Temper the Soul and Strengthen It

"Don't always think about taking shortcuts. No matter how pure this Soul Origin is, you didn't cultivate it yourself. It's best to refine less of it in the future. Refining too much won't do you any good."

Ling Yuan listened carefully, looking properly chastened.

You couldn't ignore the experience of an expert.

After finishing his advice, Ling Mie returned the Soul Origin to Ling Yuan.

"The clan has a Soul Refining Arena. Spend more time there and temper your soul through soul battles. Take it step by step and refine the remaining Soul Origin little by little. Don't rush for results, and don't be greedy for too much!"

Ling Yuan answered seriously, "Alright, I understand, Father."

The Soul Refining Arena was a place specially designed by the Ling Clan for tempering souls, essentially a unique fighting arena.

Unlike ordinary arenas, it had special restrictions that prevented the use of Dou Qi. One could only fight using soul power.

It was an ideal place to improve one's control over the soul.

Ling Yuan was delighted. His father's meaning was that there was no problem with the Soul Origin.

As long as he combined it with practical soul combat at the Soul Refining Arena, he could refine an appropriate amount without any hidden dangers.

"Then, Father, I'll head back first. Think over the matter of switching cultivation methods. Hide this jade slip well. Only you and Mother should cultivate it—don't let anyone else learn it," Ling Yuan added deliberately before leaving.

This cultivation method was simply too heaven-defying, and the Ling Clan had Soul Clan spies within it.

If the Soul Clan learned of it, it would certainly bring great trouble to the Ling Clan.

Ling Mie indicated that he understood.

Powerful cultivation methods could not be passed on to too many people, or they could easily be leaked.

If others cultivated it as well, what advantage would they have left?

The opposition might even study a way to counter it.

That was why this cultivation method could only be passed down to those close to them.

Even if Ling Yuan had not said anything, Ling Mie understood this principle.

After returning, Ling Yuan took his father's advice.

He first went to the Soul Refining Arena to temper his soul and strengthen his control over it.

The Soul Refining Arena was located on the western side of the Ling Realm. It was a place the Ling Clan had specially built for its members to temper their souls.

Its core consisted of special arenas, each one covered in restrictions.

Upon entering, one's Dou Qi would be completely sealed, and even the five senses would be obscured. One could only rely on soul power to fight.

When Ling Yuan arrived at the entrance to the Soul Refining Arena, he saw the elder responsible for managing it—Elder Ling Ren.

He was a genuine One-Star Dou Sheng who had guarded this place year-round. He was responsible for arranging soul battles for clan members and maintaining order in the Soul Refining Arena.

When Ling Ren saw Ling Yuan, he gave a slight bow. "Young Clan Chief."

Ling Yuan waved a hand and got straight to the point. "Elder Ling Ren, arrange an opponent for me. Spirit Realm Early Phase will do."

"Young Clan Chief, have you broken through to the Spirit Realm?" Ling Ren asked in surprise.

The Young Clan Chief was only a Two-Star Dou Zong, yet he had already broken through to the Spirit Realm?

As expected of the Ling Clan's greatest genius in a thousand years!

Ling Yuan was not proud because of this. He merely nodded lightly.

"Yes, I broke through not long ago and am still not very proficient, so I came to the Soul Refining Arena to practice. Elder Ling Ren, please arrange it as soon as possible."

"Alright, Young Clan Chief. Please wait a moment. I'll arrange it right away."

Many people came here to battle and seek tempering, so Ling Yuan was quickly led to an arena.

Ling Yuan stepped into the arena. The instant he entered, he felt an invisible force envelop him.

The Dou Qi in his body was sealed at once, and his five senses became dull. Everything around him could only be perceived through his soul.

These were the arena restrictions of the Soul Refining Arena, created specifically for soul battles.

Before long, a man dressed in Ling Clan attire approached from the other side of the arena. He was a Seven-Star Dou Zun, and his soul realm was precisely at the Spirit Realm Early Phase. He was the opponent Ling Ren had arranged.

The Seven-Star Dou Zun recognized Ling Yuan the moment he saw him.

"Young Clan Chief, I'm about to attack. Please be careful."

Ling Yuan said, "Attack me with everything you have. Don't hold back!"

Under normal circumstances, no matter how strong Ling Yuan's combat power was, he could not possibly defeat a Seven-Star Dou Zun. But this place tested only the strength of one's soul and one's control over it.

Ling Yuan might not necessarily fear him.

As the arena restrictions fully activated, the battle officially began. Both men unleashed their soul power at the same time, and two invisible soul phantoms collided atop the arena.

At first, Ling Yuan was indeed somewhat unskilled. After all, he had not even been in this world for half a year since transmigrating.

Moreover, he had not been in the Spirit Realm for long, so his control over soul power was still not proficient enough.

He was not some absurdly overpowered cheat character. Combat experience had to be accumulated slowly.

His opponent, meanwhile, was a veteran expert who had battled in the Soul Refining Arena for years. His control over the soul was extremely skillful, and for a time, he held a slight advantage.

But Ling Yuan possessed exceptional learning ability and great talent for battle. In a short time, he gradually found the knack for soul combat, became increasingly familiar with controlling soul power, and began to counterattack.

Gradually, Ling Yuan's soul power began suppressing his opponent, and he faintly gained the upper hand.

Disbelief appeared on the Seven-Star Dou Zun's face. He had not expected Ling Yuan's control over his soul to improve so quickly just after breaking through to the Spirit Realm.

He immediately mobilized all his soul power and used a soul skill, hoping to turn the situation around. Yet even after giving it everything he had, he still could not suppress Ling Yuan.

As the Young Clan Chief, Ling Yuan's soul skills were of a higher grade!

The Seven-Star Dou Zun was forced back again and again by Ling Yuan's soul power.

After deadlocking for a while longer, Ling Yuan caught an opening in his opponent's defenses. He condensed an invisible sharp blade and fiercely struck his opponent's soul.

The Seven-Star Dou Zun had nowhere to evade. His soul was struck, his entire body stiffened, and he fell onto the arena.

Ling Yuan won this match.

He continued. The next opponent was a Five-Star Dou Zun at the Spirit Realm Early Phase.

Ling Yuan won.

For the third match, he challenged an expert at the Spirit Realm Middle Phase. Relying on the advantage of his soul skill grade, Ling Yuan narrowly won.

Three high-intensity soul battles had nearly drained all of his soul power.

He could not fight anymore. He truly could not fight anymore. Ling Yuan only wanted to return and rest at once.

Dragging his exhausted body, he returned to his residence.

Although he was exhausted to the extreme, Ling Yuan still forced himself to sit upright instead of resting immediately.

He took out the jade slip containing a soul skill for nourishing the soul and began circulating it to nurture his soul.

The focus was on stabilizing his soul, not rushing to improve it.

The Ling Clan possessed great wealth and influence. As a Dou God Clan that specialized in soul cultivation, it naturally had no shortage of soul cultivation methods and Dou Skills.

There were specialized soul skills for improving the soul, as well as corresponding soul skills for nourishing it. They came in a complete range and were of extremely high quality, more than sufficient for Ling Yuan's use.

Over the next few days, Ling Yuan maintained this routine: every morning, he went to the Soul Refining Arena, found suitable opponents for soul battles, and tempered his control over his soul;

After each battle, he returned to his courtyard and circulated nourishing soul skills to stabilize his soul realm and recover his depleted soul power;

Occasionally, he also refined a tiny amount of Soul Origin, proceeding gradually and never greedily taking too much.

Several days passed like this, until Zi Yan came to see him and indirectly brought up the matter of growing up.

Only then did Ling Yuan smack his forehead. "I forgot about the Source-Replenishing Pill!"

He had been so wholly focused on tempering his soul these past few days that he had completely thrown the matter of refining pills for Zi Yan to the back of his mind.

It was not that Ling Yuan had a poor memory. The feeling of growing stronger was simply too intoxicating.

Once he remembered, Ling Yuan took Zi Yan to find an Eighth-Rank Alchemist.

Although the Ling Clan did not have a Ninth-Grade Alchemist and could not compare to an alchemy holy land like the Yao Clan.

It was still a long-inherited Dou God Clan and specialized in soul cultivation. It had quite a few alchemists, including more than ten Eighth-Rank Alchemists, enough to meet its daily demand for medicinal pills.