Shadow awoke in silence.
The scent of wind and earth filled his lungs, clean and sharp. His body no longer screamed with pain—only hummed with power. The aches, the burns, the fractures... all gone. In their place, a core that pulsed with clarity.
He sat up slowly, finding himself lying on soft moss beneath a pale sky. He blinked at the subtle feeling coursing through him—a deeper resonance, a steadier flow.
Then he felt it.
His dantian had changed.
He closed his eyes, reached inward—and felt the roaring storm within. His foundation had not only healed—it had evolved.
> *Eighth Level of the Foundation Realm.*
Shadow exhaled. Slowly. "So the tomb had one last gift after all."
Then something else caught his attention.
Floating at the center of his spiritual sea was a small, flickering ring. Not the one he wore.
A second **spatial ring**—nearly invisible, surrounded by a veil of lightning energy so refined, it was practically undetectable. It hovered weightlessly within him, protected by a divine seal.
> *"Only those who reach the level of the Thunder Lord… or carry his will… can even perceive it."*
Shadow reached into it, his spiritual sense probing carefully.
Inside: the three formation scrolls—the Hundred, the Thousand, and the Ten Thousand Man Formations—each glowing faintly. And at the far end of the inner space, sealed in dozens of layers of divine sigils, sat the **coffin**.
Its presence was unchanged.
Cold. Timeless. Watching.
He stared for a long moment.
Then sighed.
"Such a burden... and yet, no one else can carry it now."
He let the ring settle deep into his core.
No one else needed to know. Not yet.
---
It took Shadow **a month and a half** to return to the Verdant Moon Sect. The path was long and quiet, his thoughts filled with stormlight and memory. No beast dared block his way. No bandit approached. Perhaps it was the aura that now flowed around him like a calm thundercloud—or perhaps the world itself sensed a shift.
When he reached the gates of the sect, disciples barely recognized him. His robes were faded, his presence muted. But his eyes… they carried the storm.
He walked straight to the **Mission Hall**.
The deacon on duty, an outer elder with a lined face and trimmed beard, blinked in surprise. "You… Shadow? We thought you were dead! The tomb collapsed over a month ago! All the sects confirmed mass casualties. Not a single Verdant Moon disciple returned!"
Shadow bowed respectfully. "I've returned to report the mission completed."
The deacon stared at him. "But—but the tomb collapsed entirely. No survivors emerged from any sect. All were presumed dead. We thought Verdant Moon had been erased."
"I was," Shadow said quietly. "They turned on us during the fourth trial. Claimed we weren't worthy. My brothers and sisters... they didn't fall because they were weak. They were hunted."
The deacon's expression darkened.
"You mean… you're the only survivor?"
Shadow's voice was low, but resolute. "Yes."
Before the deacon could respond, he activated a jade token, sending a pulse of energy into the sky.
Moments later, a figure descended.
**Elder Rong Hai**, a **Core Elder** of the Verdant Moon Sect—cloaked in black, with silver thread embroidered along his sleeves. His presence radiated authority.
He landed silently, eyes sharp.
"Shadow. Report everything."
Shadow did not argue. He relayed his story—not the coffin, not the hidden ring, but the betrayal, the ambush, the Sovereign's echo, the final battle. Jian Mu's inheritance. His own stand against the elites.
Elder Rong Hai listened carefully, eyes narrowing with each word.
When Shadow finished, the elder raised a hand.
"Your spirit ring. Hand it over."
Shadow nodded without resistance. He had expected this.
He removed the ring and passed it forward. Elder Rong Hai took it and began examining its contents immediately, brows furrowed. His spiritual sense pierced every item, cross-referencing Shadow's report.
"You're calm," the elder said after a pause.
"I told the truth," Shadow replied.
A flicker of approval passed across Rong Hai's features.
"The sect will investigate. And we will bury our dead with honor. The tomb may have hidden your return, but now that you're back, the story changes."
He paused.
"However… for now, your return must remain hidden. The other sects must not know that one of Verdant Moon's disciples survived. Especially you."
Shadow's eyes sharpened. "Understood."
"The sect will spread word that all were lost. You'll remain confined to inner sect grounds. No missions. No visitors. This is for your safety—and for ours."
Shadow bowed.
"Yes, Elder."
As the elder vanished in a flicker of lightning, the deacon exhaled sharply.
"Boy… what did you *see* in there?"
Shadow turned, gaze distant.
"Nothing I wanted."
And with that, he walked away.
Toward the mountain that had once been his home.
Toward silence.