Absorbing the Autumn Dew of Insight, Beginning the Formation of a Soul Core!

After settling A Rou and Xiao Wu in, Dugu Chen left the valley alone.

Arriving in Sunset Forest, he picked out a massive tree that would take one person to wrap their arms around and reached out to pat its trunk.

He did not use much force, yet the ancient tree immediately began to tremble violently.

Leaves scattered through the air, while the aftershocks in the trunk continued without end, even causing the surrounding ground to shake faintly.

Dugu Chen nodded in satisfaction. "Pretty resilient. It can be used to build a house!"

The next moment, having selected his materials, Dugu Chen's right arm instantly transformed into a dragon's arm, golden scales slowly emerging in reverse from beneath his skin.

Powerful strength flooded into his right hand. Using it like a blade, he slashed horizontally at the tree. With a crack, he severed the massive tree at its roots in the blink of an eye.

The tree crashed down. Just as it was about to hit the ground, Dugu Chen moved again, supporting the trunk with one hand and cutting away all the excess branches, leaving only the main log.

Then, he repeated the process. As time passed, one side of Sunset Forest had been cleared bare, while the logs formed a towering pile.

As the sky gradually darkened, Dugu Chen finally stopped working. He tied all the logs together with thick ropes and carried them back to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

A moment later, the ground outside the valley shook. Dugu Chen slowly descended from the sky, and the logs on the ground were already piled high.

Hearing the commotion, Ah Yin emerged from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well as well, smiling as she called Dugu Chen inside for dinner.

Dinner was simple: some dried meat, vegetables, and warmed flatbread brought from the family kitchen.

Though it was a very simple meal, Dugu Chen enjoyed every bite, his face filled with a happy smile.

He could not help thinking that perhaps such a peaceful life was the true ideal destination.

Xiao Wu, however, had no interest in any of that. She was particularly fond of carrots instead.

She held a carrot as thick as an arm in her hands and chewed on it. Every bite produced a crisp crunch, making it impossible not to laugh.

After dinner, Dugu Chen returned to work. He split the logs into wooden planks, controlling the length and thickness of every board with exceptional precision.

Using his hand as a blade, his sharp dragon claws were the finest tools.

As the planks were finished, Dugu Chen drove wooden stakes one by one into a flat stretch of ground deeper within the valley. He worked quickly, burying every stake to precisely the same depth.

The moon shone bright while the stars were sparse, and crows flew south.

In just a few hours, Dugu Chen had built two wooden houses—one for himself and Ah Yin, and one for A Rou and Xiao Wu.

The moon hung high in the sky, its cool light slanting through the valley and into the window lattice.

Dugu Chen sat quietly on the bed with Ah Yin in his arms. Through the window, they could see the bright moon hanging high overhead.

Ah Yin had fallen deeply asleep in his embrace. Moonlight fell upon her beautiful, snow-white face, peaceful and serene, while a sweet smile lingered on her lips, as though she were dreaming of something wonderful.

The night passed without incident.

As the distant horizon gradually brightened with a pale fish-belly white, Dugu Chen slowly awoke.

Carefully placing Ah Yin's hand at his side, he left the valley in the morning light.

The sky was gray and overcast, with heavy mist hanging in the air. The morning breeze drifted through the forest, clearing Dugu Chen's mind somewhat.

He slowly walked to the edge of the valley cliff and sat down cross-legged.

He took out an inconspicuous herb from the Ruyi Treasure Pouch.

The herb was entirely emerald green. Strangely, three snow-white leaves grew at its center, with several droplets resting in the middle of the leaves, like dew left behind in the early morning.

It was the Autumn Dew of Insight!

A supreme Immortal Herb capable of greatly increasing spiritual power, even allowing eye-type martial souls to evolve.

"With this Immortal Herb, I can try to condense my own Soul Core afterward!"

Dugu Chen took a deep breath. Having made up his mind, he tilted it without hesitation and let the transparent liquid within drip into his mouth.

He possessed neither an eye-type martial soul nor eye-related cultivation techniques, so consuming it directly would yield the best results.

In an instant, a cool current rushed straight into his mind. Dugu Chen felt as though his sea of consciousness had expanded several times over.

Everything around him became incomparably clear. He could even see the tiny specks of dust floating in the air with perfect clarity.

Dugu Chen's expression shifted. "My spiritual power has increased by at least more than double, and the medicinal effect hasn't even faded yet. It can continue increasing my spiritual power afterward!"

A flash of delight appeared in his eyes. With this, he was even more confident in condensing a Soul Core.

Thinking of this, he did not hesitate any longer and immediately began attempting to condense his soul power into a core.

His current accumulation of soul power had already reached a very profound level, and his physical condition also met the requirements.

Once he became proficient, he could begin attempting to condense his first Soul Core.

Dugu Chen took a deep breath and adjusted his mental state. He closed his eyes, held his breath, and focused, allowing his spiritual power to circulate inward while suppressing the fluctuations of his aura to the utmost limit.

When Dugu Chen opened his eyes again, however, his pupils had turned into brilliant golden slits. Intense golden light bloomed from the depths of his eyes as he slowly raised his right hand, streams of radiant golden soul power flowing out.

After consuming the Autumn Dew of Insight, Dugu Chen's spiritual power had reached an exceedingly terrifying level.

Under the firm control of that powerful spiritual power, not a trace of the soul power in his palm leaked out.

The soul power gradually increased and began floating above his palm, slowly rotating as it gradually formed the shape of a vortex.

It resembled a tiny radiant golden sun, looking extraordinarily mystical.

Dugu Chen first controlled it to rotate, then began slowly compressing it during the rotation.

Throughout the entire process, Dugu Chen was extremely cautious. He did not dare channel more soul power into the compression, doing his utmost to keep the soul power circulating evenly.

As time passed, the radiant golden vortex rapidly shrank under Dugu Chen's control. In no time, it was only half its original size.

His spiritual power pressed against the Soul Core at high intensity, making Dugu Chen somewhat dizzy. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to stay focused, continuing the condensation and polishing it until it became smoother and more even.

The radiant golden vortex shrank smaller and smaller. Its viscous liquid form gradually transformed into a solid state, while its rotation grew faster and faster.

The faster it spun, the smaller it became; the smaller it became, the faster it spun!

In the blink of an eye, the radiant golden soul ring had been compressed to the size of a soybean. It had now completely solidified, taking on the shape of a funnel.

"Success!"

Looking at the tiny Soul Core that had taken shape, Dugu Chen burst into delighted laughter.

He raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his brow, then stared intently at the tiny Soul Core he had painstakingly condensed, hoping to use it as a reference to deduce a Soul Core suitable for storing within his body.