After arriving at Pure Light Peak, Han Ming officially introduced his disciples to one another. "This is my second disciple, Rong Lixian. Third disciple, Su Baining. Fourth disciple, Hao Yang. And fifth disciple, Feng Huangjun."
Feng Huangjun slowly lifted his head to look at his senior brothers and sister. The once-lifeless glint in his eyes now shimmered faintly. The way they looked at him was unlike anything he had ever experienced in his life. It was not the scorn he had grown used to, nor was it the hollow sympathy others had feigned. Their gaze held genuine understanding and quiet acceptance.
Han Ming waved his hand, summoning the system interface. "Open the gift box."
[Congratulations to the host. You have received: Emperor-grade Pill - Primordial Phoenix Pill +1, Supreme Emperor Weapon - Fan of the Void +1, Emperor Scripture - Void Phoenix Scripture +1]
Han Ming glanced at the rewards and nodded slightly. His gaze shifted to Feng Huangjun, who stood silently, his figure still bearing the signs of a life filled with suffering. Though some of his physical wounds had been healed, the deep scars within his heart remained.
Han Ming stepped forward and handed the scripture to him. "This is the Emperor Scripture: Void Phoenix. It was created specifically for you. You carry the bloodline of the Void Phoenix."
Feng Huangjun stared at the scripture in his hands, hesitation clouding his eyes. His voice trembled as he spoke. "Master… I possess the bloodline of the Void Phoenix?"
"Indeed. You also once had the Sacred Bone of the Void," Han Ming replied, his tone calm. "But it seems that when you were gravely wounded, someone dug it out of your body. I've tried tracing the one who stole your blood and bone, but it seems the heavens rather favor this person. Every trace has been thoroughly sealed off."
He chuckled lightly as he finished.
Feng Huangjun clutched the scripture tightly, his heart shaken to the core. He had never known that his body held such power such rarity. And he had been betrayed by the very one he once called brother, stripped of everything without mercy. Yet now… there was someone who had accepted him when he had nothing left, someone who had given him the chance to begin anew.
Han Ming gave a faint smile before instructing Feng Huangjun to begin cultivating the Emperor Scripture. Feng Huangjun immediately started studying the scripture, and before long, he had successfully mastered the Void Phoenix Emperor Art.
Han Ming smiled again and handed him the Primordial Phoenix Emperor Pill. "Take this. It will help restore your body and awaken your bloodline… it will make you stronger than ever before."
"Thank you… Master," Feng Huangjun said, his voice trembling with emotion.
He accepted the pill and swallowed it. Pure energy instantly surged through his body. The pain he had carried for so long slowly faded. His once-crippled body began to recover from within, and even the sacred bone that had been ripped from him started to regenerate.
Boommmmmmm.
Feng Huangjun's aura exploded skyward, shattering the void around him. His cultivation rose rapidly, but Han Ming stopped it at the ninth level of Qi Consolidation.
In that moment, Han Ming handed him the Fan of the Void. "Drop your blood on it. This is your weapon. It's perfectly attuned to you and will grow alongside you from now on."
With trembling hands, Feng Huangjun accepted the fan. He bit his finger and gently smeared blood across the intricate design. The fan was ice-cold, like the endless void itself, yet it gave off a sense of calm and steadfastness.
"I…" Feng Huangjun tried to speak, but his voice cracked with emotion and no further words came.
"You can cry if what you're carrying is too heavy," Han Ming said softly. He had glimpsed into the memories of Feng Huangjun and the others. Each had suffered deeply. If he hadn't intervened, some of them would already be dead.
Feng Huangjun's shoulders trembled, and tears spilled from his eyes without him realizing. It wasn't weakness that made him cry it was the overwhelming feeling of being whole for the first time. He dropped to his knees and bowed his head to the ground three times.
"Thank you, Master!"
His voice rang out, filled with resolve and heartfelt gratitude.
Han Ming looked at his disciple and nodded. "From this day forward, walk with your head held high. Grow stronger… and don't look back. Let the past remain only as memory. Focus on living your present to the fullest."
Feng Huangjun slowly stood up, gripping the fan tightly. He swore to himself that from this moment on, he would no longer be a victim of fate… he would become the one who controls it.
[Congratulations to the host for investing in a disciple of misfortune. Received a 500-fold return. Reward: 500 types of Emperor-grade pills, 500 Emperor-grade weapons, 500 Emperor-grade scriptures.]
After that, Han Ming began teaching them about the levels within Qi Consolidation.
...
...
Some time passed.
Han Ming gazed at his four disciples who were seated in meditation upon the grassy field. The aura of spiritual energy swirled densely around them. Under Han Ming's guidance, all of them had come to understand the stages of Qi Consolidation, and now it was time for him to unlock their cultivation potential.
"All four of you, focus your minds. I will now release the seals on your cultivation. Stay calm," Han Ming said in a composed tone.
As his words ended, he raised a single hand. A golden ring of energy appeared in the air and slowly descended, enveloping the bodies of the four disciples.
Suddenly, an invisible pressure surged through their bodies. It was as if a long-standing restriction had been shattered. Their meridians began to expand, and the flow of spiritual energy intensified.
Boom!
Su Baining was the first to break through to the tenth level of Qi Consolidation. A deep blue aura radiated from her body. Her eyes opened slightly before closing once more as she focused her will on continuing her breakthrough.
Next was Hao Yang, whose cultivation soared to the tenth level in an instant. A golden light flared from his body, and without pause, he advanced to the eleventh level.
Feng Huangjun, who had been still for some time, suddenly trembled. A black and crimson aura burst forth as the meridians that had once been destroyed fully regenerated. From the ninth level, he steadily pierced through to the tenth, then surged onward to the eleventh in the blink of an eye.
Rong Lixian was the last to break through. Though she began slower than the others, her meridians expanded wider than usual. Her body absorbed spiritual energy at twice the normal rate. She ascended calmly from the ninth level to the tenth, then continued straight through to the eleventh and twelfth with unwavering composure.
Spiritual energy flowed wildly throughout the area. The sound of surging power roared as the sky above darkened, as if responding to the rising tremors of force.
Not long after, all four of them had successfully broken through to the fourteenth level of Qi Consolidation.
Boom!
The change in their cultivation sent tremors through the surrounding land. Han Ming, who had been observing in silence, nodded in satisfaction before sealing their cultivation again.
"Excellent," he said. "The four of you have advanced to the fourteenth level of Qi Consolidation with solid foundations."
The four slowly opened their eyes. Within their gazes, a new strength gleamed. Each of them could feel the flow of power now coursing through their veins.
Han Ming waved his hand lightly. His spatial ring shimmered, and twenty-four pieces of Emperor-grade materials floated into the air. These rare materials exuded a potent aura as they hovered before the disciples.
"Now that your strength has reached this level, I will help you forge your foundations," Han Ming declared.
He controlled the twenty-four Emperor-grade materials, allowing them to float into the air and surround each of his disciples. Then, enveloping the materials with his spiritual energy, he began to gradually refine and fuse six pieces into the body of each one of them.
Boom!
The auras of the four disciples surged skyward. Their foundations steadily grew stronger, and their meridians expanded once more. The spiritual energy within them widened, now able to contain a far greater force than before.
Feng Huangjun, possessing the Emperor-grade body of the Voidbone Phoenix, had once lost the core of his origin. But now, with the reforging of his foundation through Emperor-grade materials, his body began to respond to power with greater ease. His bones shimmered with a deep blackish-red glow.
Su Baining, with her Immortal Ice Body, caused the air around her to freeze solid. Her meridians radiated like pure ice crystals, and at that moment, her special physique awakened completely.
Hao Yang, with his Sacred Sun Body, emitted a radiant golden light. His aura grew ever steadier, like a blazing sun that would never wane.
Rong Lixian too underwent her transformation. Her body radiated with soft hues of red and gold, a sign that her bloodline power had ascended to an even greater level.
Soon after, the spiritual energy that had surged into the sky began to settle. Yet the changes within them remained profound. Their bodies had grown sturdier, and their meridians had expanded to the point where even they could not discern their limits.
Han Ming looked upon his disciples with satisfaction, then spoke with a gentle smile.
"From this moment on, you are no longer ordinary. You now walk the true path of cultivation. Train well, walk forward with unwavering resolve, and never again allow anyone to dictate your destiny."
The four opened their eyes, and within them gleamed the light of newfound hope. They knelt to the ground in unison and spoke as one voice.
"Disciple thanks Master!"