"Boom!"
A fierce and domineering Spiritual Strength raged through Xiao Yan's body, and the originally stable situation was suddenly reversed in a short moment!
Within Xiao Yan's sea of consciousness, the Soul Bead suddenly began to violently surge. The Spiritual Strength that had been condensed was now spreading out uncontrollably, and the vast Soul Power was spreading out uncontrollably, passing through Xiao Yan's body and rapidly spreading throughout the Ginseng Spirit Realm.
Xiao Yan was caught off guard by this scene. He hadn't expected that such a slight deviation would cause the Soul Bead to immediately go berserk. If he continued to let these Spiritual Strength spread, his Soul Origin would likely suffer unprecedented damage!
Even Gu You was helpless in this situation. Although he was quite powerful, he was powerless to do anything about what was happening to Xiao Yan.
As the surging Spiritual Strength transformed into terrifying storms sweeping through the Ginseng Spirit Realm, the Ginseng Spirit Clan quickly sensed the situation and immediately focused their attention on it.
However, after they sensed the terrifying pressure within the Soul Storm, apart from a few individuals, the rest, whose strength was insufficient to Dou Di, all watched with solemn expressions as the invisible storm swept across the tops of countless Ginseng Spirit Tree.
"This... this seems to be... the aura of that human kid named Yan Xiao! Such powerful Spiritual Strength! With this level of Spiritual Strength, his strength has probably already reached the Dou Di level!"
"Go away! What 'human brat'? Is that a title we should use? He single-handedly killed Hei Mu! The saying goes, 'Those who have achieved something are our teachers.' Don't always judge others by their apparent strength. Right now, our entire Ginseng Spirit Clan owes him a huge favor. Many of us hold Senior Yan Xiao in the highest esteem. If anyone hears you speaking like that, they'll all gang up on you and beat you up!"
Upon hearing this, the Ginseng Spirit Clan who had spoken earlier quickly shut his mouth, glancing around furtively before finally letting out a sigh of relief after confirming that no one was paying attention to him.
Just then, the terrifying Soul Storm descended upon them with unparalleled pressure.
The moment that oppressive force descended, all the Ginseng Spirit Clan strength had not reached the Dou Di level were pressed to the ground, their faces flushed red. Apart from a few with stronger Spiritual Strength who were able to barely support their bodies, the only remaining were the Ginseng Spirit Clan experts whose strength had reached the Dou Di level.
However, even with their strength, they couldn't help but show a deep sense of solemnity when facing that terrifying soul pressure.
They were not alchemists, Spiritual Strength was not their forte. Faced with such terrifying soul pressure, although they could not be said to have overwhelmed them with sheer force, the tremor emanating from the depths of their souls still made them feel solemn.
As the Soul Storm swept through, Elder Luo and Luo Jin on the other side also instantly looked towards where Xiao Yan was.
When Luo Jin felt the terrifying pressure contained in the Soul Storm, even with his calm and composed nature, he couldn't help but feel a surge of shock. The pressure in the Soul Storm was incredibly powerful!
Unexpectedly, Xiao Yan has only been Second-Tier Alchemist for a few months, yet his Spiritual Strength has already grown to the Late Emperor Realm. If this continues at this rate, wouldn't his Spiritual Strength be comparable to those old monsters in the Pill Tower in a few more years?
After a moment of shock, Luo Jin exchanged a glance with Elder Luo beside him. Elder Luo also frowned slightly. What concerned him was not the power of the Soul Storm, but rather that he clearly knew Xiao Yan was refining that ball of Soul Origin. But if he was refining, how could this situation have occurred?
As long as it's not a soul with its own consciousness, there's no danger in refining it—every cultivator knows this. Furthermore, Elder Luo had already thoroughly investigated that Soul Origin, finding no trace of anything else. But the current situation is clearly a violent outburst caused by uncontrolled Spiritual Strength. If that's the case, then what exactly is Xiao Yan doing?!
After a moment's thought, Elder Luo finally shook his head helplessly. Before meeting Xiao Yan, he couldn't possibly understand the actual situation based solely on this violent Spiritual Strength. His brows furrowed, Elder Luo exchanged a glance with Luo Jin, who was also frowning, and said:
"Sigh... Let's go check it out. I really don't know what that little guy is up to this time."
Luo Jin nodded in agreement. The two of them moved swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, they had already reached the top of the Ginseng Spirit Tree. They casually dispersed the oncoming Soul Storm, and their figures flashed again. The next moment, Elder Luo and Luo Jin were already in front of Xiao Yan.
Upon seeing Xiao Yan, Elder Luo immediately sensed the violent Spiritual Strength emanating from Xiao Yan's body. Instantly, both Elder Luo and Luo Jin's expressions tightened slightly, revealing an extremely surprised look.
"Is this kid insane! His Spiritual Strength has only just reached the Late Emperor Realm, yet he dares to condense Soul Bead. He actually dares to do something like this! I really don't know what to say to him!"
Frowning as he looked at Xiao Yan, whose breathing was disordered, Elder Luo showed a hint of worry on his face, but he gently reprimanded him.
Upon hearing this, Luo Jin could only sigh helplessly. He was also somewhat shocked by Xiao Yan's actions, actually using the Spiritual Strength of the Late Emperor Realm cultivator to forcibly condense Soul Bead. Even if there was a chance of success, how high could it be...?
This defeat not only confirmed Gu You's judgment but also severely damaged Xiao Yan's soul. Consider this a lesson Xiao Yan learned: cultivation can only be achieved step by step; there are no shortcuts. Even if there were, they would only result in significant losses, ultimately yielding no benefit. The fastest and most reliable way to become stronger is to be grounded and take things one step at a time. This applies to cultivation, and it applies to life as well...
After all the Spiritual Strength within Xiao Yan's body overflowed and spread out, Xiao Yan's face turned deathly pale, as if he had truly lost his soul, and his body became noticeably thinner.
This defeat caused unprecedented damage to Xiao Yan's Spiritual Strength. Although Gu You tried his best to stabilize his condition during this time, Xiao Yan could do nothing except move with some difficulty.
The loss of Spiritual Strength within his sea of consciousness nearly caused Xiao Yan Xiao Yan faint. At this moment, he could only force himself to rise through sheer willpower. It seemed unlikely that he would recover for a long time to come; in fact, he might have to abandon his trip to the Void Lightning Pool two months later...
With difficulty, Xiao Yan stood up. His eyes, which were almost closed, were slightly blurry as he looked around. Xiao Yan weakened soul made him almost unaware of the two people standing beside him.
Through the gap between the two, Xiao Yan noticed that in the distance, above an endless sea of trees, the lingering Soul Storm, like an invisible ruler of light, was sweeping outwards from the vast canopy of the Ginseng Spirit Tree...