The moment Evan Chu was swept into the black Glasswind, he felt a pressure unlike anything he'd ever experienced before. It was countless times stronger than the Gravity Chamber's force—so much that even his current physique struggled to breathe. At the same time, countless wind blades slashed at him from all directions.
In an instant, his clothes were shredded to scraps, and his muscles were carved open by deep wounds that exposed bone—pale gold blood steadily pouring out.
Evan panicked inside. He'd just entered the Glasswind and already his body was torn up like this—if he stayed any longer, he'd be shredded to bits. Desperate, he tried to break free from the Glasswind vortex.
But he quickly realized that neither Shifting Position nor teleportation worked at all—he was helpless, forced to spin through the air with the raging black tornado. The wounds on his body kept multiplying, some bones began to fracture, and wind blades appeared right in front of him, becoming so tangible and terrifying it was unreal.
"I have to find the Wind Spirit Pearl as fast as possible. If my body gets destroyed, who knows when I'll even be able to come back in here again." Evan thought, ignoring the pain tearing through him.
"Evan, this Glasswind never stops. Unless you find the Wind Spirit Pearl, it'll never go away. The Wind Spirit Pearl is the real reason this Glasswind exists. With your body in this state, you don't have much time left." Luna, the Sword Spirit, said anxiously.
"Then help me find the Wind Spirit Pearl! I can't move an inch—my body's totally out of control!" Evan shouted, just as anxious.
"This Glasswind is way too fierce—it does massive damage to soul and divine sense. I can't sense anything either. But if I had to guess, the Wind Spirit Pearl should be below you. Try forcing your body downward and see if you can drop." Luna said.
By now, Evan's body was covered in countless wounds torn open by the wind blades—his flesh was flayed, pale-gold bone exposed, some bones already broken, others full of cracks and ready to snap at any moment. The pain was so intense he almost cried out for his mother, but he couldn't move at all.
Suddenly, something clicked in his mind. Evan quickly reached out to his Nascent Soul, deep in his sea of consciousness. This time, the Nascent Soul seemed to sense the danger too—it actually nodded, and an invisible power surged through Evan's entire body.
Immediately, a golden light burst from Evan's body. A massive golden dragon appeared within the Glasswind tornado—a thunderous dragon roar echoed in all directions, startling even the Savage Earth Dragon hiding beneath the yellow sand.
"Lord Golden Dragon has transformed! I never imagined he'd last this long inside the Glasswind—he really is incredible. The Dragon Clan's secret arts are no joke. I have to stick with him if I ever want to reach greater power." The Savage Earth Dragon thought to itself.
Once Evan shifted into his dragon form, the pain dropped sharply. The defense of his dragon scales was so monstrous that he could actually withstand the Glasswind's wind blades. Even though scales were ripped off from time to time, he could barely hold on.
On the outside, Evan looked like he could resist the Glasswind's wind blades, but the pain still made him roar furiously nonstop. His gigantic golden dragon body thrashed inside the tornado, looking absolutely terrifying.
Dragon scales are the toughest part of a dragon's body, but when they're injured, it's also the most agonizing. If a dragon scale falls off, the pain in both body and soul is almost unbearable.
Golden dragon blood kept gushing from his body, instantly swallowed up by the wind blades and disappearing inside the tornado. But now, Evan found he could slowly start to move—he still spun with the tornado, but could gradually shift toward the edge.
At the same time, the wood element in his body quietly worked to heal his wounds. If things kept going like this, Evan would finally be able to search for the Wind Spirit Pearl.
Time ticked by. Evan's body was almost at the edge of the yellow sand—though within several hundred meters of the Glasswind, there was no sand at all. Dozens of dragon scales had been knocked off by the wind blades, but by sheer willpower he endured. A few times he nearly blacked out, but Luna kept him mentally clear.
When Evan reached the bottom of the Glasswind, he noticed the wind blades were much fewer, and the danger had dropped a lot. But his dragon body was so huge and clumsy that searching for the Wind Spirit Pearl was awkward and difficult.
"Evan, maybe this Glasswind is the perfect place for you to break through to the Sixth Layer of the Starforge Body. Try moving further down, and when the wind blades aren't too strong, revert to your true form. As long as you break through the Sixth Layer, I believe the Glasswind won't be able to harm you much anymore," Luna said.
"Luna, do you think the Wind Spirit Pearl could be at the very bottom here, maybe together with the Wind-Binding Pearl you mentioned?" Evan suddenly wondered and asked.
"That's not too likely—the Wind-Binding Pearl is probably what's down there, but I can't be sure. To get the Wind Spirit Pearl, you'll probably have to reach the most violent core of the Glasswind. Right now, your main job is to break through to the Sixth Layer of the Starforge Body." Luna replied.
Evan knew all too well what it meant to break through a new layer of the Starforge Body—every time was pure agony. Doing it under these conditions was even more dangerous than he could put into words.
Still, for the Wind Spirit Pearl, he had to try no matter how risky it was. He kept moving toward the very bottom of the Glasswind. Even with the powerful defense of his dragon body, the wind blades still tore him to shreds.
Nearly half his dragon scales had been ripped off, and in many places his dragon bones were exposed. He was truly battered and bloody, but the sacrifice finally got Evan to the very bottom of the Glasswind, where he clearly saw a purple, goose-egg-sized pearl floating motionless.
"The Wind-Binding Pearl—it's really here! Evan, once you get that pearl, you can head straight into the heart of the Glasswind. No matter how strong the tornado gets, it won't be able to fling you around. You'll be able to walk freely inside the Glasswind." Luna said excitedly.
Evan was shocked—he never thought such a tiny pearl could have such a huge effect. Even as a dragon, he was tossed around helplessly, but with this pearl, he'd never be at the mercy of the storm again.
Looking around, Evan realized the Glasswind here was actually motionless—no wind blades attacking at all. This had to be the safest spot, and the perfect place to break through to the Sixth Layer of the Starforge Body.
With a thought, he reverted to his true form. But Evan was barely recognizable—almost ninety percent of his bones were broken, most of his muscles were gone, and faint energy flickered across his pale-gold bones.
Even many of his internal organs had vanished. If Ouyang Qian, Ye Suping, or the Sword Sect Master saw him now, they'd be speechless in shock—anyone else would be long dead. But somehow, Evan was still alive, and even preparing to break through.