Under One Person: Please Call Me Golden Flash

Chapter 413 I, Zhao Zhen, am but a mortal with only flesh and blood.
"You...you can't possibly see it?!"

Xu Xin let out a gasp, his face filled with disbelief.

His pupils dilated with extreme horror, fixed intently on Zhao Zhen.

Zhao Zhen remained standing in the same spot, as if he were merely lightly dusting off invisible dust.

His movements were minimal, his posture relaxed to the point of being leisurely, which contrasted sharply with Xu Xin's tense state, trembling slightly and sweating profusely from fully activating Dan Shi.

Upon hearing Xu Xin's question, Zhao Zhen finally raised her gentle and calm eyes, meeting his surprised and uncertain gaze with composure.

"Can't see."

Zhao Zhen's voice was not loud, but it clearly pierced through the suffocating silence, like a clear spring in a secluded valley striking a stone wall.

"The Dan Shi is formless and invisible, a poison of 'nothingness.' How could I, Zhao Zhen, be a mere mortal with mortal eyes, possibly see it?"

"Then how did you..."

Xu Xin's voice was hoarse, almost gone.

He simply cannot understand!
This gave him a chill that came from the depths of his soul, even more than when the other party used the Golden Escape Flowing Light to transfer Dan Shi!

That was a method he had immersed himself in all his life, something he was proud of, and something he even regarded as the Tang Clan's ultimate reliance. Now, in front of Zhao Zhen, it seemed so clumsy, so... ridiculous.
"But it can be perceived."

Zhao Zhen slowly spoke, answering Xu Xin's question and also addressing the turbulent emotions in the hearts of Yang Lie and Lu Hui, who were equally shocked.

“Brother Xu, although Dan Shi is colorless, odorless, and formless, as long as it exists in this world, it must have its own ‘reason’.”

The killing intent you've gathered, your will, your obsession with the art of Dan Shi itself...

Even the slightest change in the flow of true qi within your body resonates with the surrounding qi the moment you attempt to activate the Dan Shi technique.

It disturbs heaven and earth; it leaves its own traces.

He paused, his gaze seemingly piercing through Xu Xin's body, seeing the surging Qi within him and the deep-seated obsession with the "invincible myth of Dan Shi" rooted in his soul.

The ten years of contemplation at Longhu Mountain not only enabled Zhao Zhenxin to achieve mastery of the Mirror of Truth and sever his own Three Corpses, but also allowed him to "see" many "Tao" and "principles" that he could not see before.

"What my perception captures is this 'trace,' the trembling of this resonant string."

"Your attempt to devour my elixir, the very instant your thought stirred, its trajectory and intent, have already been revealed to me in the smallest detail, like the moon reflected in a clear stream."

Zhao Zhen's words were calm and even, yet they contained a despairing sense of power.

"Therefore, I do not need to use my protective true qi to touch or probe, nor do I need to use the metal escape technique to transfer or avoid it."

Simply... take a slight step to the side and avoid it.

"Avoid...it..."

Xu Xin murmured softly, repeating the words, his face completely drained of color.

His proud "all-around" Dan Shi, a masterpiece that covered every corner and could be controlled with exquisite precision, was described by the other party as a dead object that could be dodged with just a "light sidestep".
This is no longer a difference in technique, but a vast chasm in terms of spiritual cultivation and understanding of the "Tao"!
Yang Lie stood to the side, his lips pressed tightly together, his face ashen with a hint of dejection.

Although Zhao Zhen managed to break through his Dan Shi back then, he ultimately used "technique".

Today, facing Xu Xin's even more powerful Dan Shi, Zhao Zhen didn't even need to use any "techniques".

How can someone who is still obsessed with the power of "technique" challenge someone who has already glimpsed the origin of "Tao"?
This is not merely a matter of profound cultivation, but also of a clear mind and an inconceivable level of perception of heaven and earth and all things.

The Tang Clan's prized ultimate technique appeared utterly pale and powerless before the true meaning of "Sincerity can lead to foreknowledge." Xu Xin swayed, his already hunched back seeming to bend even more.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the force.

That challenge, which embodied all of Xu Xin's energy and spirit, and that desperate gamble to vindicate the Tang Clan's Dan Shi, became a complete joke in front of the opponent.

He wasn't even qualified to be taken seriously.

A tremendous sense of shame and powerlessness, like a cold, venomous snake, slowly and silently coiled around Xu Xin's heart, almost suffocating him.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found his throat so dry that he couldn't make a sound.

Finally, Xu Xin lowered his head in despair, staring blankly at the dusty stone ground, as if he wanted to bury himself in it.

"Dan Shi is the ultimate attainment of death, and also the imprisonment of life."

Brother Xu, you have trapped yourself in this Tang Tomb and in this Dan Shi for far too long.

Your obsession with remaining undefeated has become your greatest shackle.

After all, the glory of the Tang Sect has never existed solely in the realm of alchemy.

Zhao Zhen's voice had a strange penetrating power, as if it could reach straight to people's hearts.

"Brother Xu, put it down."

The future of the Tang Sect requires more than just a 'container' for inheriting the Dan Shi technique; it needs someone who has experienced life and death, seen through illusions, can truly live authentically, and can find a new path for the Tang Sect.

He stopped looking at Xu Xin and turned his gaze to Yang Lie, nodding slightly: "Brother Yang, this matter is settled. I will take my leave."

After saying that, Zhao Zhen nodded slightly to Lu Huizhong, then turned around and walked slowly back to the passageway she had come from, her steps still composed.

The dim light of the oil lamp stretched his shadow long, casting it onto the cold, rough stone wall, like a silent symbol.

"I'll go see him off."

Lu Huizhong greeted Yang Lie and Xu Xin, then turned and followed Zhao Zhen.

Watching Zhao Zhen's figure gradually disappear around the corner of the passageway, and then turning around to look at Xu Xin behind him, who seemed to have aged ten years in an instant and was now immersed in a huge blow, Yang Lie felt a mix of emotions.

What Zhao Zhen said to Xu Xin at the end was a wake-up call for him and for the entire Tang Clan.
Only by letting go of our obsession with past glories and the myth of invincibility can we find a way out in the new era.

He took a deep breath, suppressed his turbulent emotions, walked to Xu Xin's side, reached out and gently placed his hand on Xu Xin's violently trembling shoulder.

"Junior Brother Xu..."

Yang Lie's voice was deep and complex, carrying a subtle hint of reassurance.

Perhaps because he had already personally witnessed the breaking of the Dan Shi myth once before, Yang Lie accepted the scene much faster than Xu Xin.

"He... has already gone very, very far down the road that we cannot see."

We... should also look forward.

At this moment, Yang Lie actually understood somewhat how the old sect leader Tang Bingwen felt when facing Zhao Zhen back then.

This person can always easily stir up trouble, yet unintentionally leaves behind wise words that can change the fate of others.

(End of this chapter)