Pointing the Way, Analyzing Failure

Seeing Luo Feng lost in thought, his eyes full of admiration, Qin Yuan gently patted him on the head, interrupting his thoughts. His tone grew a little more serious as he said, "Don't get carried away with admiration. The path of cultivation is like rowing upstream: if you don't advance, you fall back. Your own cultivation is what matters most."

Luo Feng immediately came back to his senses. He quickly collected himself and stood respectfully to one side, listening attentively to his teacher's instruction.

"Tell me exactly how you've cultivated over these past three years." Qin Yuan looked at him calmly and spoke slowly. "Especially the First Tribulation of the Nine Tribulations Secret Manual that Qin Yuan left behind. I can sense that you've already failed three times. Tell me in detail what happened."

Luo Feng froze at his teacher's words, his face full of surprise. He asked instinctively, "Teacher, how did you know I failed three times?"

He had never told anyone about it, keeping it buried in his heart. Even those closest to him knew nothing of it. His teacher had been cultivating far away in a Cosmic Secret Realm and had only just returned, yet he knew all about it!

Seeing his surprise, Qin Yuan smiled faintly and explained, "Three distinct scars remain on your soul. They're equally deep and in exactly the same place."

He saw through the essence of Luo Feng's soul at a glance and continued, "All three wounds were left when the law patterns collapsed as you were engraving them on your soul, and their power rebounded against you. That's enough to show that, in all three attempts, you failed to hold on during the final stage of engraving the law patterns, falling short when success was within reach. Am I right?"

Every word was uncannily precise, describing the entire course of Luo Feng's three failures.

Luo Feng was shaken once again. His teacher could see even that so clearly, and his understanding of the Nine Tribulations Secret Manual far exceeded Luo Feng's imagination. He lowered his head, a trace of shame appearing on his face, and said in a low voice, "Yes, teacher."

"Every time, I gritted my teeth and held on until the end. The law patterns were just about to be completely engraved, but at that final moment, I couldn't endure the extreme pain in the depths of my soul. My consciousness wavered ever so slightly, and the moment I lost focus, the law patterns I'd worked so hard to engrave collapsed. The power of the laws rebounded against me, and my cultivation failed."

Luo Feng told Qin Yuan everything about his three failed attempts, leaving nothing out. His voice was full of self-reproach and helplessness. He had always believed that he had failed again and again because his will wasn't firm enough.

After listening, Qin Yuan fell silent for a moment. He looked at Luo Feng with a profound gaze and asked, "Do you know the real reason you failed?"

Luo Feng raised his head without hesitation and said firmly, "I do, teacher. My will isn't firm enough to keep my mind steady through that extreme pain."

As he saw it, if his will had been stronger, he would surely have held on until the end and successfully passed the First Tribulation.

"Wrong."

Qin Yuan gently shook his head, directly rejecting Luo Feng's answer. He said seriously, "There's nothing wrong with your will."

"Even a Universe Level martial artist might not be able to endure the pain of the First Tribulation of the Nine Tribulations Secret Manual. With your Star Level cultivation, you held on through such extreme pain in your soul until the final stage of engraving, coming within one step of success. That's enough to prove that your will far surpasses that of martial artists at the same level, and even that of many Universe Level martial artists. It's incredibly firm."

"The fundamental reason you failed wasn't a lack of will, but that your soul's foundation wasn't solid enough!"

His soul's foundation wasn't solid enough?

Luo Feng froze, his face full of confusion and incomprehension. He stared at Qin Yuan and repeated, "My soul's foundation?"

He had always thought the problem lay with his will, but it had never occurred to him that his soul's foundation was the cause. For a moment, he was utterly bewildered.

Seeing Luo Feng's bewilderment, Qin Yuan patiently explained the reason in detail. "Do you know that the Nine Tribulations Secret Manual is a supreme inheritance left behind by Yuan? It's far harder to cultivate than any ordinary secret technique in the universe. At its core, it involves carving out nine Tribulation Marks in the depths of the cultivator's soul."

"Each Tribulation Mark corresponds to a rebirth and a breakthrough in realm. Once all nine Tribulation Marks are cultivated, one can shed one's mortal body and exchange one's bones, embarking on the supreme great dao. But to engrave Tribulation Marks in the depths of the soul and carve out the path of tribulations, one needs an extremely powerful, incomparably solid soul foundation to bear them. Otherwise, there's simply no way to withstand the impact and pain inflicted on the soul when the Tribulation Marks are engraved."

"Your soul is indeed much stronger than those of ordinary martial artists on Earth. But after Yuan's Imprint awakened, your physical Gene Level rose rapidly and your potential continued to erupt. The growth of your soul, however, fell far behind the rise of your physical Gene Level."

"Because your soul and body couldn't grow in step, your cultivation foundation only appeared solid. In truth, it was strong on the outside but hollow within. With an unstable soul foundation, you naturally couldn't endure the suffering of cultivating the Nine Tribulations Secret Manual. No matter how firm your will was, you would ultimately fail at the final moment because your soul couldn't bear the strain."

Qin Yuan's words were like sweet dew poured over Luo Feng's head, instantly awakening him.

At that moment, the doubts and confusion that had long troubled him suddenly cleared away. He finally understood the real reason he had failed time and again over the past three years: it wasn't a lack of will, but an unstable soul foundation.

Seeing that Luo Feng understood, Qin Yuan said no more. He slowly raised his right hand and tapped with his index finger. A gentle golden light, imbued with the boundless resonance of the Soul Dao, flowed from his fingertip and touched the center of Luo Feng's brow.

The light was incomparably gentle, without the slightest trace of aggression. Instead, it carried a vast power that soothed and stabilized the soul.

Luo Feng offered no resistance. He stood quietly where he was and let the light enter the center of his brow.

The instant the light entered his body, Luo Feng felt a warm, mellow power surge into the depths of his soul. His soul, damaged and slightly unsteady from his three failures, rapidly healed under its nourishment, growing increasingly condensed and stable.

The discomfort and pain deep within his soul vanished in an instant. He felt refreshed, and his thoughts became exceptionally clear.

"I've placed a Soul-Stabilizing Restriction in the depths of your soul." Qin Yuan withdrew his finger and spoke slowly. "This restriction can temporarily help stabilize your soul's foundation and heal its wounds, giving you a better chance when you try the Nine Tribulations Secret Manual again in the near future."

Then his tone turned serious. "But remember, this only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. It can only meet your immediate needs. If you want to truly master the Nine Tribulations Secret Manual and thoroughly strengthen your soul's foundation, there's a place you must go."