Zhang Yan sat in the cavern, cross-legged and with his eyes closed, entering meditation.
He did not hurriedly attempt to activate the Xuan Guang nestled in his chest but instead immersed his heart and spirit within, slowly seeking the spiritual mechanism hidden within.
The vast Xuan Guang before him now resembled stagnant water, pooled and motionless, as if lumped together and refusing to stir even slightly.
Yet Zhang Yan remained unhurried. He understood that the effort to stir this Xuan Guang and awaken its spiritual nature required patience. The initial steps were the hardest—not because it couldn’t move, but because the timing wasn’t ripe, akin to adding kindling to boiling water or turning iron to liquid. It demanded steadfast resolve.
Days passed by one after another—four days were gone, and he remained motionless, like a sculpture.
Guarding the cave entrance, Su YiAng suddenly became inexplicably tense. Having cultivated the Seeking Origin Scripture and devoured no fewer than a hundred Yin Demons, his sensitivity to even the slightest shifts in Qi Mechanism had become remarkably acute. On previous occasions, his warnings had proven timely.
Though nothing seemed imminent now, he could sense trouble brewing from afar, and the feeling intensified, pressuring him to the brink of leaping to his feet. He glanced nervously at the motionless Zhang Yan, then whispered, "Master, he’s coming."
Zhang Yan remained unresponsive.
Su YiAng whispered again, but Zhang Yan still showed no sign of movement.
A few moments later, Su YiAng’s voice grew increasingly urgent, "Master, master, he’s here! He’s coming now!"
Zhang Yan heard his words but was utterly unfazed. He had entered an extraordinary realm of concentration, where his divine soul seemed to merge with the Xuan Guang, indistinguishable from it.
It felt as though with a gentle push, he could attain his desired breakthrough.
He, too, sensed the looming danger creeping closer to him, yet he remained calm and indifferent.
In that moment, the long-static Xuan Guang suddenly moved—first lightly pulsating like boiling water, then gradually roiling and spinning faster and faster, until it finally surged wildly.
Zhang Yan understood that he had reached the most critical moment. Whether he could break through depended entirely on this attempt!
"Master, he’s here! He’s here! He’s right above us!"
Fear now tinged Su YiAng’s voice. Without needing to look, he knew Li Weide was already hovering above and peering downward. Yet for some unknown reason, the adversary had held back and not stormed in.
Zhang Yan remained still and silent, his heart and spirit surging in tandem with the Xuan Guang within his chest, which roared like waves crashing against a seawall.
After several collisions, the internal barrier seemed to loosen. Zhang Yan chose not to exert force, letting the waves rise and crash naturally, their rhythm building with tireless intensity.
Finally, his heart and spirit lifted effortlessly with a sudden surge. At that moment, he heard only a deafening "boom" as though something had been opened. His body trembled violently; two bursts of light—one crimson red, the other golden—shot forth from the crown of his head, surging skyward. The red glow was as molten as magma, while the golden sheen gleamed like Tai Bai Silver. These streams of Xuan Guang twisted and ground against one another, fusing into a single dazzling force. Star Fire scattered fiercely, akin to iron smelting in a furnace or sand grinding against blades, emitting burning, sharp energy.
As Xuanqing’s Heart shone brilliantly, Spirit Light awakened, shedding all mortal form!
The radiance emanating from this conglomerate of light bloomed like a newborn stretching its limbs, unfolding outward in graceful spirals. The golden and crimson rays broke free of all constraints, shining brightly in every direction. Wherever this light touched, rock crumbled into powder, falling away like dust.
Zhang Yan’s eyes snapped open, and two piercing beams glittered like starlight in the night sky. The entire cavern illuminated, revealing even its smallest details. In that instant, he knew he had stepped into the First Realm of Xuan Guang, the "Spiritual Light First Illumination!"
Unable to restrain himself, he let out a great laugh, reciting, "Golden Wind risen, blazing Fire dances! Xuan Guang surges sky-high and Blood Cloud unravels!"
As the words left his lips, the Xuan Guang enveloped his body entirely. The cavern rumbled violently, and a golden-red beam of light shot upward, piercing the heavens!
Li Weide, having located Zhang Yan before, had been exuberant, prepared to charge inside and finish the opponent off. Having faced Zhang Yan multiple times, he had a deep impression of his adversary’s cunning and resilience, yet he couldn’t fathom why Zhang Yan would commit such apparent folly, burying himself in a dead-end scenario.
The bizarre behavior defied all logic, making Li Weide suspect some sort of trap. Therefore, he cautiously circled around twice to verify there were no hidden tricks. Once reassured, his tense expression relaxed, and he prepared to deliver the attack.
But right at that moment, a fierce and blazing, razor-sharp light shot up toward him. Even before it reached, the sheer force threw his Xuan Guang into chaos, disrupting his Qi Mechanism. Startled, he dodged frantically to the side, quickly summoning a blood-red giant hand above his head to block the light.