It was the dead of winter, and red lanterns were hung high.
In a bamboo house on the rear mountain, the glow of oil lamps dispelled the night's darkness, yet it could not warm the chill in Second Uncle Fang's and Seventh Uncle Fang's hearts.
"Producing a Dao Seed Level expert within thirty years... that's a task as difficult as ascending to the heavens."
Seventh Uncle Fang's heart sank, and he said with a hint of despair:
"Haozhi is exceptionally talented and has already reached the Tier Five realm, yet he's constantly being suppressed by Zhang Duo."
"Xiaomin is incredible, having single-handedly defeated Zhang Shengjun. But among her peers, there are still those other geniuses from the great clans."
"And Ah Yang is the same age as Sen Wei, so he's completely pinned down..."
It seemed that for every genius in the Fang Clan, there was an even greater one among their peers. It wasn't that the Fang Clan lacked young talent; they were just cursed with bad luck.
After all, each Golden Clan only had eight Dao Seeds. These were the designated Saint-candidates, and the competition for them was incredibly fierce.
A Dao Seed was a symbol of power and status, and more importantly, of absolute strength. They were one in ten million!
"No, Ah Yang has the best chance. Sen Wei possesses the supreme Cyan Lotus Saint Body, so she's bound to transcend the competition of her generation. Besides, Ah Yang has the Fire Eagle Spirit Body, which is a near-perfect match for the path of Ancestor Fang Nian!" Second Uncle Fang suddenly said in a low, serious voice.
In Fang Yang's generation, besides Sen Wei and Sen Hui, the momentum was currently strongest with Zhang Ye and Fang Yang.
As the saying goes, what the child is will be the man. From their earlier indirect confrontation, Second Uncle Fang had already discerned that Fang Yang was second only to Sen Wei.
Furthermore, the fact that Fang Yang could almost perfectly follow Ancestor Fang Nian's path was a major source of Second Uncle Fang's confidence.
Within the tradition of this Tier Seven Saint's path, Fang Yang's next steps for advancement were clear. He only needed to solidify the Fire Eagle Illusion until it was nearly a Dharma Aspect, and he would reach Tier Five Peak.
Essentially, the Inheritance Jade Scroll divided the solidification of the Fire Eagle Illusion into five major parts—wings, claws, body, beak, and eyes—each corresponding to a stage within Tier Five.
Each of these major parts was further divided into four minor stages, corresponding to the four minor realms of the Tier.
The final step to achieving the Sacred Body was to light up the eagle's eyes, forming a Dharma Aspect within a Saint's domain.
Achieving a Sacred Body beforehand was an essential prerequisite for surviving the Tribulation of Ascension to Sainthood. During that time, the cultivator's Spirit Aperture shatters to evolve into an Immortal Acupoint, leaving them in a perilous state where their True Essence has dissipated, but Immortal Essence has not yet been generated.
The key for a Cultivator to withstand this tribulation was their Sacred Body's Dharma Aspect!
However, if Fang Yang were to force his Fire Eagle Spirit Body to evolve into a Fire Eagle Saint Body, the resulting body would only be a Grade-B Sacred Body, and he would barely be able to become a Tier Six Saint.
Once that happened, it would be virtually impossible for him to ever reach the realm of a Tier Seven Saint. Moreover, the evolution from a Spirit Body to a Sacred Body is irreversible, so it must be approached with extreme caution.
Ancestor Fang Nian's method, however, was to use a Thunder Carp Spirit Essence and an extraordinary Thunderfire Spiritual Object to first elevate his own Spirit Body from Grade-B to Grade-A, becoming a Thunderfire Spirit Body and gaining the Carp Eagle transformation.
Unfortunately, Ancestor Fang Nian ultimately failed to advance further, falling just short of achieving the perfect-grade Thunderfire Spirit Body with the Kun Peng transformation…
"Thunder Carp Spirit Essence, a Thunderfire Spiritual Object…"
"The Carp Eagle transformation, the Kun Peng transformation…"
For an ordinary Cultivator, obtaining even one of these items would be a pipe dream, let alone acquiring all of them.
Fortunately, Fang Yang had the backing of the Fang Clan. Even so, the help they could provide was likely limited; after all, even Ancestor Fang Nian himself had failed to achieve the Kun Peng transformation.
Suddenly, Second Uncle Fang let out a soft sigh. "I wonder how things are progressing between Ah Yang and Xiaohui…"
...
「At the same time.」
Behind the Medicine Hall, in Fang Yang's cottage.
A gentle night breeze stirred Fang Yang's robes, making the black fabric rustle.
'Body becomes a Fire Eagle, spirit roams beyond the heavens… Fierce Flames burn the sky, the Great Sun suddenly appears…'
Fang Yang felt the true essence of the Inheritance Jade Scroll's core principles in his heart. He then began to silently absorb True Essence, solidifying his Fire Eagle Illusion and preparing to shatter the water-like membrane in one fell swoop.
In truth, the original evolutionary path for the Fire Eagle Spirit Body was the Three-legged Crow, and beyond that, the Great Sun Golden Crow.
However, as the environment of the world changed, the resources required for the Three-legged Crow Spirit Body's cultivation method gradually vanished, let alone those for a supreme Spirit or Sacred Body like the Great Sun Golden Crow.
The subsequent Carp Eagle transformation was a new path discovered for the Fang Clan by the exceptionally gifted Ancestor Fang Nian. Otherwise, they would have had to switch to the generic inheritance of the Changkong Clan, which could only produce a Tier Six Saint at its peak.
One could say that the life story of every Saint could be written into an epic, moving tale. This was true not only for Ancestor Fang Nian, but for figures like Saint Fan Liu as well!
At this moment, in Fang Yang's mind, the [Seek Fortune, Avoid Misfortune] orb of light pulsed, making him feel as if he had truly become a Fire Eagle, soaring through the heavens with the innate ability to sense good fortune and evade disaster.
Simultaneously, the number of Yuan Stones in Fang Yang's storage pouch was rapidly dwindling.
BOOM—
The Fire Eagle Illusion, its wings now three-quarters solid, swept up a vast torrent of True Essence flame and shattered the surrounding membrane of water in a single blow. Like a dam bursting open, a mighty aura surged forth, circulating throughout his entire body.
The white, glowing film transformed into a white, stone-like film!
The color of his True Essence shifted from pale green to deep green!
He had broken through to the High Realm of Tier One with ease!
'To reach Tier One Peak, I'll need to completely solidify the wings. After that, I can attempt to break through to Tier Two, which means shattering the membrane of my Spirit Aperture. That will trigger a transformation in the aperture itself and give birth to Silver True Essence.'
'So, my next task is to solidify the wings of the Fire Eagle Illusion. That will require at least a thousand Yuan Stones, which is an absurd amount.'
'But strength is proportional to the resources you invest. At the same tier, I can easily crush my cousin Fang Xuan. I can accept this cost. Besides, others don't even have a path like this to follow.'
'Unfortunately, I can't accumulate that much in a single day, not unless I use a Relic Pill, which trades a decline in one's aptitude for a burst of progress. Hmm, I should keep one of those on hand, just in case. It might be what saves my life one day…'
His cultivation having broken through, a smile touched Fang Yang's lips.
He pushed open the window, and the fresh air that rushed in was invigorating.
The Path of Longevity lay right at his feet!
...
"What is that look of pity for?"
"Even if I, Zhang Ye, am bedridden for a hundred days, even if I let Fang Yang get a head start, I can still catch up and surpass him!"
In Hall A-6 of the Medicine Hall, Zhang Ye lay ill in bed. His upper body was almost completely wrapped in medicated bandages, leaving only his eyes, as calm as still water, exposed.
He was currently admonishing his younger cousin, Zhang Le.
Even though Zhang Le could have easily killed the injured Zhang Ye, he still lowered his head under that intense gaze, not daring to meet his cousin's eyes and submitting to his will.
In truth, Zhang Ye's condition was dire, far more severe than one might imagine. Proof of this lay with the middle-aged man assigned to be his protector; the man had lost his left arm and had yet to regain consciousness.
And yet, despite the circumstances, many in the Zhang clan still held immense confidence in Zhang Ye, believing he could truly turn the tables and suppress Fang Yang.
They firmly believed that since Zhang Ye had survived a great disaster, he was destined for even greater fortune!