Chapter Thirty-Five: Crystallization, Advancement

The medicinal power of the Vitality Pill swiftly permeated every meridian, transforming into surging battle energy that thundered its way into the already brimming dantian. The lower dantian, filled with fire energy, suddenly expanded, while the upper dantian, saturated with life force, contracted under pressure. The spiritual power connected to the upper dantian burst forth, driving the life energy within the body into rapid circulation, reclaiming the territory seized by the lower dantian.

At that moment, energies from all around the world rushed in, some absorbed into the body, others repelled and quickly replaced by different elements. Droplets of purple liquid fell into the dantian and landed in the dantian's inner furnace, where they were extracted and refined. Life energy, carried by flickering flames atop the furnace, was channeled into the upper dantian, while fire elements and battle energy merged into the furnace itself.

The old man watched the storm of energy forming around Yun Yufeng, his eyes shining with an unfathomable light and his face full of shock. Could this be any more exaggerated? Was this cultivation or a breakthrough?

By now, the purple hue had covered Yun Yufeng’s entire head, making him resemble a sculpture of amethyst.

A faint, glass-shattering "crack" sounded. The purple deepened abruptly around Yun Yufeng’s head, a pain like tearing flesh swept through him, and beads of sweat the size of beans instantly covered his face, all tinted with that intense purple.

At this point, Yun Yufeng’s consciousness nearly stalled, as the soft tissues within his head began to transform into amethyst, even the membrane surrounding his sea of consciousness had turned into a tough, crystalline structure.

The sea of consciousness is a person’s core, nurturing the soul and filled with spiritual power, its surrounding membrane exceptionally tough and indestructible, guarding its safety. Yun Yufeng did not know why the sea of consciousness existed as it did, nor how vast it might become, but he understood that the larger it was, the better—just like the dantian.

Seeing the critical moment arrive, the old man immediately enveloped Yun Yufeng with Emperor-level soul force, focusing especially on the head. Suddenly, the old man gave a muffled grunt, his eyes filled with disbelief, as if witnessing something beyond imagination. The moment his soul force touched Yun Yufeng’s head and delved inside, a spiritual storm erupted, annihilating his soul force and seizing control of Yun Yufeng’s head.

Due to this spiritual intervention, the tearing pain in Yun Yufeng’s head gradually eased, his breathing steadied, and the "crack-crack" sounds continued as the energy vortex around him grew ever more violent. Vast amounts of energy from heaven and earth were drawn in and absorbed by Yun Yufeng’s body, which now seemed like a bottomless abyss, greedily devouring all energy.

Suddenly, a surge of purple energy shot from Yun Yufeng’s crown as his eyes slowly opened, bursting forth with purple needle-like rays. The energy vortex paused briefly before spinning even more wildly, expanding its range.

The purple aura over his body gradually faded, returning to his normal skin tone, until at last his complexion was pure and fair. Yet the misty purple energy still steamed from his body, shrouding him and reaching out like tendrils to the energy vortex, drawing elemental power and heaven-and-earth energy into his body, merging it with his circulating battle energy.

Breaking shackles, returning to origin.

At this moment, the domineering Purple Extreme Emperor’s Heart Technique broke through its limits and returned to its roots—no longer as sharp and flamboyant as before, it became deeply restrained. Henceforth, even in battle, Yun Yufeng would appear no different from other warriors on the surface, but within him, a wild, primordial ferocity lay dormant, endowing him with combat power far beyond his peers.

Each meridian squirmed like an earthworm, protruding beneath the skin as battle energy rushed through them. Where they narrowed, the surging force tore open the walls, but life energy propelled by spiritual power instantly repaired the rifts, and the mended meridians were even broader and tougher than before. With each pulse of energy, they beat rhythmically, like a heart.

Some of the battle energy dispersed into limbs and bones, slowly fortifying Yun Yufeng’s flesh and internal organs, and even subtly transforming his blood in ways unknown.

A torrent of energy droplets poured into his dantian, bringing about immense change within. With the breakthrough of the Purple Extreme Emperor’s Heart Technique, the purple hue vanished. The upper dantian, like an inverted bowl, became colorless and transparent—under inner vision, even the dantian’s membrane could be seen. The lower dantian resembled a world of lava, its walls glowing red-hot like molten metal, radiating scorching heat, while the massive inner furnace spewed flames, filling the entire space.

Yun Yufeng worked his heart technique with all his might, drawing in vast amounts of energy from the air. Under the morning sun, a faint red glow could be seen enveloping his whole body.

His dantian, already swollen to the limit, suddenly expanded again, its membrane cracking. Waves of energy with a mysterious aura seeped in from beyond, while the membrane cycled through breaking and healing. Life energy, following the membrane’s surface, swiftly repaired the damage, making it ever tougher and more resilient.

Seated cross-legged, Yun Yufeng sweated as if in a rainstorm, soaking the rock beneath him. Yet he gritted his teeth, enduring the piercing pain of his dantian shattering and reforming.

Yun Yufeng’s physique and meridians were far sturdier than those of anyone at his level, and his dantian’s capacity was immense—it would become eight times larger than normal upon reaching the fourth tier. The difficulty of its shattering and reconstruction could be imagined, and the cycle of breaking and mending until ultimate stability would be a long ordeal. The pain he endured was magnified tenfold, a hundredfold.

The old man frowned, though he was confident Yun Yufeng could endure it. Still, he could not help but feel sorry for the boy undergoing such torment. For most, the dantian’s expansion and reformation was brief, passing in a few breaths.

Though the breakthrough was now inevitable—even if Yun Yufeng lost consciousness, his level would still rise by instinct—fainting would mean missing out on this rare opportunity to temper himself. Most importantly, the post-breakthrough infusion of heaven-and-earth energy would not occur, since without conscious energy circulation, there would be no absorption, and thus no blessing from the world.

Time passed slowly. After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Yun Yufeng’s dantian finally reformed. Inside the vast space, only a thin layer of energy remained, leaving it mostly empty, and the lower dantian’s great furnace stood alone, its walls now thin and fragile.

Suddenly, a great wind arose, clouds swirling from all directions as the laws of heaven and earth descended. Dense, sticky energy surged in, so heavy it seemed the sky itself might suffocate under the weight, roaring and howling as if a heavenly tribulation approached.

Yun Yufeng exhaled a long, turbid breath, then opened his mouth wide like a whale, swallowing the flood of energy pouring toward him. The massive energy vortex reached a full li in diameter, and under the sunlight, clouds and mist rolled and the giant trees seemed to cheer, creating a magnificent spectacle.

Far below, in the town by the encircling mountains, townspeople watched the dramatic movement of clouds above the peaks, astonished and bewildered by the unusual phenomenon.

The energy around Yun Yufeng was so dense it could almost be condensed into water. The violent influx of heaven-and-earth energy lasted more than eight minutes before gradually calming. The dark sky cleared, and sunlight once again shone upon them.

Yun Yufeng checked within—his dantian’s battle energy reserves were still at the threshold of mid-stage. He shook his head; only about a third full. With a dantian this vast, when would he ever reach the next breakthrough? Not to mention the ever-hungry furnace within.

The old man’s jaw hung open until now, when he finally closed his mouth, swallowed, and asked, “Child, how do you feel?”

Yun Yufeng stood up, running battle energy to dry his clothes, and replied coolly, “Hmm, not bad. Barely mid-fourth tier, but it’ll be much tougher from now on.”

The old man’s mouth twitched a few times, and he forced a smile. “Indeed, you’ll need to work harder in the future.” But inwardly, he groaned—how could this child still be unsatisfied? Many people, after advancing, were nowhere near mid-tier; their dantian’s meager energy reserves were shameful in comparison.

“Grandfather, are there really no powerful magical beasts atop these mountains? I’ve practiced here for so long and even caused quite a stir, yet not a single troublesome beast has appeared.”

The old man’s face darkened and he retorted, “With such a commotion, would any beast below fifth or sixth rank dare approach? Besides, with your grandfather here, who would dare run wild?”

Yufeng scratched his head and squinted, “Honestly, it’s all thanks to you, Grandpa. With an Emperor present, what beast would dare show its claws?”

“Cheeky boy. Let’s go back—your clan chief is still waiting.” With that, the wheelchair floated up and drifted toward the cliff.

“Grandfather, I think the summit of these mountains is a great place. I’ll build something here in the style of a pavilion one day.”

“We’ll have to consider all aspects. That’s not something to decide in a few words.”

“I understand,” Yun Yufeng nodded.

They retraced their steps to the pavilion. The old clan chief’s face was ruddy, half a bottle of wine already gone, and he was mumbling to himself—apparently reciting the method of brewing.

Yun Yufeng glanced over in curiosity. The clan chief glared at him. “What do you know, boy? I have to memorize this… and store it in the pavilion. That’s the only way to keep it safe. Otherwise, there’s bound to be a slip one day.”

Yun Yufeng was momentarily speechless. Once the wine was brewed, it would no longer be a secret. He could only shrug helplessly at his grandfather and gesture outside. The old man waved a hand and sent Yun Yufeng out of the pavilion.

“Feiyun, you may wake now,” the old man said, handing over a cup of tea.

“Feiyan, do you understand the difficulty of being clan chief? If the clan lacks resources, we cannot train the next generation. If no one rises, the family will continue to decline. Our lineage, though exiled for certain reasons, still bears the noble blood of the Yun clan. Such decay is not what I wish for.”

He sighed. “After all these years of entanglements, it’s still the younger generation who must bear the burden. I don’t mind, but Yufeng will eventually walk my path. I had little hope before, but now I am confident—Yufeng is stronger than I ever was, much stronger.”

The old clan chief suddenly looked up, fixing his gaze on the old man. “You’re saying Yufeng will surpass you?”