As the Three-Beast Fatebinding Method slowly circulated through Jing Qian's body, he successfully roused the White Fang Life Essence within his dantian. Guided by his divine sense, it intertwined with the blazing candle flames before him.
It was an indescribably wondrous sensation!
With the blessing of the Life Essence, his consciousness seemed to take on substance. Though there was still a gap between them, it truly felt as if his mind were touching the fire itself.
The flames burned fiercely, yet under the perception of his spirit, they felt smooth and warm like jade in his palm, like spring wind brushing his face, like summer rain falling on his skin. A serenity never before known welled up within him.
His awareness sharpened within this tranquility, thoughts flowing with crystalline clarity, able to perceive even the subtlest changes around him.
This was precisely the effect of the Fatebinding Method when fully brought into play!
Without hesitation, Jing Qian seized the moment, directing the blazing fire to consume the three ritual offerings before him: the two White Fang right hands and the strand of Azure Wing spider silk.
In an instant, all three were burned away, transforming into pure white smoke that enveloped his body completely.
Only now did his true initiation into Fatebinding cultivation begin!
Under the method's guidance, the white smoke gradually condensed into a half-meter-wide formation before his brow.
Immediately, he felt a strange force erupt from the depths of his bloodline, shooting southwestward.
That direction was none other than Jiangzhu Island!
Jing Qian was undeniably fortunate.
Though Jiangzhu Island had already fallen, its Fate Furnace had not yet collapsed, and the Fatefire still burned!
As a scion of the Jing Clan, even across nearly three hundred li, he could, through the bloodline bond, invoke the secret art to link to the Furnace and draw down its sacred flame.
This might well be the final moment in his life when, as the descendant of a great cultivation family, he could bask in the clan's Fatefire.
Had he been any farther away or had the Furnace been utterly destroyed, his chance to enter the Dao would have been no better than that of countless wandering cultivators, struggling and clawing for a meager scrap of fate.
Now, fully prepared and aided by Qingzhuzi, he had succeeded in summoning a pure strand of Fatefire from Jiangzhu Island!
From the unseen heavens, a flame tinged blue and green suddenly descended, falling straight upon Jing Qian.
In an instant, a towering blaze, a full zhang high, erupted upon Qingzhuzi's back.
Within the fire, a cocoon of blue silk writhed and was violently consumed!
Even spider silk woven by a Great Azure Wing Demon Spider could not withstand the sacred tempering of Fatefire; it was burned away completely, only to be reabsorbed into Jing Qian's being.
By now, Jing Qian was immersed in deep meditation, his consciousness wholly united with the flame. From within it surged a vast ocean of life force!
The Fatefire seemed almost sentient, coursing along his meridians, leaving tingling warmth in its wake, as though performing an unprecedented cleansing of his body.
But gradually the fire grew fiercer, its power swelling beyond measure. Heat surged unbearably, and agony exploded across Jing Qian's body!
The fire first consumed his hair, then dried his blood, then charred his flesh and organs to ash. Finally, it seared through bone and nerve, until at last it burned its way into his dantian, striking the solitary White Fang Life Essence within.
The moment the Fatefire collided with the Life Essence, a miraculous force erupted violently from his core!
If it had been an ordinary person attempting Fatebinding for the first time, they would have long since drowned in this endless agony, unable to maintain themselves. Whether they succeeded or failed would depend entirely on luck.
But Jing Qian had already endured two complete Fatebinding rituals within the inherited memories. Every change he now faced was familiar, engraved in his mind.
With such preparation, everything was different. He managed to remain clear-headed amidst the searing torment.
Then, as a surge of power rose from his dantian, his mind suddenly stilled, his awareness sharpened, and his whole being arrived at a wondrous realm.
Here, there was neither sky above nor earth below. All around lay only a hazy, boundless void, vast and indistinct.
Before his eyes, three strange clusters of light descended.
Two were pure white like jade, one was green like bamboo.
Within each lay an innate Life Pattern. Jing Qian needed only to reach out with his spirit and bind to one, and he would ascend into the Fatebinding rank, becoming a true Ninth Rank cultivator.
But in that instant, a dark jade stele erupted from the depths of his soul, forcefully suppressing his scattered consciousness.
Then, with a thunderous surge, the stele thrust upward, pushing all three light clusters away!
The stele loomed solid, weighty, and ancient, radiating a dim black glow. Even the surrounding void trembled faintly under its presence.
Jing Qian thought he heard faint whispers rustling through the emptiness, as though unseen voices were murmuring all around.
Again, three new light clusters were cast down.
This time they gleamed greener and bluer, two emeralds, one deep sapphire.
Without question, the Life Patterns within had risen to a higher tier.
Yet, the next moment, the black stele surged again and cast them back.
It was still unsatisfied!
Jing Qian, insignificant as he was, dared not interfere; he could only watch silently as the struggle between light and stele repeated itself.
Now, three lights descended once more: two sapphire, one violet.
And once again, the stele rejected them.
By this time, the surrounding void shook violently, and Jing Qian felt a deep premonition: this fragile realm of consciousness was about to collapse at any moment.
At the final instant, three lights emerged once more: two purple-jade and one golden seed.
Only then did the stele relent.
Blessed with sudden clarity, Jing Qian gathered the entirety of his spirit and rushed toward the golden seed!
In the next moment, a golden radiance burst from his mind as a unique Life Pattern, woven of intricate runes and sigils, descended into his very soul.
A stream of mysterious knowledge imprinted itself upon his heart:
Life Pattern: Sumeru
Rank: Golden Root
"Within a mustard seed lies Mount Sumeru; within a speck of dust, the infinite cosmos is hidden."
From this moment forth, Jing Qian had succeeded in binding the Sumeru Life Pattern, officially stepping onto the path of the Dao, and becoming, while still a mere child, a Ninth Rank cultivator.
The void shattered completely. His consciousness plummeted back into his body.
But now that the Life Pattern had taken shape, vast torrents of vital energy poured madly into him from the outside world. His strength surged upward without pause!