BZZZZZ!!

Suddenly, six stars in the sky blazed with a brilliant light. The immense starlight gathered in the air, forming a pillar of light that descended upon Zhou Yuanjue.

Zhou Yuanjue’s eyes turned almost completely silver.

FWOOSH!!

Silvery star fire erupted and burned fiercely around him, making him look like a Star God descended from the heavens, radiating a divine aura.

Southern Dipper Star Fire, ignite!!

TAP! TAP! TAP!

Then, he raised his thumb and began to rapidly tap points all around his body.

THUMP!! THUMP!!

WHOOSH!!

The sounds of a furiously pounding heart and rushing blood erupted from Zhou Yuanjue’s body with exaggerated intensity.

It was as if a miniature reactor inside his body had just been ignited.

Yin Yang Life and Death!!

BOOM!!

A massive red magnetic field, mixed with silvery star fire, instantly erupted outward like a ferocious inferno, sweeping over everything in its path.

The instantaneous expansion of the magnetic field caused a sudden temperature shift, triggering a blast of air. The researchers at the very edge of the clearing felt a powerful gale sweep over them. Some staggered back several steps; a few even had their glasses blown right off their faces before they could react.

Now, they finally understood why Zhong Hongyu had repeatedly insisted during preparations that all equipment be fitted with stabilizing devices.

He hadn’t even made a real move yet, but the impact of his terrifying aura alone was horrifying.

’Is this even a man? He’s practically a Human Form Nuclear Bomb!’

SCREECH!!

The massive red magnetic field coalesced, forming a Starlight Phoenix covered in patches of silver feathers. It raised its serpentine neck to the heavens and let out a cry that pierced the sky.

It seemed to be challenging the vast, unreachable heavens!

Those who walk the Martial Dao defy heaven to change their fate.

The spirit of the Martial Dao is to contend with the heavens for supremacy!

Not even heaven and earth can bind them!

RUMBLE!!

Following that long cry, the sky underwent a dramatic change. Dark clouds gathered rapidly, a crushing mass of black that nearly blotted out the sky, as terrifying lightning roiled and writhed within them.

In the face of Zhou Yuanjue’s challenge, the heavens themselves seemed to rage, preparing to send down punishment and eliminate the one who dared defy their might.

It was a breathtaking scene.

A lone man stood between heaven and earth, gazing up at the sky.

Above him, black clouds pressed down, and furious thunder rolled.

Zhou Yuanjue knew this wasn’t the heavens’ fury, but a predictable phenomenon caused by his deliberate manipulation of his magnetic field to interact with those in the upper atmosphere.

Celestial Phenomenon!!

The staff nearby of course understood the scientific principles at play, but to witness it firsthand... they still couldn’t hide their utter shock.

Even in the modern age, this was the stuff of myths.

"Such a terrifying aura..."

Mu Xingyuan remarked with a sigh. ’For an ordinary person to reach such a level... I can’t help but be impressed.’

"Now you see the kind of pressure I was under, don’t you? It was hard enough just to fight back..."

Hong Miao said with a self-deprecating laugh.

The heavenly thunder rumbled, ready to strike at any moment.

Just then, Zhou Yuanjue moved.

He pulled a long, thin Silver Needle from his tactical pants and plunged it deep into his Middle Cavity acupoint.

This was the location of the South Dipper First Star, the Celestial Mansion Star.

From a distance, it looked as if he had a lightning rod sticking out of his body.

’What in the world is he doing?’

Hong Miao and Mu Xingyuan exchanged a look, confusion flashing in their eyes.

BANG!!

Following the parameters from his tests in the Glowing Moon Dream Realm, Zhou Yuanjue sent the magnetic field condensed around him shooting skyward. It became the final trigger for the lightning.

CRACK!!

In the dark night sky, the lightning within the black clouds converged. A bolt suddenly tore through the sky, striking straight down toward Zhou Yuanjue.

’It’s here!’

A divine light flashed in Zhou Yuanjue’s eyes as he took a sharp breath.

Then, the onlookers witnessed an unforgettable sight.

Zhou Yuanjue gathered his magnetic field and threw a punch straight at the sky.

The crimson magnetic field took the form of an Immortal bird and soared upward, colliding with the bolt of lightning descending from the sky.

CRACKLE!!

’This is the optimal attack strength and magnetic field composition, determined through countless tests in the Glowing Moon Dream Realm!’

Influenced by the Immortal bird’s massive magnetic field, the descending lightning bolt was successfully shattered and diverted. Weakened layer by layer, the remaining core of the bolt was drawn to the Silver Needle in his Middle Cavity acupoint, and it surged down the needle, entering the acupoint itself.

Zhang Zhizhen and Ge Honglin stood at the ready. Using their own magnetic fields as conduits, they swiftly guided the diverted streams of lightning toward the lightning rods outside the clearing, allowing the energy to dissipate deep into the earth.

Zhou Yuanjue could clearly feel that under the stimulation of the heavenly thunder’s incredibly powerful and unique magnetic field, the nature of the magnetic field within his acupoint was slowly beginning to transform.

However... he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. The lightning’s jolt had instantly inflicted serious internal injuries.

Although he had run countless tests in the Glowing Moon Dream Realm, reality was still subject to the influence of different environments, locations, and other factors, causing slight deviations.

But an injury like this was nothing to him. The silvery star fire flared, healing him with incredible speed.

Then, he looked up at the sky again, preparing to draw down the next bolt.

"Quick!! Quick!! Record the data!!"

Only then did Zhong Hongyu and the others snap out of their stupor from the shocking spectacle. They scrambled to record the data from the lightning strike.

BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!!

As Zhou Yuanjue grew more proficient, the lightning descended from the sky with increasing speed. The continuous strikes fell like rain.

Meanwhile, his body—specifically, his Middle Cavity acupoint—was undergoing a strange transformation.

It was expanding, growing stronger, becoming something entirely different.

Perceiving it with one’s mind from a distance, one could sense that this acupoint now seemed like a star in the heavens, radiating an indescribably peculiar light.

A Star Point flickered into existence.

A strange glint flashed in Zhang Zhizhen’s eyes. ’Tempering the body with a Thunder Tribulation... I remember... during our battle, Zhou Yuanjue used the tribulation from my Thunder Skill to transform and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. And now, he’s made it a reality.’

’Transforming Illusion into Reality, using falsehood to cultivate truth.’

’His power... it has truly reached the level spoken of only in ancient myths and legends.’

At that moment, Hong Miao and the others finally understood the true meaning of what Zhang Zhizhen had called "Crossing the Tribulation."

"Tempering the body with lightning... what an incredible technique. Is this what he figured out in the Glowing Moon Dream Realm? Don’t you think that illuminated acupoint looks a little... familiar?"

Hong Miao asked Mu Xingyuan in a low voice.

"If I’m not mistaken, the nature of that transformation is remarkably similar to the Qi Veins of the Qi Clan. Perhaps by linking the Acupoints, one could form a Qi Vein? Could an ordinary person use such a method to gain the bloodline abilities of a Spirit Guardian?"

Mu Xingyuan’s eyes were wide with shock. It wasn’t Zhou Yuanjue’s technique that stunned him, but the implications behind it.

"Acupoints... the foundation of Qi Veins... This man..."

"Perhaps we’ve never truly understood our own bloodline." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"We ourselves shouldn’t be bound by our bloodline..."

As Ge Honglin witnessed all this, a profound realization dawned in his heart.

An ordinary person could possess the power of a Spirit Guardian’s bloodline.

So why must a Spirit Guardian be confined to their own?