Returning to his own courtyard, Li Fan once again extracted a soul to begin the process of examination.
This time, he keenly sensed a difference from before. Previously, within the vast white space, he was unable to effectively discern the presence of a Soul Contract, relying solely on vague intuitive guesses.
But having been washed repeatedly with countless souls within the Sea of Resentful Souls, a wondrous transformation had been induced within his own soul.
After a series of tests, Li Fan was pleasantly surprised to discover that his success rate had leapt from two in a thousand to three percent.
This straightforward, brute-force method suits me just fine. Li Fan thought, a thrill of excitement stirring within him. With just a few more sessions, identifying Soul Contracts won't be a problem anymore.
With the aid of the Spirit Transformation Stone and the Xuanhuang Heart Refinement Sutra, the Sea of Resentful Souls posed almost no risk to Li Fan. Instead, it was a tremendous opportunity.
Similar to the sensation after using the Intent Horse in the past, Li Fan felt faintly that his own soul had grown somewhat stronger. He was rather looking forward to the next session of “surfing” the Sea of Resentful Souls.
And so, amidst the studying, training, and the soul-scouring, Li Fan's success rate in sensing Soul Contracts steadily climbed.
It rose from five percent, to ten, then to fifty...
When the “lucky” group had dwindled to only eight survivors, this additional special training finally concluded. By then, Li Fan's proficiency had stabilized at an eighty percent accuracy rate.
Ji Hongdao's evaluation was that he ranked in the middle of the pack, barely acceptable, with promising prospects for the future.
Unfortunately, the Strategy Array Hall's period of access to the Sea of Resentful Souls had come to an end. Li Fan would have no more chances at that kind of guided instruction. From here on, he was on his own.
Still, after so many days of being washed over by the Sea of Resentful Souls and coming into close contact with the countless souls bearing Soul Contracts, he had begun to develop a faint feel for how to identify them. Whenever a particular sensation arose while he was examining a soul, something reminiscent of the contact with soul-waves, there was roughly an eighty percent chance a Soul Contract was present. A final verification on top of that brought his success rate considerably higher.
Having overcome this limitation, Li Fan's ranking among the many array path prodigies also steadily rose.
Just as Li Fan continued his training at the Cosmos Branch Academy, Anchor Year 27 arrived.
***
In the Congyun Sea, near a desolate island.
Xiao Heng stood facing the wind, his bearing vastly different from before. One hundred and eight azure water swords spun and shifted around him, forming one mysterious array after another.
He gazed solemnly at the seawater below.
A strange cry emanated from the depths of the sea. Then, a shadow beneath the surface rapidly expanded, instantly enveloping Xiao Heng.
The phantom of a colossal exotic beast materialized in a flash, opening its massive maw to devour him.
A flash of blue light passed through Xiao Heng's eyes. In that instant, his form grew indistinct. He vanished from his original spot, evading the exotic beast's assault.
High in the sky, Xiao Heng looked down at the beast that had missed its strike, a faint smile appearing on his face.
With a gentle exhale, the surrounding clouds were drawn towards him, coalescing. Figures formed entirely of clouds, bearing a great resemblance to Xiao Heng, took shape with astonishing speed.
Ten, a hundred, a thousand...
In the blink of an eye, an army of cloud-men had formed. Brandishing sharp swords, they flew down to attack the exotic beast below.
Instantly, sword light crisscrossed, and thousands of explosions blossomed across the exotic beast's body.
"Pathetic! So pathetic!" The exotic beast actually spoke in human tongue. "Xiao Heng, are you trying to tickle me?"
It was Ye Feipeng's voice.
After effortlessly blocking Xiao Heng's assault, Ye Feipeng's massive form shuddered slightly. Then the sea churned, rearing up in terrifying hundred-zhang waves.
The exotic beast took to the air, transforming into a great bird that shot toward the heavens. It charged headlong into the legion of ten thousand cloud-men.
In a single moment, it shattered every last cloud-man to mist and appeared right beside Xiao Heng.
Xiao Heng's expression remained unchanged as his body grew illusory once more.
A moment later, he reappeared in another part of the sky.
"Fatso, what use is brute strength alone?
"Your attacks are like hurling an axe at the sky. The sky is so vast, so boundless. No matter how high you throw the axe, it can never so much as graze the sky's hide!
"This is one of the four laws I comprehended for my Golden Core—Sky’s Law!
"What do you think?" A trace of pride colored Xiao Heng's tone.
Previously, when he was nearing core formation, a subtle intuition had guided him to the heart of the Congyun Sea.
When he saw that ethereal, dreamlike, transparent structure standing firm in the sky, Xiao Heng had been profoundly moved.
Cloudwater Palace held countless opportunities within. Countless cultivators risked life and limb to enter, hoping to strike it rich in a single day.
Yet, they all overlooked the fact that the very existence of Cloudwater Palace itself was a miracle!
Cloud and water given form, drifting at the horizon. A magnificent spectacle between reality and illusion!
Xiao Heng had stood outside Cloudwater Palace for nearly a year. During that time, innumerable cultivators came and went, pointing and whispering about him.
He paid them no mind, focusing solely on his contemplation.
In the end, by meditating on the manner in which the Cloudwater Palace existed in the world, he comprehended Cloud’s Law and Sky’s Law.
Combined with Sea’s Law and Sword’s Law, which he had gained from cultivating the Sea-Calming Sword Art, he finally condensed his Golden Core using these four laws!
Not long after returning to the desolate island, however, he encountered Ye Feipeng, who had also broken through to the Golden Core realm.
With his newfound strength, Xiao Heng naturally felt a stir of eagerness and began entertaining the idea of a sparring match.
Ye Feipeng readily agreed.
Thus, the battle that had just transpired began.
Even with ample mental preparation, Xiao Heng was startled as they clashed.
Ye Feipeng's beast transformation had grown far more complete than before. He could shed his human form entirely now, becoming a true exotic beast in every sense.
In his Kun form, his body was immeasurably vast. He could conceal himself beneath the waves and move with breathtaking speed, making him nearly impossible to pin down. One moment's inattention and he would erupt from below the surface, swallowing everything within reach.
In his Peng form, his speed climbed yet another notch, and when his wings unfurled, hurricanes followed.
With both speed and strength amplified, his destructive power was staggering. Xiao Heng's Golden Core-level Sea-Calming Sword Array, formed with 108 swords, had been shattered by a single charge.
What saved Xiao Heng each time was the profound nature of Sky's Law he had comprehended, allowing him to slip free of Ye Feipeng's frenzied attacks again and again.
Watching it happen once more, the little fatty began to seethe.
"Xiao's axe, the sky is high and vast; can an axe reach even the sky's hide? Xiao Heng, you are far too arrogant!
"Human power has its limits. You are just a Golden Core cultivator; how can you presume to compare yourself to the true sky?
"If you are the sky... then I shall devour the sky!"
With a roar that shook the earth, the Kun-Peng's already colossal form swelled even larger. Its wings beat, and countless chains of azure wind materialized before it, weaving together into a cage that sealed off the sky.
Then its maw fell open, and a blot of pure shadow poured out from within.
The shadow seemed to exert an unrelenting, devouring pull. The very fabric of the sky began to warp, stretching and flowing toward the creature's mouth.
Xiao Heng's expression shifted. He moved to change position, to employ his elusive art once more.
Then horror shot through him. Sky's Law, which had never failed him before, had failed him now. His body was dragged helplessly toward that terrifying maw, and the immense pressure crushing in from all sides brought his spiritual qi to a standstill.
Left with no other option, Xiao Heng threw up his hands. "I yield! I yield!"
A flash of crimson bloodlust flickered in the Kun-Peng's eyes. For a moment, it showed no sign of stopping.
Then, after a heartbeat, darkness reclaimed its gaze. Ye Feipeng came back to himself and pulled back.