Then, just as Lin Mu had started feeling the deeper pull of this new path, the Abbot approached him, breathless and wide-eyed.
"Lin Mu!" he called, robes fluttering unnaturally from the sheer weight pressing down in the cultivation chambers. "Come quickly! I've found something… something important!"
Lin Mu opened his eyes, immediately sensing the urgency in the old monk's voice. Rising to his feet, his every motion released small shockwaves in the air—his body had grown heavier, denser over these past few weeks.
He followed the Abbot without hesitation, winding through the halls of the monastery until they came to a quiet side passage—an older section of the temple that led to the resting places of monks long passed.
There, lit only by the pale glow of spirit stones embedded in the walls, was a vault door sealed by both gravity inscriptions and Buddhist chants. The Abbot waved his hand and the seals unlocked, revealing a small tomb chamber within.
