Chapter 27: The Awakening of Earth's Spiritual Vein
A few days passed since Xiao Feng had made his preparations, ensuring the safety and prosperity of those he cared about. With much of the immediate chaos behind him, he finally had time to focus inward, to assess his surroundings and his cultivation with a clear mind. It was during one of these quiet moments, while meditating in the tranquil gardens of the Haicheng City villa, that Xiao Feng noticed something peculiar.
The spiritual energy in the air—once so thin and sparse that cultivating to higher realms on Earth had seemed nearly impossible—was now... stronger. Much stronger. It was subtle at first, a gentle increase that had slowly built up over time, unnoticed amidst the flurry of events that had occupied his mind. But now, as he focused intently, he could feel it: the spiritual energy was flowing more abundantly, filling the air with a potency that hadn't been there before.
Xiao Feng opened his eyes, his expression thoughtful. How could this be? When he first arrived on Earth, the spiritual energy had been nearly nonexistent, a far cry from the rich and dense spiritual energy of the Heavenly Realm. Cultivating to any significant level here had seemed almost impossible without external resources or treasures. Yet now, the spiritual energy was growing—almost as if the Earth itself was awakening.
He extended his senses, using the full extent of his cultivation to probe the very fabric of the Earth's spiritual veins. What he discovered sent a ripple of surprise through him. Deep beneath the surface, hidden within the Earth's ancient and nearly forgotten spiritual network, a new source of power had emerged. A spiritual being—no, more than that, a new spiritual vein—had been born.
The spiritual vein, while still young and relatively weak compared to the ancient veins of the Heavenly Realm, was nonetheless powerful. It pulsed with a steady, growing energy, as if the Earth itself had been nurturing this vein for millions of years, waiting for the right moment to unleash it. Xiao Feng realized that the Earth, despite its thin spiritual energy in the past, had never been completely cut off from its spiritual roots. The remnants of an ancient war had damaged and weakened the Earth's connection to spiritual energy, but they hadn't destroyed it entirely.
And now, after eons of dormancy, the Earth's spiritual vein was beginning to heal, to regenerate. The spiritual energy it released was still faint, barely a fraction of what it could become, but it was increasing. Month by month, year by year, the spiritual energy on Earth would grow more abundant, until, in a thousand years or more, the Earth might even surpass the Heavenly Realm in spiritual power.
This revelation filled Xiao Feng with a mixture of emotions. On one hand, this was a positive development for Earth and its inhabitants. In time, more powerful cultivators would arise, and the Earth could once again become a thriving center of cultivation, filled with practitioners capable of achieving great power. The Earth, once forgotten and dismissed by the greater realms, would rise to prominence once more.
But there was also a darker side to this realization, a looming threat that Xiao Feng could not ignore. With the resurgence of Earth's spiritual energy, it wouldn't be long before other worlds took notice. The Earth had been largely ignored by other realms for millennia due to its lack of spiritual resources, but that would change. As the spiritual energy grew stronger, so too would the interest of powerful cultivators, civilizations, and possibly even beings from other realms.
Xiao Feng's mind raced as he considered the implications. The Earth, still fragile and in the early stages of its spiritual revival, would become a target. There were countless powerful beings, both human and non-human, who would see the Earth's burgeoning spiritual energy as a resource to be exploited, a treasure to be claimed. And once they realized the Earth was becoming more like the Heavenly Realm, they would come—seeking to conquer, to plunder, to enslave.
The thought of Earth being attacked, of its people being thrown into a war they were unprepared for, filled Xiao Feng with a deep sense of urgency. The Earth needed time to strengthen, to grow, but the presence of the new spiritual vein would likely accelerate the attention it attracted.
Xiao Feng stood up from his meditation, his expression hardening. This new development changed everything. He couldn't afford to leave Earth unprotected, not with the potential dangers that loomed on the horizon. He would have to accelerate his plans, to strengthen those around him, and perhaps even establish protections that could shield the Earth from the prying eyes of other realms.
As he pondered the possibilities, Xiao Feng knew that his journey on Earth was far from over. The awakening of the spiritual vein was both a blessing and a curse—a sign that the Earth could one day reclaim its place among the great realms, but also a warning that challenges far greater than any they had faced so far were on the horizon.
For now, Xiao Feng resolved to stay vigilant, to continue cultivating and guiding those around him. The Earth had given him a second chance at life, and he would not let it fall into chaos. The time would come when he would have to fight to protect this world, to ensure that it could rise to its full potential without being destroyed by the greed and ambition of others.
And so, with a renewed sense of purpose, Xiao Feng turned his attention to the tasks ahead. He would need to gather allies, strengthen the Earth's defenses, and prepare for the day when the world's newfound spiritual energy would draw the attention of those who would seek to claim it for their own. But until then, he would continue to cultivate, to grow stronger, and to protect the world that had become his home.
This was only the beginning. The true battle was yet to come.