As soon as he arrived at a secluded cave on the slope of a snow-covered hill, Gu Qinghe sat down cross-legged on the icy ground.
The air inside the cave was saturated with dense Yin energy, making the temperature far lower than in the surrounding areas.
This place was ideal—quiet, isolated, and far from the sect's surveillance.
His hand tapped the bag of holding at his waist.
Five golden soul-body projections immediately appeared in midair, hovering unsteadily.
Their auras were chaotic, their primordial souls clearly in critical condition. Crimson soul-binding runes wrapped around them like invisible chains.
The five souls struggled violently.
"Let us go!"
"You dare treat Inner Disciples like this?!"
"This damned rune—!"
All resistance was meaningless. Their soul strength was nowhere near enough to break the bindings. Even maintaining their soul forms felt exhausting.
Gu Qinghe raised two fingers. A golden light ignited at their tips.
[Heavenly Path Insight Technique]
His eyes opened fully, pupils flooded with a cold, rational golden glow.
An information panel appeared before him.
[Detected: Five Cultivator Souls]
[Realm: Foundation Establishment]
[Soul Condition: Injured]
[Soul Handling Options:]
[1. Soul Refinement Technique || Extract souls into qi essence for cultivation]
[2. Soul Slave Technique || Enslave souls for combat use]
[3. Soul Essence Pill Method || Convert souls into high-grade pill materials]
[System Recommendation:]
[Soul Refinement Technique best suits current host condition. Potential breakthrough to Peak Foundation Establishment]
The panel floated calmly in the air, invisible to the five soul projections.
From their perspective, Gu Qinghe was merely sitting cross-legged with an indifferent expression, golden light shining in his eyes as if he were staring at something they couldn't see.
Gu Qinghe did not hesitate.
I'll still choose the Soul Refinement Technique.
[Soul Refinement Technique selected]
[Please follow hand-seal instructions for activation]
Seven hand-seal formations appeared in his mind in sequence.
Gu Qinghe began forming them one by one. His movements were steady and precise, without the slightest hint of confusion.
His understanding of this technique far surpassed the Foundation Establishment realm.
In his previous life as Yun Tian, he had already touched the highest limits of soul comprehension.
Although his current body was far weaker, those memories and experiences were preserved within his primordial soul.
Heavenly Path Insight merely reopened a door he had already passed through—faster and deeper this time.
Simply put, Yun Tian had mastered this technique long ago. Heavenly Path Insight only perfected it.
When the seventh hand seal formed, crimson runes emerged beneath the five soul projections.
Their expressions changed instantly.
"What… what are you doing?!"
Gu Qinghe opened his eyes and looked at them without emotion. "If I let you go, you'll remain a threat."
He lifted his hand slightly. "I'm being merciful. I'll use your soul to break through."
His tone was flat, as if stating an undeniable law of nature.
"Soul Refinement Technique—activate."
Crimson light flared, illuminating the entire cave. The aura was sharp and cold, yet it did not disturb Gu Qinghe's concentration.
For the five soul projections, however, something horrifying began.
Their soul bodies heated up—then tightened. It felt as though an external force was forcibly pulling out the core of their existence.
"No—!"
"Gu Qinghe! You demon!"
Within minutes, their screams faded away.
One by one, the soul projections collapsed, shattering into particles of light, leaving behind five golden soul orbs floating silently in the air.
The souls had been refined into dense qi essence.
One final voice echoed faintly. "You will… suffer later…"
Gu Qinghe clenched his fist. The remnants of the soul projections fully condensed into five pure golden orbs.
The crimson light faded. The red runes vanished.
Soul Refinement complete.
Gu Qinghe opened his eyes and exhaled softly.
Those crimson runes… they clearly came from a demonic cultivation path.
Unlike Taoist or Zen lineages, demonic paths were never tolerated.
Conflicts between Tao and Zen could still be resolved through rules, combat, or debate. But demonic cultivation had only one ending—purification or total annihilation.
I have to be careful.
No one can know that I'm cultivating three paths at once.
His attention shifted to the five golden orbs before him.
Gu Qinghe immediately entered cultivation.
He activated Silent Yin Extraction, drawing the extreme Yin energy within the cave and refining it into pure qi.
At the same time, he absorbed the qi essence from the golden orbs.
Qi surged violently into his body.
There was too much.
When the signs of breakthrough became too intense, Gu Qinghe immediately stored three qi essence orbs into his bag of holding.
He absorbed only two.
A thunderous burst of qi exploded from his body, spreading across the snow-covered hill.
In the distance, Li Xiaoman, standing near a cultivator's corpse, felt the fluctuation.
A familiar sensation washed over her—she had felt this kind of qi pressure before.
She turned toward the snowy peak.
Her flying sword appeared. Li Xiaoman took off, circling the hill while activating her detection aura.
She stopped abruptly when she saw a cave in the valley radiating massive energy.
But just as she was about to approach, another powerful qi explosion rang out—overwriting all previous fluctuations.
Then… silence.
[Congratulations!]
[You have broken through your cultivation level]
[Realm: Peak Foundation Establishment]
[Qi: 80,000 / 150,000]
Gu Qinghe opened his eyes and let out a long breath.
"This is enough for now…"
He stood and walked out of the cave. His gaze lifted as he saw Li Xiaoman hovering in the air.
"You broke through?" Li Xiaoman asked as she landed in front of him.
The change in Gu Qinghe's aura was impossible to miss.
"I gained a bit of fortune," Gu Qinghe replied briefly.
Li Xiaoman hesitated. "I found a cultivator's body in front of the wooden house. Who were they?"
"Inner Disciples from the Spring Region," Gu Qinghe answered. "They came to kill us."
Li Xiaoman was stunned. She hadn't sensed any battle at all.
"Who killed them?"
Gu Qinghe didn't answer. He walked past her, summoned his flying sword, and headed toward the wooden house. Li Xiaoman followed.
When they arrived, Gu Qinghe dragged the corpse and threw it off the cliff.
"Y-you… killed them?" Li Xiaoman's voice trembled.
"They tried to kill us," Gu Qinghe said calmly. "I was only protecting myself."
He turned. Their gazes met.
"I won't kill anyone unless they provoke me."
Li Xiaoman took several steps back.
Her view of Gu Qinghe shifted completely—from hatred, to caution… and finally, fear.
She realized one thing.
Gu Qinghe was no longer someone she could afford to underestimate.