Zhang Xiaohua's absorption of the Yuan Qi within the Yuan stones did not slow because he was no longer doing it deliberately. Instead, it became even more terrifyingly frantic. Yet Zhang Xiaohua remained motionless, staring at the red sun—or rather, the flames in his eyes reflected that red sun as it slowly rose.
By the time the red sun had emerged halfway, the True Qi within Zhang Xiaohua's meridians had already reached saturation. Without changing his cultivation method, he followed the Carefree Heart Sutra's instructions and poured all his strength into striking at a hidden acupoint within his meridians. Just as when he had first broken through in Guo Village, his previous attempts all failed, unable to break through that thin yet resilient membrane. But after each failed impact, more True Qi gathered, while the True Qi drawn from the Yuan stones was continuously refined and supplied. He did not know how many times he struck at it before, at last, the membrane could no longer endure and cracked with faint fissures. The abundant True Qi immediately poured into the new meridians like mercury spilling across the ground. Zhang Xiaohua shifted his cultivation method and began circulating the third layer of the Carefree Heart Sutra. At that moment, a round red sun broke free from the shackles of the horizon where sea met sky and leaped into the heavens. The newly risen morning sun was so warm and gentle, like the yolk of a duck egg, drawing sighs of admiration. The flames in Zhang Xiaohua's eyes then retreated into their depths and could no longer be seen.
Only then did Zhang Xiaohua close his eyes. When he opened them again, human emotions had returned to them. The True Qi within his body had also calmed, flowing smoothly through the new