"Excellent. Let's begin the breakthrough."
Feeling the surging Soul Power born from the Soul Spirit Fusion within him, Zhao Tao circulated the Time Meditation Method and actively controlled streams of Soul Power, driving them toward the Soul Master bottleneck!
Under Zhao Tao's control, the once-sturdy Soul Master bottleneck kept crumbling, as if it could be broken through at any moment.
At last, a crisp sound suddenly rang in Zhao Tao's ears.
As the sound rang out, Zhao Tao felt the Soul Master bottleneck binding him quietly shatter.
In that moment, he felt as though everything had suddenly opened up before him, and his realm silently broke through to the Soul Master Realm.
With the breakthrough, Zhao Tao felt his meridians continuously expand, the boundaries of his dantian stretch farther, and the Soul Power within him grow richer and more abundant.
Not only that, as his cultivation advanced, Zhao Tao could also feel his Spring Autumn Cicada Martial Soul growing more closely connected to the River of Time.
At the same time, a powerful attraction arose within Zhao Tao's dantian, drawing in all the Soul Power drifting through the surrounding world.
Facing this dense Soul Power, Zhao Tao once again activated the Time Meditation Method to refine it, and the Soul Power in his dantian grew richer still.
Time flew by.
Several hours passed in the blink of an eye.
Slowly opening his eyes, Zhao Tao exhaled a breath of stale air, delight flashing in his eyes.
"My Soul Power has reached level thirteen? Excellent!"
"Although the Spring Autumn Cicada hasn't recovered, which has slightly affected the pace of my Soul Power cultivation..."
"With the Time Meditation Method, I haven't fallen too far behind."
"As for my Spiritual Power, it has already surpassed what it was before my rebirth, and my Soul Spirit has also embarked on the right path ahead of schedule!"
Feeling the abundant Soul Power, Zhao Tao smiled and nodded. With a thought, he summoned his Spring Autumn Cicada Martial Soul once more.
This time, as the Spring Autumn Cicada Martial Soul appeared, a purple halo abruptly formed around Zhao Tao, shining with brilliant colors as it slowly revolved.
"First Soul Skill, Time Burial Sword!"
With a thought, the Soul Power within Zhao Tao surged as he activated his First Soul Skill.
As the purple Soul Ring behind him flickered, a force of time gathered in Zhao Tao's hand and transformed into an ancient silver sword. It gave off a peculiar aura, as if it could disturb the flow of time.
Time Burial Sword—this was Zhao Tao's First Soul Skill.
It condensed the Power of Time into a sword and used it to attack his enemies.
Because of the Power of Time,
the sword's trajectory would be extraordinarily difficult for enemies to follow.
This made it nearly impossible to miss when facing opponents of the same level.
Even enemies stronger than Zhao Tao would find it difficult to withstand the Time Burial Sword.
At the same time, the Time Burial Sword possessed astonishing penetrating power.
It could nullify an enemy's defenses and strike directly at their vital points.
After all, no matter how sturdy a shield was, it could hardly resist the erosion of time.
And after striking an enemy, the Time Burial Sword would leave behind the Power of Time, which would continuously erode them.
It would plunge them into a chaotic temporal state, causing their combat strength to decline.
As a Thousand-Year Soul Skill, the Time Burial Sword was undeniably outstanding—exceptional, even.
"Excellent. Now that I've broken through to Soul Master, with a skill like the Time Burial Sword, I finally have some basic means of protecting myself."
With a thought, Zhao Tao recalled the Time Burial Sword and nodded in satisfaction.
After two years, he had finally broken through to Soul Master and crossed the first threshold of cultivation. It was certainly cause for celebration!
Smiling, Zhao Tao left the Training Room and, accompanied by a Spirit Transmitter, had his Soul Power Level tested and registered.
After completing all the necessary procedures, Zhao Tao left the Spirit Pagoda with Lin Ximeng and headed home.
On the way, Zhao Tao naturally remembered his promise to Na'er and bought her a cream cake, her favorite treat.
"Welcome home, big brother."
Hearing Zhao Tao and Lin Ximeng talking, Na'er opened the door for them and greeted them with a sweet smile.
"Here, Na'er. This is a gift for you."
Zhao Tao gently ruffled Na'er's adorable little head, then showed her the cake in his hand.
"Big brother Zhao Tao is the best! By the way, big brother Zhao Tao, did you break through to Soul Master?"
Taking the cake from Zhao Tao, Na'er smiled sweetly and asked.
"Of course I did. Come on, we're having a feast tonight to celebrate!"
With a proud smile, Zhao Tao took Na'er by the hand and walked into the house with her.
It was destined to be a night filled with happiness and joy.
Time flew by.
Another year passed in the blink of an eye after Zhao Tao's breakthrough to Soul Master.
After a year of recovery and continually absorbing the Power of Time from the River of Time, Zhao Tao's Spring Autumn Cicada Martial Soul had recovered considerably.
Zhao Tao's Innate Soul Power had finally recovered to level four as well.
With the Spring Autumn Cicada's recovery, Zhao Tao's Soul Power had finally reached level seventeen.
Although he still fell short of the level twenty-two Soul Power he had possessed at age nine before his rebirth,
thanks to the Time Meditation Method, his Soul Power quality and foundation had already far surpassed what they had been before his rebirth.
Meanwhile, Zhao Tao's Spiritual Power had also reached 270 points, entering the middle stage of the Spirit Connection Realm. His future was full of promise.
That very night,
Zhao Tao held Na'er in his arms as he slept beside her.
Just as Zhao Tao had fallen fast asleep, a faint seven-colored glow suddenly appeared around Na'er, flickering in shifting hues.
As the glow flickered, Na'er's body seemed to grow slightly, and her brows furrowed as if she were having a nightmare.
In the blink of an eye, the next morning arrived.
"Na'er, time to get up~"
Early that morning, Zhao Tao gently shook Na'er awake as he always did.
But unlike usual, Na'er didn't exchange a good-morning kiss with Zhao Tao after waking up. Instead, she looked somewhat dazed.
"Has that day finally arrived?"
Looking at Na'er's dazed expression and considering the timing, Zhao Tao understood that she had recovered her memories and that the time had come for her to leave.
Although he knew that he would certainly see Na'er again someday, and that he would soon meet her other personality, Gu Yue,
he still couldn't help feeling a faint sadness in that moment.
After all, he was about to part with Na'er, his childhood friend who had been like a little sister to him. They had spent every day together and fallen asleep in each other's arms each night. Who could remain truly calm about that?
"Na'er, what's wrong? Are you sick? Why do you look so dazed?"
Still, Zhao Tao quickly composed himself, looked at Na'er with concern, and asked her what was wrong.
"Oh, big brother Zhao Tao, I'm fine! By the way, could you come for a walk with me by the sea after dinner tonight?"
Hearing Zhao Tao, Na'er paused for a moment, then looked up into his eyes and spoke softly.
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