Now in the Core Soul Realm, Lu Fan's soul was sharper, deeper—capable of perceiving fragments that once remained dormant. The pendant hummed as he meditated, and this time, it didn't show visions.
It showed a person.
A ghostly figure appeared in his spiritual sea — a man in celestial robes, face cracked with golden lines, one eye glowing with a dying star.
> "You are... not my heir. But the vessel has chosen. So listen well…"
He called himself Sovereign Jianyu, one of the three ancient rulers of the last great age — a man who sealed himself and his memories into a pendant to escape annihilation.
> "The Sovereign Triumvirate fell to something that came from outside the cycle. We called it the Outer Void. I failed to stop it. You… might succeed."
The vision ended, and Lu Fan coughed blood.
His body trembled under the memory's weight.
But with it came a gift: the Lotus Heart Mantra — an advanced spiritual refinement method that enhanced soul recovery and mental defenses.
He had inherited more than power.
He had inherited a war.