The air outside the Medicine Hall warped like heat above a forge.
Every spirit beast in a hundred meters went silent.
The wind, the birds — even the Qi in the air — froze.
Then came the thunder.
A single streak of lightning tore through the sky, splitting the clouds apart.
The mountain shook as a pillar of blue light erupted from the Medicine Hall, reaching toward the heavens.
Lan Yue shielded her face, robes fluttering violently. "That's… impossible!"
Even the Medicine Master, normally calm as stone, stared in disbelief.
"That's not Core Formation energy…" he muttered. "That's—Nascent Soul Qi!"
Inside, Li Ming floated half a meter above the ground.
Lightning circled his body like a living storm — calm, precise, yet fierce enough to make the air hum. His skin glowed faintly with threads of gold and azure.
The elixir still shimmered within his veins, merging into his core.
He opened his eyes.
