Beauty lies in a Fool's Heart.

GRRRRAAAAAAAOOOOOOOMMMMM

The Thunder Qilin roared once more, its powerful voice reverberating through the heavens and earth. Its form began to shimmer and crackle, the mighty beast dissolving into pure, concentrated lightning. This radiant energy shot toward Lei Tei in a blinding flash, a torrent of electrifying power that he readily absorbed. His body glowed with the infusion of the Qilin's energy, and his eyes sparked with a newfound intensity.

Lei Tei felt the lightning coursing through his veins, amplifying his strength and sharpening his senses. He stood taller, his presence more commanding, as he faced the Bingfeng. The air around him crackled with energy, and his lightning armour gleamed brilliantly, making him appear almost godlike.

The Bingfeng watched this transformation with icy calm. Its crystalline feathers glistened as it spread its wings, creating a mesmerising display of refracted light. The majestic Ice Phoenix then let out another piercing cry, its voice a chilling contrast to the Qilin's thunderous roar.

SKREEEEEEEEE

The Bingfeng's form began to glow with an intense, frosty light. Its body dissolved into a swirling vortex of snow and ice, which formed a body of it's own. It looked similar to The Frost Body Lei Tei fought earlier yet it emanated an even more powerful aura.

"Lei Tei !" Shen Mingcheng roared.

"Shen Mingcheng." Shouted Lei Tei as well as he dashed towards the former.

Supreme Yin - Frost Yin Eradication ! 

Thunder Law - Infinite Thunder Barrage ! 

As the two forces met each other, a great explosion occurred covering the entire Sect and beyond.

BOOM 

In that single instant, everything within several kilometres was obliterated beyond recognition by the two forces. The very ground itself was torn asunder, the air crackled with electricity, and the remnants of the landscape were either encased in an impenetrable layer of frost or reduced to smouldering ruins by the relentless lightning.

—------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, Ling Xuan, who had already fled the Sect, watched the ensuing destruction calmly from a safe distance. He had been out of the attack's vicinity long before the invasion even started.

"Oi, hurry up! We still need to cross the river to get to the other side," a hooded individual urged impatiently.

Ling Xuan, however, didn't move. His gaze remained fixed on the bright display of devastation unfolding in the distance.

"Oi, didn't ya hear me?" The figure grabbed Ling Xuan's shoulder, only to have their hand go numb in an instant. Before they could react, everything went black.

THUD.

The individual's corpse hit the ground with a heavy thud.

"No, I don't think I will," Ling Xuan replied coolly, turning to inspect the lifeless body.

"Will this be enough according to the calculations?" Carto asked Urizen, his voice echoing in Ling Xuan's mind.

"It fits the approximate requirement," Urizen confirmed.

"Alright then." Ling Xuan shrugged off his robe, leaving his upper body exposed, and sat cross-legged on the ground.

"To cripple an Expert, one must deform their very structure," he began, his voice steady and determined. "First, the muscles."

Lightning crackled and danced around Ling Xuan's hand, the air buzzing with energy.

"Flesh turneth Ash!" he intoned.

The lightning spread instantly across his body, burning and searing his flesh. Pain surged through him, but he shrugged it off with a grimace.

"Next, the bones."

"Bone disolveth to Null," he chanted, his voice unwavering despite the agony.

The lightning seeped deeper into his body, targeting his bones and disintegrating them. The pain intensified, but Ling Xuan remained resolute.

"And finally!"

"Blood becometh Water!" he cried out, his voice breaking with the sheer force of his will.

"Aghhhh!" The pain tripled, a searing, unrelenting torment that felt like his very essence was dissolving. Yet, he didn't stop.

"I will BECOME THE STRONGEST ORGANISM!" he roared, his voice echoing with a mix of agony and determination. "I WILL HAVE A PURPOSE!"

"That sounds absurdly cringe Carto."

"Urizen! Activate the Qi Beholder Technique now!" Ling Xuan commanded with fierce determination.

In an instant, wisps of Qi began to agglomerate around him, shimmering like ethereal tendrils of light. They swirled and danced in the air before infusing into his body, merging with his very essence.

As Ling Xuan felt the Qi seeping into his body, a wild, triumphant laugh escaped his lips. The Technique was working!

"Contain it!" he ordered.

The previously roaming Qi, which had been flowing freely within him, suddenly began to converge towards a single point. He could feel the energy concentrating, its movement purposeful and intense. The Qi was gathering in his lungs, pooling and swirling with increasing density.

"Establish the 1st Meridian!" he shouted, his voice resonating with a mixture of pain and exhilaration.

The Qi responded to his will, flowing through the intricate pathways within his body. It surged into his lungs, filling them with an overwhelming force. Ling Xuan's breathing grew laboured, each inhalation and exhalation charged with raw energy. The sensation was both exhilarating and excruciating, as if his very life force was being reshaped.

Then suddenly, all the pathways began to compress and shrink, condensing into a new form. Ling Xuan felt a rush of energy within him, and then, in an instant, all the Qi that had been swirling inside him ceased to exist. He laughed, a sound filled with both relief and triumph. The only way the Qi could condense and then disappear meant only one thing: he had succeeded! The Qi was successfully contained!

Exhausted from the effort, Ling Xuan allowed himself to fall unconscious , his mind and body finally at peace. Little did he know, his actions of establishing the meridian had set in motion a series of events he could never have anticipated.

Meanwhile, as Ling Xuan slept soundly, the computer inside his Library booted up.

[Host has completed Phase II. 

Requesting permission to begin Phase III.

......….. 

Permission Granted. 

Beginning Phase III.]

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ARC 1 COMPLETED