For the next seven days, Chen Xiao remained at the altar plaza, never leaving.
His daily routine was incredibly consistent.
During the day, he cultivated his Dou Qi, studying the Yellow Spring Finger and Yellow Spring Palm on the stone tablet. At night, he used the Heavenly Star Soul Tempering Art to cleanse his soul.
After seven days, Chen Xiao had completed the first stage of the Heavenly Star Soul Tempering Art, gaining much more proficient control over the Star Vortex deep within his Sea of Consciousness.
"Finally, I can expand my Sea of Consciousness. This is the step with the most significant benefits."
Glancing at the myriad stars in the high sky, Chen Xiao felt an unusual sense of closeness to them.
He let out a soft chuckle, took a deep breath, and slowly closed his eyes.
His consciousness entered his Sea of Consciousness without any delay. Chen Xiao immediately began controlling the Star Vortex, forcefully striking the edge of his Sea of Consciousness.
Bang!
The impact was silent, yet Chen Xiao felt a buzzing in his head, his skull splitting with pain. His face turned pale, as if he had been struck hard by a soul Dou Skill.
It had to be said, while this secret art was remarkably effective, it also bordered on self-abuse.
"Continue!"
After a brief pause, Chen Xiao unhesitatingly resumed his assault.
As the old saying goes, only those who endure the bitter can taste the sweet. This was especially true in this world of the strong preying on the weak.
Just a little bit of suffering could bring immense benefits. Others would jump at such an opportunity.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Star Vortex repeatedly struck the Soul Barrier at the edge of his Sea of Consciousness. This kind of pain was beyond the defense of the Dragon Emperor Ancient Armor.
In just half an hour, Chen Xiao felt as if he had endured three to five years. He was utterly disoriented, his mind a complete blur.
Having finished his half-hour cultivation session, Chen Xiao lay on the ground, gasping for breath, seeing double even the stars in the sky.
His face felt wet. Chen Xiao reached up to wipe it and discovered he had wiped away a smear of blood.
No longer playing dead, Chen Xiao quickly got up to tidy himself.
"You kid, you didn't get yourself into trouble, did you?"
The Grand Elder of Green Mountains appeared beside him, unable to stifle a chuckle at Chen Xiao's somewhat disheveled appearance.
"Everything is within expectations."
Chen Xiao, now looking refreshed, maintained an unreadable expression.
The Grand Elder of Green Mountains didn't press further. He chuckled and then looked into the distance, where a figure was rapidly approaching.
Almost the instant the Grand Elder turned his head, Chen Xiao also sensed it.
It was only now that he was astonished to discover that his soul perception seemed to have grown stronger.
Sinking his consciousness into his Sea of Consciousness, Chen Xiao couldn't help but be startled.
He was surprised to find that in just half an hour, the area of his Sea of Consciousness had expanded by more than a tenth!
In other words, although he hadn't broken through to a new realm, once he replenished his energy, his Soul Power would be more than ten percent vaster than before!
Hiss~
Feeling the magnitude of this improvement, even Chen Xiao, who had been mentally prepared, couldn't help but gasp.
This "Heavenly Wind Soul Scripture" was even more effective than he had imagined!
"Grand Elder, Brother Chen Xiao, I hope I'm not disturbing you?" Yao Ming's voice pulled Chen Xiao back from his thoughts.
Chen Xiao looked up. Yao Ming was in peak condition, his appearance well-maintained, and even his previous injuries had completely vanished. He finally exuded the demeanor of a clan leader.
"No trouble at all. Clan Leader Yao Ming, is there something you need at this late hour?" Chen Xiao asked, shaking his head.
It was clearly something important for Yao Ming to be out here in the cold night instead of sleeping with his wife and concubines.
Hearing this, Yao Ming nodded slightly.
"These past few days, I've had my clansmen monitoring the situation in the Central State. I just received some news that might be related to you, Brother Chen Xiao, which is why I specifically came to inform you."
"Oh? Tell me about it."
Chen Xiao was a bit puzzled. He was in the Beast Region; how could matters in the Central State concern him?
"It's like this: that Wind Honored One from the Starfall Pavilion brought Xiao Yan, the personal disciple of the Medicine Venerable, to the Purple Firmament Pavilion a few days ago. I don't know the exact reason, but when they left the Purple Firmament Pavilion, they were attacked by the Eight Heavenly Guardian of the Soul Hall. Both sustained injuries. If it weren't for the timely reinforcement from the Pill Tower experts, they likely would have perished. Since they are acquainted with you, Brother Chen Xiao, I thought I should let you know."
Without hiding anything, Yao Ming recounted the events truthfully.
After hearing the entire story, Chen Xiao suddenly understood.
So it was Yao Chen and the others. That explained it.
"I do have some dealings with them. It's good that they escaped. Thank you for making the trip, Clan Leader Yao Ming. Also, during this period, please keep a close eye on the Purple Firmament Pavilion." Chen Xiao replied with a light smile.
Normally, with the Purple Firmament Pavilion's current strength, there shouldn't be any major issues. Chen Xiao mentioned it casually.
After all, if anything were to happen, he would surely receive the news immediately.
Yao Ming glanced at Chen Xiao and noticed that Chen Xiao didn't seem to have a deep connection with Wind Honored One and the others. Without saying more, he nodded slightly and agreed.
"Brother Chen Xiao, don't worry, leave it to me. I won't disturb you and the Grand Elder's cultivation then."
After saying this, Yao Ming cupped his hands and took his leave.
He came in a hurry, and left in a hurry...
"This Yao Ming probably wanted to see your progress, and the news from Central State was just a casual mention." Looking at Yao Ming's retreating back, the Grand Elder shook his head and chuckled.
"It's only natural. To endure for so many days is already quite surprising."
The Grand Elder nodded in agreement.
After this minor interlude, Chen Xiao refocused his mind on cultivation.
Every day, he used the Star Vortex to impact the Soul Barrier, gradually adapting to, and even becoming numb to, the pain that originated from the depths of his soul.
As the impacts continued day after day, when the seventh night concluded his cultivation, Chen Xiao discovered that the area of his Sea of Consciousness had exactly doubled from its original size, perfectly matching the description in the Heavenly Star Soul Tempering Art!
Slowly opening his eyes and feeling his excellent state, Chen Xiao didn't hesitate and immediately began to strike the final step towards the Heavenly Realm soul.
Condensing Stars into Manifestation!
After fourteen days of cultivation, Chen Xiao had become increasingly proficient in the use of Star Power, and absorbing it was also a familiar process.
Almost the moment he opened his mind to absorb the Star Power, a 'Soul Star' bearing a stellar imprint was refined within his Sea of Consciousness.
The process was as easy as eating or drinking, posing no difficulty whatsoever.
A little over ten minutes later, the second Soul Star appeared, still effortlessly.
Another fifteen minutes passed, and the third Soul Star was formed.
The difficulty was average.
Following that, the fourth, fifth, sixth...
As more and more Soul Stars were refined, Chen Xiao finally felt the difficulty, much like when he was in the False Heaven, receiving the inheritance of formations to refine Rune Seals, the difficulty began to climb sharply.
It was in this state that, as day turned to night and night turned to day, Chen Xiao still hadn't managed to refine the final, ninth Soul Star.
"Something's wrong, it feels like there's a problem somewhere. It's not my method, but it feels like something is weighing on my mind, distracting a part of my attention?"
Chen Xiao felt as if he had forgotten something, but upon careful consideration, Zi Yan, Xun Er, Cai Lin, Cao Ying, Xiao Yi Xian, and even Qing Lin – everything seemed to be in order, and there were no hidden dangers in the Purple Firmament Pavilion.
The more he thought about it, the more perplexed Chen Xiao became.
He cultivated for a day, and at night, Chen Xiao continued to refine the last Soul Star.
However, the result was still unsuccessful.
"Could it be about that Seven-Colored Spirit Crane?" Seeing Chen Xiao deep in thought, the Grand Elder spoke up to remind him.
Chen Xiao was startled, and then he remembered that there had been a Seven-Colored Spirit Crane accompanying them when they came to the Beast Region.
However, at that time, they had to enter the Nether Snake Earth Vein, so they didn't bring the Seven-Colored Spirit Crane with them, leaving it to wait outside and be released once they were done.
He hadn't expected to forget about it when he turned around.
Chen Xiao slapped his forehead. No wonder he felt like he had forgotten a small matter; so that's what it was!
"Grand Elder, I'll be right back."
Without hesitation, Chen Xiao's figure flickered, and he headed towards the peak where he had asked the Seven-Colored Spirit Crane to wait.
But when he arrived, he found that there was no peak left at all; it had already turned to dust in the battle between Yao Ming and Yao Xiaotian.
Chen Xiao frowned slightly, and his spiritual perception spread out like a tide.
After a while, he finally sensed the Seven-Colored Spirit Crane's presence several thousand feet away.
Chen Xiao's figure flickered and disappeared from his original spot. When he reappeared, he was already in front of the Seven-Colored Spirit Crane.
"Pavilion Master! You're back! That day, when the Nine Nether Earth Python Race erupted in battle, I was worried about being caught in the crossfire, so I moved further away to wait..."
Startled by the sudden appearance of someone in front of it, the Seven-Colored Spirit Crane's feathers bristled. Upon recognizing the person, it finally felt relieved and quickly explained.
Chen Xiao waved his hand, "It's fine, moving further away was the right thing to do. You can return to your clan. I've finished my business and will be heading back as well."
The Seven-Colored Spirit Crane lowered its head in acknowledgment. If it weren't for its clan, it truly wished to join the Purple Firmament Pavilion, but alas, it had never been there...
'Perhaps, after returning, I can find an opportunity to lead the entire clan to break free from the control of the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan. Anyway, there aren't many clansmen!'
Suddenly having an idea, the Seven-Colored Spirit Crane felt it was increasingly feasible. It quickly expressed its thanks and flew towards the depths of the Beast Region.
Watching this scene, Chen Xiao nodded slightly.
Although the Dou Qi Continent had no taboos and no concept of "thoughts flowing freely," fulfilling the promises he had made was still a comforting matter.
Returning to the altar square along the original path, Chen Xiao closed his eyes and cultivated, bringing his essence, energy, and spirit to their peak.
At midnight, when the Star Power was at its most concentrated.
Chen Xiao, who was sitting cross-legged, subtly flipped the hand seals, *Whale Swallowing, Sea Containing*, absorbing the omnipresent Star Power.
After an unknown amount of time, a bright Soul Star was finally completely lit within his Sea of Consciousness, as if it could illuminate mountains and rivers, and also illuminate Chen Xiao's path forward.
The moment this final Soul Star lit up, Chen Xiao sensed that an invisible barrier had suddenly exploded!
Clear!
Chen Xiao's perception, at this moment, was clearer than ever before!
It was as if his viewpoint ascended higher and higher, his vision broadening, until it encompassed more than half of the Beast Region before finally reaching its limit.
From the Grand Elder of Green Mountains' perspective, he saw a figure identical in appearance and build to Chen Xiao emerge from his seated body and ascend into the void, step by step!
Gazing at the 'figure', which was not exactly robust, even with the Grand Elder of Green Mountains' strength, he felt a tremor from the depths of his soul.
"He did it, he actually did it..."
As the Grand Elder of Green Mountains murmured, Yao Ming's figure streaked across the distant horizon, his eyes filled with undisguised surprise and shock.
"Broke through?"
No one answered him; the scene before them was the best answer.
And within Chen Xiao's consciousness, the landscape of the Hundred Thousand Mountains suddenly changed, and streams of information materialized in his mind.
[Heavenly Realm Soul achieved, pre-set upper limit further increased.]
[Heaven Rank Cultivation Technique, can be pre-set!]
[Heaven Rank Dou Skill, can be pre-set!]
[Ninth Grade Elixir, can be pre-set!]
[Bodhi Heart, can be pre-set!]
[Ice Spirit Jade, can be pre-set!]
[...]
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