Remarkable Cultivation Gains, the Peak of Level Twenty-Nine

Mo Yuan had spent decades teaching and was especially skilled at tailoring his instruction to each student and understanding their temperaments. He knew full well that the cultivation path of a supreme genius was never an unchanging assembly line of lessons. Occasional secluded cultivation, quiet reflection, and contemplation of the Way mattered far more than mechanical training.

A true genius had his own cultivation rhythm and needed no one interfering excessively or policing every step.

Sure enough, when he heard that Lin Chen wanted leave for secluded cultivation, Mo Yuan did not hesitate in the slightest or press him for specific reasons. He asked neither what the seclusion would involve nor what Lin Chen hoped to achieve. He merely nodded slightly and said calmly:

"Certainly. Cultivation depends above all on self-discipline and personal insight. You know your own limits, so make your own arrangements. I'll keep track of the training lessons you miss over the next few days. You can make them up once you come out."

As the Academy's foremost genius, Lin Chen had always been disciplined and hardworking, never slacking. For three years, he had built his foundation steadily and improved step by step, never once shirking his work or missing lessons without reason.

A disciple of such exceptional discipline deserved complete trust, not stringent supervision.

"Thank you, Teacher."

Lin Chen bowed in thanks again. After paying his respects, he turned and quietly left the courtyard, gently closing the gate behind him. His movements were light and unhurried, lest he disturb his teacher's quiet cultivation.

Once he left Mo Yuan's courtyard, Lin Chen allowed nothing else to distract him and headed straight for his private dormitory.

As a supreme genius granted exceptional privileges by the Academy, he had a room to himself. Its location was secluded and its soundproofing excellent, far from the noise of the student residential quarters—ideal for arduous secluded cultivation and quiet contemplation of the Way.

Arriving at his door, Lin Chen raised his hand and gently hung the wooden "Do not disturb" sign he had prepared on the outside. Clear and conspicuous, it would keep all students and staff from interrupting him.

Then his fingertips shifted slightly, releasing a faint pulse of soul power that precisely locked the door. From within, he shut out every sound and disturbance from the outside world, creating an utterly silent environment where no one would interrupt his seclusion.

With every preparation complete, he turned and walked into the room.

The dormitory was clean and simply furnished, its layout orderly: one desk, one bed, and one meditation cushion, with no unnecessary clutter. With bright windows and spotless surfaces, it was peaceful and elegant, the private space where he usually meditated, reviewed his battles, and refined his soul power.

Standing in the center of the room, Lin Chen took a deep breath. He completely reined in his stray thoughts and cast aside every outside distraction, letting his mind settle into clear, empty stillness.

The next instant, he stirred his intent ever so slightly.

Hum—

Faint ripples of soul power quietly spread, and a soft, luminous white silhouette slowly took shape before him.

A twin-tailed fox martial soul quietly materialized, its size comparable to an adult German shepherd, its form agile and supple, and its entire body possessing the texture of translucent glass.

At that moment, Liuli's luminous white radiance was restrained and gentle. Both tails hung softly, its fur was translucent and fine, and the contours of its muscles and bones were smooth and powerful. Delicate and gentle as it appeared, it possessed abundant reserves and brimming awareness.

After separating from Lin Chen's body and taking independent form, it sat quietly on the floor, its amber eyes docile and clear as they gazed steadily at him.

Through years of cultivating together and countless battles fought side by side in the Arena, Lin Chen and Liuli had long since achieved perfect unity between man and martial soul. Their minds were connected; no words were needed. A single glance or trace of intent was enough for flawless accord and seamless cooperation.

Lin Chen walked slowly to the meditation cushion in the center of the room and sat cross-legged, his back straight and posture upright. His eyes slowly closed.

Liuli, help me cultivate. Circulate soul power at full speed.

He murmured the words inwardly, gently conveying his command through his intent.

Whoosh—

The instant his intent reached it, Liuli understood its master's purpose, and a lustrous glow suddenly lit its docile eyes.

Faint water- and wood-attribute soul power quietly rose around it. Gentle, pure spiritual energy spread like flowing water, enveloping the entire dormitory and filling every inch of space.

The cultivation of a detached martial soul and its wielder naturally complemented each other, sharing one source and growing together.

As an extremely rare detached, corporeal martial soul, Liuli possessed awareness far beyond that of ordinary martial souls. It could independently draw in the soul power of heaven and earth and help its master circulate his own.

The innate affinity of a dual-attribute martial soul allowed it to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth faster and purify soul power more precisely than an ordinary soul master could through meditation alone.

In his previous cultivation, Lin Chen had generally led the meditation himself, with Liuli providing support, seeking steady progress and slowly building his reserves.

Today, however, to break through as swiftly as possible, he cast off every restraint, bringing himself and his martial soul into full cooperation and two-way resonance!

One man and one fox, one master and one martial soul—their minds became wholly united, their soul power perfectly linked.

The water and wood spiritual energy rising around Liuli flowed like a gentle stream, entering Lin Chen's meridians strand by strand. Mild and soothing, pure and concentrated, it continually nourished his meridians and widened the channels through which his soul power flowed.

At the same time, Lin Chen drove the soul power throughout his body with all his strength, circulating it along the most complete route. The soul power within and without blended and resonated, each strengthening the other.

When ordinary soul masters meditated, they could only rely on themselves to slowly absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and refine their soul power little by little. Their pace was slow and their efficiency limited, with impure spiritual energy and sluggish circulation all too likely to arise.

In Lin Chen's current method of cultivation, however, Liuli handled the wide-ranging absorption and purification of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. It filtered out every impurity and sent an endless supply of the purest, gentlest water and wood spiritual energy into his body;

Lin Chen, meanwhile, focused entirely on controlling the rhythm of his soul power circulation, refining his reserves, and assaulting the barrier to the next level.

Their roles were clearly defined and their coordination flawless. His cultivation efficiency surged to twice its former rate!

Pure spiritual energy of both water and wood flowed like a trickling stream, endlessly washing through and nourishing Lin Chen's meridians and the soul sea in his dantian.

His already substantial and pure level twenty-nine soul power steadily rose at a visibly discernible pace under this extraordinarily efficient cultivation, becoming more concentrated layer by layer.

Time quietly slipped away, moment by moment. With its doors and windows tightly closed, the dormitory was cut off from the world, its interior and exterior becoming two entirely separate realms.

Outside, day and night alternated and daylight shifted. The academy's students trained without pause, their voices rising and falling. Inside the dormitory, however, silence endured, broken only by long, steady ripples of soul power that spread slowly without ceasing.

Lin Chen sank completely into a self-forgetting state of secluded cultivation. He cast aside day and night, forgot time, and took no account of exhaustion, keeping his mind focused and concentrated on cultivation throughout.

Every full circulation was executed to perfection, and every thread of soul power was refined to utmost purity, leaving not the slightest trace of hollowness or impurity.

On the first day, his soul power steadily climbed, consolidating his foundation at early level twenty-nine and making its circulation throughout his body increasingly smooth and unobstructed.

On the second day, his soul power fully stabilized at the middle stage. The resilience of his meridians, the density of his soul power, and the purity of his spiritual energy improved across the board, making his reserves ever deeper and firmer.

On the third day, his soul power advanced with triumphant momentum, breaking straight into late level twenty-nine and leaving him only a single step from the peak.

On the fourth day, soul power filled his entire body to brimming, drawing infinitely close to the peak of level twenty-nine.

For four whole days and nights, he cultivated with relentless intensity, neither sleeping nor resting.

With Liuli's assistance, his own solid foundation and reserves, and the fierce drive of his sense of crisis, Lin Chen's soul power grew at a terrifying rate. It utterly shattered his previous rhythm of steady cultivation, yet remained supremely pure, without the slightest hollowness.

Until late on the fifth night.

All of Suotuo City had fallen silent. The darkness was thick as ink, every sound hushed, with only scattered lights dotting its streets and alleys.

Within the intermediate Academy, every student had long since turned out the lights and gone to rest. The entire campus lay silent.

Lin Chen's cross-legged body trembled slightly. Within the soul sea in his dantian, vast water and wood soul power filled every remaining gap, accumulating layer upon layer and condensing to the utmost. He had finally reached the peak of level twenty-nine!