66: Chapter 66 Abnormal Energy Fluctuations

The thirty-eighth day.

When Chen Zhen opened his eyes, the star core fragment on his chest was shockingly hot.

He tore open his shirt; the dark blue meteorite was emitting a blinding light.

It wasn't the usual faint glow, but a strong light, pulsing like a heartbeat, once per second.

He activated [Internal Vision], and his consciousness sank into the interior of the fragment.

All seven layers of the crystal structure were illuminated. The dark blue point of light at the very core was expanding and contracting violently, each pulsation stronger than the last.

The surrounding six layers resonated, and the entire fragment felt like a miniature star about to detonate.

[Spiritual Affinity: 76% → 83%]

It went up 7% in one night?

He sat up and looked out the window.

It was still dark, but the eastern sky was suffused with an eerie dark blue.

It was exactly the same as the light from the fragment.

[System Prompt: Abnormal energy fluctuation detected]

[Source: East, distance approximately 15 kilometers]

[Intensity: Medium]

[Nature: Same origin as the star core fragment]

Dongshan.

Chen Zhen was instantly wide awake.

He grabbed his clothes, pulled them on, infused his legs with Spiritual Power, and rushed out the door.

His mother happened to be heading to the bathroom and saw him in such a rush. "Where are you going so early?"

"Morning jog, changing the route."

The moment the door closed, he was already rushing down the stairs.

Fifteen kilometers, sprinting at full speed.

[Physical Optimization] + [Spiritual Power Infusion] + [Burst Minor Achievement], his speed soared to the limit.

The scenery on the roadside retreated rapidly, and the wind whistled in his ears; he didn't care about causing a scene.

Anyway, it was still dark, and no one could see clearly.

Fifteen minutes later, he arrived at the foot of Dongshan.

The small village was still sleeping. He bypassed the village and rushed up the mountain along the path from last time.

Halfway up the mountain, he saw it.

In the direction of the Ancient Temple Ruins, a dark blue pillar of light shot up into the sky, about three meters in diameter, piercing the clouds.

Around the pillar of light, the air distorted and swirled, forming a vortex visible to the naked eye.

[Anomaly Perception] fully activated.

Thirty meters, fifty meters, one hundred meters.

His perception range, bolstered by the fragment, extended to one hundred and fifty meters.

He could clearly "see" countless energy points gathering around the pillar of light, dense and numerous, like a swarm of fireflies.

No.

They weren't energy points.

They were alive.

He sped up and rushed into the mountain hollow.

The stone slab had been overturned, and the entrance was wide open.

The pillar of light gushed out from the cave, illuminating the entire mountain hollow.

Around the entrance, the true form of those "energy points" was revealed.

Palm-sized, translucent, shaped like jellyfish.

They hovered in the air, drifting slowly; every time they drifted, their bodies flashed with dark blue light.

[Anomaly Creature: Star Radiance Plankton]

[Source: Unknown]

[Nature: Energy entity, no physical form, feeds on Spiritual Power]

[Threat Level: Low (individual), Medium (group)]

Chen Zhen glanced over; there were at least a hundred of them.

They didn't seem to notice him, circling slowly around the pillar of light as if performing some kind of ritual.

He took a deep breath and retrieved twenty-five object-control stones from his [Storage Space].

Rune formation, rise.

The twenty-five stones flew out instantly, arranging themselves into the [Dongshan Rune] at his side.

Core circle, three-point triangle, radial curves, nested geometry, seventy-two dot matrix.

All in position.

He activated [Spiritual Resonance].

His Dantian spiritual bead synchronized with the surrounding environment, and the world instantly "came alive."

In the resonance state, the energy fluctuations of those plankton were as clear as an electrocardiogram.

They had rhythm, had patterns, and even had... emotions?

Excitement.

They were excited.

What was in the pillar of light?

He walked toward the cave entrance.

The plankton finally noticed him.

Hundreds of them turned simultaneously, their dark blue "eyes."

If those could be called eyes.

Staring at him in unison.

The next second, they moved.

Not an attack, but an encirclement.

Hundreds of plankton dispersed instantly, forming a spherical encirclement, trapping him in the middle.

[System Prompt: Star Radiance Plankton have entered alert status]

[Suggestion: Display status as holder of the star core fragment]

Chen Zhen focused his mind, and the fragment on his chest instantly erupted with an even stronger light.

The plankton collectively retreated three meters.

Then, they cleared a path.

Straight to the cave entrance.

The cave was deeper than last time.

The pillar of light rose from the bottom of the cave, illuminating the entire space.

Those stalactites and stone pillars appeared eerie and beautiful in the dark blue light.

He slid down to the bottom of the cave and walked toward the [rune stone].

The [rune stone] was glowing.

Those engravings.

Core circle, three-point triangle, radial curves.

All were glowing with dark blue light, like electrified neon lights.

The pillar of light was shooting out from the center of the [rune stone].

He approached, crouched down, and reached out to touch the [rune stone].

The moment his fingertips touched it, a massive stream of information flooded his mind.

It wasn't language, but images.

Countless dark blue points of light fell from the sky, landing on the earth.

Some fell into the sea, some into the mountains, some into the desert.

They sank into the ground, sleeping, waiting.

Then, an image.

A young man exactly like him stood before the same [rune stone], holding a dark blue fragment in his hand.

The fragment glowed, the [rune stone] glowed, and the pillar of light shot into the sky.

The young man turned his head and looked at him.

That face was exactly like his.

The image vanished.

[System Prompt: [star core fragment] activation level: 83% → 91%]

[Unlocked Information: [star core fragment] is a 'beacon'; once fully activated, it will open the 'Star Road', bringing beings from the [Star Radiance] Realm to descend.]

[Current activation level has triggered 'beacon resonance'; the [Dongshan] node has been awakened.]

[Remaining activation: 9%]

[Warning: Once fully activated, the Star Road will open, consequences unknown.]

Chen Zhen withdrew his hand; the light of the [rune stone] dimmed a bit, but the pillar of light remained.

He looked up at the cave entrance.

Those plankton were still circling, and their numbers seemed to have increased.

At least two hundred.

What would happen if it were fully activated?

He didn't know.

But Chen Yuanshan had said, Old Gu said "they" would come.

Were "they" these plankton?

Or something more terrifying?

He stood up and took a deep breath.

Then he made a decision.

Pause activation.

At least until he figured out what these things actually were.

He took out the fragment and tried to "suppress" it with his mind.

The fragment trembled, and the light slowly receded.

Three seconds later, it returned to its normal faint glow state.

The pillar of light instantly extinguished.

The light of the [rune stone] also dimmed.

Above the cave, the plankton emitted a sharp cry.

It sounded like anger, and also like disappointment. They circled a few times, then one by one dissipated into the air.

The mountain hollow returned to calm.

Only the huge hole at the entrance proved that everything that had just happened was not a dream.

[System Prompt: Beacon activation paused.]

[Current activation: 91%]

[Dongshan node has entered dormant state.]

[exploration dimension experience +200]

[[exploration dimension] Lv.4 (475 / 800)]

Chen Zhen stood at the bottom of the cave, looking at the [rune stone].

It was quiet, like an ordinary stone covered in patterns.

But he knew it had awakened.

It was just sleeping again for the time being.

He touched the fragment on his chest.

91%.

9% remaining.

He had to figure all this out before the remaining 9% arrived.

When he returned to the surface, it was already bright.

Sunlight shone into the mountain hollow, dispelling the lingering dark blue halo.

The huge cave entrance was wide open, like an open mouth.

Chen Zhen lifted the stone slab, covered the entrance again, and piled some soil and weeds on top, trying his best to restore it to its original state.

Then he turned and went down the mountain.

When he reached halfway down the mountain, he saw someone.

Chen Yuanshan.

The old man was standing under a pine tree, hands behind his back, looking at him.

"Did you feel it?" Chen Yuanshan asked.

"Yes."

"To what extent?"

"91%."

Chen Yuanshan was silent for a few seconds.

"Why stop?"

Chen Zhen looked at him. "Do you know what will happen if it is fully activated?"

"I know a little," Chen Yuanshan said. "It was written in Old Gu's notes. The 'Star Road' opens, and 'they' descend."

"Who are they?"

"I don't know," Chen Yuanshan shook his head. "But Old Gu said, it's not a good thing."

Chen Zhen nodded.

"Then I won't activate it."

Chen Yuanshan looked at him, his eyes complex.

"Can you control it?"

"Yes."

"Can you always control it?"

Chen Zhen thought for a moment.

"I don't know," he said. "But at least I can for now."

Chen Yuanshan was silent for a long time.

Then he walked over and patted Chen Zhen's shoulder.

"Then maintain it," he said. "Come find me when you need to."

He turned and slowly went down the mountain.

Chen Zhen stood there, watching his back disappear into the woods.

When he got home, it was already nine-thirty.

His mother wasn't there, and his father wasn't there either.

A note was left on the table: "Went to your grandma's house, will be back tonight. Food is in the pot."

Chen Zhen ate something, then went back to his room and closed the door.

He took out the fragment and placed it on the table.

It lay quietly, the dark blue faint light flickering, like breathing.

In the afternoon, Chen Zhen went to the [Bookstore].

Old Gu was dozing behind the counter; hearing the doorbell, he opened his eyes. "You're here? Not much work today, make yourself at home."

"Okay."

Chen Zhen walked to the bookshelf dedicated to "miscellaneous books," pulled out a book, and sat down to read.

But he couldn't focus.

His mind was full of the images from this morning.

The pillar of light, the plankton, the [rune stone] glowing, that face exactly like his own.

"Something on your mind?"

Old Gu's voice came from behind.

Chen Zhen turned his head. Old Gu walked over with two cups of tea and handed him one.

"Thank you, [Grandpa Wu]."

Old Gu sat down opposite him and slowly drank his tea.

"This morning, over at Dongshan," Old Gu said, "there was movement."

Chen Zhen looked at him.

"How do you know?"

"Old Zhou called," Old Gu said. "He lives high up, he could see it."

Chen Zhen was silent.

"He asked me if I knew what was going on," Old Gu continued. "I said I didn't know. But I knew that you must know."

Chen Zhen didn't speak.

Old Gu didn't press him, just drank his tea.

After a while, he said: "Old Gu said something, and I've remembered it to this day."

"What did he say?"

"He said: 'Some doors, once opened, cannot be closed.'"

Chen Zhen's heart shook.

Old Gu stood up and patted his shoulder.

"Think it over yourself."

He turned and went back to the counter.

At night, Chen Zhen lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Old Gu's words kept spinning in his mind.

"Some doors, once opened, cannot be closed."

He had already opened 91%.

The remaining 9%, should he open it?

He had to make a decision before school started.