Tian Lei continued to endure.
Minute by minute, heartbeat by heartbeat, the searing white light clawed at his insides, burning deeper than bone, reaching into the very fractures of his soul. But still… he held firm.
And then, something changed.
The flames shifted.
What had once been pure, blinding white began to shimmer—flickers of gold dancing at the edges of the light, until the color transformed entirely. The runes beneath him pulsed with renewed intensity, and the entire formation began to thrum like a living, breathing entity.
The white flame evolved.
Now it was golden, and it wasn't just light anymore—it carried weight. A divine, oppressive gravity that pressed down on him from all directions, as if the heavens themselves sought to test his very existence.
Tian Lei's eyes fluttered open, only to squeeze shut in pain as radiant gold seared the air around him. It wasn't hotter. It wasn't louder. It was purer. More refined. More ruthless.
