Time flowed quietly as Li Fan continued to familiarize himself with the special characteristics of the Five Elders Council cultivators’ souls.
With the Wraith Hairpin serving as a Curio, his sensitivity to souls was greatly enhanced. Thus, his identification success rate nearly doubled. From one in a thousand, it had become two in a thousand—a monumental leap!
Hmm, it is indeed useful. A pity my original foundation was too poor. To reach a passing standard, I still need to intensify my training.
As he threw himself wholly into the process of examining souls, the density of golden light within the Soul-Gathering Pearl plummeted.
Seven days later, after all fifteen of the previously eliminated “lucky ones” had returned to the Cosmos Branch Academy, the second phase of closed-door training officially began.
The students had heard more or less about the "accidental" deaths of Tantai Tao and the others, and their expressions were somewhat complex. However, everyone understood the matter ran deep; no one discussed it openly.
Besides studying the inner structure of the Tianxuan Soul-Locking Array, the second phase of training focused on further improving the accuracy of sensing Soul Contract marks. The requirement was to achieve one hundred percent accuracy.
For substitute members like Li Fan, who had originally failed to meet the standard, this was quite difficult. Fortunately, Ji Hongdao had considered this point and had very "thoughtfully" prepared special training for these stragglers.
"You were originally eliminated, yet due to certain... circumstances, you have returned here.
"This is your fate. Though your talent may be inferior to others, your fate is better than those geniuses.
"Fate... is important.
"The reason you were eliminated before was essentially that you failed to sense Soul Contract marks. The wasted Soul-Gathering Pearl proves you are not adept in this path.
"Since that is the case, to ensure you pass, we can only change our methods."
Ji Hongdao looked at Li Fan and the others expressionlessly and waved his hand.
From the void above, below, and all around, several golden chains suddenly extended, binding their hands and feet.
Ignoring the students' somewhat stunned expressions, Ji Hongdao said coldly, "This method is extremely dangerous. If you cannot endure it, becoming a mindless idiot would be the best outcome. Things like the complete annihilation of body and soul or a swift death would be a form of release.
"We did not employ this method earlier precisely because, for ordinary cultivators, the mortality rate is too high.
A strange light flickered in Ji Hongdao's eyes.
"However, since your fates are so good, I imagine it shouldn't be a problem."
He clapped his hands lightly, and the surrounding scenery suddenly shifted.
The roar of surging waves reached their ears. Li Fan and the others, bound by golden chains, found themselves shackled to reefs by the sea.
Though their limbs were locked, their vision remained unimpeded.
Li Fan narrowed his eyes slightly, studying the "sea" before him.
The aura emanating from this sea made his hair stand on end.
Listening carefully, he seemed to hear countless cries of agony and torment within the sound of the waves.
This is... As if recognizing something, Li Fan's expression changed slightly.
"Before you lies the infamous Sea of Resentful Souls from the Myriad Immortals Alliance.
"For thousands of years, the shattered souls of all Five Elders Council cultivators who have died in battle within the Alliance's territory have been absorbed into this Sea of Resentful Souls.
"Accumulated over the long years, no one knows just how many souls have gathered in this sea.
"Every drop of seawater could be the amalgamation of several, even over a dozen, cultivators' souls.
"Since you cannot discern Soul Contract marks when sensing each soul individually,... then let us increase the quantity." Ji Hongdao said coldly, his eyes slightly lowered.
As his words fell, the Sea of Resentful Souls seemed to answer a command.
Waves rose without wind, turmoil birthed from stillness.
A towering wall of water, several zhang high, suddenly formed and crashed down onto Li Fan and the others, who were chained to the coastal rocks.
The moment the water made contact, countless images and a torrent of emotions instantly flooded Li Fan's mind.
The condensed soul fragments spread through his sea of consciousness with brutal force, scrambling over each other, forcibly occupying every inch of space available. They didn’t care whether or not he could process the massive influx of information in this short time.
The sheer magnitude of the assault arrived too suddenly. Caught off guard, Li Fan nearly lost his grip on his mind and sense of self.
Cursing inwardly, he strained with all his might to maintain the existence of his core consciousness beneath this tsunami of souls.
Simultaneously, the Dao Transformation Stone in his mind operated at full capacity, swiftly categorizing, archiving, and processing the ocean of information mingled within the countless souls.
And, as if sensing mortal danger, the Xuanhuang Heart Refinement Sutra now began to operate with a rare, increased efficiency, absorbing all the negative emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, fear—from the soul fragments.
With this dual approach, Li Fan barely managed to endure.
Glancing at the other cultivators from the corner of his eye, he saw that one had failed to withstand it.
Under the impact of the Sea of Resentful Souls, the cultivator's body dissolved, their soul becoming part of the seawater.
The vast majority had a vacant blankness occupying their eyes, only the occasional twitch of a dark pupil indicating their consciousness hadn't been completely erased yet.
Only two or three others, like Li Fan, had already recovered from the shock of the soul-tide. However, the horrifically twisted expressions on their faces spoke volumes of the agony they were currently enduring.
Mimicking an expression of unbearable suffering, Li Fan had no time for further thought before the second wave arrived.
Submersion. Resistance. Recovery. Submersion again.
In this relentless cycle, an indeterminate length of time passed before the sea finally calmed.
The chains vanished, and everyone, drained of strength, collapsed to the ground.
"Your fates truly are remarkable. Out of fifteen, eleven of you actually held on," Ji Hongdao remarked with a hint of astonishment.
"Fate is indeed profound and mysterious. Though intangible, it undeniably exists. You should know, according to our previous statistics, the survival rate of ordinary cultivators impacted by the Sea of Resentful Souls is only about one percent. Excellent!" Ji Hongdao seemed genuinely pleased. "Today's special training is concluded. You may return and rest."
The group couldn't help but let out a collective sigh of relief.
"We continue tomorrow," Ji Hongdao added.
Upon hearing this, fear settled over the group, their faces going pale.
Their survival today had arguably been a matter of pure luck. Who knew if they could hold on tomorrow? Inevitably, some began to consider backing out. After all, compared to any future in the array path, one's own life was still more important.
However, all these individuals received from Ji Hongdao was an icy "Want to quit now? It's too late.
"The Sea of Resentful Souls is a treasure beyond measure. Even for our Strategy Array Hall, securing access to it was no simple matter.
"Either you endure it, or you become part of it."
The cultivators whose requests had been denied turned ashen, slumping to the ground in defeat.
Li Fan, however, felt no trace of fear.