Five Days of Soul Tempering, a Single Breakthrough!

On the evening of the fifth day after training ended, Huang Fei remained alone in a corner of the Training Ground, sitting cross-legged.

The setting sun stretched his shadow long, and the surroundings were silent, broken only by the occasional birdcall in the distance.

Over the past five days, he had spent nearly all his free time here.

Theory Class in the morning, combat practice in the afternoon, and every evening without fail, he circulated the Soul Condensing Secret Art to temper his Soul Power.

He had used up three Mysterious Water Pills from the bottle Song Yunzhi had given him, shattered two Spirit Gathering Stones, and consumed no fewer than five Wood Element Crystal Cores.

But the gains were equally obvious.

The Soul Power vortex in his Dantian had changed from its initial pale green into a deep, inky green. As it spun, it was steady and condensed, without the slightest trace of instability.

After sensing him in private, Ning Tian had exclaimed, "The purity of your Soul Power is probably no worse than that of an ordinary Level 25 Soul Master."

Wu Feng had been even more direct. "Monster."

Huang Fei had merely smiled at that.

He knew this was only the beginning.

At that moment, he held a freshly taken-out Wood Element Crystal Core in his palm, while the last intact Spirit Gathering Stone lay before him.

He had already taken a Mysterious Water Pill today and would have to wait another two days.

But he had a feeling—tonight might be the moment of breakthrough.

Closing his eyes, he quietly began circulating the Wood Breathing Technique.

With every breath, the spiritual energy outside his body seeped through his pores and into his meridians like trickling streams.

The pale cyan glow emitted by the Spirit Gathering Stone increased the surrounding spiritual energy density by over thirty percent.

The Wood Attribute energy within the crystal core in his palm flowed along his arm's meridians into his Dantian like a warm spring.

The three forces converged, and his Soul Power began to rise slowly.

Yet Huang Fei did not rush to attack the bottleneck. Instead, he used his Spiritual Power to guide his Soul Power, repeatedly vibrating and compressing it through his meridians according to the path of the Soul Condensing Secret Art.

With each vibration, minute impurities were shaken loose and expelled from his body with his breath.

With each compression, his Soul Power became a little more solid.

The cycle continued for a full Shi Chen.

When the last ray of twilight vanished from the horizon and moonlight spilled across the Training Ground, Huang Fei suddenly opened his eyes.

A flash of green light flickered through them and vanished.

Now.

With a thought, the inky green Soul Power vortex in his Dantian suddenly began spinning faster!

His formerly steady Soul Power now surged and roared like an awakened river.

The invisible barrier between Level Eighteen and Level Nineteen lasted only Ten Breaths beneath the impact of that vast, condensed Soul Power before shattering with a crash.

Soul Power Level: Level Nineteen!

But Huang Fei did not stop.

With a flip of his right hand, another Wood Element Crystal Core appeared in his palm.

This was the last one Song Yunzhi had given him.

Without the slightest hesitation, he crushed it instantly.

Pure Wood Attribute energy surged wildly into him, merging with the Soul Power in his body and becoming an even more violent torrent that charged all the way toward the mid-stage of Level Nineteen, the Later Stage... and even the peak!

Had anyone else forcefully charged ahead like this, their meridians would likely have swelled with pain long ago and their foundation would have been shaken.

But after five days of repeated tempering, Huang Fei's meridians had already become incomparably tough, while his Soul Power was condensed like steel. Though turbulent now, it remained safely within his control.

Time passed bit by bit.

When the moon reached its zenith, Huang Fei's aura suddenly withdrew.

All fluctuations of Soul Power were completely drawn back into his body.

He slowly exhaled a breath of turbid qi. His breath was long and rich, while divine light was contained within his eyes, clear and lustrous as jade.

Level Nineteen, peak.

Only one step remained before Level 20.

Huang Fei did not rise. Instead, he closed his eyes and used Inner Vision to carefully sense the changes after his breakthrough.

His total Soul Power had increased by nearly forty percent, its circulation speed had become faster, and his affinity with Wood Attribute Spiritual Energy had subtly improved as well.

What delighted him even more was that the range of Earth Vein Sense had expanded from sixty meters to eighty, and its precision had improved too.

The proficiency of the Wood Breathing Technique: Root Stage had also neared Great Accomplishment.

"After another three days of polishing, I can try breaking through to Level 20."

He made the calculation inwardly, then recalled the system's Hidden Quest for increasing Soul Ring years. His gaze grew slightly solemn.

He had to temper his Soul Power to the utmost limit before making the breakthrough.

Just as he was thinking, footsteps suddenly sounded in the distance.

Huang Fei concealed his aura and turned to look.

Under the moonlight, a tall figure slowly approached. Her red hair swayed faintly in the night breeze. It was Wu Feng.

She carried a small cloth bag in her hand. As she came closer, she casually tossed it to him.

"Ning Tian asked me to bring this. She said they're Soul Condensing Cakes from the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect. They can nourish the meridians and help stabilize Soul Power."

Huang Fei caught it. Inside the bag were three pale green pastries, emitting a sweet, fresh fragrance with faint Soul Power fluctuations.

"Thank her for me."

Wu Feng gave an "Mm," folded her arms, and stood to one side. Her eyes swept over him before she suddenly asked,

"You broke through again?"

Huang Fei nodded. "Peak Level Nineteen."

Wu Feng fell silent for a moment before muttering, "...Monster."

Yet there was no jealousy in her tone, only a measure of genuine admiration.

Over the past five days of fighting alongside him, she had seen with her own eyes how Huang Fei cultivated, studied, and squeezed every last bit of potential from himself.

If someone like that did not become strong, there would be no justice in the world.

"What about you?" Huang Fei asked.

"Level 26 is stable now. In another half month, I might be able to challenge Level 27."

As Wu Feng spoke, a sharp glint flashed in her eyes. "Before the Newborn Assessment, I will definitely break through to Level 28."

Huang Fei smiled but said nothing more.

The two stood beneath the moonlight for a while before Wu Feng suddenly said,

"After class today, Hong Yu's group came to find me in private."

Huang Fei raised a brow. "Why?"

"They wanted to arrange a private match before the assessment." Wu Feng sneered. "They called it a spar, but they just want to figure out our strengths and get their pride back."

"You agreed?"

"No. I said I needed to ask you and Ning Tian first." Wu Feng looked at him. "What do you think?"

Huang Fei pondered briefly, then shook his head.

"No need to pay them any attention. Our team coordination is not yet fully refined. A private match could easily expose our weaknesses and create unnecessary variables."

Wu Feng nodded. "That's what I thought too."

After a pause, she added, "But Hong Yu seems to have obtained some resources from his family. His Soul Power has risen quite quickly these past few days. He's already Level 25."

Huang Fei remained calm. "Soul Power level is not the only thing that determines victory and defeat."

Wu Feng looked deeply at him, then suddenly smiled.

"Why does that sound a little strange coming from you?"

Huang Fei smiled too. "It's simply the truth."

They discussed a few more details about combat coordination before Wu Feng took her leave.

The Training Ground returned to silence.

Huang Fei put away the Soul Condensing Cakes but did not eat one immediately. Instead, he rose and slowly began practicing a set of fist techniques beneath the moonlight.

His movements were very slow, as though he were simulating the various transformations of the Wood Combat Art, yet they also incorporated the insights he had gained from actual combat these past days.

As his fists and feet moved, Soul Power followed, and his breathing remained long and steady.

At one moment, inspiration suddenly struck him. He brought two fingers of his right hand together like a spear and lightly thrust toward the empty air before him!

Whoosh!

A faint sound of air splitting actually rang out. A pale green strand of qi energy shot from his fingertips and dispersed only after traveling three meters.

"Soul Power Projection?"

Huang Fei was slightly stunned.

This was an ability only Soul Grandmasters could initially grasp, yet he had actually touched its threshold while still at Level Nineteen.

Its power was weak, and it remained far from true Soul Power Projection, but it was undoubtedly a good sign.

He steadied his mind and continued practicing.

Only when the moon rose above West Pavilion did he withdraw his stance and calm his breath.

By the time he returned to the Dormitory, it was already late at night.

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were both asleep, their breathing steady.

Huang Fei quietly washed up, then sat cross-legged on his bed. He took out a Soul Condensing Cake and slowly chewed and swallowed it.

Once the pastry entered his stomach, it became a warm current that gradually soaked into his limbs and bones. His meridians faintly heated up, as though imperceptible impurities were being melted and expelled.

"No wonder it's from the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect."

He praised it inwardly, then closed his eyes and circulated the Soul Condensing Secret Art, completely integrating that nourishing force into the foundation of his Soul Power.

The night passed without incident.

For the next three days, Huang Fei's routine remained unchanged.

He attended class and practiced coordination during the day, then tempered and polished his soul at night.

His Soul Power settled ever more heavily at the peak of Level Nineteen. Only a thin sheet of paper seemed to separate him from the threshold of Level 20.

But he continued holding it back rather than piercing through.

He was waiting—for his Soul Power tempering to reach its absolute limit, for his foundation to become as steady as a boulder.

Late on the third night.

Huang Fei awoke from Deep Meditation. Divine light shone in his eyes, and his aura was perfectly rounded without a single leak.

Tonight was the night.

He took out the last Mysterious Water Pill and placed it in his mouth.

At the same time, he crushed two Wood Element Crystal Cores.

These were low-grade crystal cores he had exchanged for from the academy using Gold Soul Coins, apart from those Song Yunzhi had given him. Their effects were slightly inferior, but they could still replenish Soul Power.

With both methods working together, his Soul Power boiled!

Huang Fei sank his consciousness into his Dantian, guiding the surging Soul Power in a final charge toward the Level 20 bottleneck.

This time, there was no violence, no clamor.

There was only a calm breakthrough, as natural as water flowing into place.

Buzz!

A clear chime seemed to ring within his body as his Soul Power Level leaped upward.

Level 20!

At the instant the breakthrough was complete, the system notification sounded as expected:

[Consecutive Breakthrough Quest completed!]

[Hidden Quest "Break through to Level 20 with compressed and tempered Soul Power" completed!]

[Reward issued: Soul Ring year increase opportunity (Thousand Year → Three Thousand Years)!]

Huang Fei slowly opened his eyes. Deep within them, a profound green light flowed before quickly fading away.

He lightly clenched his fist, feeling the completely renewed Soul Power inside him, and the corners of his lips rose slightly.

Outside the window, Morning Light was just beginning to appear.

A new day had arrived.