Reon and Cloudia exged a knowing look—this was it. The powerful artifact they had fought tooth and nail to reach, hidden at the heart of the cave, was finally within their grasp.

  Blood trickled from a small cut on Reon's cheek, and he absently wiped it away, feeling the dull ache of battle settling into his muscles.

  Yet, despite his exhaustion, an invisible force seemed to pull him forward, calling him to the altar ahead.

  With a quiet resolve, he pushed aside his weariness and began to approach it, his footsteps steady, eae propelled by the thrumming energy that seemed to saturate the air.

  The altar sat upon a raised stone dais, weathered with age and adorned with strange carvings that seemed to shimmer faintly in the dim light.

  At its base, a mist coiled and shifted, moving almost as if it were alive, swirling with hues of green and silver.

  As Reon drew closer, the mist parted slowly, as though sensing his approad giving him passage.

  A hum filled the air, low and rhythmic, pulsing with a frequency that resonated within his ow. It was as if the entire chamber held its breath in anticipation.

  Reon's gaze fell oreasure cradled within a web of twisted roots entwined around the altar—a gemstone, luminous and mesmerizing, polished to a gssy perfe that reflected emerald light with a depth that seemed endless.

  The stone's color was unlike anything he had ever seen, a green so deep and rich that it seemed to tain a life of its own.

  The energy it exuded was tangible, filling the cavern with a weight that pressed against Reon's senses, brushing against his skin and sinking into his bones.

  Cloudia moved forward cautiously, her witg as she sehe iy radiating from the gem. Her gaze flicked to Reon, as if to warn him to proceed carefully.

  Reon's hand moved forward slowly, almost reverently, and he hesitated, his fingers h inches above the gemstone.

  His instincts whispered a warning, reminding him of the tless treasures that came with hidden dangers.

  Yet, his curiosity and the unyielding pull of the stone won out. He let his fingers brush its surface, and the instant they ected, a surge of energy ripped through him.

  Unknown Energy flooded his veins, raw and unfiltered, as if the gemstone held within it a piece of another world.

  He staggered slightly, the energy twisting within him, resonating with something deep i felt both fn and familiar—a e to something vast, a, and boundless.

  "Is this… a Mana Stone?" he murmured, astonished.

  It matched perfectly the descriptions he remembered from his readings. Yet, how could a Mana Stone, a gemstone from another ti, be hidden here in the heart of the Mystic Evergreen Forest, within Supreme Dao Sect's territory? By all logic, it should have been impossible.

  Mana Stones, uhe Spirit Stones native to this nd, were treasured stones of the Rising Fme ti—a ti within the same world yet distinctly separate, poputed not by cultivators, but by mages.

  The Rising Fme ti existed in a parallel reality of sorts, one where mana, rather than Spiritual Qi, governed life and power. It was a nd where circles of mana, inscribed upon a mage's heart, determiheir strength. The more Circles they possessed, the greater their magical abilities.

  The Sleeping Dragon ti ce of cultivators, where Spiritual Qi was woven into the fabric of existence.

  Here, no one possessed mana, and only Spirit Stones were known to fuel cultivation. In the same way, those from the Rising Fme ti could not use Spiritual Qi; their lives, their arts, were bouirely to mana.

  A… Reon looked down at his hand, feeling the pulse of the Mana Stone in his palm, and he couldn't deny it. Somewhere deep within him, he could feel a sliver of mana.

  He had seen it listed in his status s before, a strange anomaly among cultivators.

  He hadn't thought much of it then, but holding the Mana Stone now, that mystery resurfaced in his mind with a newfound urgency.

  Could he, unlike any other cultivator, actually wield magic? What did this mean about who—or what—he truly was?

  The unknown loomed in front of him, each question growing heavier in his mind. How had he e to possess mana in a ti where it was unheard of? Could his ins lie in the Rising Fme ti?

  Strangely, he also sensed a faint trace of power within himself, something equally fn, as if it beloo yet another ti altogether. The truth danced just out of reach, leaving him more uain than ever.

  Without the memories of Xue Taiyang, however, the answers y beyond his reach. Each fragment of his past, each elusive detail, haunted him, tantalizingly close yet frustratingly inaccessible. For now, he had to live with the mystery, with the gnawing uainty that shadowed his every step.

  Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to focus. He would uncover his true past in time. But for now, the gemstone was his priority.

  He steadied his grip, the fierce green glow of the stone unwavering as it seemed to peer into his very soul.

  With a steady breath, Reon activated Identify, his mind sharp and clear, determio unlock the secrets of this a, otherworldly stone.