Half a year
Ning Buhui ten years old while constantly overcoming challenges.
He had almost forgotten about it. There was no day or night, no seasons in the secret realm; each level he passed opened up a new world. He could only estimate time by the number of times he rested. From the thirtieth level to the seventieth level, he rested for about forty days in between, each rest lasting anywhere from one to two or three days. In total, about half a year had passed. Adding the three months he spent outside before entering the secret realm, he had been away from Spirit City for almost a year.
Ten years old, with four Soul Ring (two purple and two black), Soul Power Level of forty-eight.
These forty levels are much more difficult than the previous ones. The opponents not only include the mirror images of Soul Beast that are about 40,000 years old, but also the mirror images of Soul Master with various Martial Soul, whose levels increase from level 55 to level 59.
Each level has a different setting. Some are dense forests, some are swamps, some are snowfields, and some are underground palaces.
He fought a battle on the edge of a volcano against a fire-type Soul King, with churning lava beneath his feet and intense heat that made it impossible for him to open his eyes. He also fought a battle on a frozen lake, where the ice was so slippery that he could barely stand and had to rely on his Wind Thunder Wings to fight properly. The environment of each level was generated based on the opponent's attributes and fighting style, as if someone had specially tailored a test for him.
He suffered greatly during those forty levels. In the fifty-third level, he encountered a level 59 Agility Attack System Soul Master speed was far superior to his own, even the amplification from Wind Thunder Wing Shadow couldn't keep up. He was kited by his opponent for a long time, his rattan armor shattered dozens of times, and he only managed to turn the tide by using a Soul-Suppressing God-Devouring to predict his opponent's charging path.
In the sixty-seventh level, he encountered a level 59 Defense System Soul King whose Soul Power was nearly twice as strong as his own. All his attacks felt like tickles to the opponent. He fought that level for a whole day, but fortunately, the opponent's attack methods were not strong, and in the end, he had absolutely no Soul Power left.
Even within these forty levels, there were some support-type Soul Master whose combat power was no less than that of offensive-type Soul Masters. They were more troublesome than ordinary offensive-type Soul Master, constantly buffing themselves and relying on Soul Bone and physical attacks, while also having a level advantage. He was constantly being suppressed and beaten. If he hadn't been able to support, control, and attack, he probably wouldn't have had any hope of winning at all.
After clearing forty levels, his combat experience and reaction speed had almost reached the level of prediction. He could now predict some of his opponent's attack directions and Soul Skill based on their body movements.
Previously, when facing speed-type opponents, he relied on the Wind Thunder Wings to Warp. Now, he can accurately predict the opponent's landing point while moving at high speed and set up a control chain in advance. Previously, when facing physical defense-type opponents, he would have to grind for a long time. Now, he has learned to use Soul-Suppressing God-Devouring to find mental weaknesses and disintegrate them from the inside. Previously, when facing control-type opponents, he was easily suppressed. Now, he uses Butterfly Suppresses the Nether Spring to counterattack and interrupt the opponent's Soul Power connection, regaining control of the rhythm.
He had also mastered the Soul-Devouring Divine Light. It had taken him almost half a month to grasp the basics of the manual he obtained from the thirtieth level. The Soul-Devouring Divine Light was more complex than the Soul-Suppressing God-Devouring, requiring the simultaneous mobilization of Soul Power and spiritual power to condense a mixed light wave on the surface of the tower and unleash it. The target hit would simultaneously suffer from soul tearing and Soul Power impact, resulting in either stiffness and chaotic Soul Power at best, or tremors in the spiritual sea and temporary loss of mobility at worst. He first unleashed it completely at the fortieth level, against four of his own mirror images. That battle was extremely difficult, and if he hadn't comprehended the Soul-Devouring Divine Light on the spot, he probably would have stopped there.
In level 70, the opponent is seven weakened versions of his clones, and the scene is a jungle. Fortunately, it is not a wide-open jungle. He manages to defeat them one by one with difficulty by setting traps, teleporting, and using various feints.
When the last clone of the seventieth level dissipated into countless specks of light, Ning Buhui longer hold on and slid down the thick trunk of the ancient tree to the ground. His chest and abdomen heaved violently, his Soul Power completely drained, and his mental sea was filled with a needle-like fatigue. Although the seven clones were weakened versions, each of them inherited seventy percent of his combat awareness and Soul Skill. The jungle terrain also restricted the wide-range Warp of the Wind Thunder Wings. In this battle, he had set traps, blocked lines of sight, and fought guerrilla warfare, using almost all his calculations and strength.
He took out a recovery pill from his storage ring, tilted his head back and swallowed it. While closing his eyes to regulate his breathing, his fingertips unconsciously rubbed his left arm. After clearing forty levels, he had changed his clothes countless times. Only his eyes were brighter than when he left Spirit City a year ago, like a sharp blade tempered by cold stars, calm yet sharp.
After a day of rest, Ning Buhui pushed open the stone gate of the seventy-first level.
The scene shifted to a vast, yellow sand desert, where fierce winds whipped up sand that stung the face. Two figures stood side by side in the center of the pass: a level 59 Power Attack System Battle Soul King and a level 59 Control System Tool Soul King. This was the first time, apart from a full level of the secret realm, that two mirror images had appeared simultaneously in the same level.
Ning Buhui's eyes narrowed slightly. Before his opponent could make the first move, his figure darted out with a flap of his Wind Thunder Wings. Almost simultaneously, a cage formed of yellow sand rose from the spot where he had been standing. The Control System Soul Master's attack was so precise that there was not the slightest delay.
If it were during level 30, he would have avoided their sharp edge first, and then looked for an opportunity to defeat them one by one. But at this moment, Ning Buhui nor avoided. His Soul Power surged at his fingertips, and a black butterfly quietly appeared behind his opponent. The Butterfly Suppresses the Nether Spring was activated, accurately hitting the casting node of the opponent's Soul Master —the person's figure suddenly stopped, and the casting of the Soul Skill was forcibly interrupted.
In that fleeting moment, Ning Buhui had already closed in on the Power Attack System Soul King. He pressed down with his left hand, and the mental shock of Soul-Suppressing God-Devouring silently pierced the opponent's mental sea. The opponent grunted, his movements slowing by half a beat. Ning Buhui's right palm condensed into black and white Soul-Devouring Divine Light, which slammed out past the opponent's shoulder, directly knocking him away and temporarily rendering him unable to fight.
After delivering a Void Rending Slash to the Power Attack System Soul Master, he gave the Control System Soul Master no chance to breathe. With a flap of his wings, he veered and charged forward, his afterimage leaving a black line in the yellow sand. Just as the opponent was about to cast another spell, the black shadow approached. Soul-Suppressing God-Devouring and Soul-Devouring Divine Light erupted simultaneously. The double superposition of soul tearing and Soul Power impact instantly broke through the opponent's mental defense. The opponent's brain buzzed, and an invisible blade of energy slashed past. The two mirror images turned into specks of light and dissipated one after the other. The whole process took less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
The difficulty of subsequent levels increased dramatically. In the seventy-third level, three level 59 Soul Master coordinated their tactics, their offense and defense nearly flawless. He managed to create an opening by using feints and teleportation. In the seventy-sixth level, the scene changed to a weightless void rift, where even the Wind Thunder Wings could hardly provide stable support. He fought his way through the floating rubble with his ultimate control over his body. By the time he passed the seventy-ninth level, Ning Buhui's clothes were stained with blood—his opponent was a Soul Emperor Mirror Image that had just broken through to level 60, Soul Power far surpassed that of a level 59 peak. That battle lasted three whole hours, his rattan armor shattered hundreds of times, and in the end, he managed to Soul-Suppressing God-Devouring into a light blade as thin as a hair, precisely piercing the opponent's mental sea to barely pass the level.
As he slumped to the ground, Ning Buhui looked at his slightly trembling hands and suddenly chuckled. From the thirtieth level to the seventy-ninth level, forty-nine life-or-death battles, half a year had passed. He had gone from being kited and humiliated by a level fifty-nine Agility Attack System Soul Master to now being able to withstand Soul Emperor -level mirror image. The trials and tribulations he had endured were indescribable.
The Simulation faded away, and the stone gate of the eightieth level appeared. Only two levels remained until the final eighty-first level. The reward of the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone was at the end, and he clearly sensed that the most crucial test of this secret realm was only now truly beginning.