The space within the Trial of the Heart returned to its primordial silence. The Sixth Elder and his disciple had vanished as if they had never existed, banished from the holy land and stripped of memories that did not belong to them. Only Tran Kien remained, standing alone before the wide-open ancient stone door.
He hesitated no longer. He took a deep breath, sensing the unimaginably pure and majestic draconic aura wafting out from within, and stepped firmly through the doorway.
The world beyond the door was not a cave, nor was it a grand hall.
It was a realm of light.
Tran Kien found himself standing amidst a sparkling sea of golden clouds. There was no earth beneath his feet, nor sky above his head; in all eight directions, clouds of draconic aura billowed and surged, warm and brimming with boundless vitality. He could feel the Primordial Chaos Qi within his body cheering in joy, greedily absorbing every last strand of energy.
And in the very center of this realm, was a sight that words could not describe.
A massive, dark crimson crystal, the size of a small mountain, hovered there. It was the Heart of the Dragon.
But now, he could see it more clearly. It was not a solid block. It was as transparent as a ruby, and within it, was a miniature projection of the entire Great Viet! He could see the endless mountain ranges, the winding rivers, the fertile plains. He could see the bustling imperial capital of Thang Long, and the sacred lands of Lam Kinh. This was not merely the core of the Dragon Vein; this was the "soul", the "karmic luck" of an entire nation!
Thump... thump...
The Heart of the Dragon was still beating, but it was no longer as vigorous as before. Tran Kien could clearly see pitch-black threads, filled with malicious resentment and wild ambition, clinging to the surface of the crystal like starving leeches, silently eroding its life force. That was the aura of the Marquis of Vinh An, of the heretical outsiders. The Dragon Vein was wounded.
A pain, an indignation—not his alone, but of the entire heritage, of this very land—flared up within Tran Kien's heart.
"Descendant..." the Shaman's voice echoed once more, this time somewhat feeble. "My time is running short. Inherit it. Use your bright and righteous Primordial Chaos Qi to cleanse that filth. Use your unyielding will to invigorate the Dragon Vein. Let this heart, once again, beat its most majestic rhythm."
Tran Kien said nothing. He only nodded. He sat down cross-legged amidst the sea of draconic clouds and closed his eyes.
He did not attempt to absorb. Once again, he offered himself up.
He circulated his Primordial Chaos Qi—not to draw in, but to project outward. His milky-white qi, carrying the Saber Intent of the Hundred-Forged Heavenly Hammer, carrying the "Guardian" will of the Sun Spirit, the unyielding spirit of the Mountain Spirit, the pure kindness of Lady Tam, the selfless sacrifice of the Betel and Areca, and the grand vision of King Hung... slowly, slowly merged into the surrounding sea of draconic aura.
He did not use his martial strength to attack those pitch-black threads. He was using the very "soul" of the nation to heal the "body" of the nation.
"BUZZ...!!!"
The Heart of the Dragon seemed to sense this mutual resonance. It erupted with an unprecedentedly brilliant crimson halo. The surrounding sea of draconic aura surged, forming a colossal vortex with Tran Kien at its center. On one side was his pure Primordial Chaos Qi. On the other was the majestic draconic aura of Heaven and Earth. Two powers of the same origin began a grand process of fusion.
The golden Dao Foundation seed within his body, nourished by the purest of draconic auras, began to sprout!
CRACK!
A crisp sound echoed within Tran Kien's soul. The fragile membrane separating the Qi Condensation Realm and the Foundation Establishment Realm was shattered with effortless ease!
Foundation Establishment Realm!
But the breakthrough did not stop there!
The energy of the Dragon Vein was far too profound. His cultivation base continued to skyrocket.
Peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage! Mid Foundation Establishment stage!...
Outside the cave
Uncle Sword and the other three were waiting anxiously. Suddenly, the entirety of Mount Lam shook violently.
RUMBLE!
From the mountain's peak, a massive golden pillar of light, bearing endless, awe-inspiring draconic majesty, shot straight into the azure sky, piercing through the clouds and dyeing a corner of the heavens golden. The heroic roar of a dragon echoed from within the pillar, causing all creation to bow their heads in submission.
At the foot of the mountain, the battle between the Black Dragon Stronghold and the Azure Cloud Sect abruptly ceased. Everyone, be they of the Righteous or Demonic path, looked up in horror at the heaven-shaking, earth-shattering anomaly upon the summit.
"This... this is... the Dragon Vein awakening!" the Sixth Elder stammered. His usually calm face was now overflowing with greed and madness. "A true supreme treasure has emerged!"
He no longer had any mind to fight. His figure transformed into a streak of light, madly charging toward the peak. The men of the Black Dragon Stronghold and the other factions were not to be outdone; they immediately abandoned their enemies and swarmed upwards like a tidal wave.
Tran Kien's trap of "borrowing a knife to kill" had been automatically broken by the appearance of a peerless treasure. All the starving wolves now shared the exact same target.
"Not good!" Ly Tin said anxiously. "They're all heading up here!"
Uncle Sword said nothing. He only stared at the tightly shut stone door, his eyes shining with absolute trust.
"Then let them come," he said, his hand tightly gripping the hilt of his wooden sword. "Let us see who dares lay a hand on the inheritor of Lac Viet!"
Right at that moment, with a BOOM, the restrictive stone door slowly opened.
A figure slowly walked out from within. It was still the same simple indigo robe, but now it seemed completely unsullied by worldly dust. It was still the same youthful face, but those eyes were now as deep as a sea of stars. The aura upon his body was not tyrannical in the least; it was restrained to the absolute limit, making him appear just like an ordinary mortal.
But the moment he appeared, the Sun Spirit Guardian fragment and the Shaman Map within his robes, along with the Lac Bird pottery shard in Lam Vy's hand, simultaneously flew out. They hovered around him, forming a radiant circle, shining brilliantly like stars orbiting the sun.
He did not look at Uncle Sword. He looked toward the mob swarming up from the bottom of the mountain.
"Trespassers of the holy land," he spoke. His voice was not loud, yet it carried the supreme majesty of the Dragon Vein, echoing throughout the mountains and forests.
"Die!"
He didn't make any grand gestures. He simply raised his hand and pointed forward.
From the heavens above, the colossal pillar of draconic light seemed to heed his command. With a heaven-shaking roar, it transformed into a magnificent golden dragon, descending with heaven-destroying, earth-extinguishing might straight toward the surging mob.
The chessboard at Lam Kinh... it was time to clear the board.