Igniting the Divine Palace

Sometimes, the difference between decay and immortality is simply a matter of patience.

Thinking this, Zhang Tie's face set with determination. He slowly, slowly withdrew his hand. As he pulled it back completely, a triumphant smile bloomed on his face. He took a deep breath, cast one last glance at the small tree, locked the image of the Mysterious Archway in his mind, and left the Castle of Black Iron.

Zhang Tie did not know that this small choice regarding patience today had matured his state of mind by another step.

Returning to his humble shack, Zhang Tie stood for a moment before sitting on his bed to begin meditating on the Abacus Mental Calculation. After finishing, he took out the crystals that had been charging in the Crystal Sand on the windowsill and began to polish his Divine Palace Bright Point. Just as his mental energy was about to be exhausted, he practiced the visualization content of the Abacus Mental Calculation once more. Checking his alarm clock, he saw there was still over an hour left. Zhang Tie resisted the urge to re-enter the Castle of Black Iron and fell straight asleep.

He slept until the middle of the night, when he was woken by the urge to urinate, rousing from his dreamless slumber.

Awake, Zhang Tie used the sliver of moonlight filtering through the window to check his alarm clock. It was nearly four in the morning; more than two hours had passed since the first Flawless Fruit had reached full maturity.

Barefoot and wearing only his underwear, Zhang Tie jumped off the bed, swiftly locked onto the Mysterious Archway in his mind, and vanished from the shack.

Returning to the Castle of Black Iron after a few hours, the first thing Zhang Tie did was not to rush to the small tree to pick the fruit. Instead, he pulled down his shorts, took out his gear, and right there, less than ten meters from the tree, he turned his back to it and took a satisfying leak. After a few pleasant shivers, the pressure in his bladder was released. Feeling refreshed, Zhang Tie pulled up his shorts and walked over to the small tree. When he was still four or five meters away, his nose caught a fragrance that made his entire spirit jolt. It was a very unique scent—a hint of ripe fruit, a touch of sandalwood-like woodiness, and an indescribable, mysterious aura. It was intoxicating. Zhang Tie inhaled deeply several times, his gaze drawn to the ripe Flawless Fruit emitting this aroma.

At this moment, the Flawless Fruit looked different than it had a few hours ago. It was still about the size of a chicken egg and a mature dark red, but the entire fruit now possessed a luster. The smooth surface had become faintly translucent, and within the fruit, like a color-changing tiger's eye stone, a layer of dark golden radiance seemed to flow.

"Gulp..." Zhang Tie couldn't help but swallow. His feet moved forward of their own accord, and he reached out to touch the ripe Flawless Fruit.

--The Flawless Fruit has matured. Usage: Consume directly after picking. Note: The fruit cannot be taken out of the Castle of Black Iron. Twelve hours after picking, the energy and vital essence within the fruit will gradually dissipate.

A translucent dialog box appeared automatically, reminding Zhang Tie of the necessary precautions.

Watching the dialog box slowly fade away, Zhang Tie's chest heaved. He took two deep breaths, his eyes turning resolute, and without hesitation, he plucked the Flawless Fruit from the tree like a peach. He sniffed it, inspected it, and finally tilted his head back, opened his mouth wide, and swallowed the fruit in one bite.

The moment Zhang Tie's teeth broke the skin of the strange fruit, his entire mouth was flooded with a rich, sweet juice. It was truly delicious; every pore on Zhang Tie's body seemed to open in comfort.

With a slurp, Zhang Tie wolfed down the first mouthful of juice, and the fruit was already more than half gone. Another bite, and in a few quick motions, he finished it entirely. In texture, the Flawless Fruit was similar to a ripe tomato, but in terms of taste and flavor, Zhang Tie swore he had never eaten such a delicious fruit in his life.

Just as he finished, Zhang Tie licked the residue from his lips, still savoring the taste and wondering how much this fruit would change him. But before he could finish reflecting, the potency of the Flawless Fruit began to disperse through his chest and abdomen.

A warm, comforting heat that made him want to moan began to rise within his chest and abdomen. This heat then turned into a warm wave, swirling between his chest and belly. Before it had even circled twice, the heat wave, as if it had suddenly discovered prey, turned its head and lunged directly toward Zhang Tie's Divine Palace Bright Point. Sensing that the heat wave was targeting his Divine Palace Bright Point, Zhang Tie's expression changed, and he sat cross-legged on the ground. Guided by his internal energy, he instantly entered a meditative state.

At this moment, a change Zhang Tie could never have anticipated was occurring at his Divine Palace Bright Point, located at his navel. Under his perception, that massive, potent heat wave was like a legendary fire dragon burrowing into its lair, swirling around his Divine Palace Bright Point. His Divine Palace Bright Point acted like a copper aperture, endlessly devouring the wisps of warm energy radiating from the fire dragon. Those wisps of energy were slowly widening the "aperture," constantly reshaping it to allow the massive fire dragon to squeeze inside. As the aperture grew larger, it could devour more energy, the light within the aperture grew brighter, and the fire dragon circling it spun faster and faster.

Ten minutes later, with a "boom," the aperture, which had originally glowed with cyan light, grew a size larger, and the cyan light turned blue. But for the fire dragon, the blue aperture was still too small. The potent fire dragon continued to circle the aperture, constantly spitting out warm energy into the cave. Another ten minutes passed, and the blue light of the aperture grew brighter and stronger. Then, another "boom"—the blue light shifted, and the aperture expanded again, turning purple. Once it turned purple, the fire dragon spun even more joyfully. The endless heat generated from his chest and abdomen was continuously converted into the heat wave that powered the dragon's display of might, and all that heat poured into the larger, brighter aperture. After another half hour, the purple-glowing aperture, growing ever larger, finally seemed capable of accommodating the fire dragon's body. Without hesitation, the fire dragon plunged its entire body into the aperture.

"Boom!" Another loud noise. The long fire dragon was completely submerged in the cave. After a brilliant flash, the purple radiance shattered like light into fragments that scattered everywhere. Where the dragon's lair and the aperture had vanished, a single red spark appeared. The spark began to burn, eventually turning into a roaring flame that burned stubbornly in the darkness, constantly transmitting its light and heat to the surrounding cold and gloom.

When his consciousness clearly "saw" the flame burning at the Divine Palace Bright Point, Zhang Tie, sitting on the ground, wept. Tears streamed down his face, and then he laughed toward the sky like a madman. Even he hadn't expected that the Thought Fire of his Divine Palace Bright Point would be ignited today in such a manner. The effect of a single Flawless Fruit was truly astonishing; it had easily broken through the three barriers of cyan, blue, and purple to ignite the Divine Palace Bright Point, instantly elevating him from an ordinary Battle Worker to a Level 1 Battle Soldier.

Was the purpose of the Flawless Fruit to ignite Bright Points? This question flashed through Zhang Tie's mind and vanished. He stood up from the ground, feeling the sensations in his body now that his first Bright Point had been ignited.

The feeling was very strange. His entire body felt hollow, as if his internal organs, bones, and muscles had ceased to exist; his body was like an empty skin. Then, it felt as if a breeze had risen from the location of the Divine Palace Bright Point, blowing toward every corner of his body. It was a spring breeze, warm and gentle, bringing vitality wherever it touched. Zhang Tie had heard his brother say that when each Bright Point in a person's body is ignited, there is a process of remodeling and improvement. This process is very unique—some are very comfortable, some are very painful, and there are all sorts of strange sensations. The comfort after some Bright Points are ignited is even more intense and shocking than a sexual climax, while the pain of others is no less intense than a woman giving birth. It truly makes one understand what it means to break out of a cocoon and become a butterfly.

The warm breeze from the Divine Palace blew for about seven or eight minutes before stopping. Then, Zhang Tie's entire body erupted in a series of cracking sounds that lasted for over a minute. This was the "Bone Alignment" process that everyone experiences when their Divine Palace Bright Point is ignited for the first time. Zhang Tie found the process extremely enjoyable. It felt as if an invisible hand of creation was manipulating him; with a few casual adjustments, Zhang Tie felt his entire skeletal structure become like a factory-fresh machine being tuned and honed by a master. Once the process was complete, his bones seemed to have been shifted into a state of perfect alignment he had never known before. His whole body was filled with strength and an unprecedented sense of coordination, making him want to shout out loud.

Living in this era, only now could one truly say they had begun the path of cultivation.

"Teacher Daina, I'm here! I've ignited my Divine Palace Bright Point! Ah..."

Zhang Tie roared toward the sky!