Shen Haoran made his way to the back mountain, winding along a path until he reached a waterfall, where he summoned Elder Yan.
After flying out of the Sealing Spirit Pearl, Elder Yan looked at the surroundings and said with satisfaction, "Mm-hmm, not bad. You've certainly found a good place!"
"Of course. This was the secret base Ling'Er and I had when we were kids!" Shen Haoran said proudly.
"Well, since we've found the place, hurry up and help me with the awakening, Elder Yan!" Shen Haoran said, unable to wait.
Hearing about the awakening, Elder Yan immediately became serious. He looked at Shen Haoran and said in a grave voice, "Shen the kid, I don't want to hide this from you. The Chaos Divine Body is one of the most powerful constitutions in the world. To awaken it, you must pay a price. The pain involved is not something just anyone can endure! If the awakening fails, what awaits you... is death!"
"Death..." Shen Haoran exclaimed in shock.
"Yes. And with your current Spirit Tempering Tier Three constitution, your chance of success is less than thirty percent! In other words, you have an eighty percent chance of dying! Do you... still want to awaken it?" Elder Yan asked bluntly, holding nothing back.
Hearing Elder Yan's words, Shen Haoran fell silent, his body seemingly trembling with fear.
Seeing Shen Haoran's unusual state, Elder Yan suddenly felt a bit cruel. 'He's still just a fifteen-year-old kid. He hasn't even lived a fifth of his life, yet I'm forcing him to face death. It's inhumane! But reality is this harsh. To gain power, one must pay the price. The choice is his and his alone.'
Time passed, second by second. Shen Haoran remained silent, and Elder Yan didn't disturb him. But Elder Yan could clearly feel Shen Haoran's aura gradually changing. It was a transformation from fear, to confusion, and finally, to resolution!
At a certain moment, Shen Haoran suddenly lifted his head and said to Elder Yan, "Elder Yan, I've decided. I want... to awaken it!"
Elder Yan found Shen Haoran's decision both unexpected and reasonable. Looking at Shen Haoran's resolute gaze, he couldn't help but ask again, "Are you sure?"
"Yes! The path of Cultivation is a matter of seeking life from death. If I don't even have that much resolve, how can I save my parents? How can I protect the one I love? How can I reach the Peak of Martial Arts! My life is mine to control. A little difficulty like this won't scare me!"
"Haha, good! Worthy of being the inheritor of the Chaos Divine Body. I admire your spirit! Don't worry, even if it costs me my life, I will help you awaken the Chaos Divine Body!" Elder Yan declared with a loud laugh.
"Let's do it!" Shen Haoran responded, sitting down on the ground.
Seeing that Shen Haoran was ready, Elder Yan spat a black, round bead from his mouth and handed it to him. "This is a Spirit Pill I condensed with a lifetime of Spiritual Power right before my death. Though much of that Spiritual Power has dissipated over the years, it's still enough for what you need to awaken!"
Taking the Spirit Pill from Elder Yan, Shen Haoran tossed it into his mouth without a second thought and swallowed. He then said, "Elder Yan, it's all up to you now."
Wasting no time, Elder Yan guided the Spirit Pill to the core of Shen Haoran's heart, where it stopped before an iridescent, multi-colored barrier.
"This is the barrier you must break to awaken the Chaos Divine Body. The process might be a little painful. Brace yourself!" Elder Yan warned.
"Bring it on!" Shen Haoran took a deep breath, signaling for Elder Yan to begin the assault.
Seeing Shen Haoran was ready, Elder Yan wasted no more words and directly controlled the black Spirit Pill to ram into the barrier.
"BOOM!" "SPURT!"
The black Spirit Pill struck the barrier with a muffled thud, but the immense impact made Shen Haoran unable to stop himself from spitting out a mouthful of blood!
Elder Yan paid Shen Haoran no mind. 'This is only the first impact; he can withstand it.' He then continued to have the black Spirit Pill strike the barrier, again and again! However, each time, it only managed to create ripples on the barrier's surface with no real effect. But Elder Yan wasn't anxious; he just kept repeating the impacts.
But this was agony for Shen Haoran. The shock from each impact was excruciating. He spat blood several times, and his face had now turned pale.
After an unknown amount of time, Shen Haoran's consciousness began to blur. Just then, a sharp shout from Elder Yan snapped him awake, "Shen the kid, get ready! The barrier is about to break!"
Shen Haoran came to his senses and looked at the barrier. The once-thick barrier was now just a thin layer, covered in cracks. Likewise, Elder Yan's black Spirit Pill had turned transparent. 'It must have used up all its Spiritual Power,' he thought.
And at that moment, the nearly transparent Spirit Pill launched its final assault on the barrier!
"BOOM..." With a tremendous crash, the already shattered barrier finally broke apart!
The instant the barrier shattered, a heart-stopping surge of Energy erupted, causing the usually calm Elder Yan to shout in a panic, "Shen the kid, quick! Take the Spirit Gathering Pill! Gather Spiritual Power to protect your meridians! If this Energy destroys your meridians, you'll die for sure!"
How could Shen Haoran dare to delay? He pulled out the Spirit Gathering Pill from Shen Ling'Er, shoved it into his mouth, and immediately began its Refinement. Aided by the pill's effects, he started to absorb the surrounding Spiritual Power to protect his meridians. Simultaneously, Elder Yan squeezed every last drop of Spiritual Power from his own spent pill to shield Shen Haoran's heart meridian.
However, they had still underestimated the power of this Energy. Before it, the protection they had erected was as fragile as paper, torn apart in an instant! The Energy then seeped into Shen Haoran's meridians and bones and began to wreak havoc!
"AHH!" The heart-piercing pain made Shen Haoran cry out involuntarily. His body was a complete mess internally. His meridians began to swell and rupture under the flood of Energy, and his bones were crushed outright. The situation was grim!
Outside, Elder Yan watched as Shen Haoran's skin split, his body twisted, and he wailed incessantly. The elder was frantic with anxiety and filled with regret. 'A Spirit Tempering Tier Three constitution can't possibly withstand the ravages of this Energy! I was too hasty!' But in this situation, he couldn't just interfere. Shen Haoran's body was in chaos; if he were to probe with his Spiritual Thought now, Shen Haoran would probably just explode and die!
'Is this really how it ends?' Elder Yan could only watch helplessly as Shen Haoran suffered, unable to do a thing.
Just as Elder Yan was at a complete loss, a drop of golden liquid seeped out from the blood-soaked Sealing Spirit Pearl hanging around Shen Haoran's neck and drilled into his body. Unfortunately, Elder Yan did not notice this happen.
The moment the golden liquid entered his body, it transformed into a golden dragon and began to chase after the powerful Energy. Upon encountering the golden liquid, the rampaging Energy acted as if it had met its natural predator, fleeing in all directions and no longer bothering to destroy Shen Haoran's body.
Chased by the golden liquid, the Energy slowly gathered in Shen Haoran's lower abdomen. When all the Energy was converged there, the golden liquid began to compress it, shrinking it from the size of a fist to the size of a mung bean, before finally causing it to burst apart!
After the golden liquid and the rogue Energy burst, a gray mist filled Shen Haoran's lower abdomen. Once the mist cleared, a gray Spirit Pill spun smoothly within his Dantian, constantly emitting a gray energy that began to repair his body.
Outside, Elder Yan, completely unaware of the situation inside Shen Haoran's body, was staring wide-eyed and unblinking. Just a moment ago, Shen Haoran had been screaming his lungs out, but in the next instant, he fell silent. 'Did he not make it? Is he dead...?' Elder Yan had thought. But then, an expression of pure bliss spread across Shen Haoran's face, finally allowing the elder to relax. At least he was still alive.
Elder Yan then tried to send his Spiritual Thought to investigate Shen Haoran's body, only to find himself blocked by a strange energy. 'Did he actually succeed in awakening it?' Elder Yan wondered. 'Looks like I'll have to wait for him to wake up before I can ask.'