A month passed quietly.
The Southern Archipelagos remained as prosperous as ever. Merchant ships sailed between countless islands, cultivators came and went through the bustling streets of Thousand Isle City, and the endless sea reflected the clear blue sky as though nothing in the world could disturb its tranquility.
Lin Sheng spent the month exactly as he had planned.
The affairs of Ridge Mist Island had been entrusted entirely to Assistant Xu.
The pill shop had been dismantled and sold, while every pill formula, alchemy inheritance, and valuable record had been quietly removed beforehand. Even the remaining traces connecting him to the business had gradually disappeared under careful arrangements.
Everything had been prepared.
Now, he had returned to Thousand Isle City to quietly await the opening of the Heavenly Star Secret Realm.
Nothing seemed unusual.
Until that day.
...
It began with a single ripple.
Far above the endless heavens, an indescribable fluctuation spread across the sky.
It was silent.
Yet every cultivator within the Immortal Continent felt it.
Whether they were meditating within secluded caves, refining pills in blazing furnaces, battling demonic beasts, or discussing the Dao with fellow cultivators...
Everyone instinctively raised their heads.
The next instant—
Boom!
A majestic Dao rhythm swept across the entire Immortal Continent.
It descended from the heavens like an invisible tide, washing over mountains, rivers, deserts, forests, islands, and seas.
The spiritual qi of heaven and earth erupted violently.
Every spiritual vein beneath the continent began humming simultaneously.
The phenomenon spread from the Northern Mountains...
Across the boundless Western Desert...
Through the endless forests of the Eastern Region...
Before finally reaching the countless islands of the Southern Archipelagos.
The heavens themselves seemed to awaken.
Then—
The sky changed.
Above the Northern Mountains, bolts of azure lightning suddenly descended.
Yet they carried no destructive aura.
Instead, every bolt radiated the vibrant vitality of spring.
Where the lightning landed, withered forests burst into life. Flowers bloomed across barren valleys, rivers thawed, and countless dormant spiritual herbs awakened from beneath the earth.
Spring Lightning.
Soon after—
Crimson lightning illuminated the Eastern Region.
Its blazing brilliance resembled the scorching sun of midsummer.
The surrounding spiritual qi became incomparably active as countless fire-attributed cultivators felt their cultivation begin circulating on its own.
Summer Lightning.
Moments later—
Golden lightning appeared above the Western Desert.
The vast sand dunes seemed to glow beneath its radiance as endless grains of sand danced through the sky like drifting autumn leaves.
Metal spiritual qi filled the heavens.
Autumn Lightning.
Finally—
Deep violet-white lightning descended upon the Southern Archipelagos.
The surrounding seas instantly became calm.
Frost spread across the ocean's surface before melting moments later, while a chilling stillness descended upon heaven and earth.
Winter Lightning.
The Four Seasons had manifested.
Spring.
Summer.
Autumn.
Winter.
Each season occupied one direction of the world, yet all four existed simultaneously.
Countless cultivators stared upward in stunned silence.
No one had ever witnessed such heavenly phenomena.
Yet before anyone could recover—
Another change occurred.
The clouds themselves began transforming.
Five-colored clouds gradually spread across the entire sky.
Azure.
Crimson.
Golden.
Earthen yellow.
Deep black.
Each color represented one of the Five Elements.
Wood.
Fire.
Metal.
Earth.
Water.
The five colors intertwined continuously, forming countless magnificent cloud formations that stretched beyond the horizon.
From a distance, the heavens resembled an endless ocean of flowing colors.
The Dao rhythm became even stronger.
Deep within those clouds, countless strands of mysterious qi quietly condensed before dispersing again.
No one knew what they represented.
Yet everyone instinctively understood—
They were opportunities.
Great opportunities.
...
Within the headquarters of the Heavenly Calculation Pavilion, dozens of white-haired elders simultaneously opened their eyes.
"The Heavenly Dao has changed!"
"Quickly!"
"Determine the source!"
Several divination arrays activated at once.
Ancient turtle shells.
Heavenly star discs.
Eight Trigram mirrors.
Countless treasures began operating simultaneously.
The elders formed hand seals one after another, attempting to glimpse the secrets hidden within the heavenly phenomenon.
For a brief instant—
They succeeded.
Then—
Boom!
A terrifying backlash descended.
One elder immediately coughed out a mouthful of blood before collapsing unconscious.
Another's hair instantly turned completely white.
A third screamed as both eyes burst apart, blood flowing endlessly down his face.
The remaining elders hurriedly severed their divinations.
Their expressions were filled with horror.
"Heavenly secrets..."
"...cannot be revealed."
"This is not something mortals are permitted to know."
...
Similar scenes unfolded across the Immortal Continent.
Powerful diviners attempted to calculate the source of the phenomenon.
Some merely vomited blood.
Others suffered severe injuries to their souls.
A few unfortunate individuals died where they sat.
No one successfully uncovered the truth.
Meanwhile—
Across countless sects and families—
A different phenomenon was unfolding.
Numerous cultivators suddenly entered states of enlightenment.
Some comprehended sword intent.
Others advanced their cultivation bottlenecks.
Several pill refiners suddenly understood long-unsolved alchemical principles.
Formation masters found inspiration.
Body refiners gained new insights.
Even ordinary Qi Refining disciples occasionally entered brief moments of comprehension.
Although many cultivators gained nothing...
Those who succeeded benefited enormously.
The entire cultivation world erupted.
"It is a heavenly blessing!"
"The Dao has descended!"
"Quickly meditate!"
"Don't miss this opportunity!"
Excitement spread like wildfire.
Then—
Another change occurred.
Streams of brilliant light suddenly shot out from the five-colored clouds.
They resembled meteors descending from the heavens.
Some streaked toward mountains.
Others plunged into rivers.
Many disappeared into the endless sea surrounding the Southern Archipelagos.
The first cultivator to catch one cried out in ecstasy.
"I found a treasure!"
Immediately—
Dozens of nearby cultivators attacked him.
The sky descended into chaos.
Battles erupted everywhere.
Greed replaced reason.
Blood stained the earth beneath the magnificent heavenly spectacle.
Yet despite the countless streaks of light descending...
Far more disappeared before anyone could reach them.
Within an elegant courtyard in Thousand Isle City, Lin Sheng stood motionless beneath the colorful heavens.
Unlike everyone around him—
His expression was pale.
His heartbeat accelerated uncontrollably.
An overwhelming sense of danger enveloped his entire body.
Every instinct screamed at him.
Death.
It felt...
As though one foot had already stepped into the Yellow Springs.
Even after everything he had experienced since arriving in this world—
He had never felt such intense dread.
It wasn't fear.
It was instinct.
A warning from the deepest parts of his soul.
Lin Sheng slowly closed his eyes.
His breathing became steady.
His thoughts gradually emptied.
He entered the State of Emptiness.
The panic subsided.
His mind became incomparably clear.
Only then did his rapidly turning thoughts settle upon a single possibility.
His eyes opened.
They shone with sudden realization as he looked once more toward the endless five-colored clouds covering the heavens.
"...Astral Qi."
The moment the words left his mouth, Lin Sheng shot into the sky.
Boom!
Gang Qi erupted beneath his feet as he transformed into a streak of light, heading directly toward the sea of five-colored clouds blanketing the heavens.
Around him, countless cultivators were doing the same.
Golden streams of light crossed the sky from every direction as Purple Palace cultivators, Xuan Gang martial artists, and even a few daring Foundation Establishment cultivators rushed toward the heavenly phenomenon.
Most of them were chasing the streaks of light that had descended from the heavens.
Treasures.
Inheritances.
Unknown opportunities.
The entire cultivation world had descended into madness.
Lin Sheng, however, never glanced at a single streak of light.
His target had always been somewhere else.
"The five-colored clouds..."
"They contain Astral Qi."
His eyes became increasingly focused.
Astral Qi was the indispensable foundation for breaking through from Xuan Gang into Astral Gang.
Unlike Innate Qi, which was born within the human body, Astral Qi originated from the essence of heaven and earth itself. It was an extremely pure form of spiritual essence produced only under rare heavenly conditions.
Normally, only single-attribute Astral Qi would occasionally appear in the world.
Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal or Water.
Even then, the amount produced was pitifully small.
It often dissipated within minutes after forming.
Because of that, reaching the Astral Gang Realm had never depended solely upon talent.
It depended upon fate.
A martial artist had to be in the right place...
At the right time...
And encounter an Astral Qi compatible with either their martial concept and cultivation path.
Otherwise, no matter how talented they were, they could only remain stranded at the peak of Xuan Gang.
That was precisely why Lin Sheng had delayed his breakthrough.
He had already reached the peak of Xuan Gang months ago.
His Gang Qi had been refined to its limit.
His martial foundation was flawless.
His Concept had already taken shape.
The only thing missing...
Was Astral Qi.
Without it, advancing to Astral Gang was impossible.
Old Liang had once told him that countless geniuses spent decades searching for suitable Astral Qi.
Some never found it before dying of old age.
Others chose to settle for inferior Astral Qi, permanently limiting their future.
Lin Sheng had no intention of doing either.
He had waited.
Patiently.
Until today.
His gaze swept across the heavens.
This was an opportunity bestowed by the Heavenly Dao itself.
The appearance of the Four Seasons and Five Elements had caused enormous quantities of Astral Qi to be born throughout the five-colored clouds.
Although even these heavenly phenomena could not preserve them for long.
Astral Qi was unstable.
Once the heavenly phenomenon ended...
Most of it would simply disperse back into heaven and earth.
There would be no second chance.
For Lin Sheng, the timing could not have been more perfect.
Unlike ordinary martial artists...
He required far more Astral Qi than anyone else.
Most Xuan Gang martial artists possessed only nine Innate acupoints requiring refinement before entering Astral Gang.
Lin Sheng possessed twelve.
Three more than ordinary people.
Those three additional Innate acupoints were the result of his perfect martial foundation and the Chip's involvement.
They granted him greater potential.
But they also demanded a far greater accumulation of Astral Qi.
A quantity sufficient for another person might not even fill half of his remaining acupoints.
That alone made his breakthrough several times more difficult than that of ordinary martial artists.
Fortunately...
He possessed something no one else did.
"Chip."
A familiar interface appeared before his eyes.
•[Scanning surrounding environment...]•
•[Searching for high-density Astral Qi.]•
•[Expanding detection radius...]•
His mental perception spread outward simultaneously.
Entering Samadhi had increased his perception to five li.
Combined with the chip's analytical capabilities, his awareness became extraordinarily sharp.
His gaze pierced through the swirling clouds.
Unlike the surrounding cultivators, who searched blindly while relying on instinct, Lin Sheng observed the interior of every cloud with astonishing precision.
Five-colored mist drifted endlessly around him.
Spiritual essence surged like tides.
Occasionally, he discovered tiny strands of Astral Qi hidden within the clouds.
Unfortunately—
Too little.
Even if absorbed, they would never satisfy his twelve Innate acupoints.
He ignored them completely.
Minutes passed.
The number of cultivators around him gradually increased.
Occasional battles erupted within the clouds as opportunities were discovered.
Flashes of sword light.
Roaring spells.
Explosions echoed continuously throughout the heavens.
Lin Sheng paid none of them any attention.
His focus remained entirely upon the chip's constantly updating scan.
Then—
A notification suddenly appeared.
•[High-density lightning-attributed Astral Qi detected.]•
Lin Sheng's eyes brightened.
He immediately changed direction.
A few breaths later, he arrived before a cloud where silver lightning danced continuously through its interior.
Within it floated a sphere of dazzling qi no larger than a fist.
Lightning Astral Qi.
Without hesitation, Lin Sheng extended his Gang Qi.
Carefully...
Slowly...
He enveloped the sphere before drawing it toward himself.
The Astral Qi struggled violently.
Lightning crackled against his Gang Qi with explosive force.
Even through the protective layer, Lin Sheng felt numbness spread through his arm.
Several moments later, the sphere finally settled within his palm.
It resembled condensed lightning imprisoned inside an invisible shell.
The surrounding cultivators remained oblivious.
None had noticed what he had taken.
Lin Sheng carefully sealed it with Gang Qi before storing it within a temporary Qi barrier.
His expression remained calm.
"This should be enough..."
He paused.
"...for an ordinary martial artist."
His eyes shifted toward his own dantian.
"...But not for me."
He still needed enough Astral Qi to fill all twelve Innate acupoints.
One sphere was insufficient.
Even worse...
Lightning was not his ideal choice. Even though it matched his martial Intent, he wasn't limited to just lightning.
The Grand Elder had once taught him that compatibility determined the upper limit of an Astral Gang martial artist.
The more compatible the Astral Qi was with one's martial path...
The stronger one's future Martial Intent, Concept, and Divine Abilities would become.
Choosing poorly now meant regretting it for life.
Lin Sheng refused to compromise.
He glanced once more toward the endless ocean of five-colored clouds.
"If I cannot find anything better..."
"I'll use this."
"But not yet."
He gave himself two more minutes.
Only two.
If nothing more suitable appeared before then, he would immediately begin his breakthrough.
After all...
Even the Lightning Astral Qi in his hand was gradually becoming unstable.
It would eventually dissipate like all Astral Qi.
There was no time to hesitate.
Lin Sheng accelerated once more, diving deeper into the heart of the five-colored clouds.
As countless cultivators searched for heavenly treasures...
He searched only for the key that would allow him to step into a realm where martial artists truly became one with heaven and earth.
For Astral Gang was not merely another realm.
It was the point where a martial artist used Astral Qi to refine every Innate acupoint until their body resonated with the spiritual essence of heaven and earth itself.
From that moment onward...
Every breath they took would no longer rely solely upon their lungs.
Their body would begin drawing upon the spiritual essence of heaven and earth directly.