The moment the beast hesitated, everything changed.
Jiang Chen didn't waste it.
"Now."
His voice was calm, but it carried weight.
The team moved instantly.
Han Wei lunged first, fists igniting with raw force as he slammed into the beast's exposed flank. Chen Yu followed from the opposite side, striking at its joints to disrupt balance. Zhou Yan coordinated the timing without hesitation.
"Left side broken! Maintain pressure!"
Lin Xue stepped forward—but instead of attacking, she pressed her hand against the ground.
Cold mist expanded outward.
Not a barrier.
Not defense.
A field.
The temperature dropped sharply.
But this time… something was different.
The beast roared.
Its aura exploded outward again.
BOOM
A wave of Core Formation Realm pressure slammed into the group.
Chen Yu was forced back. "Tch—this thing won't stay down!"
Han Wei gritted his teeth. "It's adapting too fast!"
Zhou Yan narrowed his eyes. "It's reading our rhythm now. It won't be caught off guard twice."
Jiang Chen's gaze sharpened.
The Origin Thread inside him tightened instinctively.
The battlefield was shifting.
And not in their favor.
The beast turned its massive head slowly toward Lin Xue.
It had identified her as the stabilizing force.
Then
It moved.
Too fast.
A blur of stone-like scales and crushing intent.
"Lin Xue!" Chen Yu shouted.
But she didn't retreat.
For the first time she stepped forward.
---
Her frost aura exploded outward.
But unlike before, it wasn't just cold energy.
It was structured.
Controlled.
Refined.
Zhou Yan's eyes widened slightly. "…She's compressing her energy output."
Han Wei blinked. "Is she?"
Jiang Chen's gaze narrowed.
"…A breakthrough."
The beast's claw came down.
Lin Xue raised her hand.
And the world froze.
---
Not literally.
But almost.
A crystalline frost field erupted around her, expanding in a perfect circular domain.
The beast's movement visibly slowed.
Its claw trembled mid-air.
Chen Yu froze. "…What the hell is that?!"
Zhou Yan's expression sharpened. "…Spirit Gathering Realm (Peak) breakthrough… no."
He paused.
"…Core Formation Realm."
Han Wei grinned despite the pressure. "She finally stepped up!"
---
Lin Xue's eyes were calm.
But deeper inside them
Something had changed.
Her understanding of ice had shifted.
Not as a tool.
But as structure.
Control.
Stillness.
The frost field expanded again.
Crack
The ground beneath the beast began to crystallize.
Its movement slowed further.
But it reacted instantly.
ROAR
Its aura exploded again, forcing resistance against the frost domain.
Cracks formed in Lin Xue's field.
Chen Yu tensed. "It's breaking through!"
Zhou Yan immediately commanded. "Support her! Don't let it regain full movement!"
Han Wei surged forward again.
But this time—
The beast had fully adapted.
It twisted violently.
BOOM—
Han Wei was slammed backward.
"Damn it!"
The pressure intensified again.
Lin Xue's domain began to fracture under Core Formation Realm (Early) suppression.
Her breath became slightly uneven.
"…Not enough," she murmured.
Jiang Chen moved instantly.
He appeared beside her in a flash of golden qi.
"Don't force it," he said calmly.
Lin Xue glanced at him. "If I stop, it regains momentum."
"I know," Jiang Chen replied.
His eyes sharpened.
"…But you're not stabilizing it alone anymore."
He raised his hand.
The Origin Thread emerged.
But this time
He didn't extend it outward.
He wove it into Lin Xue's frost field.
Zhou Yan's eyes widened slightly. "…He's integrating his influence into her domain."
Han Wei muttered. "That's possible?"
Chen Yu blinked. "That's cheating…"
The moment Origin touched frost
The field stabilized.
Not stronger.
Not bigger.
More precise.
Lin Xue's eyes widened slightly.
"…It's stabilizing."
Jiang Chen nodded. "Now hold it."
The beast roared again and charged.
But this time
Its movement was slightly off.
Just enough.
Lin Xue's eyes sharpened.
"…I see it now."
Her aura shifted.
The frost field tightened.
More focused.
More lethal.
Crack
The beast's leg froze mid-step.
Chen Yu seized the moment. "Now!"
Han Wei lunged again, this time striking directly into the frozen joint.
BOOM!
The scale cracked deeper than before.
The beast staggered.
But it was not finished.
Its aura surged again, darker now.
Zhou Yan's expression turned serious. "…It's preparing a full burst."
Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes.
"…Then we end it before that."
He stepped forward.
The Origin Thread tightened.
His pseudo-domain compressed once more.
Smaller.
Sharper.
More precise.
The battlefield slowed slightly.
Just enough.
Jiang Chen spoke quietly.
"…Threaded Convergence."
Golden qi condensed.
Frost stabilized.
Team pressure aligned.
"Now."
The group moved in perfect timing.
Han Wei struck first.
Chen Yu followed.
Lin Xue locked movement.
Zhou Yan guided positioning.
And Jiang Chen
Delivered the final strike.
---
BOOM
A clean impact landed at the beast's core joint.
The structure cracked.
Then shattered.
The Core Formation Realm beast staggered violently.
Its aura collapsed.
And finally
It fell.
Silence returned.
Only heavy breathing remained.
Chen Yu dropped his shoulders. "Okay… that was way harder than the last one."
Han Wei laughed breathlessly. "Now that's more like it."
Zhou Yan exhaled slowly. "…We adjusted mid-battle. Good."
Lin Xue looked at her hands quietly.
"…I broke through."
Jiang Chen nodded slightly. "Yes."
Her gaze shifted to him.
"…And you stabilized it."
Jiang Chen didn't respond immediately.
Then
"…We adapt together."
A brief silence followed.
Then Lin Xue nodded slightly.
"…Yes."
The system flickered faintly in Jiang Chen's vision.
---
**[Team Synergy Increased]**
**[Pseudo-Domain Integration Improved]**
**[Support Link Established: Lin Xue]**
---
Jiang Chen closed his hand slowly.
The Origin Thread faded.
But the feeling remained.
---
Deeper in the realm
Something else moved.
Something stronger.
And this time
It was watching them.