The cold air greeted him the moment he stepped out.
The mountain stretched wide and silent, covered in snow.
But Xu Tian knew better now.
It wasn't empty.
He paused just outside the ruins.
His eyes moved across the ground.
Footprints.
More than before.
Fresh.
"…They didn't leave," he said quietly.
The children remained still in his arms.
Xu Tian adjusted his grip slightly.
Then he stepped forward.
The world felt different.
Not because it had changed.
But because he had.
Every sound was clearer.
Every movement sharper.
The faint presence he once struggled to sense was now obvious.
Multiple.
Scattered.
Watching.
Xu Tian's gaze shifted toward the rocks ahead.
"…Come out," he said calmly.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then a figure stepped out.
One of the cultivators from before.
Not alone.
Two more followed.
Three in total.
Their expressions were no longer relaxed.
They were watching him carefully.
"You're still alive," one of them said.
Xu Tian didn't respond immediately.
His eyes moved across them.
Measuring.
"…You're still here," he replied.
The man's expression tightened slightly.
"We were waiting," he said.
Xu Tian understood.
"…For what's inside."
The man didn't deny it.
His gaze dropped briefly to Xu Tian's hand.
Then back up.
"You went in," he said.
Xu Tian remained calm.
"Yes."
Silence followed.
The air grew tense.
The three cultivators shifted slightly.
Not attacking.
Not yet.
But ready.
Xu Tian took a step forward.
The snow crunched beneath his feet.
That was enough.
One of them moved.
Fast.
A direct strike.
Xu Tian didn't step back.
He moved forward instead.
His arm rose.
The two attacks met.
A sharp sound echoed.
The cultivator froze.
Just for a moment.
But it was enough.
Xu Tian pushed.
The man was forced back several steps, his feet sliding across the snow.
Silence fell.
The other two stopped.
They looked at him.
Something had changed.
Xu Tian lowered his arm.
His expression didn't change.
"…Is that all?" he asked quietly.
The man steadied himself.
His face was no longer calm.
"…You changed," he said.
Xu Tian didn't deny it.
He took another step forward.
Slow.
Controlled.
The pressure in the air shifted.
This time, it wasn't coming from them.
It was coming from him.
The three cultivators felt it.
Their stance changed.
More cautious.
More serious.
Xu Tian's gaze remained steady.
"…If you're going to fight," he said, "then don't hold back."
The mountain fell silent again.
But this time-
He was the one controlling it.