One pile held a map—partially incomplete—marked with several points inside the caldera labeled with odd names like "Vein Split Path," "Cradle of Flame," and "The Singing Pit."
Another document mentioned that a second outpost, deeper within the eastern cliffside, was still under construction. A third confirmed that a senior Mist Eye cultivator—someone in the Peak of the Core Condensation Realm—would be arriving soon to oversee the final excavation.
Han Yu leaned back and exhaled.
This is bigger than anyone let on.
Not just a skeleton. Not just a mystery altar.
'An energy source that keeps the magma stable? That's not natural. That's cultivation engineering. That's—'
His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden rush of fatigue.
He was tired again, deep in his bones. His body had been running on pills, salves, and fire. Now that he was safe, fed, and informed, the exhaustion returned like a tide.
