Chapter 122: Soul [PART 1]
During dinner, it was only Xiang Yu and Elder Guo. Elder Huang and Li Yao were still busy as always. They chatted casually as they ate, with Elder Guo sharing stories and cultivation insights while Xiang Yu listened attentively, occasionally asking questions.
When he returned to the spirit vein, Xiang Yu removed his robes and stepped into the spirit spring, feeling the spiritual energy immediately begin to permeate his skin.
"This time, I’ll push myself twice as long as yesterday," he thought. His eyes drifted to the two hundred eighth-grade healing pills he had refined earlier. "I’ve prepared properly. Tonight, I’m really going all out."
Xiang Yu took several deep breaths, clearing his mind and steadying his nerves. The anticipation of what was to come sent a shiver down his spine. After one final moment of preparation, he released his control over the bloodlines within him.
The effect was instantaneous. The dragon and phoenix essences shot through his veins like lightning, hurtling toward each other with primal aggression. The moment they collided, Xiang Yu’s skin ruptured in dozens of places, blood seeping from the wounds as internal damage spread like wildfire.
Pain erupted through every fiber of his being, far more intense than his previous session. Xiang Yu clenched his teeth so hard he feared they might crack, yet he refused to make a sound. "It’s even worse than last time," he realized through the haze of agony. He had assumed the pain would become more manageable as his body strengthened, but he’d overlooked a crucial detail—the bloodlines were growing stronger alongside him.
An hour later, Xiang Yu’s trembling hand reached for his tenth pill. He swallowed it with difficulty, his throat raw from suppressed screams. "Still a few hours left to endure," he reminded himself, his determination unwavering despite the torment.
After another two hours, his condition had deteriorated dramatically. His skin was torn open across his entire body, and his internal organs had been reduced to a chaotic mess of damaged tissue. With bloodied, shaking hands, he grabbed twenty pills and swallowed them in one gulp. His critically damaged body absorbed their effects immediately, desperately trying to repair the devastation. Yet each healed wound would reopen seconds later as the relentless bloodlines continued their vicious battle.
Another hour passed. Xiang Yu clung to consciousness by a thread, his vision blurring as he forced himself to swallow another pill. "I’ve taken so many pills," he thought hazily. "If it weren’t for my Transcendent Dao Body’s ability to refine them, I’d have died from pill poisoning long ago. Anyone else’s body would have started rejecting them after the first dozen."
As yet another hour dragged by, Xiang Yu reached his absolute breaking point. His body screamed for relief, begging him to stop the bloodlines’ conflict. The sensation resembled holding one’s breath underwater far past the point of comfort—every instinct demanded he release control and end the self-imposed torture.
With herculean effort, Xiang Yu fought against his survival instincts. His hand trembled violently as he reached for another twenty pills, swallowing them desperately. The medicinal energy provided momentary relief, allowing him to reclaim a sliver of clarity.
"How long has it been?" he wondered, his thoughts fragmented by pain. His question was answered as the familiar notification finally appeared before his eyes:
[Calculating Settlement]
...
[Body Refining: 11th Layer (5760/11,000) (+1000/11,000)]
[Qi Gathering: 6th Layer (300/600) (+300/600)]
[Mind: Level 4 (2734/4000) (+10/4000)]
[Spiritual Root: Medium-Grade Omni-Element (20/2000)]
[Transcendent Dao Body: Level 1 (270/1,000,000) (+10/1,000,000)]
[Chaos Body: Level 1 (150/10,000) (+50/10,000)]
[Bloodline: Dragon, Phoenix: Thin Blood (260/1000) (+100/1000)]
[Enlightenment: Superior (110/4000) (+10/4000)]
[Spirit Flame: Abyssal Void Flame: 5th Grade (10/50,000) (+10/50,000)]
[High-grade Lightning Strike & Palm: Minor Success (5/200) (+5/200)]
[High-grade Fire Palm: Minor Success (66/200)]
[High-grade Water, Wood, Earth, Metal Palm: Minor Success (18/200)]
[High-grade Ice, Wind, Light, Dark Palm: Beginner (28/100)]
[Cook: 4th Grade (420/600) (+20/600)]
[Appraiser: 6th Grade (1/400) (+1/400)]
[Talisman Maker: 8th Grade (100/200)]
[Alchemist, Formation Master, Blacksmith: 8th Grade (50/200) (+50/200)]
[Experience Points Doubled]
[Alchemist, Formation Master, Blacksmith: 8th Grade (50/200) → 8th Grade (100/200)]
[Talisman Maker: 8th Grade (100/200) → 7th Grade (0/300)]
[Appraiser: 6th Grade (1/400) → 6th Grade (2/400)]
[Cook: 4th Grade (420/600) → 3rd Grade (0/700)]
[High-grade Ice, Wind, Light, Dark Palm: Beginner (28/100) → Beginner (56/100)]
[High-grade Water, Wood, Earth, Metal Palm: Minor Success (18/200) → Minor Success (36/200)]
[High-grade Fire Palm: Minor Success (66/200) → Minor Success (132/200)]
[High-grade Lightning Strike & Palm: Minor Success (5/200) → Minor Success (10/200)]
[Spirit Flame: Abyssal Void Flame: 5th Grade (10/50,000) → 5th Grade (20/50,000)]
[Enlightenment: Superior (110/4000) → Superior (220/4000)]
[Bloodline: Dragon, Phoenix: Thin Blood (260/1000) → Thin Blood (520/1000)]
[Chaos Body: Level 1 (150/10,000) → Level 1 (300/10,000)]
[Transcendent Dao Body: Level 1 (270/1,000,000) → Level 1 (540/1,000,000)]
[Spiritual Root: Medium-Grade Omni-Element (20/2000) → Medium (40/2000)]
[Mind: Level 4 (2734/4000) → Level 5 (0/5000)]
[Qi Gathering: 6th Layer (300/600) → 7th Layer (0/700)]
[Body Refining: 11th Layer (5760/11,000) → 12th Layer (0/12,000)]
As soon as the doubling interface appeared, Xiang Yu found himself instantly transported to a different location. His surroundings shifted dramatically, and he immediately recognized the place as his spiritual sea—though it appeared strangely transformed.
The spiritual sea had become remarkably more vibrant than before, filled with gently flowing qi that pulsed with vitality. Most surprisingly, there was now an actual sea of qi within his spiritual sea. Xiang Yu marveled at this development, finally understanding why cultivators referred to it as a "spiritual sea" in the first place.
Though modest in size—merely ten meters in radius, more of a puddle than a true sea—its appearance marked a significant advancement in his cultivation.
As he gazed across this miniature ocean, something at its center caught his attention—a peculiar object floating gently on the surface. Curiosity drew him forward, and Xiang Yu stepped cautiously into the qi sea.
The sensation was unexpectedly refreshing, like plunging into cool spring water after a long journey. The qi immediately began replenishing his mental strength, washing away the lingering exhaustion from his bloodline training.
Wading deeper, he approached the mysterious object. It appeared egg-shaped, its surface a pristine white that seemed to glow with an inner light. Something about it called to him, compelling him to reach out. As his fingers made contact with the smooth shell, it cracked immediately, fracturing into delicate pieces that dissolved into the sea around him.
From within emerged not a creature as he might have expected, but a human baby. Xiang Yu stared in bewilderment at the infant, noting with increasing confusion that it bore a striking resemblance to himself—the same distinctive features, just in miniature form.
"What is happening?" he wondered, "Did I somehow give birth to a child? Is this even possible?"
Confusion mounting, Xiang Yu quickly summoned his system interface, desperate for answers:
[Realm: Body: 12th Layer (3/12,000); Spirit: Qi Gathering 7th Layer (2/700); Mind: Level 5 (1/5000); Soul: Infant (1/100,000)]
...
Author’s Note:
Tell me if I missed anything