Within the Canglan light pillar.
Lin Chen’s chest was heaving violently, his heart enveloped by Canglan energy.
The torrential Canglan energy condensed into blue crystals in his ventricles, each piece etched with obscure patterns.
Since coming into contact with the Canglan Finger, Lin Chen was not unfamiliar with Canglan energy, however, the Canglan energy surging into his body at this moment was vastly different from the Canglan energy he had encountered before.
The purity of this Canglan energy was several times greater than the Canglan energy he had previously encountered.
The inflow of such pure Canglan energy also placed tremendous pressure on his heart, as each icy-blue Canglan energy crystal adhered around his heart, becoming like living creatures with spikes, piercing into his heart and into his Divine Soul.
Lin Chen’s face was pale; this dual attack on both his body and his Divine Soul was something he had never experienced before.
If considering his own safety, he should choose to give up at this time.
But he did not retreat.
The fact that he had caused such a commotion and the elders did not stop him indicated that this was an opportunity for him, otherwise, given his potential, the elders would have already made him give up.
The elders must be aware of the risks involved here.
The risks were huge, but not stopping him could only mean one thing, that risk and reward coexisted.
The greater the risk, the greater the reward.
Lin Chen took a deep breath, his eyes gradually becoming sharp. Since he embarked on the Martial Path, he had made choices where risk and reward coexist, countless times.
Refining the True Blood of the Flood Dragon, the path of the Nine Revolutions of the Refining of the Viscera...
Which breakthrough wasn’t a rebirth through fire amidst pain?
Indeed, this time upon arriving at the Flame Dynasty, even though the island he was on was, compared to the Flame Dynasty, just a remote Martial Arts Desolate Land, he himself did not start from a low point.
Upon entering the sect, the elders scrambled to take him as a disciple, and he achieved high scores in the Direct Disciple assessment, astonishing the entire sect.
Compared to the beginning as a fisherman’s son in Poyang County, his beginning in the Flame Dynasty was much better.
Before, there were no choices, only the struggle.
Now, logically speaking, he need not fight so desperately and could walk a stable Martial Arts Cultivation path planned by the sect’s mentors.
However, Lin Chen knew better that the Martial Path was like rowing against the current; if you do not advance, you will retreat.
Without this drive, his martial arts cultivation in the future would definitely be affected.
In the Canglan Sect, he might be a genius disciple, but in the Flame Dynasty, there were over twenty sects like Canglan Sect, and beyond the super sects, there existed even stronger presences.
The Flame Dynasty, the words "dynasty" already explained everything.
If he could not stand at the peak of the Martial Path, ultimately, he would not be able to control his own destiny.
Since stepping onto the Martial Path until now, reaching this stage, Lin Chen never denied the help of his panel, but he knew even more in his heart that reaching this point could not be separated from his relentless effort and diligence.
Without his relentless effort and diligence, his panel would only have the Life Chart; those later Titles, including Achievements, would never have appeared, and relying solely on the Life Chart, he might just be a lower grade Martial Artist now.
One breath, two breaths, three breaths...
Lin Chen gasped heavily, battling with this pain that directly reached his Divine Soul, while his heart, under the heavy hammering of the Canglan energy, also began to become exquisitely transparent.
Only after enduring countless hammers and chisels can one see the true self.
In the great hall, the only elder watching this side softly murmured a sentence.
To refine the Heart of Canglan, one must endure the heart-pounding pain of Canglan energy.
Back then, he couldn’t persist through this step and did not witness the final Canglan Divine Scripture.
Unfortunately, every disciple only has one chance in a lifetime.
This is the greatest regret of his life.
The crystallized Canglan energy slammed fiercely against Lin Chen’s heart, and his Divine Soul also began showing signs of crumbling.
"Is it going to fail?"
The withered elder sensed the changes in Lin Chen, disappointment showing in his eyes.
Perseverance was one thing; being able to bear it was another.
If one couldn’t bear it and yet forced themselves to persist, the end result could be the shattering of the Divine Soul.
For a Martial Artist, especially one about to enter the Innate Realm, once the Divine Soul shatters and leaves irreparable scars, even if the foundation of the Canglan Sect could find Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures to repair Lin Chen’s Divine Soul, his martial arts cultivation progress would pause for a period of time.
The withered elder slightly raised his right hand. As Lin Chen was a disciple with full potential, he naturally could not let Lin Chen’s Divine Soul shatter, and as soon as something went wrong, he would immediately act to bring Lin Chen out of the Canglan light pillar.
At this moment, Lin Chen’s entire consciousness was also somewhat blurred.
Since he embarked on the Martial Path, all the memories began surfacing at this moment.
"For learning martial arts, he broke with his grandfather. While his classmates were still in their dreams, he left the Martial Hall and went to the fish shop to scrape fish scales and sell fish, earning just a penny."
"In early spring, the water and fish were bone-chilling; holding the knife, his fingers turned white from the cold... The bitterness of it all, he never spoke a word to others."
"For the ridicule he suffered having to make use of the Martial Hall’s free beef soup, how could just saying ’swallows and sparrows do not understand the aspirations of swans’ alleviate the wounds?"
"Till June, after passing the assessment, he broke with his grandfather over learning martial arts... The bond between grandfather and grandson vanished completely."
"Later, out of pity, the instructor allowed him to continue learning martial arts in the Martial Hall, working diligently to support his studies..."
"In the end, I trained my Essence Qi and achieved first place in the Martial Hall. That day’s excitement, although not as glorious as those who study diligently for ten years and finally excel, was still akin to seeing the splendid flowers of Chang’an."
"I thought the path of the Martial Path would be smooth from then on, never expecting to face discrimination in the Martial Arts Academy again. The incident with the Opening Acupoints Pill and being a man entering the Women’s Martial Arts Academy—how could such a twist be comforted simply by saying that senior and junior sisters are better than senior and junior brothers?"
"The competition for top student quota, the battle for Martial Arts Academy ranking, the county ranking competition, the contest of model martial arts students..."
"Mountain Suppressing Chart, Flood Dragon True Blood, Nine Revolutions of the Refining of the Viscera, Li Fire Body Burning..."
"To have come this far, the hardships and suffering I’ve endured cannot be summarized merely by saying ’A sharp sword is forged through honing, the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold.’"
"I’ve gone through all these trials, and the hardships before me cannot stop me either."
Lin Chen let out a roar of anger. His previously hazy consciousness began to clear, and his gaze locked onto the Canglan Treasure Manual in front of him.
The Canglan Treasure Manual had already been turned to a new page, and at that moment, a new line of words appeared on the page: "Canglan Heart Forging."
As the words "Canglan Heart Forging" came into Lin Chen’s sight, his heart erupted with a deafening roar, and countless Azure Wave Crystals suddenly peeled off the surface of his heart chamber.
Endless Canglan energy transformed into a liquid state and was infused into his heart. The originally dark red heart slowly began to shift towards a deep blue color.
Light blue, deep blue, purple-blue...
When all the Canglan energy was completely absorbed, Lin Chen’s entire heart suddenly exploded with a dazzling azure light. Three hundred and sixty strands of Canglan energy extended from the heart, coursing through his blood vessels and meridians, reaching every part of his body.
"Thump—"
With the first beat of this ice-blue heart, the Canglan energy within the Inheritance Hall formed a visible tide.
"It’s a success!"
In the great hall, the elderly, emaciated man had a glimmer in his aged eyes. The heart throbbing like a tide was a sign of successfully condensing the Heart of Canglan.
Unexpectedly, after over three hundred years, Canglan Sect had once again produced a disciple who condensed the Heart of Canglan.
Boom!
The All Heavens Star Map on the dome of the Inheritance Hall seemed to be drawn in at this moment, with three hundred and sixty-five stars simultaneously projecting ice-blue rays, intertwining above the Canglan Treasure Manual into a floating stellar swirl.
The three hundred stone tablets in the great hall also had apparitions emerging, transforming into a stream of light that shot towards that stellar swirl.
All the disciples who were comprehending Martial Arts Techniques at the stone tablets were also startled by this commotion, standing at a loss.
"Whether you’ve comprehended the cultivation techniques or not, leave the great hall."
This time, the emaciated old man didn’t wait for Zhao Yulin to speak. His aged voice carried an unchallengeable authority. For these disciples, Lin Chen’s process of comprehending the Heart of Canglan was an opportunity for them.
Unfortunately, Lin Chen condensed the Heart of Canglan a bit too quickly, and many disciples had not fully comprehended the Martial Arts.
But to the elder, those disciples who failed to comprehend the Martial Arts Techniques would not earn his glance. If they couldn’t seize even a sudden opportunity, it only exposes their lack of Martial Path talent.
Those who had comprehended the Martial Arts Techniques left with a face full of smiles, while those who hadn’t, wore expressions of regret and unwillingness, but could only leave the great hall.
Soon, only Lin Chen was left in the entire great hall.
"The Canglan Divine Scripture reappears in Canglan Sect. It truly is something to look forward to."
The emaciated elder murmured softly as he closed his eyes once more.
Comprehending the Canglan Divine Scripture is a long process.
...
...
Outside the square, Qiao Yuan looked at the disciples coming out of the great hall, but did not see the figure he longed to see, a look of confusion in his eyes.
"Alright, everyone disperse. The Inheritance Hall will be sealed for several days. Disciples wishing to enter must await further notification from the sect."
Zhao Yulin slowly spoke, having received a telepathic message from his uncle. Lin Chen would remain in the Inheritance Hall for a few more days, and during this time, other disciples were not to disturb him.
Upon hearing Elder Zhao’s words, even if the disciples present were curious, they could only leave.
Qiao Yuan did the same, but before leaving, he gave a deep look towards the direction of the great hall.
...
...
Inside the great hall.
A blue cocoon enveloped Lin Chen’s entire body.
This was a cocoon formed by the condensation of Canglan energy.
The lines on the surface of the cocoon flickered with Lin Chen’s breath. With each alternation between light and dark, ancient scriptures echoed within the cocoon.
"Canglan Divine Scripture"
This is left by the founder of Canglan Sect himself. All the scriptures are chanted by the founder of Canglan Sect.
"Canglan, vast sea and abyss, its depth immeasurable."
The sound of chanting echoed in Lin Chen’s ear, and in front of him was an endless abyss.
In the depths of his own abyss, he only heard the sound of tides surging, sound but no form.
This sound started faintly and then gradually grew louder and more resonant. When it reached a limit, a blue light appeared in his eyes.
"Like a tide, its light as blue as the sea, this is called Canglan."