The wind howled through the jagged cave mouth behind them, but Kael barely noticed. His hands were tucked into his sleeves, his eyes watching Luo Feng with mild amusement. After their discovery in the ruins, they had taken a short break to recover. But Luo Feng? He was already eager to move again.
"I want to test the Soul Pagoda technique," Luo Feng said, settling into a meditative stance on the damp ground.
Kael raised an eyebrow. "You're not even going to sleep first?"
Luo Feng grinned. "Time is precious. Every second I waste, someone else grows stronger."
Kael didn't respond. His gaze drifted to the narrow tunnels stretching ahead—the deeper caverns that had only been partially explored. Their earlier excavation had unearthed more than ancient artifacts. Strange signals continued to pulse from underground, like echoes from another time.
The system chimed softly in Kael's mind.
[New Opportunity Detected: Proto-Civilization Armory Hidden Below - Estimated Combat Relics: 5-7]
Kael tilted his head, curious.
"Let's lead the pirate to the treasure," he whispered.
Luo Feng finished his session and opened his eyes, his aura pulsing stronger than before.
"That Soul Pagoda is incredible," he said, awe in his voice. "It helped stabilize my consciousness in ways I didn't expect."
Kael gave a noncommittal shrug.
[Luo feng detected practicing the soul pagoda technique to 3% proficiency]
[Choose Resonance Format: Quantity or Quality?]
"Oh", Kael said, let's go for quantity for a change.
As soon as the choice was made, kael's mind felt a overwhelming discomfort, as if a brand was being imprinted directly into his consciousness. After a moment he regained his composure, there was a new and peculiar feeling, as if he could clearly see and interact with every soul on earth, monster and human alike. He decided to delve deeper later on.
"Lets dig a little deeper" Karl casually suggests, "you never know what you could find".
The descent into the deeper layers began slowly. The caverns here were darker, less structured. Whatever civilization had lived here left behind more than ruins—there were traps, strange glyphs etched into the stone, and rooms that reacted to their presence.
At one sealed stone gate, Luo Feng paused.
"There's something behind this," he said, pressing a palm against the surface. "I can feel it."
Kael's system pulsed.
[Detection: Dimensional Storage Core Hidden]
[Choose Resonance Format: Quantity or Quality?]
"Quality," Kael muttered.
As Luo Feng forced the door open using his spirit energy, Kael felt the transfer. In his realm, a small orb formed, humming with refined space-folding energy. It was more than just a storage item—it could manipulate time within, allowing for faster cultivation.
Kael grinned.
"Portable training chamber. Now we're talking."
Inside the chamber, rows of old weapons and armor were encased in glass-like shells. Most had decayed, but some still shimmered with dormant power.
Luo Feng walked past them carefully, stopping at a sword shaped like a crescent moon.
"This one… speaks to me," he whispered.
The moment his hand touched the hilt, the blade flared to life. Kael's system activated.
[Artifact Detected: Moonfang Blade - Proto-Civilization Origin]
[Choose Resonance Format: Quantity or Quality?]
He eyed the shimmering weapon, considering.
"Quality."
The twin of the Moonfang formed in Kael's realm. But unlike the original, his version was perfected—sharper, lighter, and bound to his will. He gave it a mental test swing. The blade hummed, releasing a thin wave of pressure that carved into the empty sky.
Kael gave a low whistle.
Luo Feng wasn't done. In a corner of the room, a sealed case held a simple orb pulsing with strange colors.
"What's that?" Kael asked, walking over for a closer look.
Babata's voice echoed in Luo Feng's mind. "That's a compressed neural core from the ancient race that lived here. Pure mental enhancement. Very rare."
Luo Feng opened the case.
Kael's system reacted instantly.
[Neural Enhancement Core Detected]
[Choose Resonance Format: Quantity or Quality?]
He hesitated.
"Quality."
It integrated immediately in Kael's realm. A new layer of clarity washed over his senses. Colors brightened, time seemed to slow. Thoughts flowed faster. It was like watching the world in high-definition.
He blinked.
"Okay. That's… unnerving."
Further exploration led them to an ancient control room. Its panels were dead, the monitors cracked, but Babata came alive.
"Let me interface," he said. "This might link to other ruin sites."
Luo Feng nodded and held the AI's core to the main console. Lights flared to life. Old coordinates appeared on the screen—markers across the galaxy.
Babata's voice was smug. "Looks like we've unlocked a map to several lost civilizations. This data alone is priceless."
Kael didn't smile. He was already processing.
[New Data Acquired: Galactic Ruins Network Map]
[Choose Resonance Format: Quantity or Quality?]
"Quantity," he murmured.
His internal database bloomed with stars, routes, and ancient site info—more than even Babata had revealed. A full atlas of forgotten legacies. His eyes glimmered with quiet ambition.
They finally exited the ruins by sunset. The sky over Kirishima had turned a brilliant gold, as if reflecting their gains.
Luo Feng collapsed on a rock, panting. "What a day."
Kael remained standing, arms folded.
"Not bad," he said. "You learned a lot."
Luo Feng laughed. "We learned a lot."
Kael didn't reply.
Later that night, they sat around a small fire. Babata had gone dormant, Luo Feng was eating military rations, and Kael was staring up at the stars.
The system pulsed again.
[Summary of Additional Gains:]
Dimensional Storage Core (Perfected)
Moonfang Blade (Enhanced Variant)
Neural Enhancement Core (Flawless)
Proto-Civilization Map Database (Expanded Scope)
Kael leaned back.
His wealth was growing, his knowledge expanding, and all of it hidden behind Luo Feng's blazing trail.
"Still just getting started," he whispered.
The stars above shimmered.
[Awaiting Next Resonance Opportunity…]
Kael closed his eyes.
He wasn't in a hurry.
Time, after all, was now his ally.