Time flew by as Ling Tian cultivated and yearned for Hua Min'er. The fusion of his Life Soul and Earth Soul was taking longer than he had imagined. More than a month had passed, yet the two souls still hadn't fully merged. Perhaps it was because the Heaven Soul was missing, but they weren't far off. Ling Tian's sense of the Heaven Soul had grown much stronger and clearer; its violent throbbing was almost as distinct as his own heartbeat.
That day, Ling Tian was fusing his Life Soul and Earth Soul in the Orange Spirit Mist Sea while also tempering and compressing his Mental Power. By now, he could see his fingers clearly, and even make out every tiny detail. According to Lingyun, his Mental Power was already several times greater than that of someone at the Qi Solidification Stage; it might even surpass that of an ordinary cultivator in the Golden Core Realm.
Suddenly, Ling Tian felt a violent throb in his mind. A pulse several times stronger than the Life Soul's rang through his mind.
Whew, they've finally completely fused. That wasn't easy. But my Mental Power feels so much stronger. I can "see" the world more clearly, as if I've become part of it. The fusion was difficult, but this makes it all worthwhile. The instant the fusion was complete, Ling Tian felt the difference. This was a qualitative change, nothing like a mere increase in quantity.
Now I have to try to draw in the Heaven Soul. I hope it works. Ling Tian's heart was thumping nervously; his palms were already damp with sweat.
"Thump! Thump!"
The moment Ling Tian finished changing his hand seals, he felt a resonance deep in his soul, beating loudly. The sensation grew more and more intense, just like when the Earth Soul had first returned.
Looks like I really might be able to draw the Heaven Soul back this time. Ling Tian was delighted, and couldn't help growing excited.
"Come!" Ling Tian shouted, strengthening his control with his Mental Power.
Buzz!
Just as when the Earth Soul had returned, the Heaven Soul slowly broke away from the Immortal Realm and passed through the barriers of space toward Ling Tian. Then it sped up, and in an instant, it hovered above Ling Tian's head. After circling there for a moment, it flashed and vanished into the space between his brows.
BOOM!
A sensation a hundred, a thousand times stronger than when the Earth Soul had returned surged through him. Ling Tian felt his soul tremble, cheering and leaping with joy. Then, with a boom, his soul began to shake violently. The three souls intertwined and started to merge.
At that moment, dark clouds suddenly rolled across the sky above Ling Tian. In a short while, they had gathered over his head, and faint wind and thunder rumbled within them. A pressure brimming with life grew stronger and stronger, making heaven and earth change color.
Another tribulation? Ling Tian was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. He had never heard of anyone being struck by lightning when the Three Souls reunited. He was probably the only one in the entire universe.
"This is the second time. I wonder if you two will help me again. Otherwise, things might get bad." Ling Tian murmured, though it was unclear who he was speaking to.
As if in answer, the sound of a flute rose, accompanied by a guqin. A hazy Mysterious Light appeared around Ling Tian, enveloping him. Strangely, the thunderclouds seemed to lose their target. After rumbling a few times, they vanished without a trace.
"Hehe, you two are the best." Ling Tian grinned mischievously. At that moment, he finally seemed like a child.
As if they had heard him, the Jade Flute and Guqin inside Ling Tian playfully bounced a few times like children, then fell silent, as though they had never stirred since time immemorial.
The Immortal Realm!
What Ling Tian didn't know was that the Immortal Realm was in an uproar.
When Ling Tian's Heaven Soul coalesced, most of the Immortal Realm sensed it.
"The Heaven Soul has returned? Is someone forming spiritual awareness? How can there be someone in the Immortal Realm who hasn't yet developed spiritual awareness?"
An immortal stared in astonishment. Immortals in the Immortal Realm all had immortal awareness. How could anyone be forming spiritual awareness, something that only existed in the Cultivation World?
"No, the Heaven Soul is actually heading to the Lower Realm." Another immortal saw the Heaven Soul slowly piercing through the spatial barrier and cried out.
"How is that possible?" another immortal said, his mouth hanging open.
"Could someone have been born in the Immortal Realm, then gone to the Lower Realm?" another immortal suggested, though he didn't believe his own words. How could an immortal descend to the Lower Realm?
"Could it be Immortal Venerable Yuan Hao's..." Someone suddenly seemed to realize something, but didn't dare think any further. He hurriedly shut his mouth and said no more.
"Hmph, remnants!" A contemptuous sneer sounded simultaneously from all eight directions of the Immortal Realm.
"Hahaha, I've finally waited long enough. But I don't have time now, and besides, going to the Lower Realm isn't easy. I'll wait a while longer." Beyond the heavens, an old man with a snow-white beard was overjoyed at first. A moment later, he calmed down and began murmuring to himself.
"Hahaha, it's big brother's child. Poor child, as long as you're safe." In the center of the Immortal Realm, a woman laughed with abandon, though a few tears glimmered in her eyes—faintly, almost imperceptibly.
For a time, the Immortal Realm was abuzz with discussion, everyone offering a different theory.
Behind Qingming Peak on Qingyun Mountain, in the Five Elements Domain on Tianmu Star.
"Hahaha, the Three Souls have finally returned! Soon I'll be able to form spiritual awareness. This is wonderful!" Ling Tian was overjoyed and began dancing around.
"I have to tell Father right away. He's been worried for so many days." Not wanting his father to worry, Ling Tian stopped cultivating and leaped toward Qingyou Peak.
At the courtyard where Lingyun lived on Qingyou Peak.
"Really, Tian'er?" After Ling Tian told Lingyun that he had successfully drawn back the Heaven Soul, Lingyun was overjoyed.
"Yes, Father." Ling Tian nodded firmly, his heart full of joy as he answered earnestly.
"Hahaha, wonderful, Tian'er! You'll soon be able to fuse them into spiritual awareness. It seems even Heaven can't casually snuff out a person's life." Lingyun began to speak incoherently with excitement.
"Father, is there anything else you need to tell me? Is there anything I should be careful about when I finally fuse them into spiritual awareness?" Ling Tian looked at his father and asked cautiously, apparently afraid something else might go wrong.
"Was anything unusual when your Heaven Soul returned today?" Lingyun composed himself and asked in a somewhat tense voice.
"Unusual? Not really. There were just dark clouds and faint rumblings of wind and thunder. But the clouds didn't bring down a lightning tribulation. They quickly dispersed without a trace." Ling Tian didn't intend to hide anything from his father. The wind and thunder over Qingming Peak were common knowledge, and his father must have seen them already.
"They dispersed? Could it be..." Lingyun's eyes suddenly lit up as if he had thought of something. He pointed near Ling Tian's dantian and guessed.
"Mm!" As if he knew what Lingyun meant, Ling Tian nodded firmly.
"Hehe, wonderful. But never tell anyone about this. It's no small matter, and if people find out, it could bring a lot of trouble." Lingyun smiled broadly, but soon remembered the saying that a man was not guilty of a crime, yet his jade would bring him ruin. He solemnly warned Ling Tian.
"Mm, I understand." Ling Tian nodded to show that he did.
Lingyun was quite pleased. He smiled faintly and said, "Next, focus on fusing your spiritual awareness. After that, you can make your own plans. There's no need to cultivate deliberately."
"Mm, yes." Thinking of that lovely figure in his heart, Ling Tian filled with tenderness. His face reddened, and he smiled sweetly.
"Hehe, you little rascal, so young and already acting like a grown-up. That bald monk ought to be here soon. It's been so many years since I last saw him. I wonder where he's been wandering off to." Lingyun scolded him lightly, then began muttering to himself.
Ling Tian's little face grew even redder. He rubbed his head with an embarrassed grin and said, "Father, if there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
"Go on, then." Lingyun smiled faintly.
Ling Tian bowed and took his leave, returning to his quarters to continue merging his souls. This time, the fusion was many times faster than the fusion of his Life Soul and Earth Soul. The longing in his heart also gradually deepened. It made Ling Tian often stare blankly, sometimes frowning and sometimes smiling, though he himself remained oblivious.
The sun rose and set. Ten days slipped by, little by little. Time was like a butcher's knife, always hanging over everyone's head; no one could say when it might take their life. Cultivators couldn't afford to slack off for even a moment.
That day, Ling Tian suddenly felt his soul throb violently. A vast force of spiritual awareness spread out, covering an area dozens of meters around him.
Whew, it's finally fused. I've finally developed spiritual awareness. That really wasn't easy. Ling Tian let out a long breath. Those two *finally*s captured how hard the whole process had been. With a thought, he drew his Mental Power back in.
"But why can I only extend it dozens of meters? That range is way too short. Father can extend his for dozens of miles with ease." Ling Tian was already a little dissatisfied.
If other people knew that Ling Tian's first attempt to extend his spiritual awareness after developing it had reached dozens of meters—and he was still unhappy—they would probably want to die. The first time they extended theirs, they had barely managed a few meters, and even then they had been thrilled and proud for ages.
"I wonder what level Father's Mental Cultivation has reached. When will I ever reach that level?" Ling Tian's face was full of curiosity and anticipation.
I'd better stop thinking about that. Tomorrow, I can finally go see Hua Min'er.
By then, the lamps had just lit, and the stars glittered in the sky alongside the points of light below. At that hour, he couldn't very well visit Qingdie Peak right away. If he did, the female disciples there would probably brand him a "lecher" and give him a brutal beating.
I wonder how Min'er is doing now. What's she doing? It feels like we haven't seen each other in ages. Ling Tian felt as if a single day apart lasted three autumns. At the thought, he looked forward to tomorrow even more.
Ling Tian tried to relax his mind and go to sleep. He tossed and turned for ages, but couldn't fall asleep; the lovely figure in his heart grew ever clearer. Ling Tian finally understood what it meant to be haunted by longing and to toss and turn restlessly. He spent half the night doing just that before finally drifting off.
Before you continue