In the Southern Chasm of the Nether Desert, the battle was over, the tide of souls gradually subsided, and the world returned to deathly silence.
Amidst the howling gray wind, Qin Yu sheathed his Black Bone Long Spear and stood before the collapsed Soul Nest. Zhou Yu's breathing was slightly disordered, and blood trickled down her forehead, yet her expression remained proud.
Without saying much, the two stepped through Abyss Break abyss and headed straight back to the Myriad Phenomena Mission Hall.
Myriad Phenomena Floating Hall, the boundary light has not yet faded.
As they stepped into the Myriad Phenomena Hall, the boundary pages in their palms automatically shattered, breaking into soul sand, which was then guided by the Soul Stele Heavenly Pillar.
At the same time--
[Quest ID: Spirit Domain Severing Seal - Southern Barrier Soul Nest]
[Completion Status: Main Soul Annihilated, Breakthrough, All Abominations Destroyed]
[Task Upgrade Assessment: Upper Tier Completed → Origin Abyss Rift Cleared]
[Executors: Qin Yu, Zhou Yu]
[Realm Merit Points Assessment: +70 Realm Merit Points for each]
An invisible ray of light fell from the bottom of the Heavenly Stele, turning into a silvery-gray streak, and entered the sea of consciousness of the two.
Qin Yu's brow twitched slightly, and he suddenly felt a tremor within his sea of consciousness.
[Deep in Soul Consciousness - Back Inscription Soul Diagram] -- A newly formed soul feather inscription line slowly lights up, like a feather but not a feather, like a blade but not a blade, with seventy faint soul dots inscribed on it, gleaming with silver light.
That is -- the Realm Merit Seal.
"The Soul-Back Star Chart..." he murmured.
"The 'Boundary Merit' is an inscription of 'life merit' on the soul's name, which cannot be forged or transferred," Zhou Yu explained from the side.
"Every time an enemy is killed, an array is secured, a curse is broken, or a formation is completed, the sect's Heavenly Stele will record it."
"Only in this way can the Spirit Firmament Great Realm distinguish between true cause and effect and the destiny of the realm."
Qin Yu watched as the soul feather slowly sank into his sea of consciousness, and let out a barely perceptible breath.
This was completely different from any "reward and cultivation resource" system he had ever known before.
This is not something that can be seen--
This is the imprint of cause and effect, proof of existence itself.
At the summit of the Soul Stele Heavenly Pillar, a faint tremor emanated, extremely weak, yet it was detected by an old man who was stationed deep within the Soul Tower.
The man suddenly opened his eyes and muttered:
"The merit of the Nameless, breaking through the old Soul Seal to enter the Heavenly Stele?"
"Though not listed on the official register, his spirit resonates deep within..."
He gently tapped the jade tablet before him, and the boundary map trembled.
"Qian Ruishan... who exactly did you bring back?"
Meanwhile, on the other side, Shang Kui stood before the Realm Mirror, the Soul Mirror already shattered.
"He... he actually came back alive?"
He shattered the Soul Mirror into ashes with a single palm strike, his eyes as cold as an abyss:
"Even the Evil Soul Mother couldn't stop it? That spear... it's not from this world."
"To kill him... we must use that one's seal."
He turned and stepped into the Dark Palace of the Soul Poison Office, his figure disappearing into the boundary markings.
The next day, as dawn broke.
Qin Yu was meditating outside the Floating Cloud Pavilion, adjusting his breathing in his sea of consciousness, when suddenly a cheerful voice rang out:
"The Soul Stele has shaken; you 'low-key' person can't hide for long."
Zhou Yu arrived on the wind, tossing a battle request with golden boundary patterns in his hand.
"This is Heavenly Chasm Formation Trial Qualification Token, which takes place once every three months," he said.
"Only those with 50 or more medal points are eligible."
"If you win, you will be directly promoted to the inner sect, gain the right to cultivate on the second level of the Soul Tower, and receive a monthly supply of Source Crystals."
Are you coming or not?
Qin Yu opened his eyes, glanced at him, and said calmly:
I'm not busy right now.
"The Spirit Firmament Great Realm is far beyond what the Abyss can compare to; I have only been in this realm for a few days."
"I don't understand cultivation techniques, I don't know formation formulas, I don't recognize even a tenth of the pill patterns, and I've only just begun to grasp the art of war."
His gaze was clear and sharp.
"The rules are different here. Before a life-or-death battle, one must first understand which world one is fighting against."
Zhou Yu paused for a moment, then smiled and nodded in approval:
"Your lack of urgency and your ignorance are what's truly terrifying."
"I'll go first and break through the formation. By the time you break through, you'd better not be left far behind."
He turned and leaped up, his shadow stretched long in the morning light.
In the small building amidst floating clouds, sunlight quietly streamed in, and suddenly three faded, incomplete scrolls were laid out on the table.
One is the "Silent Origin: Tribulationless Chapter" - a fragmented technique that was judged by the sect as "broken and without form" long ago, and no disciple could even raise a trace of its aura.
One is the "Realm-Tracing Record of Spirit Restoration"—a discarded book of the Dan Hall, which states that its reverse alchemy method severs one's soul consciousness, and no one has dared to try it for a long time.
One is the "Realm-Folding Thought Diagram" - a fragment of array patterns. No one can decipher its array arrangement, let alone its array eye, materials, or methods.
These three volumes were ignored in the library hall and, in the eyes of the outer disciples, were no different from waste paper.
At this moment, the three scrolls lay still beneath Qin Yu's fingers, showing no sign of surging magical power or leakage of spiritual energy, only within his sea of consciousness...
Boom--!
The Azure Ring trembled slightly, and a ring pattern appeared deep within Qin Yu's sea of consciousness. It was neither a diagram, nor a law, nor a word, but rather— the Origin Sequence Chain.
Every word, every spiritual pattern, every wisp of a fragment of a page transforms into threads of cause and effect, rings of rules, and scales of order, automatically reshaping his true nature within his sea of consciousness.
--The three forms of the "Tribulationless Chapter" were transformed into a three-fingerprint array of "severing consciousness, severing sequence, and severing cause," quietly engraved in the depths of his Spiritual Sense;
--The Record of Spirit Restoration Azure Ring directly reversed it by three layers of the life-refining path, resulting in the "Life Root Spirit Refinement" technique, which allows one to reincarnate their life cycle once with just one refinement;
--The "Realm-Folding Diagram" is further transformed into a thought structure, constructing a "Thought Realm Configuration Field" that requires no array or objects; the boundary arises from the movement of thought.
This is not cultivation.
It's not about understanding either.
This is -- reading.
The Azure Ring didn't require him to "comprehend the Dao." It simply compressed the entire Spirit Firmament Great Realm's cultivation techniques, alchemy logic, and array diagram origins into a readable format and projected it into his sea of consciousness.
At that moment, Qin Yu finally understood:
Azure Ring did not belong to him, but rather—
It was part of him.
It's not about carrying or owning, but about being with you and me from the very beginning.
From the moment his soul was formed, Azure Ring was already etched into the deepest part of his destiny.
He whispered:
"You are not a divine seal, not a magical artifact, not a relic of the Heavenly Dao."
"You are me."
Deep within the echoing sound, the void remained still, yet it seemed to resonate softly throughout the myriad realms.
"Only those born from the source can hold the ring."
"Only those who possess the ring seal can attain the Silent Origin."
"The only one who reversed all laws."
At that moment, Qin Yu lightly tapped the tattered page on the table with his finger.
Close your eyes, be surrounded by silence, and let the wind stop.
He has mastered three techniques: one to sever the soul, one to reverse fate, and one to break the boundary.
He had never cultivated or attained enlightenment, but he already knew the origin diagram of all arts in this world.
In the future, when he makes a move, Spirit Firmament will be terrified.
It's not because he has cultivated to a very high level.
Rather, it's because:
He understood "this world".
Author's words