Translator: AnubisTL
In the blink of an eye, another two years had passed in the World of Eternal Night.
All told, Li Qing had spent three years in this desolate realm.
During those three years, he tirelessly cultivated the soul core method, immersing himself completely in the agonizing pain of his divine soul being torn apart.
Without the Soul Nurturing Bell, Li Qing was certain he would have descended into madness long ago.
The constant, excruciating pain in his divine soul was a torment so severe that even recalling it sent shivers down his spine.
Li Qing couldn't help but think of senior Wu Yuan. Without the Soul Nurturing Bell, how had Wu Yuan endured such torment with such terrifying willpower?
"Even with the Soul Nurturing Bell, I've been driven to the brink. Senior Wu Yuan was truly a remarkable individual," Li Qing murmured, slowly closing his eyes.
His progress over the past few years had been substantial. From struggling to grasp the basics, he had finally achieved a certain level of mastery.
Yes, he had finally accomplished the first step of the soul core method: dividing his own divine soul.
Within Li Qing's Sea of Consciousness, his divine soul had been split into two parts—a primary and a secondary. Yet, miraculously, he had avoided mental collapse or fragmentation, a feat bordering on the miraculous.
The next step was to condense this separated portion of his divine soul into a soul core.
After a brief period of meditation to regulate his breathing, Li Qing began attempting to condense his soul core.
With a slight mental command, the small portion of his divine soul that he had deliberately separated began to tremble.
Immediately afterward, this detached fragment of his divine soul slowly contracted within his Sea of Consciousness.
It was a universally acknowledged truth that the divine souls of cultivators before the nascent soul realm possessed form but lacked substance.
Only after achieving the nascent soul realm, when the divine soul merged completely with the nascent soul, did the divine soul gain not only form but also substance!
However, this transformation typically relied on the cultivator's own true essence. Yet Li Qing's soul core, which he was currently condensing, was inexplicably developing in a direction that granted it both form and substance.
The detached fragment of his divine soul continued to collapse inward, appearing to condense into a tiny point.
Though called a soul core, the final product would be no larger than a sesame seed.
Despite its minuscule size, this process was akin to Li Qing's divine soul undergoing core formation, symbolizing a qualitative leap in his soul's power!
Unbeknownst to him, fine beads of sweat began to form on Li Qing's forehead.
This process was far from easy. Although the divine soul fragment had been separated, it remained an integral part of Li Qing's own divine soul. The pain he experienced was no less intense than when he had first attempted to divide his soul.
Over the past few years, Li Qing had grown accustomed to this kind of pain. His inner self remained calm and undisturbed, facing it with unwavering composure.
In the mountains, time seemed to stand still. Immersed in his arduous cultivation, Li Qing naturally lost track of its passage.
His entire focus was concentrated on condensing the soul core, not daring to slacken his efforts even for a moment.
After an unknown duration, the portion of his divine soul that had been separated within his Sea of Consciousness suddenly collapsed and condensed into a tiny, minuscule speck.
It was incredibly small—even smaller than a sesame seed!
"Third step: Embracing the Core. The divine soul returns to unity!" Li Qing murmured to himself, then continued to execute the soul core secret technique.
Even after the separated divine soul had condensed into a soul core, it still needed to merge back with the main soul.
The two were inherently inseparable parts of a whole.
Next, the incomplete main soul within Li Qing's Sea of Consciousness, which resembled him in appearance, slowly opened its arms and embraced the tiny soul core.
But immediately afterward, Li Qing let out a muffled groan, veins bulging on his forehead, his expression twisting into a ferocious grimace.
This step sounded simple in theory, but in practice, it was exceedingly difficult.
The condensed soul core was utterly unlike anything he had encountered before. His main soul felt as if it were trying to embrace a block of iron weighing ten thousand tons.
No matter how much force he exerted, it remained immovable, like a mountain that could not be shaken.
"Divine soul. Embracing the Core—I understand now! I misinterpreted it. 'Embracing the Core' doesn't mean physically holding it; it means merging with it, becoming one!"
The latter part of that realization was the most crucial!
Since Wu Yuan hadn't reached this stage himself, the secret technique he gave Li Qing lacked detailed annotations on this aspect.
With this insight, Li Qing abandoned his futile efforts and focused his main soul on merging with the soul core he had just condensed.
The tiny sesame seed-sized speck in his Sea of Consciousness gradually entered his main soul and settled in his dantian, just like a Golden Core within a cultivator's body!
The soul core was now successfully formed!
In an instant, Li Qing's divine soul seemed to ascend, radiating brilliant light within his Sea of Consciousness!
Boom!
Outside, in the desolate mountain peak where Li Qing was located, a vast wave of divine sense power erupted!
Within moments, every detail of the surrounding landscape was imprinted into his mind.
The coverage area was several times greater than before!
"I haven't reached core formation yet, but I already possess a divine soul comparable to the core formation realm—no, I even suspect that ordinary core formation realm cultivators' divine souls can't match the strength of mine!"
Li Qing opened his eyes in the dark cave, a persistent glint of brilliance illuminating the entire cave abode.
At that moment, the world Li Qing perceived through his divine sense felt fundamentally different.
Though the world remained the same, he couldn't quite articulate what had changed.
Whoosh!
In an instant, Li Qing unleashed a Soul Condensing Slash!
This divine soul killing move, which he had learned during his qi refining realm, could now be executed instantaneously, requiring no preparation.
"Did a faint crack just appear on the stone wall?"
"Spiritual interference with reality... Unbelievable! Is this the power of the soul core?"
Though the effect was subtle, a hairline crack had undeniably appeared on the cave wall.
This was nearly impossible—to damage a physical object with divine sense power was simply inconceivable.
A chill ran down Li Qing's spine. If his divine soul's strength continued to grow, would he eventually be able to kill enemies directly with his divine sense?
Would any area within his divine sense's range become his attack range?
Of course, it was still too early to say for sure. The minor damage he had inflicted on the stone wall just now was practically negligible.
But that was enough. At least Li Qing was extremely satisfied with his current state!
One thing was clear: any cultivator attempting to seize his body in the future would face a far more difficult task.
He was confident that even if the complete divine soul of a late-stage core formation cultivator entered his Sea of Consciousness, he would remain utterly fearless!
This was a fundamental difference. His divine soul had evolved to the point where it could directly influence reality.
While Li Qing's divine sense might not yet match the range of other late-stage core formation cultivators, the gap in their fundamental nature was immense.
"Once I successfully achieve core formation, I should find ways to acquire more divine sense offensive techniques. In the future, my divine soul will become an indispensable trump card!"
With these words, Li Qing struck out with a single hand, shattering the stone wall of the cave into fragments.
Boom!
After enduring over three years of arduous cultivation, Li Qing's divine soul had finally achieved a minor breakthrough.
Crimson moonlight from the Red Moon cascaded down, bathing Li Qing in its crimson glow. He slowly raised his head, gazing directly at the crimson orb in the sky.
Having refined his soul core, his eyes had become even more profound, like two bottomless abysses that drew one in without warning.
His dark pupils reflected the Red Moon, and his entire demeanor had gained a newfound gravitas.
Buzz!
A powerful surge of divine sense power erupted outward, flooding Li Qing's mind with countless images.
No detail, no matter how minute, could escape the grasp of his divine sense.
A smile gradually curved his lips as he sensed a fierce black tiger locked in mortal combat with an armored bear in the distance. The two beasts clashed relentlessly, their battle reaching a fever pitch.
"Slash!"
Li Qing roared, and in an instant, the Soul Condensing Slash materialized in the far distance, hurtling toward the armored bear with savage force.
(End of the Chapter)
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