Deep within the mountain’s belly, the Water Prison felt like a corner forgotten by time.
There were no traces of day and night cycles here.
The only measure of time’s passage was the long, narrow crack in the rock above.
At dusk, a thin ray of sunlight struggled to squeeze in, casting a slanted orange spot on the damp stone wall opposite.
As nightfall deepened, the spot slowly faded from warm orange to dark red, its outline becoming increasingly blurred.
Eventually, it was completely devoured by the endless darkness of night.
Once the light vanished, this world was left in pure darkness and deathly silence.
Cold air rising from the deep pool spread along the rock walls throughout the space, turning it into a veritable ice cellar.
Airflow seemed frozen; even breaths carried a biting chill.
On the stone platform in the center of the pool, a figure sat cross-legged without moving.
Naked from the waist up, his bronze skin taut with muscles primed to erupt with power at any moment.
Yet now, his eyes were tightly shut, his form remained completely motionless, and his breaths were so faint they were almost imperceptible.
He seemed to have merged with the stone platform beneath him and the surrounding darkness, becoming part of the Water Prison.
Suddenly, this extreme stillness was quietly disrupted.
A weak red glow pierced the flesh at the center of the figure’s brow, faintly blossoming in the darkness.
Though weak, the light was steadfast, like a flame buried deep beneath the ice for countless ages, breaking free to awaken quietly.
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The limitless darkness of the sea of consciousness.
There was no distinction between up and down, no difference between heaven and earth.
Only a cluster of crimson-gold flame burned quietly in the void.
Fang Cheng’s will immersed itself here.
What he visualized was precisely this spiritual fire symbolizing the core of his self.
The Visualization Method taught by Ma Jianguo began with "Establishing Intent."
What is intent? Intent is the foundation, the core, the convergence of a Martial Artist’s lifelong spirit, will, and martial arts principles.
For ordinary Martial Artists, establishing intent requires exploring and understanding during the arduous process of practice, starting visualization from nothingness.
But Fang Cheng was different; he had already shaped the prototype of his own "intent" through countless sessions of meditation cultivation and life-and-death combat.
It was this indestructible "flame" in his mind!
Once his thoughts clearly established, Fang Cheng knew what he had to do.
Next was to use the Martial Artist’s way to thoroughly forge and refine this existing "intent."
According to the Cultivation Technique taught by Ma Jianguo, the essence of the process of establishing intent is seeking inward.
In other words, to unleash all negative emotions buried within consciousness and the mixed thoughts absorbed from past experiences.
Then, use the most resilient martial arts will to shatter, burn, and refine them one by one.
Thus, Fang Cheng must deliberately suppress the operation of True Qi within, relying solely on pure Spiritual Power to subdue all "Heart Demons."
Until the established "intent" was purified to the extreme, breaking through the shackles with one burst, instinctively triggering True Qi to command his entire being’s energy, essence, and spirit.
This process was an activation, a purification, and a war deep within the soul.
With Fang Cheng’s visualization consciousness reaching a high degree of concentration, the crimson-gold flame trembled fiercely.
In an instant, as if a bomb dropped into a calm lake, the mixed thoughts forcibly absorbed and suppressed within the flame were fully detonated.
The dark sea of consciousness was instantly swallowed by distorted light and shadow, evolving into scenes of perilous phantoms. Thıs content belongs to noᴠelfire.net
The first trial descended abruptly.
Fang Cheng stood in a primordial forest he had never seen before.
Towering trees obscured the entire sky, robust vines hung down like giant pythons.
The air was thick with the mixed scents of decay and blood.
Suddenly, the ground started to tremble violently.
A gigantic beast, as massive as a mountain, parted the forest and approached him with drum-like heavy steps.
Fang Cheng’s eyes narrowed; he instantly recognized it as the Ancient Relics from which he had absorbed Life Energy once.
What manifested now was the imprint of this ancient being’s strongest will.
Every scale of the beast flashed with metallic coldness, sulfurous breath expelled from its nostrils, and its vertical pupils were filled with contempt and cruelty towards weaker creatures.
It suddenly opened its massive mouth, letting out a soul-shaking roar!
Fang Cheng’s body trembled violently from the sound wave, yet his gaze remained unchanged.
Facing this ancient apex predator, he chose the most straightforward response.
The earth beneath cracked open with a thunderous roar, his body like a spring compressed to its limit, rebounding fiercely forward.
Man and beast collided on the jungle clearing.
No skill, only the primal confrontation of strength and will.
Fang Cheng’s fist struck the beast’s hard head, emitting the crisp sound of clashing metal, numbing his arm.
The beast’s claws swiped across, leaving deep, bone-exposing wounds on him.
Yet Fang Cheng showed no concern; instead, he fought with increasing frenzy.
He simply abandoned all defenses and pushed his "Infinite Continuous Punching" speed to the limit.
His arms transformed into afterimages, like two tireless siege hammers, pounding again and again on the same spot of the beast’s head.
Finally, after enduring countless heavy blows, a clear crack opened on the beast’s hard skull.
The intense pain drove the beast into complete madness, it lowered its head, fiercely ramming its horn towards Fang Cheng.
Fang Cheng did not dodge, grinned widely, raised his palm, and chopped down on that horn like a blade.
The entire Primordial World trembled, ultimately shattering into pieces like fractured glass.