The second attempt—Linghu failed to condense his Nascent Soul!Eight years later, the third attempt—Linghu failed again!Another eight years passed, the fourth attempt—failure once more!Yet another eight years, the fifth attempt—still a failure!The successive failures of this supreme genius slowly disappointed all those who had hoped for his success, turning many who had once admired and worshipped him into mockers and sneerers.It was also four years after his fifth failed Nascent Soul attempt that Feng Taichong's daughter, Feng Yuruo, was born. At that time, Linghu had been cultivating for exactly sixty years—already entering his prime as a cultivator.Linghu's deeds were passed down among the new generation of disciples, and also reached the ears of the growing Feng Yuruo.Naturally, Feng Yuruo was filled with endless curiosity about this genius Senior Brother Linghu.Even though Linghu had failed repeatedly, no one dared to deny his talent—not when he steadily advanced one realm every year.It was just that condensing a Nascent Soul seemed to be a curse for this supreme genius.The ninth attempt—failure again!Everyone had grown numb. Even the sect elders had completely given up on him.What was the use of being a supreme genius? A genius who was stuck at the Nascent Soul threshold was worse than an ordinary cultivator who had spent over a hundred years and finally succeeded in condensing a Nascent Soul!One, two, even three failures might have been understandable. But now, it was the ninth time—and he still failed. There could only be one explanation:He had no destiny for cultivation! No matter how talented you were, no matter how fast you cultivated, if you had no destiny to condense a Nascent Soul, your achievements would stop here forever!A melodious chime echoed down from the peak, ringing eighty-one times in total. Shortly after, an announcement was issued by the Elder Council: Given that Linghu, the first-generation Senior Brother, had failed his ninth Nascent Soul attempt and his cultivation had fallen back to Early Foundation Establishment, it could be inferred from these nine failures that although Linghu possessed extraordinary talent, he had no destiny for the Nascent Soul realm and thus was unable to bear the status of the first-generation Senior Brother. In accordance with the sect rules, Linghu's status as the first-generation Senior Brother was revoked, and he was regranted the identity of a second-generation disciple at the Early Foundation Establishment realm.Sword-Knowing Peak, which had been Linghu's cultivation ground for many years, was henceforth sealed. No sect disciple was allowed to enter without the permission of the Sect Leader or the Elder Council, nor was anyone permitted to discuss him privately—violators would be punished according to the sect rules!Since the position of the first-generation Senior Brother was now vacant, the most outstanding disciple among the first-generation would be selected to succeed him at the Sect Competition to be held in three months!This news spread rapidly across Thousand Needles Peak. In a short time, every member of the Huayan Sect learned of it—even Linghu, who had failed his Nascent Soul attempt on Sword-Knowing Peak, knew.At this moment, the former first-generation Senior Brother, who was the subject of countless discussions, still sat quietly on the Nascent Soul Condensation Platform at the summit of Sword-Knowing Peak.His expression was as gentle and calm as ever, with no trace of dejection in his eyes.After nine failed Nascent Soul attempts, he was already eighty-nine years old, yet his appearance remained the same as it had been when he was twenty-five—no signs of vicissitudes, no weariness. His body still exuded boundless vitality and fighting spirit.Linghu was not particularly handsome, but his eyes were bright, clear, and penetrating, as if they could see into people's souls. His thin lips formed a line of perseverance and determination, and his calm, gentle face radiated immense confidence.Was this the temperament one would expect from someone who had failed to condense a Nascent Soul?Yet, somehow, there was not the slightest hint of discouragement in Linghu. Even when he received the message jade slip and learned that his status as the first-generation Senior Brother had been revoked—and that he was essentially under house arrest on Sword-Knowing Peak—his emotions remained unwavering."Senior Brother! Senior Brother!" A sword light approached slowly. Before the person arrived, a clear voice rang out first."Junior Sister, why are you here?" Linghu smiled bitterly, patted the dust off his clothes, and stood up from the Nascent Soul Condensation Platform."Senior Brother!" The sword light flashed, and as the slender figure landed, the sword instantly sheathed itself."Senior Brother, you must not be discouraged! You must not lose faith! I believe you can do it! I'll beg the ancestors, I'll ask them to find the best pills for you—they dote on me so much, they'll definitely agree…" As soon as Feng Yuruo landed, she grabbed Linghu's sleeve and spoke anxiously.Linghu affectionately ruffled Feng Yuruo's hair and smiled. "Junior Sister, do you see me discouraged? Do I look like I've lost confidence?"Looking at Linghu's always gentle smile and the confidence shining in his bright, clear eyes, the anxiety in Feng Yuruo's heart—so intense she was almost in tears—slowly subsided."Senior Brother, are you really okay?" Feng Yuruo asked cautiously.Linghu shrugged. "I'm fine. Wasn't I the same after the previous failures? Have I ever not tried again? Don't worry, Junior Sister. I'm okay. Besides, you're already in the Nascent Soul realm—maybe in the future, I'll have to call you Senior Sister instead.""Hmph! I'm so worried about you, and you're teasing me!" Feng Yuruo playfully hit Linghu. "No matter what realm I reach, you will always, forever, be my most admired Senior Brother Linghu!"Linghu smiled and persuaded her. "Alright, you see I'm fine. Sword-Knowing Peak is going to be sealed soon; you should go back. Remember to cultivate diligently. I hope that when I see you again, Junior Sister, you'll surprise me.""Sword-Knowing Peak is going to be sealed? Why?" Feng Yuruo asked in confusion.Linghu casually handed her the message jade slip.Feng Yuruo took the jade slip, swept her divine sense over it, and her beautiful little face instantly changed. Tears welled up in her eyes. "How could Father do this? No, I'm going to ask him! How can they revoke Senior Brother's status? And seal Sword-Knowing Peak—it's like house arrest!"Linghu quickly pulled her back. "Silly girl, the Elder Council's decision must have their reasons. Besides, I have no complaints. In fact, I think this is the best arrangement. You must not cause trouble. After failing this time, my realm has fallen back to Foundation Establishment again. Although the sect revoked my status as the first-generation Senior Brother, they didn't drive me off Sword-Knowing Peak. Instead, they still let me cultivate quietly here, without having to live with other third-generation disciples. This is already the best arrangement. In fact, nothing has changed except for a title, right? Listen to me, Junior Sister. Don't worry about me, and don't feel wronged on my behalf. I'm fine, really fine. If you believe me, remember this: Senior Brother Linghu will never let you down. One day, Senior Brother Linghu will truly deserve to be your Senior Brother. You must work hard too—don't let me catch up easily! Do you understand? If you can get a good rank in this Sect Competition, I'll be even happier!"Feng Yuruo was finally persuaded by Linghu's gentle words and left. But as she departed, the furrow between her brows showed that she was still worried. It was just that Linghu looked as calm, gentle, and confident as ever—even if she was worried, she had nothing more to say.Watching Feng Yuruo's figure fly away on her sword, a hint of loneliness finally flashed in Linghu's bright, clear eyes.Standing on a protruding rock at the peak, Linghu silently gazed at the firmament. The wind ruffled his hair and robes, rustling loudly. A cold, lonely, and arrogant aura gradually emanated from him.Looking down at the smaller mountains below, within reach of the stars, waving his hand to stir the wind and clouds, laughing proudly at the top of the world.No one knew how violently Linghu's heart was stirring beneath his calm exterior.It was not dissatisfaction, not despair, let alone hopelessness!It was immense excitement, immense pride, and glory!To the outside world, he was a man who had failed nine times to condense a Nascent Soul, a former supreme genius who had fallen into a talentless cultivator without the destiny to form a Nascent Soul. But he harbored a secret no one knew!That secret was: Linghu had not actually failed to condense a Nascent Soul. In fact, if he had wanted to, he could have successfully attempted to condense a Nascent Soul at the age of twenty-two, when he reached the Great Perfection of the Golden Core realm—and he would have succeeded without a doubt!But Linghu had not done so. He had deliberately suppressed his realm for three years, and even intentionally made his Nascent Soul attempt fail!All of this was because, when he was preparing to advance from the Great Perfection of the Golden Core realm to the Nascent Soul realm, he had suddenly comprehended a mysterious technique—one that had never been verified or tested.During the three years he spent suppressing his realm, Linghu continuously studied and deduced this mysterious technique he had comprehended. It was not until he thought it was ready to be tried that he truly used himself as an experiment, using the massive, tangible spiritual energy generated during Nascent Soul condensation to impact his soul, allowing his intangible Three Souls and Seven Poisons to successfully take form as the first soul, the "Heavenly Soul"—instead of a Nascent Soul!There was often a thin line between genius and madness, and Linghu was such a mad genius. To verify and deduce his mysterious technique, he had abandoned the path of Nascent Soul condensation! Instead, he used the most massive spiritual energy to impact the most fragile soul—and he had actually succeeded!That's right. What Linghu was cultivating, using the massive power of Nascent Soul condensation, was the mysterious technique he had comprehended himself: the "Soul Verification Scripture"!Everyone knew that humans had Three Souls and Seven Poisons, which together formed the Ten Directions of Thought!The Three Souls were: the Heavenly Soul, the Earthly Soul, and the Life Soul.The Seven Poisons were: the Heavenly Thrust, the Spiritual Wisdom, the Qi, the Strength, the Central Hub, the Essence, and the Heroism.Everyone knew that humans had Three Souls and Seven Poisons, each responsible for different things, but no one could touch these souls or make them tangible!Because the human soul was too tiny—so tiny that the Three Souls and Seven Poisons could not be touched at all. They existed only in human spiritual consciousness, so fragile that once spiritual consciousness was lost, the soul would have to fall into a deep sleep. If spiritual consciousness could not awaken, the soul would never wake up again!Linghu's self-deduced and successfully created mysterious technique, the "Soul Verification Scripture," completely changed all of this.This was a technique that cultivated the soul and could strengthen it infinitely!He remembered his first Nascent Soul attempt, when he used the massive spiritual energy of Nascent Soul condensation to impact the boundless spiritual space in his mind. His weak soul was successfully catalyzed into a vague form in his spiritual consciousness. Under the almost endless washing of the Nascent Soul light, the vague soul gradually grew stronger. Just as the Nascent Soul light was about to be exhausted, he successfully stimulated all the power of his Golden Core realm, separating the first soul ruler, the "Heavenly Soul," from the fused Three Souls and Seven Poisons—and successfully giving it form!It was precisely because he had exhausted all the power of his Golden Core realm at the critical moment of shaping the soul that Linghu's realm had fallen from the Golden Core realm to the Foundation Establishment realm after his "failed" Nascent Soul attempt!
