Though his six senses had been cut off, Ling Xi's consciousness remained active.
He could clearly sense the darkness around him, and after a brief moment of panic, his mind quickly settled.
"Damn that system. It screwed me over again."
As thought after thought flashed through his mind, Ling Xi gritted his teeth.
He had known all along that fusing with the Devouring Ancestral Symbol wouldn't be easy.
Though the fusion trial wouldn't cause any physical damage, it would undoubtedly be a huge test of his mental fortitude.
After all, Ling Xi was a transmigrator who had already experienced death once. He was different from ordinary people.
Putting aside his myriad thoughts, Ling Xi slowly let his mind go blank.
In the dark space, the passage of time had no meaning.
A moment, a day, ten days, a month, a year?
Ling Xi didn't know. His state of mind had shifted from anxious to calm.
Having experienced death once, his state of mind might not have transcended life and death, but it was far beyond that of an ordinary person.
Even in this darkness, Ling Xi's consciousness sank into a state of stillness.
No one knew how much time had passed when a laugh suddenly rang out in the darkness.
"If the heart does not die, the Dao cannot be born. If desire does not perish, the Dao cannot endure. If the heart does not suffer, wisdom cannot awaken. If the body does not suffer, fortune cannot deepen."
As the voice sounded, the entire dark space shuddered.
Countless bright cracks suddenly spread across the darkness.
In the next moment, the space seemed unable to hold together any longer. With a sharp crack, it shattered like glass.
The darkness burst apart, and gentle light spilled out.
The darkness transformed into a beautiful starry sky. Ling Xi stood upon it, and before him, an ancient symbol floated silently.
"So this is the Devouring Ancestral Symbol's trial."
Looking at the symbol suspended before him, Ling Xi's expression turned complicated.
In some ways, endless darkness was far more dangerous than vicious attacks and killing moves.
"Good thing I've died once before. I'm used to this sort of place."
Before being reborn on the Dou Qi Continent, Ling Xi had also experienced a stretch of darkness whose duration he couldn't begin to measure.
That darkness had been cruel, but it had also profoundly tempered his state of mind and soul.
Shaking his head, Ling Xi reached forward and gently touched the Devouring Ancestral Symbol, an object that did not belong to this world.
The instant his fingertip touched the symbol, for some unknown reason, his eyes turned completely black.
The entire Devouring Ancestral Symbol then transformed into an ancient black rune and began to crawl along his finger.
At last, it slowly sank into Ling Xi's Spirit Platform.
As the rune formed from the symbol entered Ling Xi's Spirit Platform, an immense Devouring Power erupted from the space between his brows.
Under the surging force, countless enormous black holes suddenly appeared in the starry sky. As they devoured everything, stars shattered and the world collapsed. It was a terrifying sight.
Under this Devouring Power, the black holes and stars in the sky all turned into the purest soul power, pouring desperately into Ling Xi's Spirit Platform.
This starry sky was actually a manifestation of the soul power within the Devouring Ancestral Symbol.
As such immense soul power flooded into him, Ling Xi could feel his mental strength growing at an astonishing speed.
Generally speaking, one had to be cautious with such a sudden surge in soul power.
After all, if an Alchemist's foundations were too weak, their soul could be overwhelmed and burst from the sudden influx of power.
But none of that was a problem for Ling Xi.
Having fused with the Devouring Ancestral Symbol, he was now a bottomless pit.
Besides, after taking the Mysterious Origin Saint Sculpting Pill, his soul and body could withstand far more than those of an ordinary person.
With all that backing him, Ling Xi had nothing to fear. He sat quietly in the void, devouring the powerful soul energy rushing toward him from every direction.
He didn't even know just how powerful his soul had become after fusing with the Devouring Ancestral Symbol.
"Next, I'll cultivate the technique."
Ling Xi formed a hand seal, and the Dou Qi in his body began circulating along the paths of the Myriad Spirits Returning to Origin Art.
As he began circulating the Myriad Spirits Returning to Origin Art, spiritual energy and other energies from heaven and earth surged into his body.
With the Devouring Ancestral Symbol's help, absorbing spiritual energy was effortless for Ling Xi.
Once the Myriad Spirits Returning to Origin Art's problem with absorption efficiency was resolved, the technique's true benefits began to show.
After being refined by the Myriad Spirits Returning to Origin Art, the spiritual energy and power of heaven and earth transformed entirely into pure energy and flowed into Ling Xi's Qi Vortex.
Unlike the Qi Vortex of an ordinary Dou Zhe, Ling Xi could clearly feel an unusual energy passing through his Qi Vortex and nourishing his body and soul in return.
That must have been the effect of spiritual energy.
After an unknown amount of time, Ling Xi finally opened his eyes.
He drew in a long breath, and the misty air surrounding him curled like a dragon and streamed into his nose and mouth, transforming into pure energy that warmed his limbs and organs.
A faint tingling sensation spread through his body, and he could clearly feel his physique growing stronger as well.
"Phew!"
Ling Xi exhaled a breath of stale air, along with a trace of barely perceptible black impurities.
With every breath in and out, he felt completely at ease.
"So this is what it feels like to be a genius?"
Ling Xi rose and stretched a little. A satisfied smile tugged at his lips.
This was his first proper cultivation session since taking the Ninth-grade Mysterious Pill.
With the combined effects of the Devouring Ancestral Symbol and the Myriad Spirits Returning to Origin Art, he could clearly feel himself growing stronger as he cultivated.
It was completely different from how he'd felt during the Dou Qi stage.
"Though the Myriad Spirits Returning to Origin Art is difficult to cultivate and progresses slowly, luckily the Devouring Ancestral Symbol makes up for that weakness."
Ling Xi rubbed his chin, lost in thought.
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