Chapter Three: Holy Light Three

By noon, Chen Xian folded away his training tools and leisurely made his way upstairs. At this moment, the restlessness and impatience that once plagued him were gone, replaced by a newfound anticipation for his martial practice.

Entering the room, he noticed the unfinished breakfast left on the dining table from the morning and slowly tidied it up.

“Perhaps in the future, I won’t need to eat at all?” Chen Xian mused.

“The Daoist scripture says: ‘Those who nourish their spirit through energy live long and bright; those who do not eat do not die but become deities.’ Could such extraordinary power really lead to becoming an immortal?”

At the thought, Chen Xian chuckled quietly to himself. Clearly, he found his own fanciful notion amusing.

“I truly am... capable of such wild fantasies!” he said, shaking his head before retreating to his own room.

Though it was midday, his parents were dining at their company and wouldn’t be home for lunch. Chen Qi Qi had disappeared somewhere, likely off playing at a classmate’s house. For now, he was alone. This solitude suited him well; after basking in the morning sun, his energy and vitality were full, and he felt no hunger at all.

If he were to cook a meal, he probably wouldn’t be able to eat a bite.

Once everything was tidied, Chen Xian sat down quietly and turned on the television, where a host was reporting:

“According to the latest news, the Black Eagle Nation has successfully developed the Saintlight III chip, currently undergoing human trials, and it is expected to be available on the market within the next few years...”

Hearing this, Chen Xian’s mind raced, memories of the Saintlight series chips surfacing one after another. He picked up the remote and pressed pause.

“Saintlight III!”

“To have developed it so quickly—no wonder the lead of Xuanxing Technology is truly remarkable...”

His curiosity piqued, Chen Xian wondered whether the Saintlight III truly could enable one to reach the Hua Jin stage.

The Saintlight series chips developed by the Black Eagle Nation were not for machinery or electronics, but for human bodies, designed to assist practitioners in their martial cultivation.

A century ago, during the 500th anniversary of the Great Xuan Empire’s founding, barbarian tribes wielding firearms besieged the empire’s gates, intent on invading its lands, seizing its resources, and enslaving its people.

But reality did not unfold as the barbarians wished. Instead, it awakened the Great Xuan—a colossal power—and when this giant bared its fangs, the entire Xuan Star trembled.

At that time, Great Xuan did not possess firearms capable of matching a hundredfold force, but it did have warriors who could match a hundred with sheer martial prowess.

From then on, officials and civilians united, martial sects set aside their old grudges, and together they drove out the barbarians.

The Heart-Mind Zen Master of Ruyi Temple wielded the Demon-Subduing Pestle, descending from the mountains to slay demons and shatter skulls by the dozens, earning his fearsome title as the Wrathful Bright King.

The Pure Whisper Daoist of Xuanwu Temple brandished the Demon-Sweeping Sword, clearing mountains and rivers with each strike, once holding back a million warriors with a single sword, earning the fearsome reputation of Demon-Sweeping True Lord.

Other legends included Zhang the Celestial Master of Dragon-Tiger Mountain, master of the Ten Thousand Beasts Martial Hall; the Divine Fist Yan Cang; the War God Li Daozong; the Killing God Wang Tianyi; and the Battle God Ye Wuming.

This fierce battle sent the barbarians fleeing in terror, their casualties countless.

In the end, before Great Xuan could strike again, the barbarians offered up the war’s instigator to demonstrate their weakness and pledged an eternal non-aggression treaty to ease Great Xuan’s concerns.

Had the barbarians not wielded their do-or-die, all-consuming weapons, it would have been nearly impossible to escape unscathed when facing the formidable Great Xuan.

These figures became nightmares for the barbarians during those turbulent years, striking fear into their hearts and disrupting their rest.

They are also the recognized martial legends of Great Xuan today—known as the Divine-Seers of Martial Arts.

Whether there remain unknown Divine-Seers hidden in the shadows remains a mystery.

This war came fiercely and ended abruptly, but it made both sides aware of their strengths and weaknesses.

For Great Xuan, it revealed the power of firearms and the might of technology.

Visionaries foresaw the trend of technological advancement and proposed the strategy of “learning from barbarians to defeat barbarians.”

For the barbarians, it revealed the marvels of Great Xuan’s martial arts.

Driven by curiosity about the cause of their defeat, they established dedicated research institutions to study Great Xuan martial arts.

Thus, for a time, both sides learned from each other, complementing their strengths and making up for weaknesses.

This state of affairs continues to this day.

Great Xuan’s technology now ranks among the top on Xuan Star, rivaling other nations.

However, for the barbarian countries, initial attempts to study Great Xuan’s martial arts were futile, their efforts stymied.

Great Xuan martial arts bear a profound regional character; without understanding its history or culture, it is difficult to grasp.

The path of martial arts is profound and mysterious; even for Great Xuan natives, without a renowned master’s guidance and proper transmission, it is hard to find an entry point, let alone for barbarians.

Yet the barbarians also produced capable individuals who, embracing science as truth, proposed the path of using technology to create martial power.

Under this philosophy, many nations made progress in martial studies.

Soon, a flourishing of innovations emerged: mech engineering, genetic warriors, chip-enhanced martial arts, and more.

The Saintlight series chips were among these products, and their most successful achievement.

Once implanted in the human body, the Saintlight chip monitors bodily functions, regulates hormone secretion, optimizes energy supply, and provides powerful computational abilities to specifically enhance the body.

Saintlight I targeted bone strengthening.

An ordinary person implanted with Saintlight I, given ample energy, could fully reinforce their bones and control their force within a hundred days, becoming a true Ming Jin (Bright Force) martial artist.

Now, with the emergence of Saintlight III, it signified that the Black Eagle Nation had developed a chip capable of enabling one to reach Hua Jin (Transforming Force).

Though the warriors produced by Saintlight series chips lack the refined control of force that Great Xuan martial artists hone through relentless training, requiring only a hundred days compared to a decade of daily practice for the latter, the difference in time is enormous.

Since their inception, the Saintlight chips have attracted widespread attention, becoming the first choice for those who lack access to martial masters, aptitude, or perseverance.

Even within Great Xuan, many users exist.

Though most Great Xuan martial artists dismiss the chips as unorthodox or even heretical, deeming them unworthy of the true path.

Saintlight I, II, and III correspond to the first three realms of Great Xuan martial arts: Ming Jin, An Jin, and Hua Jin respectively.

The first two have long been available; now with Saintlight III’s debut, Chen Xian’s curiosity deepened.

News of Saintlight III had circulated for some time, but remained unconfirmed. If it truly existed, it would cause a tremendous upheaval in the Great Xuan martial world.

Because Hua Jin differs fundamentally from Ming Jin and An Jin.

Hua Jin involves the spirit; it requires enlightenment of one’s divine intent.

Only divine intent can command both bright and dark force, harmonizing them into one, allowing force to follow the will, body to follow the mind, and strength to follow the spirit.