Her eyelids trembled before opening fully, golden light flickering faintly within her gaze.
The first thing she saw was him, Fang Yuan standing there right in front of her, unmoving and absolutely still.
Her breath caught, her newly tempered core thrumming with awe and pressure under his presence.
She quickly pressed her palms together and bowed low, her voice carrying a mix of shock, reverence, and lingering disbelief.
"Master…!"
The word slipped out sharper than she intended, edged with the weight of her sudden breakthrough and the realization that he had witnessed it all.
Fang Yuan studied her quietly, his expression unreadable save for the faintest trace of a smile tugging at his lips.
His gaze swept over her, measuring not only the golden core now pulsing within her but the steadiness of her bearing.
"You've crossed a threshold," he said at last, his tone calm yet resonant, carrying both judgment and approval.
