"To be placed in a deadly situation and find a way to survive."
Within his consciousness, the sun blazed fiercely. A tall figure, holding a scepter, gazed piously towards the heavens, seemingly engaged in a grand yet perilous ritual. In the next moment, fragments of Wu Kui's death flashed repeatedly in his mind.
This was the only pain in Xu Mu's memory.
Upon seeing this, the heart in his chest became extraordinarily hot, and a speck of light, of an unknown composition, suddenly appeared in his blood.
That speck of light was like the sun of a world, illuminating every corner of his body, even the dark energy.
Consequently, some latent abilities hidden within this body could no longer remain concealed.
They emerged from countless microscopic cells, converged, and surged into the meridians, forming a swift torrent of elemental energy.
Gold, wood, wind, fire, earth, Dao source, Zen intent, blade's edge... No one knew how many elemental energies were contained within that torrent, perhaps not even the one in the heavenly palace.
His learning was eclectic, his abilities numerous, surpassing the limits imaginable by ordinary people.
When he was a third-tier ability user, he could still suppress these energies. But now, Xu Mu wasn't even a first-tier ability user.
Thus, these elemental energies pressed against each other, intertwined, and the collisions generated immense destructive power.
A bead of sweat the size of a bean rolled down the young man's forehead. His face was deathly pale. Inside him, it was as if ten thousand knives were flaying him alive. Various energies, one after another, broke through the seal of spiritual power and then, in unison, followed the meridians towards the next acupoint, shattering all obstacles in their path like a bursting dam.
They surged through the Sun, the Tanzhong.
They rushed through the Juque, the Tianshu.
They passed through acupoint after familiar acupoint, pressing onward.
Finally, they arrived at a very familiar place.
It was an ancient and heavy door.
That was the door leading to becoming an ability user.
Pushing open this door, stepping into the Awakening Realm, one would from then on be a true cultivator. Opening it was the lifelong dream of countless individuals.
So the torrent roared through, as if walking on level ground. That door, regarded as an insurmountable chasm by countless mortals, did not even impede it for a single instant.
Rumble!
The door opened. Behind it lay a vast, empty space, a void, resembling a heavenly palace.
But suddenly, golden light erupted. Within this space, a great sun seemed to slowly rise, its radiance illuminating the heavens.
Therefore, this great sun was the Golden Core, and the infinite void surrounding it was the ability user's power.
Innumerable elements and dark energies poured into the Golden Core, attracting and repelling each other, incredibly violent.
But like myriad rivers flowing into the sea, no matter how turbulent the torrent, it would eventually find peace upon reaching the ocean.
Half a second passed. The last trace of ability flowed into the Dantian. The blinding light on the Golden Core gradually receded, its surface now shrouded in a wisp of mist, suspended in the void, clear and radiant.
The entire altar echoed with Xu Mu's resonant heartbeat. A surging vitality emanated from the young man, his body feeling exceptionally light, devoid of any previous dullness.
He was an ability user.
Xu Mu met Feng Tianzhu's gaze and then a smile suddenly appeared in his eyes.
…
Xu Mu's furrowed brow relaxed. Entering the Awakening Realm happened in the blink of an eye.
Charles had observed the entire process and thus knew Xu Mu was alright.
Feng Tianzhu's smile gradually froze. He could sense that Xu Mu's state had changed, but he couldn't articulate what was wrong.
In the next second, Feng Tianzhu was sent flying back by Xu Mu's immense strength, almost losing his grip on the sword.
As Feng Tianzhu retreated, dozens of异鬼 (yi gui) swarmed forward again, holding the skulls of their fallen comrades and smashing them down ferociously.
But Xu Mu, with a blank expression, kicked a bone 异鬼 in the abdomen.
The body that had been weak and powerless moments ago now seemed to contain boundless strength. The 异鬼 was sent flying backward, scattering all the bone 异鬼 it touched along the way, before crashing heavily into the wall and dying instantly.
Feng Tianzhu retreated rapidly, his arms feeling numb, his expression filled with horror.
He had used all his abilities, concentrating them on that sword, yet it was still repelled. What kind of power did this possess!
Crack, crack, crack…
Before Feng Tianzhu could ponder further, Xu Mu charged forward with his saber. The speed at which the altar summoned 异鬼 could not keep up with the saber. The 异鬼 in its path couldn't withstand even a single blow!
Feng Tianzhu's face was filled with terror. Hadn't he seen this scene last night?
A chilling killing intent burned in Xu Mu's eyes. His hunting knife moved with the speed of thunder.
He could feel the power within him growing stronger, his stamina seemingly inexhaustible.
This dark energy no longer corrupted him; instead, it replenished his body, much like how Feng Tianzhu recovered from injuries.
Just like an 异人 (yi ren)!
Xu Mu's eyes were half-hidden by his dark hair. Pure elemental energy flowed through his body. The altar's evil energy could not invade his body in the slightest.
The last 异鬼 on the altar, with a green face and fangs, looked terrifying. But its hardened bones were as fragile as winter branches under this hunting knife.
With a gentle swing from Xu Mu, it was severed in half.
"Crack!"
The last 异鬼 was slain by Xu Mu. With a stride, Xu Mu appeared directly before Feng Tianzhu, and a saber strike descended.
"Crack!"
Feng Tianzhu's pupils contracted sharply, and he quickly dodged behind a stone pillar.
But then, this stone pillar was also cut down by Xu Mu's saber, shattering into fragments.
The sheer force was terrifying, reminiscent of the earth-splitting saber strike at Granny Sun's house that day!
"Explode!"
Feng Tianzhu rolled forward, narrowly dodging Xu Mu's strike, and immediately activated his abilities. A black elemental orb shot out.
Xu Mu's eyes narrowed. This stone pillar had been severed by him, and there was no space to dodge. But he couldn't retreat, for fear that Feng Tianzhu would escape.
"Splat!"
With extreme speed, Xu Mu rolled sideways, creating a slight distance but not enough for Feng Tianzhu to escape. At the same time, his hands moved in a bizarre posture as he retrieved the AWM from his back.
"Click."
The sound of the gun's bolt being pulled back. Aiming, shooting, all in one fluid motion.
"Bang!"
Xu Mu hit his mark. The elemental orb exploded in mid-air!
"Puff! ", Feng Tianzhu was caught in the blast, his body sent flying, spitting blood.
Xu Mu was further from the center of the explosion. He should have had time to dodge, but he didn't.
In the span of a tenth of a second, before the shockwave had fully spread, Xu Mu reoriented the muzzle.
In the darkness, Xu Mu, wearing night-vision goggles, watched Feng Tianzhu's every move.
He didn't aim through the scope.
"Bang!"
A bloody blossom bloomed on Feng Tianzhu's chest.
A quick scope shot. Xu Mu chose to shoot directly.
He hit Feng Tianzhu in the heart!
…