The Radiance of That Finger

The moment he finished speaking, Lin Yi picked up the only Spirit Radiance Crystal left on the table without hesitation.

Without the slightest pause, he clenched his five fingers with all his might.

Crack!

The sharp sound of shattering rang especially loud in the now-quiet hall.

This time, the fragments in Lin Yi's palm turned into a strange cloud of Gray Mist, but unlike the cultivation technique crystals before, it didn't simply disperse.

The Gray Mist twisted, compressed, and condensed wildly in midair. In the span of a few breaths, it collapsed into a tiny, translucent, multifaceted crystal no bigger than a pea!

Deep within the crystal's core, a mercury-like sheen flowed silently.

"Plop."

The multifaceted Source Energy Crystal fell precisely into Lin Yi's slightly cupped palm.

Without hesitation, Lin Yi clenched his hand!

"Gah!!!"

A burst of agonizing pain erupted at once!

Everyone had been watching Lin Yi. They saw a web of hideous scarlet marks, like living things, begin at the wrist of the hand gripping the crystal and spread wildly up his forearm.

Soon, the veins on both sides of Lin Yi's neck bulged and knotted. The veins at his temples throbbed like writhing earthworms, and his entire face turned a frightening purplish red.

Before long, Lin Yi's body began to shake uncontrollably, as if he were being violently shaken apart. The audible grinding of his clenched teeth made everyone's scalp crawl.

"Ruiming! Xiao Yi, he..."

Zhou Jinghua's face turned deathly pale, and she was about to rush over without a thought.

"Don't go near him!"

Lin Ruiming reacted quickly. He stepped forward and spread his arms, firmly blocking his wife and holding her in place.

He gripped his wife's trembling arm, but kept his eyes fixed on their son, convulsing in pain. His voice wavered, yet carried an unquestionable trust:

"Calm down! Calm down, Jinghua! We have to trust Xiao Yi! He... he would never do something unless he was sure he could handle it!"

Amid everyone's anxious waiting and Lin Yi's torment, half an hour slowly passed.

When the raging Source Energy Core in Lin Yi's palm had finally run out of energy, he looked as if he'd just been hauled out of the water. He leaned against the wall and gulped for air, sweat soaking his hair and dripping down his pale cheeks.

This time, apart from the clenched teeth and suppressed cries—which Lin Yi had faked—the rest of his physical reactions had been utterly real.

Since his rebirth, this was the first time he had truly used an ordinary human body to devour a crystal containing raging Source Energy.

Every bit of pain that should have come had come.

The only difference was that his soul and will were now strong enough to suppress pain of this level with ease.

Lin Yi took a few breaths to recover. Facing the concerned but hesitant looks of those around him, he slowly raised his hand and formed a sword-finger gesture.

In the next instant, a pure blue glow, no bigger than a grain of rice, suddenly lit at Lin Yi's slightly trembling fingertip! Like a cold star appearing in a pitch-black night sky, it instantly tore through the banquet hall's oppressive atmosphere.

"Ah!"

"Is this Source Energy?"

"Xiao Yi... he... he did it?!"

Exclamations rose one after another.

Though faint, the blue light had an overwhelming presence, drawing every eye to it.

"Xiao Yi! Xiao Yi! Are you all right?"

Zhou Jinghua, who had been on the verge of breaking down, could hold back no longer. She wrenched herself free of her husband's restraint and stumbled over to Lin Yi.

Lin Ruiming followed close behind and dropped to one knee beside his son. Carefully, he supported the back of Lin Yi's damp neck. "Xiao Yi... how do you feel? Does anything hurt?"

"Mom, Dad, I'm fine..."

Lin Yi forced a reassuring smile. "I'm just tired... like I've run... twenty marathons without stopping."

As he spoke, he briefly closed his eyes and sensed the intense changes taking place within his body.

The energy contained in the Level 1 Source Energy Crystal had been violent, but under the effects of the Guidance Technique, it had been absorbed and refined with precision.

Now, a new life force, far stronger than before, was spreading through his limbs and body. It rapidly repaired the tiny injuries caused by the impact, while silently strengthening every inch of his muscles, bones, and even deeper tissues.

"Uncle, Auntie, let Brother Yi catch his breath."

Chen Yu hurried forward to stop the others, who were about to crowd around and pepper Lin Yi with questions.

He glanced at Lin Yi's pale face, then at the finger whose blue glow had already faded. He was both awestruck and envious. He had a thousand questions to ask, but understood that what Lin Yi needed most now was rest.

An odd silence fell over the banquet hall, broken only by Lin Yi's heavy breathing.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on him, filled with worry, tension, astonishment, envy, and disbelief. Their emotions mingled in the air.

Time passed second by second. After about ten minutes, Lin Yi's breathing finally began to settle.

Using the wall for support, he slowly got to his feet. He didn't rush to speak, instead slowly raising his right hand, the one that had just condensed Source Energy.

The web-like red marks that had appeared on his arm from forcibly absorbing the energy had vanished. Beneath his skin flowed a vitality unlike anything he'd ever felt before.

"Source Energy... has already begun to transform and strengthen my body."

After a brief silence, Lin Yi explained to everyone. His voice was still hoarse, but now it carried a steadiness and force that left no room for doubt.

"Perhaps Source Energy is the key to resisting those monsters."

"Because once you master the basics, even just one Source Energy Crystal like that can bring about... a qualitative change."

The next moment, he looked toward the heavy solid-wood tabletop leaning against the wall nearby, useless now that its legs had been removed.

Lin Ruiming and Zhou Jianjun had taken it apart earlier. It was exceptionally solid and heavy.

Everyone watched as Lin Yi took a deep breath and raised the right index finger that had just gathered the blue light. His arm was steady, his movement free of any flourish, as he pointed sharply at the heavy wooden tabletop!

"Shh!"

A condensed strand of azure light, nearly solid and about an inch long, shot from his fingertip!

The blue streak was as fast as thunder, soundless and precise. It struck the center of the tabletop!

There was no earth-shaking boom, only a muffled "thump"!

The instant everyone's eyes followed the streak to its mark, the heavy, solid tabletop—one that would take two or three people to lift—seemed to have every part of its internal structure detonated at once, starting from the point the blue light had struck!

Crash!

The entire tabletop suddenly caved inward and burst apart.

It didn't split apart. It was as if an invisible giant hammer had struck it, turning it directly into a cloud of dust mixed with sawdust and splinters. Not even a few larger pieces of wood remained.

"..."

At that moment, it seemed as if the entire banquet hall had frozen. You could have heard a pin drop.