Three Souls

The human body has three souls and seven ethereal souls. The three souls are the Heaven Soul, Earth Soul, and Life Soul. However, the Heaven Soul and Earth Soul are not within the human body but outside it. Yet, these two souls constantly resonate and tremble with the human body, though it's difficult for ordinary people to feel this resonance. The Earth Soul resides in hell, under the control of the Great Dao of Life and Death, which is the Dao of Heaven and Earth. The Heaven Soul scatters throughout the surrounding heaven and earth when a person is born. Among the three souls, only the Life Soul remains with the self. Cultivation is about guiding the Earth Soul and Heaven Soul back into the human body, breaking free from the control of heaven and earth. Therefore, cultivation is said to be a path against heaven. As he spoke, a hint of worry flickered across Lingyun's face, and he hesitated, lost in thought.

"What does this have to do with cultivating Spiritual Sense?" Ling Tian asked, confused after his father had spoken at length without connecting it to his own cultivation of Spiritual Sense.

"Don't rush, let me finish. Your impatience is just like your Mother's, haha." Lingyun's worry lessened somewhat when Ling Tian interrupted him.

Ling Tian immediately chuckled sheepishly, and even Humei lowered her head shyly.

"Spiritual Sense is composed of the soul and Mental Power. To generate Spiritual Sense, the three souls must become one and merge with each other," Lingyun continued, not dwelling on the interruption.

"Then how can the three souls become one?" Ling Tian, now understanding why he couldn't generate Spiritual Sense, couldn't help but ask, his expression quite eager.

"As a cultivator's Mental Power grows stronger, the resonance between the human body and the Heaven Soul and Earth Soul will become clearer. The Life Soul is also within the human body. Use the Life Soul to trigger the resonance of the Heaven and Earth souls, and then strive to guide them back to their positions," Lingyun said, his expression growing slightly solemn for some reason.

"How do I guide them? I tried, but the feeling is so faint, especially for the Heaven Soul, it feels almost nonexistent." Ling Tian impatiently began to try, but with little success.

"You, you! How many times have I told you not to be so impatient? Don't you know 'Without tranquility, one cannot attain far-reaching goals'? The path of cultivation especially abhors haste. It seems you've thrown all the training I gave you to the winds," Lingyun said, a hint of anger in his voice, frustrated by his son's lack of progress.

"Father is right to scold me. Tian'er knows his mistake." Ling Tian, rarely seeing his father angry, was startled and at a loss, quickly admitting his fault.

Lingyun's expression softened slightly. After a pause, he said, "I'll teach you some hand seals specifically later. If you cultivate diligently, you'll be able to enhance the resonance with the Heaven and Earth souls."

"Okay, I understand, Father." Ling Tian no longer dared to be impatient and only replied after his father paused for a moment.

"As for your Heaven Soul feeling weak, that..." Lingyun's expression became somewhat agitated. He looked up at the sky, unsure how to explain. He knew Ling Tian came from the Immortal Realm, so his Heaven Soul would naturally be in the Immortal Realm. Ling Tian was currently in the cultivation world, and it was far more difficult to sense his Heaven Soul here than if he had been born in the cultivation world. The fact that Ling Tian could faintly sense his Heaven Soul was already a miracle.

"Oh." Ling Tian looked at the sky, then at his father's expression. He was born in the Immortal Realm, so how could he not know the root of the problem? Thinking of this, his heart couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

"It's alright, cultivate slowly. The feeling will definitely grow stronger. Perhaps then it will happen naturally," Lingyun said, seeing Ling Tian's dejection. He felt a pang of sympathy and had previously speculated why this child had descended to the Lower Realm. He figured this child must have a difficult fate, and with that thought, he quickly comforted Ling Tian.

"Mhm, I know, Father, hehe." Ling Tian knew his father was comforting him, but he didn't want his father to worry about him, so he forced a smile.

Lingyun had lived for hundreds or even thousands of years. As the saying goes, "old people are shrewd." How could he not see through Ling Tian's youthful pretense? A sharp pain struck his heart, and he suddenly exclaimed, "You cultivate first. If it really doesn't work, I'll set up a Heaven and Earth Soul Guiding Great Array. Such a heaven-defying array should be useful."

"Yes, Father." Ling Tian felt deeply grateful. For his father, with his cultivation and knowledge, to call it heaven-defying, the array must be extraordinarily effective, though he also assumed its side effects would be considerable.

"Alright, let me teach you some hand seals to strengthen the connection between the two souls." With that, he began teaching Ling Tian. There weren't many sets of hand seals, and Ling Tian quickly learned them.

"Father, if the Earth Soul returns to the body, won't people stop dying? You said the Earth Soul is in hell, controlled by the Great Dao of Life and Death. If the Earth Soul returns, people shouldn't die, right?" After learning the hand seals, Ling Tian suddenly remembered what his father had said about the Heaven, Earth, and Life souls.

"Heaven and Earth are unfeeling; how could they be so compassionate?" Lingyun's expression was filled with disdain and resentment. Seeing Ling Tian's confusion, he continued, "When the three souls return, they form Spiritual Sense, but the Heaven and Earth souls will still leave traces in the world. Therefore, the Earth Soul has not truly escaped the Great Dao of Life and Death and will still be drawn by hell. There are many other factors involved, which you don't need to know now. You'll understand in time."

"As expected, nothing in the world comes for free. What about the Life Soul? The Life Soul has been within the body from the start. I'm afraid it's the only one we can control." Ling Tian asked again.

"Control? Hehe, is it that simple? The Life Soul influences many things. Life itself leads to the concept of fortune, which is destiny. And destiny, comprehension, these ethereal things seem to be related to the Life Soul." Lingyun sighed deeply at this point, continuing, "Although the Life Soul is said to be within oneself, it is controlled by the destiny of heaven and earth. Think about it, how tragic it is for one's own destiny to be in the hands of heaven and earth. Alas, those who follow destiny are tragic; those who defy destiny die! What can be done? What can be done?"

"Those who follow destiny are tragic; those who defy destiny die? It seems cultivation is about defying heaven and resisting fate," Ling Tian murmured, repeating his father's words.

"Furthermore, if the Life Soul is damaged, at best, one's intellect will be greatly impaired, turning them into an idiot like a walking corpse. At worst, their soul will scatter, and their life will vanish," Lingyun added, his tone filled with emotion.

"Cultivation is perilous, but in the end, one can only face the danger head-on. Otherwise, having one's life controlled by others is even more tragic." Seeing Ling Tian lost in thought, Lingyun didn't want him to lose his resolve, so he continued.

"Father, I understand. Since I've chosen the path of cultivation, I will naturally ride the currents and strive to one day control my own destiny, looking down upon this unfeeling heaven and earth." Ling Tian's expression was resolute, his gaze sweeping across the world.

"Hehe, that's my good child. A true man should have the spirit to shatter the vast firmament with a single sword. Go rest. You cultivate, and don't worry if it doesn't work out. I'll prepare some things for you during this time, but don't use the Heaven and Earth Soul Guiding Great Array unless it's absolutely necessary." Lingyun said, filled with relief and admonishment.

Ling Tian originally wanted to ask his father about the names and functions of the seven ethereal souls among the three souls and seven ethereal souls. However, knowing he couldn't be too ambitious, he bid farewell to his father and mother and went back to rest.

In his dream, Ling Tian dreamt he had achieved great cultivation. He took Hua Min'er, his father, and mother to the Immortal Realm. With a single sword, he beat the eight Heavenly Lords into a panicked retreat, scattering them like rats. In his triumph, something hit him on the head, and in a daze, the dream broke. However, he didn't wake up and continued to sleep soundly.

The next day, Ling Tian went out with a large bump on his head. He gently touched the bump, a wry smile on his face, thinking he must have hit his head while being too smug in his dream.

He didn't go to see Ling Yun and his wife. Instead, he headed straight for Qingming Peak. After recalling the beloved in his dream a few times in his mind, he began to cultivate.

There weren't many hand seals Lingyun had taught him. Ling Tian formed the hand seals, and with a few changes, he completed the sequence. Instantly, a life-like pulsation became active in his mind, gradually growing stronger.

"This must be the Life Soul. I wonder if the Heaven Soul and Earth Soul can be felt this strongly." Ling Tian's heart stirred, and he knew it was what his father called the Life Soul.

He felt the life aura of the Life Soul, and a sense of awe washed over him. Perhaps it was reverence for life, Ling Tian mused. After carefully sensing it for a moment, he tried to use the Life Soul to trigger the resonance of the Heaven and Earth souls.

Gradually, he felt two pulsations similar to that of the Life Soul. One was quite distinct, carrying a profound mystery of intertwined life and death. The other felt very weak, almost nonexistent.

"The one with intertwined life and death should be the Earth Soul in hell. This one feels quite distinct; I estimate I could bring it back into my body with a little effort." Ling Tian rejoiced inwardly. His hand seals changed again, and the feeling became even stronger.

"Buzz!"

Suddenly, a powerful soul force surged from the area he had sensed, its speed increasing rapidly, gradually taking on a whistling momentum. In the blink of an eye, it enveloped the space above Ling Tian's head. The sea of mist around Ling Tian seemed to solidify, creating a vacuum. The soul force circled for a moment before heading towards Ling Tian.

"Ah!" Ling Tian let out a comfortable groan. His mind suddenly felt much clearer. A pulsation, similar to that of the Life Soul, entered his mind and began to intertwine with the Life Soul.

"This feels so good! The world suddenly seems so much clearer. It must be the Earth Soul returning and merging with the Life Soul," Ling Tian rejoiced inwardly. His Mental Power greatly increased, and even his perception of objects became different, much clearer.

"I wonder if, after the Earth Soul and Life Soul fully merge, they can together guide the Heaven Soul back?" Ling Tian's heart stirred, and this thought suddenly occurred to him. He then controlled the two souls to merge. He could now clearly feel the pulsation of the Heaven Soul, and the feeling was growing clearer.

Next, Ling Tian focused on controlling the fusion of the two souls. The two life pulsations resonated with each other, merging together, gradually showing signs of becoming one. The two pulsations also began to converge, and although it was slow, they were indeed moving closer.

"At this rate, it will take at least ten days to a month for the two souls to fully merge," Ling Tian said, ending his cultivation for the day as the moon rose and the sun set, feeling the progress.

Returning to Qingyou Peak, Ling Tian told Ling Yun about his idea of merging the two souls to guide the Heaven Soul. Ling Yun was shocked. It wasn't surprising. Others typically guided both the Heaven and Earth souls back into their bodies simultaneously; no one had ever seen anything like this.

"It should be feasible, haha. How do you feel now? Can you sense the Heaven Soul?" Ling Yun asked excitedly.

"Yes, I can sense it very clearly now, though I still can't bring it back. However, my Life Soul and Earth Soul haven't fully merged yet. Perhaps there will be some changes after they completely merge," Ling Tian said, also extremely pleased, but he managed to control himself, patiently explaining his feelings to his father.

"Good, good. Continue cultivating. We'll see in a while," Ling Yun said, starting to become a bit incoherent. If this matter could be resolved, the heavy burden on his heart would be lifted.

"Yes, I understand, Father. I'll go back and continue cultivating." Ling Tian bid farewell to his father and returned to his bedroom to continue merging the two souls. The merging of these two souls could also happen automatically during sleep, just at a slower pace.