Three Souls

"The human body had three souls and seven ethereal souls. The three souls were the Heaven Soul, Earth Soul, and Life Soul. But the Heaven Soul and Earth Soul were not inside the body; they were outside it. Even so, those two souls constantly resonated with the body, though ordinary people could hardly sense it. The Earth Soul was in hell, under the control of the Great Dao of Life and Death, which was one of the laws of heaven and earth. When a person was born, the Heaven Soul scattered throughout the world around them. Of the three souls, only the Life Soul always remained with the person. Cultivation meant drawing the Earth Soul and Heaven Soul back into the body and escaping the control of heaven and earth. That was why cultivation was a path that defied heaven." At this point, a trace of worry crept into Lingyun's heart. He hesitated, as if unsure what to say.

"What does this have to do with cultivating spiritual awareness?" Ling Tian asked. His father had said so much, yet none of it seemed related to cultivating spiritual awareness, and he couldn't help feeling confused.

"Don't rush. Let me finish. You're so impatient, just like your mother. Ha ha!" Lingyun's worries eased somewhat after Ling Tian interrupted him.

Ling Tian could only laugh sheepishly, while Humei lowered her head shyly.

"Spiritual awareness is made up of the soul and Mental Power. To develop spiritual awareness, the three souls have to return to one body and merge with one another." Lingyun didn't make an issue of it and continued explaining.

"Then how do the three souls return to one body?" Now that Ling Tian understood why he couldn't develop spiritual awareness, he couldn't help asking, looking rather impatient.

"When a cultivator's Mental Power grows stronger, the resonance between the body and the Heaven Soul and Earth Soul becomes clearer. There's also the Life Soul inside the body. You use it to stir the resonance of the two souls in heaven and earth, then work to draw them back into place." Lingyun's expression grew slightly solemn, though it was unclear why.

"How do I draw them back? I tried, but the feeling was so faint. The Heaven Soul in particular felt almost nonexistent." Ling Tian immediately tried it, impatient to get started, but achieved very little.

"You, honestly! How many times have I told you not to be so impatient? Have you never heard that 'without tranquility, one cannot reach afar'? Impatience is even more taboo on the path of cultivation. It seems you've tossed all my training out the window!" Lingyun grew a little angry, exasperated at his son, and couldn't help scolding him.

"You're right, Father. Tian'er knows he was wrong." Ling Tian rarely saw his father angry and was so frightened that he didn't know what to do. He hurriedly admitted his mistake.

Lingyun's expression softened slightly. After a brief pause, he said, "I'll teach you some hand seals in a moment. Practice them carefully, and you'll be able to strengthen your resonance with the two souls in heaven and earth."

"Mm, I understand, Father." This time, Ling Tian didn't dare rush. He waited until his father had paused before replying.

"As for why your Heaven Soul feels so faint... well..." Lingyun looked troubled. He glanced up at the sky, unsure how to explain. He knew Ling Tian had come from the Immortal Realm, so naturally his Heaven Soul was there. But Ling Tian was now in the Cultivation World, making it far harder to sense than it would have been had he been born here. The fact that Ling Tian could feel it at all was already a miracle.

"Oh." Ling Tian looked up at the sky, then at his father's expression. He had been born in the Immortal Realm—how could he not know what the problem was? The thought left him feeling gloomy.

"It's all right. Keep cultivating, and the sensation will grow stronger. When the time comes, perhaps everything will fall into place naturally." Seeing Ling Tian's sadness, Lingyun couldn't bear it. He had once tried to figure out why the boy had come to the Lower Realm. It seemed he was a child born to suffer. Thinking of that, Lingyun hurried to comfort him.

"Mm, I know, Father. Hee hee." Ling Tian knew his father was trying to comfort him, but he didn't want his father to worry, so he forced a smile.

Lingyun had lived for hundreds, if not a thousand years. He was an old hand at reading people, and he saw straight through Ling Tian's clumsy pretense. His heart gave a faint ache, and he suddenly declared, "Keep cultivating for now. If it really doesn't work, I'll set up a Heaven and Earth Soul Guiding Great Array. A heaven-defying formation like that should do the trick."

"Mm, yes, Father." Ling Tian was deeply grateful. If even his father, with all his cultivation and knowledge, called it heaven-defying, then the formation must be extraordinary. But its side effects were probably just as serious.

"Enough. Let me teach you some hand seals to strengthen your connection with the two souls." With that, Lingyun began teaching him. There weren't many sets of seals, and Ling Tian learned them quickly.

"Father, once the Earth Soul returns to the body, does that mean people won't die? You said the Earth Soul was in hell, under the control of the Great Dao of Life and Death. If it comes back to the body, then surely a person won't die." After learning the hand seals, Ling Tian suddenly remembered what his father had said about the Heaven Soul, Earth Soul, and Life Soul.

"Heaven and earth are unfeeling. How could they be so merciful?" Lingyun's expression brimmed with disdain and resentment. Seeing Ling Tian's confusion, he continued, "When the three souls return, they form spiritual awareness, but the two souls of heaven and earth still leave traces in the world. So the Earth Soul hasn't truly escaped the Great Dao of Life and Death. Hell can still draw it away. There are many other factors involved, but you don't need to know about them yet. You'll understand in time."

"Sure enough, nothing in this world comes cheap. What about the Life Soul? It's inside us from the beginning, so I guess it's the only one we can control, right?" Ling Tian asked again.

"Control? Ha ha, it's not that simple. The Life Soul influences many things. A person has a life, and with life comes fortune—that is, fate. Things as intangible and elusive as fate and comprehension seem to be connected to the Life Soul." Lingyun sighed softly, then continued, "Though the Life Soul is inside you, it's still controlled by the fate of heaven and earth. Think about it: how tragic is it to have your fate in the hands of heaven and earth? Sigh... Those who follow heaven's will grieve; those who defy it die! What can be done? What can be done?"

"Those who follow heaven's will grieve; those who defy it die? So cultivation really is about defying heaven and fighting fate." Ling Tian murmured, repeating his father's words.

"And if the Life Soul is damaged, at best your mind will be gravely impaired, leaving you a mindless, walking corpse. At worst, your soul will scatter and your life will end." Lingyun's voice was full of emotion.

"The path of cultivation is perilous, but in the end, we can only face the danger and press on. Otherwise, it would be even more tragic to have our lives in someone else's hands." Seeing Ling Tian deep in thought, Lingyun didn't want him to lose heart and retreat, so he added this.

"Father, I understand. Since I've chosen the path of cultivation, I'll brave the rapids and push upstream. I'll strive to one day control my own fate and look down on this heartless heaven and earth." Ling Tian's expression was resolute, his gaze sweeping over all beneath the heavens.

"Ha ha, that's my good boy. A fine young man should have the spirit to swing his sword and cleave open the boundless sky. Go get some rest. Keep cultivating, and even if it doesn't work, don't worry. I'll prepare some things for you over the next while. But unless it's absolutely necessary, don't use the Heaven and Earth Soul Guiding Great Array." Lingyun was deeply pleased and gave Ling Tian his instructions.

Ling Tian had still wanted to ask his father about the names and functions of the seven ethereal souls, but he knew better than to reach too far beyond himself. He took his leave of his father and mother and went back to rest.

In his dream, Ling Tian imagined that he had reached an incredible level of cultivation and had taken Hua Min'er and his parents to the Immortal Realm. With a single sword, he beat the Eight Heavenly Lords until they fled in panic, clutching their heads. He was so pleased with himself that he didn't notice something smack him on the head. The blow left him groggy, and his dream ended—but he didn't wake. He just kept snoring away.

The next day, Ling Tian went out with a huge lump on his head. He gently touched it, his face twisted in a bitter smile. He must have been so smug in his dream that he'd bumped his head.

He didn't go to see Lingyun and his wife, heading straight to Qingming Peak instead. After recalling his dream girl several times in his mind, he began to cultivate.

The hand seals Lingyun had taught him weren't complicated. Ling Tian formed them with his hands, and after a few quick changes, he completed them. At once, he felt something like the beat of a life stir in his mind, growing stronger and stronger.

That must be the Life Soul. I wonder if I can sense the Heaven Soul and Earth Soul that clearly. Ling Tian's heart stirred, and he realized that this must be the Life Soul his father had mentioned.

As he sensed the Life Soul's vital aura, a shiver rose from within him. Perhaps this was reverence for life, Ling Tian thought. After concentrating on it for a moment, he tried to use the Life Soul to stir the resonance of the two souls in heaven and earth.

Gradually, he sensed two pulses, both similar to the Life Soul. One was quite distinct, carrying a mysterious quality in which life and death intertwined. The other was faint, almost imperceptible.

The one where life and death intertwine must be the Earth Soul in hell. I can sense it quite clearly. I bet a little effort would be enough to bring it back into my body. Ling Tian's heart leaped with joy. He changed the hand seals, and the sensation grew even stronger.

Hum!

Suddenly, a powerful force of soul surged from the place he had just sensed. It grew faster and faster, gradually building to a roar. In the blink of an eye, it had gathered above Ling Tian's head. The sea of mist around him seemed to freeze, forming a vacuum. The force of soul circled for a moment, then swept toward Ling Tian.

"Mm!" Ling Tian let out a sound of pleasure. Suddenly, everything in his mind felt much clearer. A pulse like that of the Life Soul entered his mind and began to intertwine with it.

This feels wonderful! The world suddenly seems so much clearer. The Earth Soul must have returned and joined with the Life Soul. Ling Tian was overjoyed. His Mental Power had increased greatly, and even the objects around him seemed different—so clear.

I wonder whether the two souls, once the Earth Soul and Life Soul have fully merged, can draw the Heaven Soul back as well. The thought occurred to Ling Tian. He immediately set about merging the two souls. He could already feel the Heaven Soul's pulse clearly, and it was growing clearer by the moment.

After that, Ling Tian kept guiding the two souls together. Their pulses resonated with one another and gradually merged, the two rhythms drawing closer until they seemed on the verge of becoming one. The process was slow, but they were indeed drawing closer.

"At this rate, it'll probably take at least ten days, or as long as a month, for the two souls to merge completely." As the moon rose and the sun set, Ling Tian ended that day's cultivation. After sensing the change, he murmured to himself.

Back at Qingyou Peak, Ling Tian told Lingyun about his idea of merging the two souls to draw back the Heaven Soul, and Lingyun was stunned. It was no wonder. Everyone else drew the two souls of heaven and earth back into their bodies at the same time. He had never heard of anything like this.

"It should work, I think. Ha ha! How do you feel now? Can you sense the Heaven Soul?" Lingyun was overjoyed and hurried to ask.

"Mm, I can sense it very clearly now, though I still can't draw it back. But my Life Soul and Earth Soul haven't fully merged yet. There might be some changes once they do." Ling Tian was also excited, but managed to hold himself back and patiently explained what he had felt to his father.

"Good, good. Keep cultivating, and we'll see how things go after a while." Lingyun was so excited he could barely speak. If this could be solved, the great weight on his heart would finally be lifted.

"Mm, I understand, Father. I'll go back and keep cultivating." Ling Tian took his leave and returned to his bedroom to continue merging the two souls. They could continue merging on their own while he slept, though more slowly.