The deeper Gu Xian descended into the bowels of the Azure Peak, the more the "Information" stream began to distort. The Neural-Lattice in his spine vibrated with a high-pitched electronic hum that only he could hear—a feedback loop caused by an intense electromagnetic field.
He moved through the restricted "Aether-Conduits," his movements blurred by his Zero-Latency reflexes. To the guards stationed at the intersections, he was nothing more than a trick of the light, a silver-white flicker that vanished before the brain could register a visual signal.
Environment Status: Radiation levels increasing. Ionization: High.
Internal Log: The 'Qi' in this sector is not atmospheric; it is being generated. Frequency matches the 'Old World' cylinder's resonance.
He reached the "Core Chamber." It was a vast, subterranean cathedral of black metal and glowing pipes, but unlike the ivory towers above, this place was neglected. Rust ate at the edges of the giant valves, and the "Liquid Qi" leaked from cracked joints, pooling on the floor like glowing violet oil.
In the center sat the "Spirit-Spring."
It wasn't a natural well. It was a massive, spherical containment vessel made of a material that Gu Xian's Earth-Shard identified instantly.
Analysis: Lead-lined Tungsten-Carbide. Status: Cracked. Function: Fission Reactor (Type: Experimental).
"They are worshiping a leaking engine," Gu Xian whispered, his voice echoing in the metallic void. "The 'immortality' of this sect is simply the result of controlled cellular mutation caused by low-grade radiation. They aren't ascending; they are just... adapting to a slow poison."
He approached the base of the reactor. In the "garbage" bin beneath the primary coolant leak, he found a discarded rod of a heavy, dark-blue metal. It was vibrating with a rhythmic, pulsing heat.
Information Retrieval: Integrated Earth Knowledge.
Identification: Hafnium-Doped Cobalt Alloy. Used in control rods for neutron absorption.
To the Azure Peak Sect, this was "Dead-Soul Iron"—a material so toxic it killed anyone who touched it within minutes. To Gu Xian, it was the final piece of his cardiovascular puzzle.
"The heart is the pump. The blood is the coolant," he analyzed, his silver eyes mapping the blue metal's molecular lattice. "If I alloy my blood with trace amounts of this material and use the Neural-Lattice to regulate the pulse, I can create a Magnetic-Hydrodynamic Drive within my own chest."
He wouldn't need a heartbeat. He would have a Flow.
"I knew you would find your way here."
Gu Xian didn't turn around. His Neural-Lattice had already detected the displacement of air behind him. Elder Li stood on a catwalk, looking down at the white-haired boy with a mixture of fear and awe.
"This is the 'Forbidden Truth' of our Sect," Elder Li said, his voice trembling. "The Divine Engine of the Ancestors. How did you know its location? Even Ye Chen has not been permitted here."
"Because Ye Chen looks for 'Miracles'," Gu Xian said, picking up the blue metal rod. "I look for 'Mechanics'. Your Ancestors weren't gods, Elder. They were technicians who survived a collapse. And your 'Divine Engine' is currently at 42% structural failure. In three years, this entire mountain will become a dead zone."
Elder Li's face went pale. "You... you can see the decay?"
"I can see the entropy," Gu Xian replied. He looked at the blue rod in his hand. "I can fix it. But the price is the material you call 'Dead-Soul Iron'. I need it for my own architecture."
"You would put that... that filth inside your body?" Elder Li gasped. "It will rot your spirit from the inside out!"
"Only if the spirit is disorganized," Gu Xian said.
He suddenly lunged—not at the Elder, but at the reactor's primary coolant valve. Using his Sapphire-dense fingers, he gripped the rusted iron and twisted. The metal screamed as he forced the valve open, releasing a spray of high-pressure violet Qi.
"What are you doing?!" Elder Li roared, drawing his sword to strike.
"Creating a distraction," Gu Xian said.
As the chamber filled with blinding violet mist, Gu Xian triggered a Bio-feedback surge. He didn't use a technique; he used his own body as a grounding wire. He grabbed the blue rod and, using the high-frequency vibration of his lungs, began to dissolve the metal directly into a liquid state through localized induction.
He didn't drink it. He pressed the liquid metal against his chest, right over his heart.
Warning: Cardiac arrest imminent. Initiating Neural-Override.
The blue metal didn't "burn" him. Under the control of his Zero-Latency nerves, the Hafnium-Cobalt was drawn through his skin and into his heart's valves, coating them in a frictionless, magnetic-reactive film.
His heart stopped. For a heartbeat, there was total silence.
Then, a low, rhythmic hum began to resonate from his chest. His blood began to move, not in pulses, but in a continuous, high-velocity stream.
System Log: Stage Five - The Kinetic Heart. Efficiency: 400% over baseline.
Gu Xian looked through the mist. He could see the heat signatures of every guard in the facility. He could see the structural weaknesses in the ceiling. He could see the fear in Elder Li's eyes.
"The engine is stabilized for now," Gu Xian's voice boomed, now possessing a terrifying, resonant power. "I suggest you spend the next three years finding a new mountain. This one now belongs to the Architect."
Before Elder Li could respond, Gu Xian vanished. He didn't run; he simply accelerated to a speed that the human eye—and even the Elder's Qi-sense—couldn't track.
Next Objective: The 'Ancient Library' of the Azure Peak. Now that I have the heart to power my mind, I need the 'limitless knowledge' of the other shards.