Absorption

Lin Yi calmed his mind and prepared to absorb the Spirit Gold.

The Golden Ancient Tree drew the Spirit Gold over and pressed it against Lin Yi's forehead.

An ancient voice sounded beside Lin Yi's ear. "I will awaken the immense life force contained within this Spirit Gold to scour your body and nourish your spirit. But it may be very painful."

"May?" Lin Yi caught the uncertainty in the Golden Ancient Tree's words.

"Although Spirit Gold is precious, there are no known records of humans using it. I can only roughly judge the risks involved. But I can guarantee that your life will not be in danger. At worst, you will suffer a little."

Lin Yi felt somewhat uneasy. The first person to eat a crab might have discovered how delicious crabs were, but the first person to eat a spider probably had a far less pleasant experience.

But thinking of his determination to grow stronger, Lin Yi hardened his heart. Gritting his teeth and stamping his foot, he decided to go all in!

With a hint of heroic resignation, Lin Yi shouted, "Come on!"

"As you wish."

Immediately, a beam of Light Power shot out within the Golden Space and struck the Spirit Gold on Lin Yi's forehead. A vast surge of life force visibly erupted from it, dyeing the area around Lin Yi green. Even to the naked eye, its vigorous vitality could be felt.

Lin Yi's flesh, blood, tendons, bones, and even his Sea of Consciousness were instantly dyed azure. An unprecedented sensation of comfort spread through his entire body. It felt as though all forty-eight thousand pores across his body had opened at once, absorbing the dense life force around him. Every cell in his body rejoiced, greedily devouring the life force.

Lin Yi could clearly feel the improvement in the strength of his meridians, internal organs, flesh, blood, and even bones.

As the life force scoured him, the impurities within his body were gradually expelled. Although he had already undergone the Golden Ancient Tree's baptism during his Martial Soul Awakening, a small amount of impurities was still forced out by this wash of life force. Lin Yi felt as though his entire body had become clear and pure, as if he had become the Immaculate Body from the legends in his Otherworld Memories.

It was not only his physical body. The benefits his spirit received were no less than those received by his body. Lin Yi's Sea of Consciousness was rapidly widened and reinforced by endless life force. Though Lin Yi was curious how tangible life force could enter the illusory Sea of Consciousness, this was clearly not the time to dwell on it.

When the expansion of the Sea of Consciousness ended, Lin Yi's Spiritual Power was tempered as well. Once the waters of his Sea of Consciousness had been completely dyed azure, the nourishment and tempering of his Spiritual Power officially began.

In an instant, Lin Yi felt a quarter of his Spiritual Power evaporate. In exchange, however, its strength nearly doubled.

It was no exaggeration to say that if Lin Yi had possessed this level of Spiritual Power when he obtained his Second Soul Ring, then with his current spiritual strength alone, he could have reached the level he had achieved back then after exhausting every method at his disposal—thirty-five thousand years, or perhaps even more!

At that moment, Lin Yi even had the leisure to think that the Golden Ancient Tree, this Plane Core, was nothing special. Something so comfortable had been described in a way that made him so nervous.

Who would have thought that he had actually become the first person to eat the crab?

As Lin Yi indulged in his fantasies, the Golden Ancient Tree's ancient voice came again, solemnness mixed within it. "The preliminary preparations are complete. Get ready. It is about to truly begin. You must endure it. Only the first time one undergoes the scouring of immense life force can one receive the greatest benefits. This method will not have much effect afterward."

"?"

Before Lin Yi could ask anything, the pleasant sensation had already faded, and an even greater torrent of life force crashed down upon him.

If the life force from before had been a stream washing over him, then this was now a mighty river rushing over a cliff.

The sheer volume of the river-like life force and its waterfall-like speed instantly washed Lin Yi senseless.

Do not forget that this life force could even reach his Sea of Consciousness. The dual baptism of body and spirit, the double blow to mind and flesh, left Lin Yi briefly dazed.

But immediately afterward, the rapidly surging life force seemed like one hundred and eight thousand blades simultaneously flaying Lin Yi's body and spirit at the cellular level.

The intense pain made Lin Yi cry out at once. Forget about real men staying silent through pain. If anyone had said that to his face, Lin Yi would probably have replied, I'm only a seven-year-old kid. What kind of nonsense are you talking about? If you've got the guts, try being flayed alive without anesthetic!

Within the Golden Space, Lin Yi howled and screamed, even bursting into loud sobs, but it did not lessen the pain in the slightest.

Pain stripped Lin Yi of all dignity. He began begging for mercy, crying for help, and even weeping bitterly, yet it was still useless.

The Golden Ancient Tree merely watched Lin Yi make a fool of himself in silence.

Seeming to realize it was useless, Lin Yi began cursing loudly. His memories from the Otherworld put him leagues ahead of the entire Douluo Continent in this regard.

At the very least, the Golden Ancient Tree felt that its horizons had been broadened.

Some of the curses were so filthy that it could not even repeat them. In short, they involved an exceptionally high number of mothers.

The Golden Ancient Tree listened while enjoying itself, but halfway through, it realized that every curse was directed at it—especially the filthiest part.

Its face immediately darkened, and the Golden Space dimmed along with it. As for Lin Yi, the Golden Ancient Tree decided that if he could still curse, then he could still endure it. Let him suffer!

Lin Yi had no idea how long it lasted. Perhaps a day, perhaps a month, perhaps even a year. The severe pain had long since robbed him of any sense of time.

Finally, the unbearable pain gradually faded until, at a certain moment, it vanished completely.

Lin Yi slowly regained consciousness. The prolonged pain had made his body somewhat accustomed to it, and phantom pain lingered even after it faded. His body twitched from time to time, making it clear enough. Fortunately, it was nothing serious. He would be fine once he adjusted.

Before long, Lin Yi finally felt that he had completely returned to normal.

"Sense your current condition. I will send you out now."

The Golden Ancient Tree's voice sounded again, but Lin Yi could not tell whether it was his imagination—he felt as though the Golden Ancient Tree was suppressing some anger.

Unable to figure it out, Lin Yi gave up and turned his attention to examining his condition.

First was his body. The wash of vast life force had forcibly opened his meridians, making them broader and tougher. His Soul Power flowed faster as well. With a single thought from Lin Yi, his Soul Power could reach any place he wanted it to.

Next was his physical strength. Under the scouring, impurities had been removed while every part of his body had been torn apart, then restored by the life force, torn apart again, and restored again. This cycle tempered and strengthened his body.

Lin Yi felt that his physical strength had increased by at least twofold. Before, his body could withstand at most forty thousand years, but now, Lin Yi even dared to try seventy thousand years.

Finally came his spirit. His Sea of Consciousness had become extremely vast, even turning into a true space, like a miniature Golden Space. Both its size and strength had undergone earth-shaking changes.

Within that space, the lake formed from Spiritual Power was green-gold in color, and its strength had improved qualitatively compared to before. Yet compared to the vastness of the space, the lake's area seemed somewhat pitiful.

But Lin Yi did not mind. He could sense that the total amount of his Spiritual Power had tripled. His current Spiritual Power, whether in quality or quantity, was no weaker than that of a Soul Saint-level Soul Master.

As Lin Yi rejoiced, he failed to notice that high above his transformed Spiritual Space, there was a small golden sphere.

A figure appeared atop the sphere. It was the same figure within the Temple of Light in the God Realm—the God of Light!

With the strength of the God of Light's Divine Sense, Lin Yi naturally could not detect him.

"Who would have thought this brat would be so fortunate? He actually obtained such a Heavenly Treasure. Even this strand of my Divine Sense has been completely stabilized as a result. Now, unless the Divine Sense of someone at my level enters this little fellow's Spiritual Space, the chance of my exposure is infinitely close to zero."

After sighing in admiration, the God of Light changed the subject. "Who would have thought that the Sea God would actually do such a thing in the lower realm? I knew it. Ever since he became a god, the God Realm has never known peace."

"Gods are forbidden from interfering in the affairs of the lower realm. He bears the Asura God Position of a Law Enforcement God, yet he knowingly breaks the law. Usually, he even puts on such an upright act."

"However, I cannot be bothered with his sordid affairs. Since it originated from the Douluo Continent, let the people of the Douluo Continent resolve it themselves. Little fellow, I am very much looking forward to your performance."

"Speaking of the Douluo Continent, that old woman seems to be from this plane as well. Angel stole my authority over Radiance, and in the end, even her successor ruined the God Position. What excellent judgment!"

"Ha ha ha ha ha!"

Leaving behind a burst of hearty laughter, the God of Light's figure dispersed and fell silent.

Outside, after examining his body, Lin Yi received the Spirit Gold that the Golden Ancient Tree tossed to him.

Lin Yi stared blankly at the Spirit Gold in his hand. "Didn't I already absorb it?"

The Golden Ancient Tree's voice carried a trace of mockery. "This piece of Spirit Gold contains life force equivalent to what the Star Dou Great Forest accumulates over two hundred thousand years. With that tiny body of yours, even if you burst, you could not absorb it all."

"However, the life baptism can only happen once. From now on, this Spirit Gold can probably only serve as a recovery item for you. If you are injured, having this thing will greatly speed up your recovery."

Lin Yi nodded in understanding, but then a possibility suddenly occurred to him.