Deep in the rear mountain of the Inner Academy, in a valley.
Three streaks of light descended from the sky, revealing the figures of Lin Yuan, Xiao Yixian, and Zi Yan.
Looking at the beautiful valley before him, which was filled with all kinds of medicinal herbs, Lin Yuan's eyes lit up. He closed his eyes and carefully sensed the energy in the area.
"What a good place!"
When he opened his eyes, a hint of delight appeared within them.
"The spiritual energy contained within the world's energy here is somewhat higher than in other places. It seems that the closer a place is to nature, and the more medicinal herbs a mountain range contains, the richer the spiritual energy within its world's energy."
"I've decided. I'll break through to the Spirit Realm here."
Today marked three days since Lin Yuan had refined the Beginning Venerable Pill.
During this period, he had not been in a hurry to continue refining pills. Instead, he had been preparing for his soul breakthrough. While studying the formula for neutralizing the Earth Core Soul Marrow, he had also been searching for a suitable place to enter secluded cultivation. Today, he had finally found this place.
Xiao Yixian gently scanned the valley, a trace of nostalgia flashing through her eyes.
"It looks somewhat like that valley near the Magical Beast Mountain Range in Qingshan Town."
Taking a deep breath, Lin Yuan looked solemnly at Zi Yan and Xiao Yixian and instructed them, "Zi Yan, Xiao Yixian, protect me while I cultivate. I'm going to break through to the Spirit Realm here. Until I come out, absolutely no one can disturb me."
"Leave it to me!"
Zi Yan spoke confidently while chewing a pill in her mouth.
"Rest assured and cultivate in peace. With me here, no one will disturb your breakthrough!"
Xiao Yixian gently nodded. Her voice was extremely gentle, but her resolve was unwavering.
Hearing this, Lin Yuan nodded. With a movement of his body, he flew into a cave in the mountain wall.
A series of rumbling sounds rang out as the entrance to the cave abruptly sealed itself.
The cave dwelling was not spacious, but it was already more than enough for Lin Yuan.
He walked deeper into the cave and took out several Moonlight Stones from his Storage Ring, embedding them into the stone walls. The dim cave immediately brightened somewhat.
After briefly inspecting and arranging the cave, Lin Yuan took out the Green Lotus Seat and placed it on a piece of bluestone.
Sitting cross-legged on the Green Lotus Seat, Lin Yuan's mind immediately became much calmer.
After breaking through to the Dou Ancestor realm, although the Green Lotus Seat's enhancement to cultivation had already become extremely limited, Lin Yuan would feel an inexplicable sense of tranquility whenever he sat upon it.
Lin Yuan slightly closed his eyes, adjusting the fluctuations in his state of mind and his physical condition.
Using the Earth Core Soul Marrow to break through was an extremely rare opportunity. Once wasted, he would need to spend several months or even years making up for it. Therefore, he needed to make the most thorough preparations possible.
After all, the Earth Core Soul Marrow could assist the soul in breaking through and increase the chances of success, but it could not guarantee success. Its effect was more akin to a Beginning Venerable Pill for the soul. Whether he could break through ultimately depended on the cultivator himself.
Fortunately, Lin Yuan possessed excellent soul talent. His soul had already reached the level of half-step Spirit Realm, and with the Heavenly Heart Soul Art, he undoubtedly possessed the qualifications necessary to attempt the breakthrough.
Lin Yuan successively circulated his cultivation technique and soul technique, adjusting his Dou Qi and soul to their peak condition.
Several hours later, Lin Yuan slowly opened his eyes.
His deep eyes were completely calm, like an unfathomable pool without the slightest ripple.
He slowly exhaled a breath through his throat. Lin Yuan then wiped his finger across the Nethersea Ring, and three jade boxes floated before him.
With a wave of his sleeve, a delicate gust of wind swept past, simultaneously opening all three jade boxes.
With a slight curl of his finger, the Earth Core Soul Marrow, Soul Spirit Liquid, and Heavenly Hemp Jade Essence floated into the air, revolving around Lin Yuan.
In an instant, an unusual fragrance filled the cave.
As the fragrance entered his nose, Lin Yuan's spirit immediately lifted, and even the power of his Spirit Realm soul became somewhat more active.
"As expected of a rare treasure worth as much as an eighth-grade pill, the Earth Core Soul Marrow truly lives up to its reputation!"
Lin Yuan lightly inhaled before beckoning with his palm. A jade-green stone flew before him.
Lin Yuan glanced at the Heavenly Hemp Jade Essence. With a thought, azure flames suddenly blazed to life, transforming into a field of azure fire that enveloped the green stone.
Under the scorching heat, tiny cracks quickly appeared across the surface of the Heavenly Hemp Jade Essence, and an extremely faint fishy odor drifted out.
Seeing this, Lin Yuan flicked his finger. A weak strand of force struck the Heavenly Hemp Jade Essence.
With a "crack," pieces of broken stone fell away, revealing the pale-white liquid hidden within.
Under Lin Yuan's precise control, the Azure Fire Lotus removed the impurities from the white liquid one by one.
More than ten minutes later.
The fishy odor of the white liquid had completely disappeared, and the Heavenly Hemp Jade Essence had been fully refined.
Lin Yuan snapped his fingers lightly, and the Azure Fire Lotus dissipated.
After completing the refinement of the stone essence, Lin Yuan's expression remained unchanged. With a thought, his immense soul power surged out from between his eyebrows and separately entered the Earth Core Soul Marrow, Soul Spirit Liquid, and refined Heavenly Hemp Jade Essence before him.
He gently curled his finger, separating a tiny strand of liquid from each of the three masses.
Looking at the three tiny strands of liquid, Lin Yuan's expression became somewhat more serious.
The medicinal properties of the three medicinal ingredients were completely different. They both repelled and complemented one another. Only by following a specific ratio could the Earth Core Soul Marrow be neutralized into something usable.
After running through the formula he had previously deduced in his mind, Lin Yuan began putting it into practice.
The three strands of liquid were once again divided into several portions of different sizes. He then followed the proportions and sequence he had previously deduced and slowly began fusing them together.
What followed was failure after failure, analysis after analysis, summary after summary, and improvement after improvement.
During the monotonous process of preparing and combining the ingredients, two days passed.
During these two days, Lin Yuan had failed nine times in his attempts to harmonize the Earth Core Soul Marrow, Soul Spirit Liquid, and Heavenly Hemp Jade Essence.
Because of these nine failures, nearly a quarter of the three heavenly treasures had been consumed.
Yet the results were gratifying.
A strand of emerald-green, viscous liquid floated quietly in midair, radiating vigorous vitality.
"Phew…"
Looking at the viscous liquid before him, Lin Yuan could not help but let out a long sigh of relief. The corners of his mouth curved upward slightly.
"Success. I've found the most suitable ratio! The precise formula is finally complete. Next I just need to prepare the rest!"
Thinking of this, Lin Yuan carefully stored the strand of prepared Earth Core Soul Marrow and turned his gaze toward the remaining three treasures.
To make his soul undergo a transformation, this tiny amount of prepared Earth Core Soul Marrow was naturally far from enough.
However, with his first successful attempt and the precise formula now in hand, the process became much easier.
In just half a day, Lin Yuan successfully prepared all the remaining three heavenly treasures.
Looking at the bottle filled with emerald-colored liquid, a hint of delight appeared on Lin Yuan's face.
This much successfully prepared Earth Core Soul Marrow was more than enough to support his breakthrough this time.
"Next comes the most important part."
Clutching the jade bottle, Lin Yuan took a deep breath, a ruthless glint flashing across his eyes. He raised the bottle and drank all of the Earth Core Soul Marrow in one go.
The instant the Earth Core Soul Marrow entered his body, Lin Yuan's head suddenly buzzed. The soul power between his brows abruptly swelled at an astonishing speed, making him feel slightly dizzy.
A violent throbbing pain came from between his brows, as though his soul were about to explode!
Lin Yuan forcibly suppressed the discomfort and steadied his mind. He turned his attention inward, carefully observing every subtle change taking place within his body and soul.
The Earth Core Soul Marrow that had entered his body quickly transformed into streams of strange, dark-green mist. They continuously surged toward the space between his brows before finally intertwining with the soul power gathered there.
As the strange mist intertwined more deeply with his soul, a powerful and mysterious energy rapidly seeped into Lin Yuan's soul, tempering it. Under the refinement of the medicinal energy, the strength of his soul began to increase at an astonishing rate!
"Having powerful soul energy alone isn't enough to completely enter the Spirit Realm. I still need to use a soul cultivation technique to accelerate the refinement of spiritual energy."
Thinking of this, Lin Yuan endured the stabbing pain in his soul and released Blood Soul from the Nethersea Ring. Then, both his main body and Blood Soul simultaneously began circulating the Heavenly Soul Art.
As the Heavenly Soul Art circulated, the surrounding Heaven and Earth energy began to surge. Wisps of spiritual energy seeped out from the surrounding space and flowed toward the space between Lin Yuan's brows.
The spiritual energy continuously poured into the space between his brows and merged with the soul gathered there. A cool sensation emerged, and the intense pain caused by the Earth Core Soul Marrow was unexpectedly reduced somewhat.
As the spiritual energy merged into his soul, the green mist transformed from the Earth Core Soul Marrow also underwent a strange change.
The mist of the Earth Core Soul Marrow mixed with the spiritual energy and intertwined even more thoroughly with Lin Yuan's soul. A powerful attraction radiated from between his brows, continuously drawing in more spiritual energy and merging it into his soul.
Deep within his soul, waves of tearing pain came intermittently, while the spiritual energy simultaneously filled every part of Lin Yuan's soul.
Under the infusion of such highly concentrated spiritual energy, Lin Yuan's soul seemed to be caught between extreme cold and scorching heat. Pain and comfort intertwined and surged through him, causing his soul power to become increasingly tough and fierce, while the spiritual energy contained within his soul grew denser and denser.
Strangely, in this peculiar state, the circulation of the Heavenly Soul Art became even smoother.
At a certain moment, Lin Yuan entered a special state devoid of either sorrow or joy. The Heavenly Soul Art began circulating on its own, and an invisible, imperceptible fluctuation spread outward, passing through the cave, piercing through the mountain, and spreading across the sky above the valley.
In an instant, the Heaven and Earth energy throughout the mountain suddenly went into a frenzy. Vast amounts of spiritual energy converged toward the cave.
This sudden disturbance naturally attracted the attention of Xiao Yixian, Zi Yan, and many powerful magical beasts in the surrounding area.
"Such an enormous amount of spiritual energy?"
Having cultivated the Heavenly Soul Art herself, Xiao Yixian could naturally sense spiritual energy. She looked at the cave where Lin Yuan was secluded in surprise.
"The Heavenly Soul Art shouldn't be able to produce such an effect. It seems his breakthrough is going very smoothly!"
At that moment, a faint beast roar reached her ears.
Xiao Yixian's eyes immediately turned cold.
"Looking for death."
Lin Yuan had entered a critical stage. She could not allow him to be disturbed in the slightest.
"Did it come from that direction?"
She looked toward the southwest. A trace of killing intent flashed through her grayish-purple eyes as she said coldly, "Zi Yan, keep watch here. I'll clear out the surrounding area."
Hearing this, Zi Yan's eyes immediately lit up.
"I'll go! I'll go! Sister Xiao Yixian, you stay here and protect my brother. I'll deal with those guys nearby…"
With that, she did not even wait for Xiao Yixian's response before hurriedly flying into the distance.
"This girl really can't sit still…"
Seeing this, Xiao Yixian helplessly smiled. Her gaze returned to the direction of the cave.
"I hope everything goes smoothly this time!"
Meanwhile, inside the cave.
Lin Yuan had already become completely accustomed to the intense pain of refining his soul. At this moment, he was completely immersed in the dense spiritual energy surrounding him.
That sensation of comfort reaching deep into his soul was like being drunk, making him unwilling to wake up.
At the space between his brows, enormous changes were also beginning to take place because of the massive infusion of spiritual energy.
Under the nourishment of the spiritual energy, the soul power between his brows gradually began to shed its former ethereal state. Vast soul power gathered together, occasionally pulsing faintly like a beating heart, as an inexplicable vitality began to emerge within it.
As time passed, the Heavenly Soul Art circulated even more smoothly, while the pulsation of his soul became increasingly intense, as though something was being nurtured within.
Time flowed like water, quietly passing by. In the blink of an eye, Lin Yuan had already been in seclusion for more than ten days.
The infusion of the vast spiritual energy had continued for nine days. On the ninth day, the strange phenomenon that had enveloped the valley finally began to dissipate, and the cave where Lin Yuan was cultivating once again fell into silence.
A majestic aura was quietly brewing within.
Zi Yan sat boredly on a green stone, her little legs dangling in the air as she casually swung them back and forth.
"It has been so many days. Why isn't he done yet?"
She looked toward the entrance of the cave and muttered.
"This is a breakthrough of the soul realm, after all. It can't be rushed."
Xiao Yixian opened her eyes beside her and slowly withdrew the hand seals she had formed. Looking toward the cave entrance, she said, "Let's wait a little longer. I can sense that it should be soon."
"You're fooling me again. You've said that so many times already."
Zi Yan curled her lips.
Before her voice had even faded, a thunderous roar suddenly erupted from within the cave.
An invisible figure suddenly shot out from the cave and stopped high in the sky.
If one could see through the dazzling light, they would discover a translucent human figure within it.
In the next moment, an immense soul force centered around the figure rapidly swept in all directions.
A terrifying pressure instantly enveloped the entire area.
Under this pressure, countless magical beasts felt an extremely powerful soul suppression. Their bodies trembled involuntarily.
Even Zi Yan and Xiao Yixian could not help but become somewhat solemn.
"It seems Lin Yuan succeeded!"
The figure of Venerable Tian Huo emerged as he sighed emotionally.
"A Spirit Realm soul before the age of twenty. This truly exceeds even this old man's expectations. Talented people emerge in every generation!"
Even he felt somewhat shocked by the vast soul force radiating from the illusory figure in the sky.
This level of soul force had already completely surpassed what he possessed at his peak.
Thinking of this, Venerable Tian Huo could not help feeling somewhat fortunate.
He had taught Xiao Yixian for several months, and during that time, he had clearly realized that this group of geniuses possessed terrifying talent. They were also extremely generous toward their own people, and he could already be considered half of one of their own.
Perhaps, once this group of geniuses matured, he too might reach a realm he had once never dared to hope for.
Several minutes later, the soul force that had spread outward like a surging tide slowly began to retract.
The invisible mass of light in the sky also gradually faded, revealing the illusory figure within.
"Is this Lin Yuan's soul?"
Xiao Yixian murmured.
It was indeed Lin Yuan's soul.
Once the soul realm completely reached the Spirit Realm, one could achieve the state of "soul leaving the body" without relying on any secret technique.
'Lin Yuan' smiled at the people outside the cave before flying back toward the cave.
After 'Lin Yuan' returned to the cave, the surrounding Heaven and Earth energy soon began to surge violently as well.
Above the valley, a gigantic energy vortex gradually took shape, sweeping in the Heaven and Earth energy from all directions.
A vast pillar of energy shot straight toward the cave.
"What is this?"
Venerable Tian Huo was startled for a moment. His pupils immediately contracted, and he looked toward the cave entrance with considerable admiration.
"Good lad. He actually intends to use the momentum of his soul breakthrough to advance his Dou Qi cultivation as well."
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