The white light of the explosion was so bright that the world became a blank sheet of paper.For a second, there was no red, there was no purple, and there was no black. There was only a blinding, white-hot heat that made the skin want to peel and the eyes want to turn to water.The alchemical mercury of the Exordium ship and the white-blue Sky-Qi of the Sect Leader had collided, creating a giant star of pure destruction in the center of the Culling Arena.But then, Han Feng acted. He did not let the star explode. He did not let the white light consume the three hundred disciples who were huddled in the sand. He closed his mouth. He stopped breathing.Inside Han Feng’s chest, the giant silver lungs stopped moving. The metallic bellows that had been drawing the hot, sulfur-filled air of the arena went perfectly still.He did not just hold his breath. He held his body.His "Liquid Steel Blood," which had been pumping through his veins with a hot, rapid hum, suddenly changed its course.

The white alchemical fire was very hot, but the silence was colder.The giant silver ship of the Exordium was still wedged in the broken ceiling of the Culling Arena, its metal body glowing with a quiet, angry red.The purple spotlight that sat on the sand was still bright, wrapping the center of the arena in a cold, purple haze.Inside that light, the Great Sect Leader was frozen in mid-swing. He held the massive, five-foot alchemical axe in his left hand, his face twisted in a look of mad, desperate greed.The green flame on the blade had died, but his muscles were still tight. He was trying to force his Sky-Qi to flow through his dandan, trying to break the invisible lock on his feet.Han Feng stood thirty feet away. He did not draw his dagger. He did not raise his silver-black arms to block. He did not even take a step.He just pointed two silver-tipped fingers at the Sect Leader’s chest. And the Silent Echo was released.The strike connected. It did not make a sound. It did not m

The silence of the "Silent Echo" was a heavy, cold weight. It hung over the Culling Arena like a giant blanket of dry sand.For several seconds, no one in the arena could breathe. No one could speak. The hundreds of disciples on the sand stood like statues, their mouths open, their eyes wide. Then, the Sect Leader collapsed.His body did not turn to dust. It did not shatter into glass. It fell. First, his knees buckled.Crack.The sound of his joint-bones breaking inside his legs was sharp. It was the first sound to break the absolute quiet, and it made the disciples flinch.The massive, five-foot alchemical axe slipped from his limp fingers. It hit the white sand of the arena floor with a dull, heavy thud.The green alchemical flame on the blade was already gone, leaving only a piece of cold, grey iron.The Sect Leader fell forward. He did not try to catch himself with his hands. He hit the sand with his chest. His pale, sweat-covered face slammed into the white dust. His long, dark

The white alchemical mercury beam from the Exordium ship was very hot, but it was also very fast.It came down from the dark purple sky like a giant, solid pillar of white fire. It did not hit the stone seats. It did not hit the sand. It hit Han Feng’s raised silver-black hands.WHOOM. The impact was so great that the air in the Culling Arena turned into a thick, white steam. But Han Feng did not burn. His body did not turn to ash.His "Liquid Steel Blood" was moving through his silver veins with a slow, heavy, and absolute rhythm. It acted like a giant, living conduit . The white alchemical mercury did not stay in his skin. It went into his silver bones. It went down his arms, through his chest, and straight into his legs. And then, it went into the "Sovereign’s Anchor Key" that Su Yan had found.The Golden Key, three feet long and made of a polished, warm metal, began to glow. It did not burn. It took the white fire of the sky-gods and directed it deep into the grey granite bedrock

Six months had passed. The sky was no longer a dark, angry purple. It was a clear, endless blue. High above the dirt and the smoke of the broken world below, a giant island of stone floated in the clouds. It was the peak of the Azure Cloud Sect. But it was no longer a place of cruelty. It was a flying ship made of ancient rock, grass, and quiet hope.Everything had changed. The giant gold towers, built by the greedy Sect Leader, had been torn down. The old, bloody sand of the Culling Arena was gone. In its place, there was a massive garden. Green grass, tall pine trees, and small blue flowers grew where people used to fight and die.The three hundred disciples who had survived the great battle did not wear fancy silk robes anymore. They wore simple clothes made of grey and brown cloth. There were no more inner disciples. There were no more outer disciples. There were no more slaves in the pit. Everyone was equal. Everyone worked.The mountain was very quiet. There was no screaming.