Outside Skull Mountain, within a hastily constructed cave dwelling, a breathtakingly beautiful woman sat in meditation, her breath swirling in a rhythmic dance of gathering and dispersal.
After a long moment, all the scattered light converged into one.
Then, seven distinct colors gradually blended, merging at last into a pure, pristine white divine light that shone down from above.
"I've succeeded!"
The woman in the light opened her eyes, her face radiant with joy. "Seven-Colored Pure Light Qi! I've perfected my Qi cultivation!"
The method she cultivated had been passed down by an elder of the Holy Sect. The Seven-Colored Pure Light Qi, though appearing as pure white, was in fact the fusion of seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple. Each ray of light represented a stage of purification. After seven purifications, her true qi had reached the fourth rank!
"Then there is hope for Foundation Establishment after all."
Fairy Feixia sighed softly. That her fourth-grade true qi could not reach the Golden Core stage troubled her little—she had never aspired to that path anyway.
"Finding that piece of Caixia Stone was pure luck."
"It's only a pity that Junior Brother Lü's cultivation is so extraordinary. If he had left the market with me, perhaps he too might have glimpsed the hope of reaching Qi Refining Perfection."
With this breakthrough, Fairy Feixia's perspective shifted.
Previously, she had submitted to Lü Yang because he commanded the market and could stand toe-to-toe with a Qi Refining Perfection cultivator. But now that she had broken through herself, Lü Yang's importance had diminished.
After all, "comparable" was ultimately not the same as being truly equal.
Leaving aside his formations, Lü Yang's personal strength no longer impressed her.
Moreover, Fairy Feixia had grown dissatisfied with Lü Yang's excessive caution. She saw it not as wisdom, but as an excuse for his inferior strength.
Just then—
The ground beneath her trembled violently. A surge of spiritual energy erupted from the sky, nearly throwing her off balance.
"What's happening!?"
Fairy Feixia quickly activated her escape light and soared into the air. She gazed toward the source of the disturbance—and her beautiful face suddenly changed.
"Is that... the market?"
Rumble!
A second explosion followed. Another wave of spiritual energy burst forth, as if someone had detonated a bomb of pure qi. Fairy Feixia hurriedly shielded herself with her Seven-Colored Pure Light Qi.
But against the vast power of heaven and earth, her newly acquired fourth-grade true qi proved insufficient. She was like a small boat adrift in a furious storm, tossed and battered. Her pristine white divine light wavered, distorting back into seven separate colors.
"This is... the aftermath of a battle!?"
Struggling to stabilize herself with the Qixia Smoke Net, Fairy Feixia's face filled with horror. "To cause such a phenomenon—someone is fighting inside the market?"
Could Junior Brother Lü be dead?
A chill ran through her heart. She flew toward the market at once. From afar, she saw a single figure at the center of the spiritual tide, surrounded and besieged by three attackers.
As she drew closer and recognized them, her expression grew even more shocked.
"Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion's 'Taiyi Sword' Yun Zhiqiu... Divine Martial Sect's 'Heaven-Turning Warrior' Ouyang Feng... and the rogue cultivator 'Subduing Demon Zen Master' Mingchan... They're joining forces!?"
Her gaze fixed on the sky above Skull Mountain Market.
A crimson sword array stretched across the heavens. Thousands of blood-red lights had transformed into a lifelike eight-clawed dragon—scales gleaming, claws outstretched. It charged left and right, whipping its tail and striking with its horns, until finally it unleashed a sudden, earth-shaking roar that stirred the very spiritual tide.
"Break!"
Each burst of spiritual energy forced Yun Zhiqiu, Ouyang Feng, and Mingchan to retreat. But the three quickly regrouped and pressed their attack once more.
"Amitabha. I did not expect Benefactor Lü to possess such an opportunity. Third-grade True Qi!"
Mingchan pressed his palms together. A flicker of surprise crossed his usually serene face. Third-grade True Qi—this was already on the level of a true disciple of a major sect!
At this thought, Mingchan's expression grew even more compassionate. "As expected, you and I are truly destined. In sending you to reincarnation, I will inquire about your third-grade true skill. When you return in your next life, I shall return it to you intact, fulfilling our master-disciple bond."
"Bald monk, you court death!"
Lü Yang sneered. The great dragon formed from his true qi roared once more. At the same time, the Blood Sun Sword Pellet appeared, its sword formation expanding dramatically.
"Excellent, excellent! We act on behalf of Heaven. Why do you struggle in vain?"
Seeing this, Mingchan did not counterattack. Instead, he shook his robe, and the seven treasures adorning it—the Ruyi Pearl, the Mani Pearl, the Dust-Repelling Pearl, and others—instantly emitted a brilliant Buddhist light.
Wrapped in this protective radiance, he calmly retreated, avoiding entanglement in Lü Yang's sword formation.
In truth, the Blood Sun Sword Pellet was the main reason Lü Yang had held out this long.
The great array within the sword pellet ensured that the Heavenly Demon Blood Transformation Divine Light always struck true, its power immense. Whenever he found himself at a disadvantage, he could use it to turn the tide.
And if that missed, the Hundred Bones True Formation could save his life, allowing him to recover and counterattack.
Beyond that, there was another reason none of the three were willing to go all out.
They fear my Mysterious Yin Body-Capturing Technique.
Lü Yang understood perfectly: the fiercer the battle, the more one's aura leaked. If he caught even a trace, it could prove fatal.
Thus, Yun Zhiqiu and the others had a simple plan—wear him down. Three Great Perfection Qi Refining cultivators, each with considerable combat power, working together against a mere eighth-level Qi Refining cultivator. Even with two great formations backing him, Lü Yang's defeat was inevitable.
If I were truly only at the eighth level, that would be the case.
Lü Yang's eyes flickered. He looked up at the sky and suddenly understood.
Today. Right now. I should break through.
The next second, Lü Yang roared toward the heavens.
His true qi exploded violently. He was attempting to break through to the ninth level of Qi Refining—in the middle of battle.
Seeing this, Yun Zhiqiu and the others were momentarily stunned, then sneered.
"Fool! Breaking through while fighting? You've read too many novels!"
Breaking through during combat was tantamount to suicide.
Every cultivator knew to meditate in seclusion during a breakthrough. True qi erupted during the process, requiring total concentration. Fighting, with enemies distracting you at every turn—how could anyone focus on breaking through?
But at that moment, high above Skull Mountain—
From a place far above, a gaze descended. It looked down upon the people below as if examining dolls on a sand table.
"Interesting. Courageous. And he knows how to read the situation. Not bad."
Yinshan True Person chuckled. Then he stretched out his hand and gently plucked a string, as if tuning an instrument.
And the course of what seemed like certain death suddenly shifted.
Only Lü Yang felt this change most deeply.
A moment ago, his true qi had been in chaos. His forced breakthrough was premature—he was highly likely to suffer qi deviation.
Then, everything changed.
The chaos of his true qi was suddenly just right, as if he had hit the jackpot, perfectly meeting the conditions for breakthrough. The bottleneck, once immovable, crumbled with ease. He broke through in one go.
And then—his cultivation stabilized as if by instinct, as if blessed by fortune itself.
Coincidence? Unbelievable luck?
So this is what it feels like to be the "chosen one."
When the time arrives, heaven and earth themselves join forces. I don't even need to do anything deliberately—the desired result simply happens.
Boom!
The next second, before the astonished gazes of Yun Zhiqiu, Ouyang Feng, and Mingchan—Lü Yang shattered the barrier.
He mastered the final transformation of the Nine Transformations Dragon Technique: the Flying Fish Transformation.
The Flying Fish Transformation symbolized breaking through barriers.
Without pause, Lü Yang's newly acquired true qi expanded again. Blessed by the Flying Fish Transformation, he launched an assault on the bottleneck of the tenth level of Qi Refining.
And then—he broke through. Naturally. Effortlessly.
Nine Transformations Dragon. Qi Refining Perfected.
ROAR!
In an instant, a clear dragon's cry resounded through all of Skull Mountain. The sound washed over Yun Zhiqiu and the others, freezing their faces in stiff astonishment.
"Impossible... No! Is a True Person... manipulating karma!?"
The next second, realization dawned. Panic flooded their expressions.
They saw Lü Yang standing proudly in the air. He turned to face them, a sinister smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
"Do you understand now? This is what it truly means to 'act on behalf of Heaven'!"
With a single thought from a Foundation Establishment True Person, the world itself changes.
To Qi Refining cultivators, a Foundation Establishment True Person is Heaven.
Whoever has a True Person as their backer is the chosen one. And who, then, truly acts on behalf of Heaven?
"Amitabha."
Without another word, Mingchan flicked his robe. A flash of Buddhist light—
And he was the first to vanish.