The breakthroughs began in silence, but Li Hao's was anything but ordinary.
Wang Lei, Su Ling, Lin Xue, and Xu Mei each advanced steadily, condensing their qi into a single stable core—entering the Core Formation realm with refined control.
Li Hao, however, faced a different challenge.
Within him, three forces surged independently.
Ice. Lightning. Flame.
Instead of forcing them into one core, he made a decision.
He would not limit himself.
He split his control, guiding each energy separately—compressing them into three distinct cores within his dantian.
The strain was immense. His meridians trembled, his body nearing collapse.
But his will did not break.
Slowly—
Three cores formed.
Each rotating in harmony, yet independent.
A balance no one had ever attempted.
When it stabilized, a quiet yet terrifying aura spread.
Li Hao had not just reached Core Formation.
He had redefined it.