Dao Realm

"What are you doing in the young master's courtyard?!" Xiao Bai asked, arms folded and brows slightly furrowed.

"He's my brother. Why can't I come?" Li Yingxue refused to back down.

"The young master needs to cultivate and review the account books. You'll only disturb him if you come!" Xiao Bai said righteously.

"That's because you're useless. You've been here for so many years, yet you only get through so few account books each month!" Li Yingxue said disdainfully.

"That's still better than you. At least I'm doing something. You, on the other hand, can't be bothered to learn anything, and even your cultivation is hit-or-miss. My Soul Power is almost catching up to yours now!" Xiao Bai shot Li Yingxue a contemptuous glance.

"You... you... you're bullying me!" Li Yingxue was no match for this sharp-tongued old fox. Her face flushed red, but she could not force out a single retort.

"Brother—sob, sob!"

She spun around and threw herself into Zhang Qingxuan's arms.

Seeing this, Xiao Bai folded her arms and curled her lips in disdain. "Here we go again. How many times have you used this trick? You've been crying for ages, but not a single tear has fallen."

Zhang Qingxuan patted his sister's back, his tone gentle yet tinged with helplessness. "All right, all right. Stop it."

He raised his head and looked at Xiao Bai. "You too. Why do you always have to argue with her?"

Xiao Bai immediately rolled her eyes. "Right, right, it's all my fault. Why would I bother arguing with someone so petty?"

With that, she turned and left, the hem of her snow-white dress cutting a crisp arc through the air.

"Who are you calling petty?!"

Li Yingxue sprang out of Zhang Qingxuan's embrace with a whoosh. Like an enraged kitten, she chased after Xiao Bai's retreating figure.

"You dead fox! Stop right there! Explain yourself!"

"Whoever I mean knows it in her heart—"

The two bickered as they ran, their voices gradually fading as they passed through the moon gate and vanished at the end of the covered corridor.

Watching the direction in which they had left, Zhang Qingxuan shook his head with a smile and murmured, "What a pair of sworn enemies..."

The courtyard finally returned to peace.

Zhang Qingxuan sat quietly for a moment, gathered his thoughts, and closed his eyes.

His consciousness sank deep into his sea of consciousness.

"System, inspect the panel."

[ Ding— ]

A clear notification chimed within his mind. Ripples spread through the system's orb of light, and an azure screen appeared, its words distinct:

[Host: Zhang Qingxuan]

[Martial Souls: Body, Yin-Yang Taiji Diagram, Green Leaf Sword]

[Dao Realm: Qi Refining into Spirit (Early Stage)]

[Spiritual Power: Mid Spirit Abyss Realm]

[Level: Level 80 Quasi Soul Douluo]

[Techniques: Golden Light Incantation (Mastered), Five Thunders Method (Mastered)]

Zhang Qingxuan's "gaze" lingered on the Dao Realm section for a long time.

Qi Refining into Spirit, early stage.

He sighed silently.

He was not surprised by this result. Since breaking through to this realm three years ago, his Dao Realm cultivation had been like sinking into a mire, unable to advance even an inch.

Qi Refining into Spirit was a crucial dividing line on the path of cultivation—it required one to comprehend the Power of Heaven and Earth and touch the source of laws before one could condense the embryonic form of "spirit," laying a foundation for Spirit Refining into Emptiness in the future.

But the problem was that the consciousness of heaven and earth in this world was far too weak.

The consciousness of heaven and earth here remained hazy and undeveloped. The laws were concealed rather than revealed, while the Power of Heaven and Earth was thin and chaotic—hard to grasp, and even harder to comprehend.

It was like a man thirsting for a clear spring, only to find himself facing a filthy swamp.

His gaze shifted to the two special Martial Souls.

The Yin-Yang Taiji Diagram and the Green Leaf Sword.

The former floated quietly within his sea of consciousness, chaos-colored, with yin and yang energies flowing slowly through it. It seemed to contain the ultimate principles of heaven and earth, yet it also seemed like utter nothingness.

The latter was the phantom of a three-foot azure sword. Its blade was as translucent as glass, faintly bearing vein-like patterns, and it emitted a tranquil, ancient aura.

Three Martial Souls. Across the entire continent, he was one of a kind.

Yet two of them had never responded to him since the day they awakened.

He had tried countless times.

His Soul Power flowed toward them like tiny streams, carefully drawing near, only to be shut out by an invisible barrier.

No, it was not rejection—it was "disdain."

He could clearly sense the almost instinctive repulsion coming from those two Martial Souls, as though Soul Power were something utterly foul and impure.

Later, relying on memories from his previous life, he transformed his Soul Power into the more fundamental "qi."

This time, the barrier vanished, but the two Martial Souls remained silent, like ancient wells in deep pools, without the slightest ripple.

He possessed priceless treasures, yet could not find a way to use them.

The feeling was indeed stifling.

"Forget it..."

Zhang Qingxuan slowly opened his eyes. A trace of relief flashed through them as he reached out and gently brushed a fallen petal from the page.

"There's no use overthinking it. I'll let nature take its course. Perhaps... I can find a turning point in the Star Dou Great Forest."

Setting aside his thoughts, he picked up the account book Xiao Bai had put down earlier and opened it.

The entries were clearly organized, marked with red-ink annotations.

Xiao Bai's handwriting was elegant with a touch of uninhibited flair, quite fitting for her personality.

Zhang Qingxuan read through it line by line, occasionally picking up his brush to make marks.

It was time to work.

Meanwhile, a thousand miles away, at the Clear Sky Sect.

Majestic mountain ranges sprawled like coiling dragons. Upon the main peak stood countless grand halls, their presence imposing and magnificent.

This was the location of the greatest sect under heaven—the Clear Sky Sect.

Deep within the main hall, candlelight flickered.

Tang Chen stood before the window with his hands behind his back, watching the sea of clouds churn in the distance, seemingly lost in thought.

He was tall and broad-shouldered. Though he was already over a hundred years old, he showed no sign of frailty. Instead, he possessed the grave, imposing presence of a mountain.

"Father."

A voice came from outside the hall. Tang Li strode in, unable to suppress the joy on his face. "I broke through."

Tang Chen turned, his gaze sharp as lightning as it swept over his son. After a moment, he nodded slightly. "Quasi Soul Sage?"

Tang Li straightened his back, pride in his voice. "Yes. I broke through late last night. Level seventy."

"A Soul Sage at twenty-five..." Tang Chen walked to the seat of honor and sat down, lifting his teacup.

"Not bad. In a few days, have the First Elder take you to the Star Dou Great Forest to obtain your seventh Soul Ring. He is a Title Douluo, so your safety should be assured. Finding a suitable Soul Ring should not be difficult."

"Yes, thank you, Father!" Tang Li bowed, then withdrew.

His footsteps gradually faded away.

The hall fell silent once more.

Tang Chen set down his teacup. The forced approval faded from his face, replaced by an unfathomable gravity.

A Soul Sage at twenty-five was undoubtedly a genius in the outside world.

But Tang Chen knew that this achievement had been built with the Clear Sky Sect's full resources—the best Soul Power cultivation methods, the most compatible soul bones, the richest practical combat guidance, the finest Soul Ring combinations...

Even so, this was all he had achieved.

What if he were compared to that person?

That youth who could stir Feng Yun and summon surging thunder with a mere wave of his hand!

Tang Chen slowly closed his eyes, his fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest.

A deeper worry wound around his heart like vines.

The current Clear Sky Sect appeared illustrious and powerful, but it was strong on the outside and weak within. There was a severe gap among the sect's top combatants.

Aside from himself, a level ninety-nine Limit Douluo, there was only the First Elder, Tang Zhen, a Title Douluo—and merely an ordinary level ninety-two Douluo.

The remaining elders were all Soul Douluos. Without several more years, it would be difficult for them to break through to Title Douluo.

Among the younger generation, Tang Li was already the finest, but he would need at least another decade or more before he could truly stand on his own.