<p>The world-class Jiaodong gold province in the North China Craton hosts over 5000 t of Au resource and is characterized by abundant visible gold mineralization. However, the critical processes controlling the formation of visible gold in this province remain poorly understood. To solve this problem, integrated microtextural, trace elemental, and sulfur isotopic analyses of pyrite from the high-grade Linglong gold deposit in the Jiaodong gold province were conducted in this study. Two distinct pyrite types were identified within auriferous quartz-sulfide veins: (1) Py1 aggregates in quartz-pyrite veins (hydrothermal stage II), and (2) euhedral to subhedral, coarse-grained Py2 crystals in quartz-polymetallic sulfide veins (hydrothermal stage III). Microtextural and elemental analyses revealed that visible gold predominantly occurs as intergranular particles between primary pyrite crystals within Py1 aggregates. The Py1 exhibits complex microtextures with abundant mineral inclusions of polymetallic sulfides and has low concentrations of Au (median: 0.032&#xa0;ppm) with a narrow <i>δ</i>³⁴S range (4.86‰–6.75‰), indicative of rapid crystallization under unstable, disequilibrium conditions. By contrast, the Py2 is texturally homogeneous and contains higher Au concentrations (median: 0.304&#xa0;ppm) with progressively increasing <i>δ</i>³⁴S values (5.25‰–10.14‰) over time, suggesting slow crystal growth under more stable, near-equilibrium conditions. Based on the microtextural and geochemical information, it is proposed that fluid boiling occurred only during the hydrothermal stage II, which resulted in the unstable physicochemical environment and rapid deposition of gold. During the boiling processes, gold colloids likely occurred and promoted the formation of visible gold.</p>