Soul Refining Sect Elder, Yu Xiaogang Cultivates!

All that remained was a layer of gloomy, dark clouds that never dispersed throughout the year.

If you looked closely, you would realize those were not dark clouds at all!

They were tens of thousands of countless wronged souls, circling in the sky, wailing and tearing at each other!

They gathered together to form a sea of souls that blotted out the sun, shrouding the entire canyon in a desperate, eerie atmosphere.

That bone-chilling cold that struck directly at the soul made the audience on the Douluo Continent feel a heartfelt shudder, even through the Sky Screen.

At Shrek Academy, several auxiliary-system students with weaker mental strength felt a needle-like stinging pain in their heads; they clutched their heads and crouched on the ground, retching.

Just then.

A deafening, cold snort suddenly erupted from the depths of the massive White Bone Canyon.

This sound seemed to emerge from the Nine Nether Hells, carrying a pressure that made the soul tremble.

"Who dares to trespass on the territory of my Soul Refining Sect?"

Accompanying this voice.

The sea of dark clouds in the sky, composed of countless wronged souls, churned violently.

A gigantic face, pieced together from thousands of painful human countenances, slowly condensed within the clouds.

The giant face lowered its gaze, and two icy, tangible glares pierced through layers of toxic miasma, locking firmly onto Liu Mei and Ghost, who were standing on the periphery of the canyon.

That suffocatingly massive pressure slammed heavily into the hearts of everyone on the Douluo Continent through the light screen.

This was the terrifying sect that possessed the Billion Soul Banner!

The giant face in the sky, stitched together from thousands of wronged souls, blocked all the light above the canyon.

As those two icy gazes fell, the surrounding toxic miasma seemed to encounter its nemesis, instantly scattering to the sides and clearing a large, clean space.

Liu Mei stood where she was, her long red dress fluttering backward in the eerie wind.

There was not much fear on her beautiful, fair face.

She had long known that the Soul Refining Sect was not to be trifled with, and she had come this time specifically to carry out a task for her master.

Liu Mei took a small step forward, crossed her arms over her chest, and bowed slightly to the giant face in mid-air, performing the etiquette of a junior.

"Junior Liu Mei, acting under the orders of my master, Vermilion Bird Master, has come specifically to deliver a gift to the seniors of the Soul Refining Sect."

Her voice was crisp and pleasant, sounding particularly abrupt outside the wailing, wind-swept White Bone Canyon.

"Vermilion Bird Master?"

The giant face of wronged souls opened its mouth, emitting a harsh, unpleasant laugh.

The sound was like two rusty iron plates rubbing against each other, making one's scalp tingle.

"That old fox doesn't dare to step half a foot into our Soul Refining Sect himself, so he sends a yellow-haired girl like you to test us?"

The expression on the giant face suddenly turned ferocious.

"Our Soul Refining Sect does not accept gifts from the living; we only collect the souls of the dead!"

As soon as the words fell, the sea of souls in the sky churned violently.

A massive hand, condensed entirely from black mist, reached out from mid-air.

The hand was over a dozen zhang wide, carrying a chill that threatened to freeze a person's soul, and it lunged straight toward the top of Liu Mei's head.

Liu Mei's expression shifted, but she was not panicked.

This was the moment she had been waiting for.

"Go!"

Liu Mei gave a cold shout, formed a spell with her right hand, and pointed sharply at Ghost, who had been standing woodenly beside her.

The moment he received the command.

A strange black light suddenly ignited in Ghost's hollow eyes.

He transformed into a bolt of black lightning, charging directly to meet the massive black hand in mid-air.

The audience on the Douluo Continent held their breath as they watched this scene.

In their eyes, Ghost's actions were tantamount to suicide.

That black hand was entwined with countless wailing souls; if an ordinary person were to touch it, they likely wouldn't even have bone fragments left.

However, the unexpected happened.

The moment Ghost's body collided with the massive black hand.

There was no earth-shattering explosion.

The shadow spiritual energy that Liu Mei had infused into the edges of Ghost's body using a secret technique acted like a dried-up sponge meeting water.

He actually forcibly absorbed the layer of wronged soul mist on the outer edge of the black hand into his own body!

Although he only absorbed a tiny amount, he was not crushed by the massive hand; instead, he stabilized his position within the black mist.

"Eh?"

Deep within the White Bone Canyon, a soft sound of surprise echoed out.

The movement of the massive black hand paused; instead of continuing its strike, its five fingers curled inward, snatching Ghost up and clutching him in its palm like a chick.

"An innate shadow constitution... and yet, without a spiritual root, he can actually absorb the soul energy of our Soul Refining Sect?"

The voice from within the canyon was thick with intrigue.

"Where did that old thing, Vermilion Bird Master, dig up such a strange little toy?"

Taking advantage of the moment the opponent's attention was fixed on Ghost, a cold, triumphant smirk curled the corners of Liu Mei's lips.

She swiftly pulled a talisman covered in red runes from her storage bag and crushed it in her grip.

The talisman erupted into a blinding orb of red light, instantly enveloping her entire body.

"Senior, please take your time studying this generous gift. This junior will take her leave!"

Liu Mei's voice echoed in the air, but she had already transformed into a streak of light, fleeing toward Vermilion Bird Mountain without a backward glance.

The giant face in the sky made no move to pursue her.

To an elder of the Soul Refining Sect, a little girl escaping was of no consequence; the strange shadow-body in his hand was a rare and precious material.

The black hand, still gripping Ghost, slowly retracted, eventually vanishing entirely into the dark clouds.

The image on the Sky Screen followed Ghost's perspective, plunging into a darkness so thick one could not see their own fingers.

Shortly after, the screen gradually faded to a dull gray.

Spirit City, Pope Palace.

Everyone in the great hall was stunned into silence.

Bibi Dong slumped weakly against the back of her chair, a splitting headache throbbing behind her eyes.

So, this was their scheme all along.

Bibi Dong's voice was laced with exhaustion and bitterness.

She finally understood.

The woman named Liu Mei had never expected Ghost to defeat anyone.

She had simply used Ghost as bait.

A lure specifically designed to draw the attention of the Soul Refining Sect.

Now that the bait had been swallowed, Ghost's life was effectively over; he was destined to be lost forever within that sect of malevolent spirits.

Yue Guan stood to the side, his legs giving way until he collapsed to his knees, covering his face as he began to sob quietly.

Qian Daoliu stared up at the ceiling, his eyes closed, remaining silent.

This was the Renegade Immortal World.

Without sufficient strength, one could not protect themselves, let alone avoid being traded back and forth like mere cargo.

The Title Douluo, who once stood high above all others on the Douluo Continent, held a status in this world lower than that of a common guard dog.

Just as everyone began to despair over Ghost's fate, the image on the Sky Screen slowly brightened, shifting to the spirit beast enclosure of the Troll Race.

It was already deep into the night outside.

A crescent moon hung in the sky, casting a cold, pale light.

Inside the massive livestock shed, the Black Wind Pig lay atop a pile of hay, emitting rhythmic, snoring breaths.

The spot where Yu Xiaogang sat was a patch of ground he had just cleared clean.

His hands, covered in blood blisters, were still trembling slightly.

Yet, his spirit was remarkably sharp.

He sat cross-legged on the dirt floor, his back against a thick wooden pillar.

He placed the tattered jade slip carefully upon his lap, eyes closed, his breathing becoming slow and rhythmic.

He was attempting to cultivate!

He was attempting the "Basic Qi Condensation and Breathing" recorded within the jade slip.

The spectators of the Douluo Continent watched this scene with rapt attention, not daring to blink.

This was a cultivation technique from the immortal world!

Although Yu Xiaogang looked wretched, reeking of filth and shackled by an iron chain around his neck, it did not diminish their yearning for that unknown power.

On the training grounds of Shrek Academy, Tang San clenched his fists, watching the light screen with bated breath.

He wanted to know if the people of the Douluo Continent could truly absorb that thing called "spiritual energy."

If they could, then the heavens of this world were about to change.

Inside the shed.

Yu Xiaogang followed the incantations from his memory, struggling to calm his heart.

Feel the energy of heaven and earth around you, and guide it into the Baihui acupoint...

He recited silently in his heart.

At first, he couldn't feel anything at all.

Aside from the foul stench of pig manure, there seemed to be nothing in the air.

But he refused to give up.

Gritting his teeth, he focused all his attention on the top of his head.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Yu Xiaogang's body shuddered violently.

He felt it!

Within the murky air around him, there seemed to be a trace of something very faint, yet exceptionally cool.

This energy was completely different from the soul power he had cultivated in the past.

Soul power was a force squeezed out from one's own martial soul, carrying a sense of heaviness.

But this cool energy felt like something that existed inherently in nature, exuding an indescribable agility.

It's coming in...

Yu Xiaogang screamed inwardly.

He tried his best to control that wisp of cool energy, slowly guiding it down through the acupoint on the top of his head.

However, the moment this spiritual energy entered his meridians, a change occurred.

This seemingly gentle energy, upon touching the soul power within Yu Xiaogang's body, acted like a drop of cold water falling into a pot of boiling oil.

"BOOM!"

Yu Xiaogang felt a heart-wrenching, lung-tearing pain erupt from within his body.

It felt as if someone had taken a barbed brush and scraped it fiercely through his blood vessels.

His weak level-twenty-nine soul power was as fragile as thin paper in the face of this spiritual energy, instantly shattered and scattered.

"Ah!"

Yu Xiaogang couldn't help but let out a miserable scream, clutching his stomach as he collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony.

Luo Sanpao, sleeping nearby, was startled awake. It circled Yu Xiaogang anxiously, letting out "luo luo" cries.

Yu Xiaogang rolled on the ground several times, his head slamming heavily against a wooden pillar.

He opened his mouth and spat out a large mouthful of black, congealed blood.

After spitting out this blood, he slumped on the ground like a pile of soft mud, gasping for air.

Seeing this scene, the flames of hope that had just ignited in the hearts of the commoners and low-level soul masters of the Douluo Continent were instantly extinguished.

"Did he fail?"

Flender frowned and sighed.

"It seems that people of our Douluo Continent simply cannot practice that cultivation method; our meridians cannot withstand it."

Zhao Wuji also shook his head, his face full of disappointment.

However, Tang San's eyes lit up.

He stared intently at the black blood Yu Xiaogang had spat out on the light screen, his breathing becoming rapid.

"No, it's not a failure."

There was a hint of unconcealable excitement in Tang San's voice.

"Look closely at Teacher's complexion!"

Hearing Tang San's words, everyone hurriedly leaned in to look.

In the image, although Yu Xiaogang looked extremely weak and was covered in sweat, his previously sallow complexion now revealed a faint, healthy flush.

Moreover, when he gasped for air, it seemed much smoother than before.

Yu Xiaogang himself had also discovered this change.

He lay on the ground, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve.

He was astonished to discover that the bone-deep exhaustion from a whole afternoon of heavy labor had diminished by more than half!

Even the hunger in his stomach was not as intense as it had been before.

"Cleansing the marrow..."

Yu Xiaogang looked at his own hands, murmuring in disbelief.

"That trace of spiritual energy forcibly cleared my blocked meridians, purging the impurities from my body along with the stagnant blood."

"Although the process was agonizing and scattered my soul power, it proves that I can cultivate! I can truly absorb spiritual energy!"

A wave of immense ecstasy instantly flooded Yu Xiaogang's heart.

He even forgot about the iron chain around his neck and the fact that he was in a foul-smelling pigsty.

He couldn't help but burst into laughter, laughing until tears streamed down his face.

I am a genius... I, Yu Xiaogang, am a true genius!

He screamed frantically in his heart.

Once I master this cultivation technique and find a way back, I will be the first immortal cultivator on the Douluo Continent!

What are Title Douluo? What is Spirit Hall? In my eyes, they are all nothing but farts!

Yu Xiaogang seemed to have already envisioned the glorious scene of his return to the continent, where he would be the center of attention and everyone would kneel on the ground, calling him their ancestor.

He couldn't help but straighten his back, and even his gaze toward the Black Wind Pig beside him carried a sense of condescending superiority.

However, this sense of superiority didn't last for even the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

From outside the shed, the rude cursing of that Troll Race man rang out.

"What are you howling about in the middle of the night!"

The Troll man carried a wooden bucket filled with scraps of meat and kicked the door frame open as he walked in.

He caught sight of Yu Xiaogang sitting on the ground, grinning foolishly.

The man frowned, strode over, and delivered a flying kick directly into Yu Xiaogang's stomach.

"Bang!"

Yu Xiaogang was kicked away like a ball, slamming heavily into the manure pile behind him.

The little bit of strength he had just gathered was instantly scattered, and the pain made him curl up on the ground like a boiled shrimp.

"If you wake the Black Wind Pig, I'll skin you alive!"

The Troll man slammed the wooden bucket onto the ground, splashing blood all over Yu Xiaogang's face.

"Get up and mix this bucket of meat feed for the Black Wind Pig immediately!"

"If you don't do it right, don't even think about drinking a single drop of water tomorrow morning!"