After the golden plate fell into his hands, Zhang Yan sought out a secluded spot and devoted himself wholeheartedly to refining his apertures.
This period of seclusion lasted a full two years. By the time he finished his cultivation and steadied his qi, he had already opened up the thirty-fifth aperture.
At that moment, he felt an intense heat surging through his entire body. The True Fire in his chest roared like a fierce beast, overflowing his Qi Sea. With even the slightest movement, it seemed ready to erupt from his apertures in a fiery torrent.
He hastily suppressed his breath, carefully restraining the fire. Gradually, he gathered the burning True Fire into a single point. When he turned his inner vision inward, he saw that this golden light spark was thick like refined ointment, incomparably pure and potent.
Now, the only obstacle ahead was the last aperture.
Whether he could break through this final aperture and achieve a perfect True Fire would determine the key to solidifying his pill in the future—a single mistake could not be tolerated.
Back then, Zhou Chongju, though a direct heir of the Zhou Family, had only opened thirty-two apertures, which was already exceedingly remarkable.
But Zhang Yan, having opened thirty-five apertures, while perhaps not unprecedented, was an extraordinary rarity across the ages.
This thirty-sixth aperture, however, was one no cultivator had ever heard of successfully refining; thus, he had no idea what transformations might occur upon opening it.
Cultivators tread the path of cultivation, and unless their achievements were of an exceptionally high realm, they followed the steps of their predecessors with utmost caution, not daring to err even slightly. Failing a cultivation technique was a minor concern; damaging the Dao Foundation meant losing all hope entirely. Original content can be found at novel✦fire.net
Even within the Great Clans, it would take hundreds of painstaking years to explore and develop alternative methods to refine apertures step by step.
By reaching thirty-five refined apertures, Zhang Yan was already far superior to his peers, even if he chose not to attempt the final aperture.
But he was unwavering in his pursuit of the Great Dao. Having not yet fully realized his ambitions, how could he allow this obstacle to stop him?
With a faint smile, he reached into his sleeve. For others, the way forward might have been impossible, but with the Broken Jade in his possession, he had ample reason to try.
He held the Broken Jade in his hand, steadied his heart and spirit, and immersed himself within it.
This time, he exercised the utmost patience, spending three months meticulously deducing the cultivation technique.
When he emerged from the Broken Jade, his face radiated with vigor. By then, he knew with certainty that the greatest barrier standing before the solidification of his pill could no longer hinder him.
Taking a moment to carefully recall the insights within the Broken Jade, he smiled with confidence before slowly initiating the cultivation technique.
Once he began, his Divine Intent focused deeply, making him oblivious to the passage of time.
One day, the thirty-sixth aperture trembled lightly. His eardrum caught the sound of a resonant chime—this time markedly different from before—as a wisp of yin energy emerged from the aperture.
The True Fire surging in his Qi Sea seemed to be pulled upward all of a sudden, swallowing the yin energy into itself.
This wisp of yin energy was not refined away but instead pressed deeply into the inner core. In an instant, it forced the condensed cluster of pure fire to expand outward, forming a harmonious structure of yin embraced by yang. The flames intertwined, forming a spherical shape that rotated slowly, with an inexplicable sense of wonder.
Though Zhang Yan had anticipated such a result, the sight of his cultivation reaching its perfect state still brought a trace of joy to his face.
He had initially regretted that the True Fire Essence, bundled into a single sphere, could not fully utilize all its power in the refining of a Golden Core. But with the present configuration, none of its strengths would be wasted during the crucial solidification process.
At long last, he had fully opened all thirty-six apertures!
Zhang Yan raised a finger to calculate. Unknowingly, three years had passed.
Now, he needed only to retrieve the final two ingredients to begin consolidating his pill within an Earth Cave.
With a slow, deep exhale of turbid qi, he calmed his heart and spirit. Closing his eyes, he sat motionless, peacefully awaiting the right timing.
It was unclear how much time had passed when one day he suddenly heard the roar of thunder near his ears. It was the clash of Yin Yang Qi above Thunder Marsh Heavenly Pool on Shendu Peak, causing the heavens to erupt in bursts of lightning and thunder.
Zhang Yan’s eyes snapped open, and a glint of brilliance flashed through his pupils. With a sweep of his sleeve, he rose from the stone platform and, in the blink of an eye, flew out of his cave mansion toward the source of the thunder.
As he flew, the mountains echoed with ceaseless rumbling, thunderous symphonies reverberating through the valleys. It was as though a thousand peaks were collapsing and rivers overturning, with sounds akin to mountains splitting and seas fracturing filling his ears.
By now, many cultivators riding wind and clouds had gathered, all heading toward Shendu Peak. Zhang Yan paid them no heed and instead focused solely on flying. In no time, he arrived at Shendu Main Peak.
He narrowed his eyes, spotting a flock of Heavenly Cranes with white feathers and crimson crests dancing within the Thunder Radiance. They soared and circled the mountain, and every time a bolt of Thunder Light struck, they let out joyful cries of delight.