Despite the strange sense of familiarity that Grey felt toward the misty mountains, he did not stop his advance. The feeling lingered faintly at the back of his mind, like a memory he could not quite reach, but he ignored it, pushing deeper into the underground tunnels. His expression remained cold and detached, his movements fluid and sharp. Each stride left behind only a fading blur, the sound of his passage swallowed by the dense, mist-filled air.

Since his breakthrough to the Ninth Level, Grey had been struggling to put into words the transformation that had occurred within him. It was not merely strength... no, it was something far beyond that. The world itself seemed to breathe differently around him. The flow of energy in the air, once subtle and elusive, now pulsed like a living heartbeat that only he could hear.

His spirit sea had expanded tremendously, vast and luminous like an ocean under moonlight. The currents of spirit energy within it surged with vigor, forming intricate whirlpools that mirrored the order and chaos of nature itself. His perception, too, had grown keener; he could sense every fluctuation in the air, every trembling insect wing, every whisper of stone and soil beneath his feet. Yet, he had not realized this earlier because he had restrained it when he entered the city.

Now, however, as he released it fully, Grey felt the true might of his cultivation realm. The aura poured out of him like a tidal wave, pressing against the unseen walls of the caverns, echoing faintly in every direction. For the first time, he truly understood what it meant to stand at the peak of Qi Accumulation.

In fact, deep within his core, he could feel the faint call of the next realm, the barrier that separated Qi Accumulation from Foundation Establishment. It was there, palpable and tantalizing, like a thin film of glass between him and a higher existence. He knew that if he willed it, he could attempt to shatter that wall. Yet he also knew the cost.

That step was not something one could take lightly. Even the smallest misstep during a breakthrough could result in complete ruin. If luck favored him, he might lose all his cultivation and be forced to begin again from the start. But if misfortune struck, his life would end in an instant, or worse, he would survive as a crippled mortal, forever unable to touch the path of cultivation again.

Grey's eyes gleamed faintly in the darkness. None of that mattered. He had no intention of breaking through prematurely. But after he had gathered the Golden Syrup and broken through to the tenth level, and then ascended to the Perfected Level of Qi Accumulation, only then would he attempt to enter Foundation Establishment.

The air grew colder as he descended into the underground labyrinth. The deeper he went, the narrower and more twisted the tunnels became. Sharp stone fangs jutted from the ceiling, dripping with moisture that glimmered faintly in his perception. He moved swiftly, sometimes gliding through tight gaps that could barely fit a man. His speed was incredible, each motion calculated, each step silent.

Even so, the endless tunnels proved deceiving. More than once, Grey found himself at a dead end, forcing him to retrace his steps through winding passages that all looked the same. His expanded perception was vast, yet even it could not easily pierce through the dense spiritual interference that filled the underground.

Minutes passed. Then an hour, until an entire day passed.

Above ground, the blazing desert sun had long dipped below the horizon, giving way to a silver moon that bathed the dunes that glittered with a faint green ligh in pale moonlightght. But down here, there was no moon, no light, no sense of time. Only darkness, stone, and the rhythmic pulse of his footsteps. Grey relied solely on the count of his breaths and the faint sense of the world beyond. From that alone, he knew that night had already fallen.

Still, he did not stop. The thought of rest never crossed his mind. He was racing against time, against the coming rains that would seal these paths and make them impassable.

He tore through the tunnels like an arrow loosed from a bow, the force of his speed leaving ripples in the damp air. Two full days passed in this relentless pursuit. Whenever fatigue caught up with him and the burning in his meridians became unbearable, he would finally stop. Sitting cross-legged on the cold, moist stone, he would then close his eyes and sink into a deep state of semi-consciousness.

Spirit energy from the earth and air flowed into him, replenishing what he had spent. His breathing would slow, steady, and then, after a few hours of silent recovery, his eyes would open once more, bright, sharp, and unwavering.

He noticed that the deeper he went down, the higher the quality of Yin Energy. Yet, the thought never occurred to him that it was because he was descending deeper underground. Besides, Grey had already perfected his Cold Yin Energy in his body. He had now formed a cold core in his body that was ready to usher him into the next realm.

If it was before when he was still cultivating Cold Yin, Grey felt that his cultivation speed would have doubled in these conditions.

But aftet several hours, without hesitation, he would rise and continue forward.

This cycle repeated itself countless times, each rest shorter than the last, each movement faster than before. The deeper he went, the more ancient the air became, carrying faint traces of power that seemed to whisper of forgotten ages.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Grey felt the air change. The pressure around him lifted, replaced by an immense, hollow expanse ahead. His eyes glimmered faintly as he stepped out from the final tunnel and into the vast underground cavern, his destination at last...

Before him stretched a colossal expanse. The underground caverns. A place so immense that his perception could not touch its end. Pillars of faintly glowing crystal jutted from the ground and ceilings like frozen lightning, casting pale gold light across the stone. The air was thick with an ancient energy that made Grey's cultivation base stir unnaturally on it's own.

**☺️😉**

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