Metal Attained
Just then--
A muffled rumble suddenly came from the direction of the back of Golden Ao Mountain.
The roar rose from the depths of the earth, like ten thousand horses galloping or an earth dragon turning over. Immediately afterward, a beam of Cang Metal light shot into the sky from the back mountain, piercing straight into the heavens. The light was like gilded bronze, vast and heavy, yet it did not carry the slightest bit of sharpness or killing intent. Instead, it exuded an extremely rich sense of weight and concentration, as if something extremely ancient and precious was breaking through the earth from its depths.
The Cang Metal aura emanated from the pillar of light, spreading in all directions like countless golden threads. Wherever it passed, the boundary between the Great Void and the mortal world was gradually "dissolved." The golden threads spread wider and wider, and became more and more tightly intertwined, eventually forming a huge Cang Metal Heavenly Net in the sky above the entire Golden Ao Mountain, connecting with the depths of the Great Void, where spiritual energy surged like boiling water!
Su Yao suddenly stood up.
Zilin also stood up, her expression changing drastically.
Where the Cang Metal aura permeated, the spiritual energy of the entire Golden Ao Mountain surged wildly, as if stirred by an invisible hand. The grass and trees on the mountain trembled, and the two osmanthus trees in front of the pavilion shook violently, with osmanthus leaves flying together with the white snow, like a blizzard where green and white intertwined.
Su Yao gazed at the Cang Metal Heavenly Net, and a rainbow light suddenly shone between his brows.
"This is..."
Before he could finish speaking, the Cang Metal aura had already spread from the Great Void into the mortal world, dyeing the entire sky a vast expanse of golden light.
On Golden Ao Mountain, a surge of inspiration erupted like a tidal wave, one wave higher than the next.
The aura of that Cang Metal was as thick as a mountain and as deep as an abyss. It was not as sharp as Sword Intent, nor as killing as Geng Metal, but it had an indescribable "concealment"—as if something had been awakened hidden deep within the earth's veins of the entire Golden Ao Mountain.
The source of that Cang Metal aura was in the direction of the back mountain.
The next moment, Su Yao soared into the air, his figure like a streak of white light, heading straight for the back mountain.
Zilin followed closely behind, her Purple Qi like smoke, leaving a pale purple trail in the snow.
Su Yao hovered above the back mountain, his brow shimmering with a rainbow light that reflected the azure -Cang Metal, flickering uncertainly. He secretly connected with the Prism, and then his gaze pierced through layers of Cang Metal aura, like a knife cutting through silk, straight down the back mountain.
On the back mountain, besides the Cang Metal aura from the west, four spiritual energies stood in the four directions—
The eastern He Wood element is lush and green, with vines coiling like dragons; the southern Radiant Fire rises and changes, like a red lotus blooming, burning brightly and never extinguishing; in the center, near Su Yao's cave abode, the five-colored smoke of the Wu Earth is thick and heavy, like the ridge of the earth; in the far north, the cool and clear water element of the Kan Water permeates, like an abyss hanging upside down, dark and gloomy.
The four spiritual entities each guarded their own territory, without interfering with each other, yet subtly echoing each other, forming an extremely ingenious protective array.
Su Yao's gaze shifted slightly, finally settling on the westernmost cave abode.
Outside the cave abode, the normally subdued aura of Cang Metal was unusually active, surging like ten thousand golden scales in the snow. Yet, the aura also carried a sense of weight and solidity, like ancient bronze gilding, vast and restrained, which was the true nature of Cang Metal as "gold hidden in mines and deep within treasuries".
Su Yao secretly contacted Prism, and a faint colored light rose from the depths of his eyes. His gaze pierced through layers of Cang Metal, like a knife cutting through silk, and fell straight into the cave abode.
Inside the cave abode, a figure sat cross-legged on a futon. The person wore a dark gold Daoist robe, was slender, had a delicate face, and a youthful spirit in his eyes. At this moment, his eyes were slightly closed, but the corners of his lips couldn't help but turn up, and his face was full of joy.
It was Zhang Ziyan.
His body was enveloped in a surge of Cang Metal energy, yet not a single drop leaked out. It remained layered within a three-foot radius around him, like an invisible treasury quietly taking shape. This Cang Metal energy was neither sharp nor aggressive, but rather it was gradually "precipitating," like thousands of gold grains sinking to the bottom of a river, accumulating layer upon layer, growing thicker and thicker, heavier and heavier.
Then Su Yao withdrew his gaze, a slight smile playing on his lips.
He turned to look at Zilin had just come to his side.
Zilin hovered to one side, her Purple Qi still lingering around her. Gazing at the boundless Cang Metal aura, her brows furrowed slightly. Just as she was about to ask a question, Su Yao smiled and said:
"Ziyan is most likely to succeed."
Zilin was taken aback upon hearing this, and then followed his gaze to look towards the back mountain.
Although the aura of Cang Metal was powerful, it had no intention of killing. Instead, it exuded an aura of "deep storage," which was the true nature of Cang Metal as "gold hidden in mines and deep in treasuries."
"The Cang Metal Path, the Golden Treasury's position," Zilin said slowly. "He cultivates the Cang Metal Path's Fate Divine Ability. Judging from this aura, he should be..."
She paused.
"It's ' Storehouse Metal '," Su Yao continued, his voice unusually relaxed. "The Fate Divine Ability of the Cang Metal Path uses the body as a treasury and qi as a storehouse. Once mastered, all the Cang Metal qi within the body is stored internally, neither revealed nor leaked outwards, like a deeply locked treasury, where all the gold remains hidden. Once this Divine Ability is mastered, he will be a living gold mine under my command."
Upon hearing this, Zilin couldn't help but smile.
She thought of Zhang Ziyan. In the decades since Su Yao came to Nanzhao, Liu Yunhe, Zhu Xuejie, and Han Ziyi had been the ones to handle matters in the outside world on Su Yao's behalf; Li Siyi had been the one to teach the disciples. Zhang Ziyan, who had the least contact with the outside world and with the disciples, was the one Su Yao trusted the most. Although he was inconspicuous, his treatment was definitely the best among the five people under Su Yao's command, after all, he had grown up with Su Yao on Qixia Mountain.
"Using the body as a storehouse and the qi as a repository," Zilin said softly, gazing at the Cang Metal Heavenly Net in the sky. "Once this Divine Ability is mastered, he can Qixia Temple, collecting spiritual materials and regulating spiritual energy. The protectors around you are truly all in their proper roles."
Su Yao didn't reply, but just watched as the Cang Metal aura slowly receded, like ten thousand rivers flowing into the sea, sinking inch by inch into the back mountain, returning to within three feet of Zhang Ziyan's cave abode.
A moment later, a figure slowly stood up from the direction of the back mountain.
Zhang Ziyan pushed open the stone door of the cave abode and stepped out. His aura was still somewhat unstable, and his dark gold Daoist robe fluttered in the wind and snow, but his eyes were filled with uncontainable joy. Seeing Su Yao and Zilin suspended in mid-air in the distance, he immediately raised his hand and waved vigorously, shouting at the top of his lungs:
"Master! I've succeeded!"
The shouts echoed through the snow, startling the snow on the mountainsides into falling in a flurry.
Su Yao hovered in mid-air, watching Zhang Ziyan jumping and hopping around at the entrance of the cave abode, showing none of the composure of Purple Mansion True Person. Finally, a clear smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
He turned his head and said to Zilin:
"Let's go and congratulate him."
Zilin nodded and descended from the clouds with him.
The snow continued to fall, Cang Metal aura began to dissipate, slowly sinking into the depths of the Golden Ao Mountain Mountain's veins, like a seed falling into fertile soil, quietly waiting to take root and sprout in the future.
A poem says:
Heavy snow covered the pavilions, and the game of chess remained unplayed.
The tea has grown cold, and I've been sitting here for a long time; gazing northwards, my thoughts are hard to contain.
One move falls to the center, and all paths converge.
The Cang Metal breaks through the earth's veins, hidden deep within like a pregnant woman.
The treasury must eventually be locked up, and the gold dust will naturally sink and be buried.
Do not inquire about Yang Xiu's affairs; each has its own arrangements.
Snow falls and then disperses; there's no need for doubt or speculation.
But look at the Golden Ao; new branches sprout from the old moss.