In the room, Huang Rong stood pressed into the farthest corner, doing her best to stay as far away from the bed as possible—far from Xuan Yuan  .

Not because she was repelled by him. Quite the opposite, actually—she adored him deeply.

It was just that, at this moment, Xuan Yuan   was enveloped in a golden aura. The radiant, molten light surrounding him was like True Solar Fire, condensed into a hazy fog that completely encased his body. One could barely make out the vague silhouette of a person within it.

The temperature in the room had risen sharply. In no time at all, Huang Rong, despite having internal energy to shield herself, was drenched in sweat.

«Brother Xing…»

Her heart pounded wildly. Though her martial strength wasn’t particularly formidable, being the daughter of the Eastern Heretic meant that her knowledge and experience were exceptional.

Yet even with that extensive background, Huang Rong had never seen anything like this. She had never heard of anyone emitting such miraculous phenomena simply by completing a martial technique.

High-level inner masters might breathe deeply, have a gleam in their eye, and move with immense force—but this? This was like a full-blown theatrical performance of light and effects! She had never seen anything like Xuan Yuan  ’s display.

Was this really martial arts?

Or was there some kind of mistake happening here?

Doubt crept into Huang Rong’s heart. Although she hadn’t practiced the Nine Yang celestial  Skill herself, she had read it thoroughly and could easily picture what the completed form of the technique should look like. But no matter how she imagined it—it should not look like this.

Suddenly, just as the room’s temperature climbed even higher, Huang Rong noticed a golden mark forming on Xuan Yuan  ’s forehead—shaped like a blazing sun.

Gulp.

She swallowed nervously, and a thought flashed through her mind: back in Xuan Yuan  ’s homeland, Purple Mountain, hadn’t people referred to him as Taiyi?

Having read countless books since childhood, Huang Rong naturally knew that in the Spring and Autumn period, the Warring States, and even up to the Qin and Han dynasties, Taiyi was the name of the supreme Celestial—the Celestial of Creation, the Celestial of the Great Sun. Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, had even built a shrine to Taiyi in Chang’an.

It wasn’t until the mid-to-late Eastern Han that the official state worship of Hao Tian Shangdi (Supreme Celestial of the Vast Heavens) replaced the worship of Taiyi.

Even then, during the current dynasty—specifically in the sixth year of Renzong’s Tiansheng era (1028)—a Western Taiyi Palace had been established in the capital Bianliang. It was said that even Su Shi’s grandfather had personally inscribed its name!

«Brother Xing, you big liar… and you say you’re not a Celestial…»

«How could a mere mortal shine with golden light while cultivating? You’re practically on fire… is that the legendary True Solar Fire? Brother Xing—are you really going to be okay?»

Worried, Huang Rong tried to approach him. But after just a few steps, the heat became unbearable and she was forced to retreat.

Finally, the golden mist and light surrounding Xuan Yuan   were fully drawn into his body. He, who had been meditating with eyes closed the entire time, slowly opened them.

The solar seal on his forehead dimmed and vanished.

«It’s done! Rong’er, I’ve completed the Nine Yang celestial  Skill—Rong’er? What’s wrong!?»

Just as he was about to share his joy, Xuan Yuan   saw Huang Rong drenched in sweat, her whole body soaked through.

«Brother Xing, you’re finally awake…» Huang Rong breathed a weak sigh of relief, her unsteady frame making its way to the table, where she plopped down. «If you had taken any longer, Rong’er might’ve been roasted alive…»

She pulled out the tablet and looked at the screen. The battery indicator at the top right corner now displayed full charge.

«Brother Xing, you’re just like the sun now. You actually charged this tablet full… it only took a little while…»

Xuan Yuan  : «?»

«See for yourself, Brother Xing… I’m exhausted…»

She handed him the tablet, which she had used to record the entire scene earlier.

Watching the playback—where special effects burst out everywhere while he was cultivating—Xuan Yuan  ’s head filled with a giant question mark.

Since when was metal-element internal energy this dramatic? Was this martial arts skill from the world of Fengyun or something?

Still, no matter the flair, Xuan Yuan   could clearly feel the difference. The Nine Yang internal energy within him surged endlessly—self-replenishing, eternal. Every movement of his limbs carried incredible power.

Even without knowing any formal martial techniques or energy manipulation skills, swinging his fists like a brute would likely still cause devastating impact.

But that could wait. Seeing how uncomfortable Huang Rong looked, Xuan Yuan   quickly asked, «Rong’er, are you alright? With such a huge reaction while I was cultivating, why didn’t you step outside for a bit?»

«Because I was worried about you…»

Huang Rong’s eyelids drooped as she scrunched her cute little nose.

«Brother Xing, I feel gross… all sticky…»

«I’ll go get hot water for your bath!»

Watching Xuan Yuan   run off, Huang Rong smiled softly. Her heart filled with warmth and joy.

«I need to find a way to get more martial arts manuals for Brother Xing…»

She had a strong suspicion that Xuan Yuan  ’s unusual condition had little to do with the Nine Yang celestial  Skill itself. The root must lie within him. Maybe practicing more techniques would help uncover the truth.

After she bathed and changed into clean clothes, Huang Rong returned, once again standing sweetly before Xuan Yuan  . The two of them packed up their belongings and left the small village they’d lived in for the past several days on horseback.

Not long after, they arrived at an unnamed mountain valley.

Over the past few days, Huang Rong had diligently searched for the celestial  Eagle using the drone—but all her efforts had come up empty, and she was starting to feel discouraged.

Xuan Yuan   didn’t mind the results. They had come to this remote area for one reason—to attempt another activation of the Xuanguang Pendant.

Standing beside him, Huang Rong watched with nervous anticipation as Xuan Yuan   took off the pendant and held it in his hand once more.

With a focused thought, his surging Nine Yang internal energy began pouring continuously into the pendant.

The Xuanguang Pendant acted like a black hole, greedily devouring the energy. Gradually, it began to emit light.

Xuan Yuan   increased the output. If not for the fact that he had fully mastered the celestial skill and now possessed endless energy, any other martial artist would have already collapsed and died from exhaustion.

As his energy surged, the solar seal reappeared on Xuan Yuan  ’s forehead. Huang Rong even noticed that a faint golden glow appeared deep within his eyes, and the air around them began to heat up rapidly.

FWOOM!

A flame suddenly ignited at Xuan Yuan  ’s feet, and the fire quickly spread.

«Ah!» Huang Rong cried out and jumped back. The eruption from Xuan Yuan  ’s energy was even stronger than when he had been cultivating earlier. Even the grass and trees nearby were catching fire!

At the same time, Xuan Yuan   also sensed something odd.

After all, traditional martial cultivation in this world never involved absorbing the so-called «spiritual energy of celestial and earth.» That was something you only saw in cultivation fantasy, not martial arts.

Previously, while training indoors, he’d never felt anything being drawn into his body. His inner power simply circulated along his meridians, growing stronger with every completed cycle.

But now, standing out in this mountain valley under the blazing midday sun, Xuan Yuan   clearly sensed something… something entering his body.

Some unspeakable force—one that could not be described—was pouring into him.

And it was coming from above—from that burning stellar body 149.6 million kilometers away…

The sun.

The very same star that had burned for five billion years—a main sequence star, a massive fusion engine of hydrogen and helium.

And just then, before his eyes, the Xuanguang Pendant underwent a strange transformation, revealing a swirling, distorted spatial gate.

Xuan Yuan   turned to Huang Rong with delight: «Rong’er… it’s a portal! It’s not pulling me back automatically! That means… I can take you with me!»

Huang Rong, who had already mentally prepared herself for the pain of watching Xuan Yuan   vanish before her eyes, could no longer contain herself.

Ignoring the scorching heat around him, she threw herself into his arms without hesitation.