CHAPTER 75 — The Weight of a New Era
Night fell across the Cloudsky Sect, though the horizon still shimmered faintly where Lin's dual-star explosion had scarred the land. Rebuilding efforts echoed through the mountains—hammer strikes, tired voices, bursts of formation light—but the sect vibrated with a strange mixture of exhaustion and hope.
And fear.
Word of Lin's explosive evolution had spread faster than wildfire.
Inside the quiet depths of his private cultivation courtyard—one rebuilt to withstand immense power—Lin Xuan finally sat cross-legged and began his own assessment.
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1. The Three Great Changes — A New Caliber of monster
Lin closed his eyes, diving into his own body and world.
Immediately, he felt it.
First Change — A Dual-Star Core
Two suns orbited his dantian within his sea of consciousness—
one gold, one white-blue—
circling each other in perfect, eternal rhythm.
Their gravitational pull formed spiraling rings of qi, tripling the density of energy he could gather.
> Before upgrade:
Peak Golden Core, limited by a single star core.
> After upgrade:
Pseudo–Nascent Soul with two cores, capable of storing and generating qi on the level of early Soul Forging cultivators.
His mouth curved.
"Two cores… equal to two Golden Core cultivators fused into one body."
And that was just the beginning.
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Second Change — Tribulation Lightning Physique
He extended a hand.
Thin arcs of violet-gold lightning coiled around his fingers—
not raw lightning
but Heaven's judgment, compressed, controlled, now part of his body.
The power inside it was terrifying.
One spark alone could reduce a Foundation Establishment cultivator to ash.
And when he willed it further—
CRACK—!
A bolt of tribulation lightning shot upward and tore open the sky.
Lin exhaled sharply.
> Before upgrade:
High-level lightning affinity.
> After upgrade:
Tribulation Lightning Authority—
a pseudo-domain that let him shape heavenly lightning at will.
Even his physical body was now resistant to tribulation strikes.
"What other cultivator can say they survived a world tribulation… with their bare hands?"
Not many.
Possibly none.
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Third Change — Inner Earth Evolution
Lin entered his inner world with a thought.
He found Mu, Bai, Wen, Sheng, and the Cloudsky survivors meditating within it, bathed in abundant qi streams.
Mountains were taller.
Rivers wider.
The sky deeper.
Stars brighter.
And at its center…
Earth had grown from a spiritual ecosystem into the beginnings of a minor realm.
Qi density: 10x higher than before.
Law stability: 40% stronger.
Time flow: now adjustable.
The Saint's voice echoed faintly.
> "Your world has taken its first steps toward becoming a Divine Domain."
Lin inhaled slowly.
> Before upgrade:
A pocket world.
> After upgrade:
The seed of a personal realm capable of sustaining life, growth, and cosmic evolution.
He left with a racing heart.
He had become something terrifying—
something that made even him a little uneasy.
But he wasn't done.
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Forging in the Divine Artifact — Awakening the Spirit
Lin returned to the courtyard and summoned the disguised divine artifact—the helmet—into its true form.
The Celestial Forge Furnace.
Its surface gleamed, absorbing starlight from above.
The air rippled with divine pressure.
Lin tossed in weapons and armor collected from his group.
"Time to repair and enhance everything."
The furnace roared to life.
Heavenly flames danced.
Starlight poured inside.
The upgraded celestial-grade interior hummed with ancient inscriptions.
Weapons dissolved.
Raw essence bled into the forge.
Lin channelled his tribulation lightning into the mixture, tempering each blade, spear, and shield with his personal imprint.
Then—
Light exploded from the furnace.
A woman stepped out.
Or rather—
manifested from the light.
Voluptuous, long silver hair cascading down her back, eyes violet with smoldering disdain and pride.
A figure carved like a divine sculpture, wearing armor that shimmered like molten starlight.
The furnace spirit.
She crossed her arms, unimpressed, giving Lin a slow, assessing stare.
"Hmph. So this is the little brat who forced me awake."
Lin blinked.
Bai stared.
Mu nearly choked.
Wen's jaw dropped.
Sheng fainted.
Lin coughed politely.
"…You are…?"
She lifted her chin.
> "I am Aurora, Spirit of the Celestial Forge.
Former weapon of the Solar Saint.
Now bound to you, whether I like it or not."
She looked him up and down again, this time grudgingly approving.
"…At least you're not completely useless."
Lin fought a smile.
"Do I pass your inspection?"
Aurora rolled her eyes.
"Yes, yes. You're strong enough to feed me proper materials. Try not to die."
Then her gaze sharpened.
"And don't get arrogant. Your dual-star system is incomplete. Your inner realm is growing too quickly. You risk collapse."
Lin listened carefully—
every word she said was pure gold.
"Teach me," he said simply.
Aurora stared at him.
Then smirked.
"…Hah. Fine. You're more polite than the last one."
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Alliance Sects — Watching from Afar
While Lin met Aurora, the righteous alliance gathered for emergency discussions.
Flower Pavilion Sect
The Sect Mistress spoke first.
"I support Cloudsky Sect entirely.
Their strength is our strength."
A few nodded.
Sword River Sect
Their Patriarch frowned.
"But Lin Xuan is too strong.
What if Cloudsky becomes the next hegemonic tyrant?"
Cold silence spread.
Heavenly Jade Sect
"Our spies confirm the explosion originated from one individual.
One disciple."
The room stirred.
"That degree of destructive power—
How can we trust such a person?"
Some were wary.
Some intrigued.
A few even fearful.
Conclusion
The alliance would support Cloudsky for now—
but the political undercurrent had shifted.
Lin was no longer viewed as a genius.
He was viewed as a world-shaping threat.
Some sects would ally with him.
Some would avoid him.
Some might try to claim him.
And some might try to eliminate him.
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Cloudsky Sect — The Sect Master's Outlook
Back home, the Sect Master looked east toward the Alliance Hall.
He sighed.
"Some will embrace us.
Some will fear us.
Some will plot."
Danfeng nodded grimly.
"Lin Xuan has stepped outside normal power structures."
"Yes," the Sect Master whispered.
"And now… the world must adapt."
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Lin's Final Decision in the Chapter
Lin finished reforging the group's weapons—
each now earth-grade and personalized with tribulation lightning tempering.
Aurora inspected them with a hum.
"Acceptable.
They won't break before their owners do."
Lin smirked.
"High praise."
He stepped out of the courtyard.
Bai, Mu, Sheng, and Wen joined him.
He looked at the horizon—
toward where the demonic sects gathered their strength.
Lightning crackled around his fingers.
Sunlight pulsed from his core.
"Time to finish collecting the Titan Vine Heart."
He lifted his spear.
"And after that—"
His eyes turned cold.
"—we hunt the demonic sect."
Aurora floated beside him, arms crossed.
"Well then, Master…"
She smirked dangerously.
"…let's go make the world tremble."
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