious.
Slowly, Mo Xuan lowered her eyes to her hands.
They trembled slightly.
Not from fear.
But from weakness.
Her body was still fragile.
In her previous life, she had possessed immense power and experience.
But now…
She was almost a frail girl with no real cultivation.
Even if her mind could see the truth behind things…
Her body simply did not have the strength to act.
Mo Xuan tried once more.
She bent slightly and forced her body to move another step forward.
Immediately, the invisible pressure doubled.
Her breathing grew heavier.
Her legs trembled.
"…I understand."
She stopped.
No frustration appeared on her face.
Only quiet understanding.
"This place rejects the weak."
Mo Xuan glanced again at the spinning Shiao spirits.
They moved gracefully.
Yet their paths formed a perfect circle around the cave's center.
Whatever lay there…
It was protected.
And in her current state, she did not have the strength to reach it.
Mo Xuan bent slightly and picked up a small stone from the ground.
She turned it over in her fingers thoughtfully.
Then flicked her wrist lightly.
The stone shot through the air.
It traveled only a few meters before something happened.
The Shiao froze midair.
For one silent moment—
The entire cave seemed to hold its breath.
Then suddenly—
They moved.
Dozens of Shiao spirits surged forward like threads of light.
The stone shattered instantly.
Crushed into fine dust before it could advance further.
Its fragments fell quietly into the lake.
Mo Xuan watched the scene without blinking.
"…So it is."
The Shiao were not merely gathering here.
They were guarding something.
And anything that approached that point would be destroyed.
She stood quietly for a long time.
Most people in her position would feel despair.
A legendary opportunity standing right before them.
Yet they were far too weak to reach it.
But Mo Xuan did not feel frustrated.
On the contrary…
Her thoughts became even calmer.
"If strength cannot succeed…"
She slowly sat on the cold stone ground.
Crossing her legs calmly, she did not attempt to cultivate.
She did not even try.
She knew her body's limits well.
In this world, humans could not begin cultivation Until they reach a certain age, when the spiritual channels within their bodies matured.
But now…
Her body was still that of a child.
Weak.
Incomplete.
Even if her mind understood cultivation, her body simply could not withstand the energy.
So she closed her eyes.
Trying only to think.
The air in the cave was thick with shard energy.
Even without cultivation, it could be felt clearly.
Like an invisible mist filling the place.
Mo Xuan thought quietly.
"If I cannot take it now…"
"Then there is no need to rush."
Several minutes passed.
The cave remained silent.
But suddenly—
The movement of some Shiao above slowed.
As if something had caught their attention.
Several turned toward Mo Xuan.
They floated slowly in the air, watching her silently.
Mo Xuan opened her eyes slightly.
She noticed immediately.
But she did not move.
She only observed.
One Shiao gradually approached.
Slower…
Closer…
Until it stopped just a step away from her.
Faint lines of light shimmered within its translucent body.
Mo Xuan narrowed her eyes.
"Strange…"
In her previous life, she had read much about these creatures.
They were known for one thing:
Extreme caution.
Even powerful cultivators had difficulty approaching them.
But this spirit…
Approached her willingly.
Mo Xuan remained still.
She did not try to touch it.
Did not try to grab it.
She just looked at it calmly.
Seconds passed.
Then—
The Shiao entered her body directly.
Mo Xuan's body shivered violently.
A warm wave surged through her chest, but in an instant, the warmth turned into sharp pain.
A tearing pain.
As if something inside her spirit was being forcibly ripped away.
Her eyes widened.
"Ah—"
She could not even let out a full scream.
Her body staggered a step back and fell to the ground.
Her fingers trembled as she gripped her chest, pressing with both hands to contain the pain that had swept over her.
But the pain was not merely physical.
It was deeper.
As if it were tearing her spirit itself.
Her breath quickened.
Her small body trembled on the cold ground.
Amid the pain, a cold thought crossed her mind.
How…?
How could someone so weak attract a Shiao?
How could a child without even a cultivation core be chosen by a Shard Spirit without any reason?
It made no sense.
It was impossible.
The pain intensified.
Until she suddenly felt something strange.
As if something small…
Settled deep within her spirit.
Her breath stopped for a moment.
She whispered softly, barely audible:
"What… is this?"
And in the next instant—
"Shrrrk!"
A sharp tearing sound echoed in the cave.
The Shiao burst violently out of her chest.
Blood splattered on the stone floor.
Mo Xuan's body froze.
Cold spread through her.
Her vision slowly began to fade.
As her body fell to the ground, one last thought crossed her mind.
A cold, mocking thought.
"Is… this the end?"
How absurd.
How pitiful.
After surviving the fall…
After discovering this legendary place…
To die like this.
Meaninglessly.
Without leaving a trace.
Mo Xuan slowly closed her eyes.
Her body fell still on the ground.
Silence returned to the cave.
The Shiao resumed their calm rotations above the lake.
As if nothing…
Had ever happened.