The Radiance of That Finger

As soon as the words left his lips, Lin Yi reached out and grabbed the last remaining Spirit Radiance Crystal on the table without a moment's hesitation.

He did not falter, his five fingers clamping down with sudden, violent force.

Crack!

The crisp sound of shattering was jarringly loud in the now-silent hall.

This time, the fragments did not simply dissipate like the cultivation crystals before; instead, they transformed into a strange gray mist within Lin Yi's palm.

The mist twisted, compressed, and condensed in mid-air with frantic intensity. Within a single breath, it collapsed into a translucent, multi-faceted crystal no larger than a pea.

Deep within the core of the crystal, a mercury-like luster flowed in silence.

Plop.

This multi-faceted Source Energy Crystal dropped precisely into Lin Yi's slightly open palm.

Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Yi slammed his hand shut!

"Argh!!!"

Agonizing pain erupted instantly!

The crowd had been watching Lin Yi closely, and they saw hideous, spiderweb-like crimson marks begin at the wrist where he gripped the crystal, spreading wildly up his forearm like a living thing.

Soon, the blood vessels on both sides of Lin Yi's neck began to bulge and knot, while the veins on his forehead and temples throbbed violently like writhing earthworms. His entire face flushed a terrifying shade of purplish-red.

Before long, Lin Yi's body began to tremble uncontrollably, shaking like a sieve. The chattering of his teeth, as he bit down hard to keep from screaming, made everyone's scalp tingle.

"Ruiming! Xiao Yi, he..."

Zhou Jinghua's face turned deathly pale, and she looked ready to rush forward regardless of the consequences.

"Don't go over there!"

Lin Ruiming was quick-witted; he lunged forward, spread his arms, and blocked his wife firmly, stopping her in her tracks.

He gripped his wife's trembling arms tightly, his eyes locked onto his convulsing son. His voice wavered, yet it carried an unquestionable trust.

"Calm down! Stay calm, Jinghua! You have to trust Xiao Yi! He... he would never do something he wasn't prepared for!"

Time crawled by for half an hour amidst the crowd's anxious waiting and Lin Yi's agonizing torment.

When the violent Source Energy core in his palm finally exhausted its energy, Lin Yi slumped against the corner of the wall, gasping for air as if he had just been pulled from the bottom of a lake. Sweat soaked his bangs and dripped down his pale cheeks.

This time, aside from the clenched teeth and the feigned struggle to suppress a roar, every other physical reaction had been entirely real.

Since his rebirth, this was the first time he had truly consumed a crystal containing violent Source Energy with a mortal body.

The pain he felt was not a single bit less than expected.

The only difference was that his current soul and willpower were sufficient to easily suppress pain of this magnitude.

Lin Yi caught his breath and, meeting the crowd's concerned yet hesitant gazes, slowly raised his hand to form a sword-finger gesture.

Immediately, a grain-sized, pure blue light flickered into existence at his slightly trembling fingertip! Like a cold star suddenly appearing in the pitch-black night sky, it instantly tore through the oppressive atmosphere of the banquet hall.

"Ah!"

"Is this... Source Energy?"

"Xiao Yi... he... he succeeded?!"

Exclamations rose one after another.

Though the blue light was faint, it possessed an overwhelming presence that held everyone's gaze captive.

"Xiao Yi! Xiao Yi! Are you alright?"

Zhou Jinghua, who had been on the verge of a breakdown, could no longer hold back. She broke free from her husband's restraint and stumbled toward Lin Yi.

Lin Ruiming followed closely behind, kneeling on one knee beside his son. He carefully supported the back of his son's damp neck. "Xiao Yi, how do you feel? Is anything hurting?"

"Mom, Dad, I'm fine."

Lin Yi forced a reassuring smile. "I'm just tired... it feels like I ran twenty marathons in one go."

As he spoke, he closed his eyes slightly, sensing the drastic changes occurring within his body.

Although the energy contained in that Level 1 Source Energy Crystal had been violent, it had been precisely absorbed and refined under the influence of his Guidance Technique.

At this moment, a brand-new, far more powerful vitality was spreading through his limbs and bones, rapidly repairing the microscopic damage caused by the impact while silently strengthening every inch of his muscles, tendons, bones, and even deeper tissue structures.

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

Chen Yu stepped forward quickly, blocking the others who were still trying to crowd around.

He looked at Lin Yi's pale face and then at the finger where the blue light had faded. He was both terrified and envious; though he was bursting with questions, he understood that what Lin Yi needed most right now was rest.

A strange silence fell over the banquet hall, broken only by the sound of Lin Yi's heavy breathing.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on him—worry, tension, wonder, envy, and disbelief. A myriad of emotions intertwined in the air.

Time ticked by, and after about ten minutes, Lin Yi's breathing finally steadied.

He braced himself against the wall and stood up slowly. He didn't rush to speak, instead slowly raising his right hand, which had just condensed the Source Energy.

The spiderweb-like red marks that had appeared on his arm from the forced energy absorption had vanished without a trace, and a sense of unprecedented vitality flowed beneath his skin.

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

After a moment of silence, Lin Yi spoke to the group. Though his voice remained hoarse, it now carried a sense of composure and unquestionable power.

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

"Because as long as one can grasp the basics, a single Source Energy Crystal is enough to bring about a qualitative change."

The next moment, his gaze swept toward the heavy solid wood tabletop leaning against the wall, which had been rendered useless after its legs were removed.

It was the one Lin Ruiming and Zhou Jianjun had dismantled together earlier, and it was incredibly sturdy.

The group watched as Lin Yi took a deep breath and raised his right index finger, which had just condensed a blue glow. His arm was steady, and without any flashy movements, he pointed sharply at the heavy wooden tabletop!

"Sshhh!"

A thread of azure light, an inch long and condensed to the point of appearing solid, shot out from his fingertip!

The blue radiance was as fast as thunder, silent and precise as it struck the center of the tabletop!

There was no earth-shattering roar, only a dull "thud."

The moment everyone's eyes followed the point of impact, that solid tabletop—which required two or three people to lift together—seemed to have its entire internal structure detonated from the point where the blue light struck!

Crash!

The entire tabletop collapsed inward and exploded.

It didn't just crack; it was as if it had been struck by an invisible giant hammer, instantly turning into a cloud of dust mixed with wood shavings and fine splinters, leaving behind almost no pieces of wood of any significant size.

"..."

In that instant, the entire banquet hall seemed to fall into a state of suspended animation, so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Thanks to "Hurry up and update, brother" and "Great awakening, small dream never awakened" for the tips.