The golden glow at the end of the stone corridor pulsed like a living heart, drawing Lu Zhechuan forward with an invisible pull. His muscles still ached sharply from the rough fall into the ruin—shoulders bruised, ribs throbbing, legs trembling with the effort of running from the inspector's oppressive aura. Yet he moved with unhurried caution, every sense sharpened to its peak, his gaze fixed on the faint silver luminescence of the wall carvings that guided his path. Each step sank slightly into the thick, ancient dust that covered the floor, dust that had settled undisturbed for centuries, carrying the quiet weight of forgotten time and silent history. The air here was cool and still, stripped of the wasteland's rust and stench, replaced instead with a faint, earthy scent that felt like the breath of the planet itself.
As he drew closer, the golden light grew brighter, warming his skin like sunlight filtering through stone. The Primeval Origin Core in his chest throbbed in response, absorbing the rich ancient energy that flooded the corridor. Its low hum grew into a steady, resonant beat, syncing with the pulse of the ruin around him. The system's hidden function unlock progress inched upward, 32% → 35% → 38%, a slow but undeniable climb that he could feel in the warmth spreading through his meridians.
…Ancient energy concentration increasing. Host aura stabilized.
…Warning: Ruin energy field active. Proceed with caution. Unknown trial detected.
Lu Zhechuan's steps slowed. Trial? The system's warning sent a prickle of anxiety up his spine. He'd escaped the inspector's wrath, slipping into the ruin's protective shield just in time, but the ruin itself seemed to have its own rules, its own defenses—no place that could hide a fugitive from the Heavenly Dao Corporation would be entirely safe. Yet there was no turning back. The corridor behind him was a dead end, its walls smooth and unyielding, no cracks or crevices to hide in. The only way forward was blocked by the pulsing golden light. He took a deep breath, steadying his nerves, and continued forward, tightening his grip around the sharp stone shard he had picked up earlier—a makeshift weapon in a place where metal was scarce, its edge worn smooth by time but still sharp enough to pierce flesh.
The corridor opened into a large, circular chamber, its ceiling lost in the darkness above. The floor was paved with smooth stone tiles, arranged in a perfect circle, each etched with a faded symbol that glowed faintly under the golden light. The symbols were strange, curving lines that seemed to shift and move when he looked directly at them, as if alive. The walls were smooth, without any cracks or crevices, as if carved from a single piece of rock, their surface polished by centuries of energy flow. At the center of the chamber, the golden light coalesced into a glowing platform, hovering a meter above the ground, its surface rippling with light like water.
Lu Zhechuan froze. The chamber was too quiet, too empty. No torches, no decorations, no signs of recent activity—no footprints, no dust disturbed, no trace of anyone or anything having been here before. But that kind of stillness only made him more alert, his hand tightening further around the stone shard. He inched forward slowly, his eyes sweeping every detail, from the faint glow of the wall symbols to the way the golden light shifted across the platform. No traps, no obvious triggers, no hidden triggers—yet he knew better than to trust such emptiness. Danger often lurked in the places that looked safest.
As he stepped onto the first tile, the symbol beneath his foot lit up with a bright, searing silver light, burning through the dust and illuminating the entire chamber. The system's prompt echoed clearly in his mind, sharp and clear.
…Trial chamber activated. Trial: Path of Aura.
…Objective: Cross the chamber without disrupting the aura balance.
…Penalty: Severe energy backlash.
A low rumble rolled through the walls, vibrating through the stone and making the dust on the floor shift. The golden platform at the center suddenly erupted in a burst of light, expanding to form a narrow, glowing bridge—only one tile wide—stretching straight from where Lu Zhechuan stood to the platform on the other side. The tiles on either side of the bridge dimmed instantly, their silver light fading to a dull, gray ash, as if the ruin itself had marked them as forbidden.
One wrong step, and he would trigger the penalty.
…Rule: Only the aura of the Primeval Origin Core is permitted on the bridge. Any external or forceful energy will trigger backlash.
…Hint: Align your breathing and aura with the bridge's rhythm. Breathe in sync with the light.
Lu Zhechuan closed his eyes and took a slow, steady breath. He focused on the warm, gentle flow from the Origin Core, letting it spread naturally through his body, moving through his meridians like water, filling his veins with a soft, golden light. He let the energy settle over his skin, forming a faint golden layer that matched the bridge's glow, matching its pulse, its rhythm. For a long moment, he stood there, breathing in time with the bridge's light, feeling the ancient energy of the ruin merge with his own core energy, creating a harmony that felt both foreign and familiar.
…Aura aligned. Bridge safe.
He opened his eyes, his gaze fixed on the next tile on the bridge. He stepped forward slowly, his foot landing on the golden surface. No shock, no pain, no surge of energy—just a soft, warm sensation, as if the bridge was welcoming him. He exhaled quietly and kept moving, each step slow and deliberate, his focus unbroken. The bridge swayed slightly under his weight, as if alive, and the golden light intensified around him, wrapping him in a soft, protective glow that chased away the chill of the stone.
Halfway across, a low, rustling sound echoed from the shadows at the edges of the chamber, a sound like wind through dry leaves, but far too quiet to be natural.
Lu Zhechuan froze, his body tensing, the stone shard raised in his hand.
The shadows shifted, and two figures emerged. They were tall, slender, their forms made of shifting silver light, their bodies rippling like water. They had no faces, no features—only two glowing blue eyes that fixed on him with cold, unblinking focus. They moved with inhuman speed, their hands forming into sharp, condensed energy claws, and they charged at him from opposite sides, their movements silent and deadly.
…Enemy detected: Aura Constructs. Level: Mid Core Implantation.
…Threat: High. Any aggressive external energy will trigger backlash.
Lu Zhechuan's mind cleared instantly. He could not unleash rough strikes or channel external energy—those would count as foreign aura and backfire on him, sending a wave of pain through his body and possibly destabilizing the bridge. Even using the stone shard too forcefully might disrupt the aura balance, triggering the penalty. His only option was to move with the Origin Core's aura, not against it, to guide rather than strike, to harmonize rather than conquer.
He twisted his body using the Basic Movement Footwork, his muscles coiling like a spring, and dodged the first claw swipe by inches. The construct's arm passed close to him, its silver energy brushing his skin, leaving a faint tingle. He did not strike back with brute force. Instead, he channeled a thin wisp of golden core energy into his palm, soft and gentle, and pressed it toward the construct's glowing center. The energy merged with the silver light, and the construct flickered, its form rippling like disturbed water, before disintegrating into soft silver sparks that drifted away like embers.
The second construct lunged, its claw aimed directly at his chest. Lu Zhechuan ducked low, his body flowing to the side, and once more guided his core aura into its energy body, this time with a little more force, enough to disrupt its stability. It collapsed without a sound, its blue eyes dimming to gray, its form dissolving into the same silver sparks as the first.
…Trial progress: Enemies eliminated. Bridge stability restored.
Lu Zhechuan did not pause. He continued forward without delay, his steps quickening now that the threat was gone, and stepped onto the central platform. The golden light around it rose into a gentle barrier, enclosing him briefly, a protective shield that faded as quickly as it came, settling down into a soft glow.
The platform's surface was mostly smooth, cool to the touch, except for a shallow, palm-sized indentation at its center, shaped as if made to fit something natural… like a hand. The edges of the indentation were worn smooth, as if touched by countless hands over centuries, and it glowed faintly under the golden light, pulsing in time with the ruin's energy.
…Trial complete. Reward: Access to basic ruin records.
…The Primeval Origin Core is the key.
Lu Zhechuan understood. He knelt slightly, placing his palm over the indentation. The Origin Core in his chest hummed, a soft, resonant sound, and released a thin stream of golden energy into the stone, flowing from his palm into the groove, merging with the ruin's energy.
The entire chamber lit up in a burst of golden light, so bright he had to close his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, faint, ancient images were projected in the air above the platform, flickering like old murals, their colors faded but clear enough to read.
He saw an ancient civilization, one that had understood and lived alongside core energy, not as a resource to exploit, but as a partner. They had built stable, sustained structures that flowed with the planet's energy, cities that harmonized with the land rather than dominating it, and had protected the world's natural energy flow for millennia. Over time, however, some among them had grown greedy, seeking to extract and overuse core energy for power and control. The records showed a gradual imbalance across the land—plants withering, rivers drying, energy turbulence rising—and the slow, steady decline of the world's vitality. The ancient people had tried to correct it, to restore balance, but it was too late. The damage had been done.
Among all these images, the Primeval Origin Core appeared repeatedly, not as a weapon or a tool, but as a symbol of balance, a beacon that had guided their efforts to heal the land. Its purpose, the records made clear, was to stabilize the natural energy flow, to keep the planet in harmony, not to be seized or controlled by any one being or faction.
…Ancient records: The Origin Core exists to stabilize natural energy.
…Note: Forced control and reckless experimentation will deepen energy erosion.
Lu Zhechuan's chest tightened, his breath catching in his throat. So that was what the Heavenly Dao Corporation was doing. They were not researching the core, not seeking to understand it—they were exploiting it, twisting its power for their own gain, just as the greedy few in the ancient civilization had done. His parents had been part of this, part of a legacy that spanned thousands of years, a legacy that had been corrupted by greed and ambition. They had not just been scientists—they had been guardians, trying to protect the core from the very fate the corporation was now bringing to pass.
The images faded slowly, the golden light dimming, returning to a soft, warm glow that filled the chamber. The silence returned, heavy with the weight of the truth he had just learned. The ruin was not just a hiding spot. It was a reminder, a silent warning from those who had come before, a testament to the cost of greed and the importance of balance.
Before he could turn back, the system sounded softly in his mind, its tone calm and unhurried, no longer filled with urgent warnings.
…Ruin basic records unlocked. Ancient knowledge integration underway.
…Deeper sections of the ruin have been partially opened. You may proceed when ready.
…Each step forward will bring you closer to the truth—but also to greater danger. Choose wisely.
Lu Zhechuitightened his jaw, his fingers curling into fists at his sides. He would go deeper. Not just for the power that might come with unlocking the ruin's secrets, not just to escape the inspector and the Heavenly Dao Corporation—but for the truth. For his parents, for the core, for the planet that was slowly dying under the corporation's greed. He owed it to them to uncover everything, to stop the corruption before it was too late.
He turned toward the passage leading further into the ruin, the golden glow of the platform fading behind him, the faint silver light of the wall carvings guiding his way. The air in the chamber grew cooler as he moved, and the sound of the inspector's distant pursuit felt far away, yet no less real.
The chase outside had not ended.