Strength Breakthrough, Return to Holy Soul Village

Having thought it through, Tang Ling no longer hesitated and chose to claim it.

The next instant, a warm yet majestic power erupted from the depths of his body.

That power was not violent. Instead, it was as gentle as spring water, yet vast beyond description. It slowly flowed through Tang Ling's meridians, and wherever it passed, his meridians, flesh, and bones underwent an indescribable transformation.

The greatest difference between the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage and the Deity Transformation stage lay in the word "spirit."

For cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage, the Nascent Soul was part of the body, housed within the dantian as a concentration of power. But upon reaching the Deity Transformation stage, the Nascent Soul became the primordial spirit. No longer confined to the dantian, the primordial spirit could leave the body and roam heaven and earth, traveling a thousand miles with a single thought.

Tang Ling clearly sensed the Nascent Soul within his dantian slowly melting away, transforming into an incomparably pure energy that traveled up his spine before finally flowing into his sea of consciousness.

Within his sea of consciousness, a transparent phantom identical to himself was slowly taking shape.

That was his primordial spirit.

The moment the primordial spirit fully solidified, Tang Ling's entire body trembled.

An indescribable sense of power filled every part of him. His spiritual sense surged more than tenfold in an instant, spreading in all directions like a tidal wave.

The entire cliff, the Star Dou Forest within a thousand miles, every soul beast's breathing in the forest, every insect's chirp, every trembling leaf—all of it was clearly reflected in his sea of consciousness.

He could even "see" a colossal creature slumbering in the deepest part of the Star Dou Forest.

The power within that massive creature was so immense that even he felt a chill. It was an existence far beyond a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, surpassing any living being he had encountered before.

"So that is... this world's peak fighting power?" Tang Ling slowly withdrew his spiritual sense, a grave look appearing in his eyes.

In terms of power, that slumbering giant beast was likely no weaker than a late-stage Deity Transformation cultivator.

Moreover, it slept even deeper underground. Its true strength would only be greater than what he had sensed.

However, the giant beast's life force was exceedingly weak. It seemed to be asleep, yet also seemed to be healing from injuries. It probably would not awaken anytime soon.

Of course, even if it did awaken, Tang Ling was not afraid.

He was no ordinary Deity Transformation cultivator. His bloodline had returned to its ancestral origins, and his talent defied the heavens. If he got serious, even Void Refinement cultivators would have to consider their own worth.

Tang Ling temporarily set the matter aside and carefully sensed the changes in his body.

Early Deity Transformation stage—achieved.

Not only had he achieved it, but he could feel that his foundation was exceptionally solid, without the slightest trace of instability.

The system's reward truly was as it claimed, equivalent to the result of breaking through through his own arduous cultivation.

"If I had cultivated normally, breaking through would have been impossible without at least three years of secluded training." Tang Ling clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within his body as a smile appeared at the corner of his lips. "This system really does have something to it."

He stood and removed the three barriers.

The mountain wind swept past, making his robes flutter loudly. Tang Ling stood at the edge of the cliff, looking down at the endless green sea below.

The Star Dou Forest, kingdom of soul beasts. Only a few hours ago, he had saved a transformed hundred-thousand-year soul beast here and casually obtained a system reward.

Now, he had already broken through, his strength rising to yet another terrifying level.

"I should go back and take a look." Tang Ling took a step forward and vanished from the cliff. "Let's see how that little fellow still drinking milk has been doing."

His Deity Transformation cultivation made his speed unimaginably fast. He crossed a distance of several hundred miles in an instant.

Tang Ling's gaze pierced through the darkness and fell upon that familiar wooden hut.

Inside, Tang Hao was slumped against a chair, sleeping soundly, his snores rumbling like thunder.

Meanwhile, in the cradle in the corner, baby Tang San had his eyes open. A mature gleam that did not belong to an infant flickered in those deep blue eyes.

"Sleeping with his eyes open? He really is special!!"

Tang Ling's lips curved slightly. "Enjoy this last bit of peace, little San."

The system interface appeared in his mind.

[Special Mission (Optional): Make Tang San's childhood... not quite so smooth. The reward will be determined by the degree of emotional torment.]

Tang Ling's gaze fell on the special mission, and the smile on his lips became increasingly playful.

Make Tang San's childhood less smooth?

He had plenty of ways to do that.

The morning sunlight spilled over the dirt roads of Holy Soul Village, coating the roadside wild grass in a faint golden hue.

Tang Ling chose an empty plot at the edge of Holy Soul Village, less than a hundred paces from Tang Hao's blacksmith shop.

With his methods, building a house was no difficult matter. With a few casual spells, the foundation, walls, and roof took shape one after another. In less than half an hour, a clean and tidy little courtyard stood on the empty plot.

By the time the sun had fully risen, Tang Ling was already seated in a rattan chair in the courtyard, leisurely drinking spirit tea.

The first person to discover him was Old Jack from the village.

Old Jack had gone out for his morning walk. When he passed the empty plot, he nearly thought he had taken the wrong road. He rubbed his eyes and stared at the courtyard that had appeared out of nowhere, his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg.

"Th-this... this..."

"Morning." Tang Ling raised his teacup toward him, his smile gentle.

"You are...?" Old Jack sized up the unfamiliar young man before him. Though he was plainly dressed, even the important figures Old Jack had seen in Notting City could not compare to his bearing.

"Tang Ling, a traveler passing through. The scenery here is quite nice, so I thought I'd stay for a while." Tang Ling made up the identity of a wandering soul master, saying that he had grown tired of fighting and killing and wanted to find a quiet place to rest for a time.

Old Jack was skeptical at first, but Holy Soul Village was no military stronghold. One more person or one less person in the village was no big deal. Besides, Tang Ling was generous, casually handing him ten gold coins as payment for the empty plot. Old Jack promptly threw all his doubts to the wind.

Ten gold coins were enough to buy plenty of plots like this in such a remote village.

"Rest easy, Mr. Tang. If you need anything, just come find me, Old Jack!" Cradling the gold coins, Old Jack left with a broad grin, telling everyone he met that some important figure had arrived in the village.

News traveled quickly. In less than half a day, all of Holy Soul Village knew that a courtyard had appeared out of thin air on the empty lot by the village entrance, and that a lavish-spending outsider had moved in.

Naturally, the news reached Tang Hao's ears as well.

Tang Hao was bare-chested in the blacksmith's shop, hammering iron. When he heard the news, the hammer in his hand paused for a moment.

He was not some ignorant country bumpkin like Old Jack. A courtyard appearing out of nowhere? Overnight? That was not something an ordinary person could accomplish.

A Soul Master? But what kind of Soul Master would settle down in a godforsaken place like Holy Soul Village?

He set down his hammer, wiped away his sweat, and decided to take a look himself.

Tang Hao stood outside Tang Ling's courtyard for the time it took an incense stick to burn before finally pushing open the gate and entering.