Martial Dao Imprint

"The baptism has begun!"

Outside the Ancestral Hall, Fang Zhongwu had been standing guard all along.

His gaze was fixed tightly on the beam of light piercing through the hall, his nerves even more taut than Fang Yuan's own.

"A century's worth of accumulated baptism is already the limit of what you can currently withstand."

In his youth, Fang Zhongwu had traveled abroad, venturing beyond the Great Zhou Dynasty and even the Hundred Kingdoms.

He knew that some major sects' direct disciples, as well as aristocratic families with ten-thousand-year legacies, would, before their disciples established their foundations, use various methods to wash their marrow and temper their bodies, hoping to reveal the best talent upon breakthrough.

Fang Zhongwu had long ago prepared for this day.

"If the Light Pillar can reach seven zhang in height, Yuan'er's talent will already be top-tier, and this opportunity won't go to waste."

Entering the Ancestral Hall to receive the baptism did not mean everyone enjoyed the same volume of resources.

The Ancestral Hall would descend an Auspicious Light, automatically detecting the talent and potential of the person undergoing the baptism.

The higher the talent and potential, the more energy they could absorb, the better the effect of marrow-washing and body-tempering, and the longer the duration.

Otherwise, the opposite held true.

Over the years, many geniuses had entered the Ancestral Hall, but truly few could enjoy and digest a century's accumulation.

The remaining energy would be stored within the Ancestral Hall.

"It's already surpassed seven zhang, reaching nine zhang!"

Fang Zhongwu had been closely watching the changes in the Light Pillar, his expression shifting from calm to surprise, and then to profound shock.

"The Light Pillar hasn't stopped; it's still increasing, and the speed is growing faster."

The Light Pillar that burst from the Ancestral Hall, after reaching a height of nine zhang, paused for a moment, then shot upward like an elevator heading into the clouds.

The commotion from the Ancestral Hall alarmed all the clansmen of Fang Family Village!

Not only that, it was even faintly visible in the surrounding towns and cities.

In the distance, a pillar of light soared into the sky, magnificent and grand, as if auspicious beasts circled around it, exuding vast righteousness.

"How many years has it been since our Fang Family Ancestral Hall saw such a blessing?"

An elder stared blankly at the scene before him, his eyes reddening, tears streaming down his aged face.

"Our Fang Family is about to flourish!" someone exclaimed with excitement.

A strongman from the Wang capital's Fang Family, living in seclusion here, remarked with emotion, "Fang Lian's defeat was not unjust."

"For the younger generation to come, he is the undisputed leader; no one can contend with him."

The situation inside the Ancestral Hall was invisible to outsiders.

But the Light Pillar represented the external manifestation of the fortune within, and its height roughly measured the talent of the person undergoing the baptism.

"Fully ninety-one zhang!"

Once the Light Pillar had completely settled into stillness, a faint purple glint flashed in Fang Zhongwu's eyes as he confirmed the height at which it had stabilized.

"A thousand years' worth of accumulated baptism in the Ancestral Hall, and Yuan'er's talent has far exceeded my expectations." Fang Zhongwu marveled.

A thousand years was merely a measure of scale, not a precise representation of years.

Just as a thousand-year-old precious medicine mainly described its potent medicinal properties, it did not simply mean the medicine had existed for over a thousand years; it could be longer, or shorter.

The Ancestral Hall, reinforced by generations of Fang Family strongmen, enjoyed incense and faith, absorbing the energy of heaven and earth.

In different eras, the energy accumulated in a single year was not the same.

Fang Zhongwu now had reason to suspect

that a thousand years of baptism was the Ancestral Hall's limit, not Fang Yuan's.

After all, the speed at which that Light Pillar had shot up was far too astonishing.

"Immediately order all Foundation Establishment-level strongmen and above in the village to disperse and guard different areas, strictly controlling personnel entry and exit."

Fang Zhongwu's expression turned serious as he promptly issued the order.

"So comfortable."

Inside the Ancestral Hall, Fang Yuan remained seated cross-legged with his eyes closed.

Strands of radiance descended from the heavens, falling upon him.

His consciousness was unprecedentedly clear, his spirit relaxed, his entire body feeling as if he were soaking in a hot spring, his body and mind at ease.

"The true qi within my body is gradually converting into true essence."

Before long, Fang Yuan's awareness sank, noticing the changes within him.

The thick, mist-like true qi gradually descended, falling continuously like fine raindrops.

As the "raindrops" accumulating in his dantian grew more numerous, they gradually gathered into a pool of water, brimming with immense energy.

At the same time.

Thunder seemed to rumble within his dantian, and a dry, shallow pool was excavated at its base, into which the true essence surged.

"Foundation Establishment cultivators open a Qi Spring in their dantian to contain true essence, with a capacity far greater than true qi."

Fang Yuan focused intently on guiding the true essence toward the Qi Spring, while the true qi above, having turned to rain from mist, also fell downward.

"Next is to condense the Divine Sense."

The true qi within his acupoints converted into true essence, requiring Divine Sense to guide it for the first time.

Rumble...

But Fang Yuan sensed something was off.

The faint, continuous thunder within his dantian persisted, and just a moment ago, a flash of lightning had streaked across.

The dantian is a cultivator's foundation; no uncontrollable factors can be allowed to exist there.

As the thunder grew louder, the dense, misty true qi flickered with lightning from time to time, shaking the Jade Cup as it shrank to the side.

At the same time.

In the Ancestral Hall.

The Ancient Runes and Dao Rhythms surrounding Fang Yuan grew ever more numerous, and the interwoven patterns on the walls became tighter and more complex.

Most striking of all was the imprint above his head, woven from lightning and Ancient Runes.

Within it seemed to be buried countless heavenly thunders and Burial Grounds, littered with corpses, soul-shaking and profoundly mysterious.

And at this moment, the commotion outside the Ancestral Hall was even greater than within.

The sky was thick with dark clouds, gloomy as water, with earth-shaking thunderclaps sounding from time to time, lightning streaking across, and the wind howling as if in sobs.

The spirit beasts and livestock raised by the Fang Family all trembled in corners, cowering.

The enveloping dark clouds showed signs of expanding further, causing many experts hidden outside Fang Family Village to shudder inwardly.

"The Martial Dao Imprint!"

Fang Zhongwu looked up at the sky above, where the Light Pillar and lightning reflected off each other, the coalescing Dao Rhythm feeling very familiar to him.

"Yuan'er has condensed the Martial Dao Imprint!"

At this moment, Fang Zhongwu's pupils dilated, his emotions surging with excitement, unable to hide the joy on his face any longer.

Within his dantian.

Three orb-like bodies, like planets, revolved around each other, with one shining the brightest, radiating golden light like a small sun.

Yet even as bright as that small sun, it could not compare to the imprint above, which was like the Lord of Ten Thousand Thunders, wielding the laws of heaven's judgment and slaughter, suppressing all.

This imprint was strikingly similar to the one above Fang Yuan's head.

"Having just stepped into Foundation Establishment and already condensed the Martial Dao Imprint—such talent borders on the monstrous; even heaven and earth might find it hard to tolerate."

Fang Zhongwu stared at the imprint in a daze, muttering to himself.

"Scram!"

Sensing an outsider trying to spy on the Ancestral Hall, Fang Zhongwu barked in a low voice, his tone thunderous, striking straight at the soul.

"What astonishing cultivation—do not provoke him!"

Several Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivators in hiding had their consciousness shaken for a moment, dared not release their Divine Sense any longer, and retreated repeatedly.

"Heaven-sent anomalies surely mean an unparalleled genius has broken through to Foundation Establishment."

About a hundred li away, an old man in a white robe stared at the dark clouds interwoven with lightning above Fang Family Village, speaking in a low voice.

The commotion outside the Ancestral Hall lasted about a quarter of an hour.

The dark clouds in the sky gradually dispersed, and the Light Pillar that had shot into the sky also withdrew into the Ancestral Hall.

"It's over."

Fang Zhongwu breathed a sigh of relief.

The dissipation of the anomalies meant that the person inside had already broken through.

But he still felt something was off—he hadn't sensed any aura, and the duration and range seemed insufficient...

PS: I hope the big shots who have votes will cast them. (heart emoji)