The convoy slowly vanished into the night. Xiao Jietian withdrew his gaze. With a casual flick of his sleeve, their figures dissolved like smoke between heaven and earth, leaving behind only a faint, mysterious aura—as though they had never existed at all.
…
Xiao Jietian now stood before the city gate of Tianbei City. He had already sent Zi Yao back into the Eternal Heaven World.
Two grand, imposing characters were carved clearly above the gate: Tianbei.
This was Tianbei City—the home of Han Yue's family, the Han Family. It was located in the Northern Region of the Central Plains and was only a medium-sized city by Northern Region standards.
According to the map, Tianbei City was jointly controlled by two major families: the Han Family in the south and the Hong Family in the north.
Even though it was already night, the streets remained brightly lit and bustling. There was no concept of curfew in the cultivation world—people came and went freely at all hours.
The streets were well-planned and orderly, without any sense of chaos. The entire city exuded a grand, majestic atmosphere.
Patrols of guards wearing uniform robes moved through the streets. On their chests was embroidered a single character: Han.
This meant the area they were patrolling fell under Han Family jurisdiction.
Xiao Jietian wandered the streets for about half an hour before he could no longer endure it. He found a secluded corner and slipped into the Eternal Heaven World.
The reason was simple: Central Plains nights were far too "enthusiastic."
Many older sisters, married women, and aunties—upon seeing his appearance—would suddenly pretend to twist their ankles and throw themselves at him. If he hadn't dodged quickly, he might have actually been taken advantage of.
Their eyes practically glowed green, as if they wanted to devour him whole.
…
Eternal Heaven World — Eternal Heaven Palace.
Xiao Jietian sensed Han Yue's aura. She was still in seclusion and had not yet emerged. He chose not to disturb her.
Taking advantage of this rare free time, Xiao Jietian began cultivating the Moonlight Soul Refining Art—the soul technique he had obtained earlier as a check-in reward.
"The Taiyin moves with both slowness and speed, with順 (shun) and 逆 (inverse)… Between heaven and earth, moonlight exists everywhere…"
Xiao Jietian followed the method described in the manual and began his cultivation.
Three hours later, he opened his eyes, feeling refreshed and clear-headed.
His soul had previously reached Half-step Spirit Realm. Thanks to that foundation, he quickly mastered the first stage—Moon Guiding Soul Refining—and even pushed it to perfection.
He closed his eyes again and continued.
While Xiao Jietian was cultivating, a caravan quietly entered Tianbei City through the South Gate and eventually stopped in front of a large, stately mansion.
A young woman in purple stepped down from the most luxurious carriage. After giving a few brief instructions, she walked directly into the residence.
Though her expression remained cold and indifferent, a faint trace of sorrow and longing flickered deep within her eyes.
A middle-aged man noticed the young woman's arrival. He did not call out to her. Only after she disappeared inside did he walk outside and find Han Chong, who was overseeing the unloading of goods.
"Han Chong, I saw Xue'er earlier—she looked upset. Did something happen on the road?" the middle-aged man asked. His tone carried an unquestionable authority.
"Patriarch, it's like this…" Han Chong recounted everything that had happened on the hillside in detail.
The man he called Patriarch was none other than Han Chi—Patriarch of the Han Family and the biological father of both Han Yue and Han Xue.
After dismissing Han Chong, Han Chi's eyes flickered with unreadable thoughts. He let out a soft sigh and walked back inside.
…
One day later.
A strange suction force suddenly emanated from the space between Xiao Jietian's brows.
The surrounding heaven-and-earth energy began to fluctuate wildly. Amid the turbulence, wisps of peculiar, invisible airflow seeped out from the void and poured into the point between his brows.
Finally, they merged with the soul seated within his sea of consciousness. During this fusion, Xiao Jietian's soul felt as though it were being bathed in warm spiritual liquid—bringing an indescribable sense of comfort and clarity.
These gases were spiritual energy—energy that only Spirit Realm souls could absorb.
That's right—Xiao Jietian was currently breaking through.
With the help of the Moonlight Soul Refining Art, his soul finally stepped fully into the Spirit Realm (second stage: Moon Soul Condensation).
The breakthrough lasted nearly an hour. Suddenly, the strange power at his glabella surged violently.
An invisible, imperceptible fluctuation spread outward in all directions.
A terrifying soul pressure erupted with Xiao Jietian at the center. The ground beneath him cracked like a spider web. Powerful soul ripples swept relentlessly outward.
His Nirvana Demon Emperor Soul roared, causing both sky and earth to tremble in fear.
Fortunately, the special formation and materials arranged inside the cultivation chamber completely absorbed the overflow, preventing the ripple from spreading outside.
Those cultivating in nearby chambers felt nothing at all.
A phantom figure slowly appeared above Xiao Jietian's head, sitting cross-legged. Upon closer inspection, one could vaguely make out Xiao Jietian's own features.
Only Spirit Realm souls and above could achieve autonomous soul manifestation.
A Spirit Realm soul was a massive dividing line for alchemists.
To become a Grade 8 Alchemist, one must possess at least a Spirit Realm soul.
Eighth Grade Pills possessed sentience when formed—sentience born from absorbing spiritual energy during pill formation. To guide and control that spiritual energy required a Spirit Realm soul.
Countless peak Seventh Grade Alchemists were forever stuck at this bottleneck—some remained trapped here for their entire lives.
The phantom figure eventually transformed into a stream of light and returned to Xiao Jietian's glabella and sea of consciousness. The immense soul pressure gradually dissipated.
Xiao Jietian, who had kept his eyes closed the entire time, suddenly opened them.
The space in front of him distorted strangely for a moment.
He clenched his fist, feeling power surging through every inch of his body.
"So this is a Spirit Realm soul… it's on a completely different level compared to the Mortal Realm."
The gap between Mortal Realm and Spirit Realm was like the difference between a Dou Huang and a Dou Zun.
"I can finally refine Eighth Grade Pills," Xiao Jietian stretched his body with satisfaction. "Next—I'll continue cultivating soul attack techniques."
Taking advantage of the clear-headed state brought by his soul breakthrough, he began practicing. Cultivating in this condition would yield twice the results with half the effort.
…
Night — Eternal Heaven World — Eternal Heaven Palace — inside Xiao Jietian's chambers.
"Hmm~ Junior Brother Xiao Tian… guess what realm I'm in now?"
Han Yue—who had finally emerged from seclusion—squatted in front of him. Her hands rested lightly on his body as she spoke in a charming, teasing voice.
Her finger gently touched his lips.
"No peeking with your soul sense."
"That's a bit hard to guess… I need to think carefully."
Xiao Jietian reached out. His thumbs and forefingers rubbed together playfully, shifting between two invisible worlds.
"Two… I guess you're a Two-star Dou Zong now."
Han Yue's body instantly stiffened. She trembled slightly, as though startled by his accurate guess.
"How did you guess so precisely?!"
During her seclusion, she had consumed a large number of pills and used a massive amount of energy crystals from the Boundless Heaven Tower. Her cultivation had finally broken through to the Two-star Dou Zong realm.
When she emerged, she was so excited she nearly jumped for joy.
Dou Zong—she had reached it so easily.
If it were the old her, she wouldn't have known how many years it would take.
After leaving seclusion, she immediately sensed Xiao Jietian's presence in the Eternal Heaven World and rushed to find him.
First she thanked him verbally.
Then she kowtowed in sincere gratitude.