Four days had passed since that night.
Yunshui Village seemed calm, as if the strange sky storm had been a dream. But for Lian Solis, everything felt different.
He could feel the sun — not just warm on his skin, but as if its rays were breathing with him. Every time the light touched his skin, warm energy entered his dantian, flowing gently like the current of a golden river.
"So this is… spiritual energy?" he murmured, closing his eyes under the banyan tree.
He took a deep breath. For the first time, he could see "qi" — a thin, golden mist swirling in the air.
Before this, he couldn't sense any energy at all, even the most basic cultivation elixirs didn't react to him.
But now… the universe seemed to be gently greeting him.
---
That afternoon, the sound of soft footsteps could be heard coming from the dirt path.
"Lian! You're still here, I see."
Lian turned. Ling Yue had arrived carrying a bamboo basket filled with herbs. Her white hair was tied in a high ponytail, and her blue robes added the cold elegance typical of the Ice Sky Sect disciples.
"Ling Yue," Lian smiled, "are you back today?"
"Yes. Master asked me to pick some rare herbs from this valley."
She stared at Lian for a moment, then took a breath.
"You… look different. There's a light around you."
Lian lowered her head slightly.
"Maybe I just slept soundly."
Ling Yue snorted, but her eyes lingered on him for a long time. Lian's aura had indeed changed—calmer, stronger…and somehow, calming.
---
They walked together along the path into the forest.
The afternoon sky reflected a soft orange, and the sound of a stream flowed in the distance.
> "Ling Yue," Lian asked quietly, "is the Ice Sky Sect accepting new disciples?"
"Do you want to enroll?"
"Yes. I know I'm weak, but I want to learn. Maybe there's still hope."
Ling Yue stopped walking. The wind gently blew through her white hair.
> "They don't readily accept ordinary people without spiritual roots. But… I can try talking to my Master."
Lian looked at her, slightly surprised.
> "You… want to help me?"
"I don't know why," she replied quietly, "but I feel… the sun behind you will never go out."
---
Two days later, Lian stood before the gate of the Ice Sky Sect.
The gate towered atop a mountain covered in eternal snow. Its pillars glistened like blue crystals, and every breath chilled her to the bone.
The disciples dressed in white and blue gave her strange looks.
"A country bumpkin? Without spiritual roots?" one whispered.
"Does he think this is a place for beggars?" another burst into laughter.
Lian only smiled slightly. She was used to it. But within his chest, the Solar Core vibrated gently—as if it didn't like the taunt.
> "Relax," he whispered to himself, "I won't show you anything… it's not the right time yet."
---
In the main hall, Master Ran Xue, a beautiful middle-aged woman with an aura as cold as snow, looked down at Lian from her throne.
> "Ling Yue, is this the child you wanted to recommend?"
"Yes, Master. He has unique potential… though it hasn't yet become clear."
Ran Xue looked at Lian for a long moment, then smiled faintly.
> "Young man, unleash a bit of your cultivation."
Lian closed his eyes. Silently, he took a deep breath.
Within his dantian, the solar core revolved, emitting a faint energy—just a glimmer, but enough to shake the air around it.
The spiritual mist in the room suddenly trembled.
The ice flower hanging from the ceiling melted a drop… then froze again.
Ran Xue's eyes widened.
> "Energy… this is no ordinary Qi."
Lian opened his eyes, staring at her calmly.
> "I don't know where it came from, Master. I just followed my gut feeling."
Silence fell over the room.
Finally, Ran Xue sighed and smiled slightly.
> "Interesting. Alright. From today on, you are an external disciple of the Sky Ice Sect."
---
Days passed.
Lian followed the same routine as the other disciples: cleaning the courtyard, weeding spiritual weeds, and practicing the basics of meditation.
But with each practice, he grew faster than anyone else.
While other disciples took a month to fill their spiritual channels, Lian only needed three days.
While others shivered in the cold of the Sky Ice Sect, his body grew stronger and warmer—like a small sun in the snow.
> "Strange… why does the 'Ice Core' practice strengthen me?" he muttered.
A mysterious voice from deep within his soul answered softly:
"Because the sun never fears the cold. You don't reject ice… you embrace it, transforming it into light."
Lian smiled.
> "I understand. Strength isn't about fighting nature, but being one with it."
---
On the other hand, many students are starting to pay attention and that change.
Even Mei Lin, the cheerful girl from the elixir pavilion, often came just to watch him practice.
> "Lian, you're so good! You're not like when you first came," she said with a laugh, her cheeks flushed.
"I'm just learning bit by bit," Lian replied calmly, wiping away the sweat.
Ling Yue, watching from afar, bit her lip lightly.
For some reason, every time Mei Lin laughed with Lian, her chest felt strange.
> "Why am I… jealous?" she whispered softly.
---
Night fell. Snow fell gently, covering the sect courtyard with a blanket of luminous white.
Lian sat alone in the meditation pavilion, gazing at the moon surrounded by a halo of ethereal light.
She closed her eyes, and behind them, a strange sight appeared—a sea of golden flames within her spiritual world.
The light swirled into a small sun, emitting a warm glow.
But now, at the edge of that "sun," a dark shadow appeared—a vaguely human-like shape.
> "Who are you…?"
A deep voice echoed from the darkness.
"I am a part of you. The power you sealed away in the past."
"The past?"
"Yes. You are not just a human. You are Solarion—the Eternal Sun God who lights the universe."
Lian fell silent.
The voice continued in a low, almost gentle tone.
> "Sleep in peace as long as you wish. But when this world challenges you… don't forget who you truly are."
Lian opened his eyes slowly. In the sky, the snow had stopped falling.
And the night moon seemed to tremble, reflecting a faint golden light off its body.
---
The next morning, the entire Ice Sect was shocked.
The mountain where they lived had become warmer than usual, and spiritual flowers that only bloomed in summer began to grow through the snow.
Ran Xue stood at the top of the tower, gazing down at the pavilion where Lian was meditating.
> "That child… is no ordinary human."
Ling Yue approached.
> "Master, what are you going to do with him?"
"Nothing," Ran Xue replied quietly. "You take care of him. This world will tremble one day because of his name."
Ling Yue gazed at Lian, who sat beneath the plum tree, the sunlight glinting off her black hair, making her look like a living painting.
She lowered her head, a small smile appearing on her lips.
"I don't know what your destiny holds, Lian Solis… but from this day on, I want to walk beside you."
And in the air, a soft light rippled—as if the morning sun had fulfilled its promise.
---
> "I will grow slowly," Lian whispered to herself, "until one day… even the heavens will be unable to look directly at me."
A golden light enveloped her body, forming a gentle yet undeniable aura.
In this cruel world of cultivation, a new light was born—incorruptible, unfragile, and without weakness.
The eternal sunlight had taken its first steps.
---
🌅 To Be Continued...