In the small room, Luo Ren's body sat quietly in a cross-legged position. Kim Nhi still hovered beside him, watching beads of sweat roll down his forehead. She knew Luo Ren was reaching the most critical stage.
"To gain the Forbidden-grade's approval, everything depends on Young Master's willpower and state of mind," Kim Nhi whispered, her small face covered with worry. She knew Forbidden-grade techniques possessed their own sentience. If Luo Ren failed to gain its approval, even with the System's suppression, it would choose to perish rather than be wrongly chosen.
Suddenly, Luo Ren's body trembled.
In Kim Nhi's utterly astonished gaze, Luo Ren's soul power (the power of the soul) rapidly increased at a dizzying pace.
His originally weak mortal soul power instantly elevated to correspond with the soul power of an early-stage Qi Condensation cultivator.
It still didn't stop there.
His soul power corresponded to mid-stage, late-stage, complete Qi Condensation… Foundation Establishment stage…
Kim Nhi's small mouth began to gape wide. Only when Luo Ren's soul power finally ceased at complete Foundation Establishment, and was even just one step away from rivaling the soul power of a Core Formation cultivator, did Kim Nhi stammer out in disbelief:
"What kind of heaven-defying inheritance is this? Young Master clearly still has no cultivation, his body is merely mortal, yet his soul's intensity now even surpasses that of most complete Foundation Establishment cultivators!"
WHOOSH!
A long exhale roused Kim Nhi from her daze.
"How long have I been receiving the inheritance?" Luo Ren's deep voice resonated. He turned and stood up, feeling no change in his body; he was still just a mortal. Nevertheless, relying solely on his current soul power, Luo Ren was confident he could directly contend with Foundation Establishment cultivators.
"Th-three hours," Kim Nhi was still somewhat lost.
"Only three hours?" Luo Ren said with a wry smile. To him, the time felt like an eternity.
"What exactly did Young Master receive? With this intensity of your soul, even becoming a Soul Cultivator in the future wouldn't be a problem," Kim Nhi asked with immense curiosity.
"It's the Immortal Proliferation Scripture. You could consider it a reward for passing my trial," Luo Ren replied. Besides the significant increase in soul power, this inheritance also granted him the cultivation method for the first layer of the Immortal Proliferation Scripture.
According to Kim Nhi, Forbidden-grade cultivation techniques were too terrifying. Luo Ren could only accept them in portions, lest he explode and die.
Although he had only received the first layer this time, Luo Ren was still overjoyed. The Immortal Proliferation Scripture was too miraculous, too heaven-defying, far exceeding his expectations.
Because it was a Tri-cultivation technique.
Throughout the entire cultivation world, there were 3,000 Grand Dao and countless Minor Dao. However, to enter the Dao, cultivators needed to practice at least one of the following three forms:
Spiritual Cultivation: Cultivating spiritual energy to increase power. Spiritual cultivators primarily relied on spirit roots, cultivating spiritual energy by absorbing the spiritual qi in heaven and earth through their spirit roots. Different spirit root attributes absorbed different types of spiritual qi. For example, Luo Lei, possessing both ice and lightning spirit roots, cultivated by absorbing ice and lightning spiritual qi from heaven and earth.
Body Cultivation: Body Cultivators, whether in combat or defense, brutally used their physical strength. The cultivation method was incredibly arduous, requiring prolonged periods of cruel tempering directly upon their flesh to increase their body's toughness. Body cultivators possessed incredibly high defensive power, making them very difficult to injure.
Soul Cultivation: Primarily cultivating the soul. Their defensive power was weak because the soul was easily damaged. However, most cultivators feared Soul Cultivators the most, as their attacks directly impacted one's soul, making them very difficult to defend against and to heal.
All this knowledge was part of the Immortal Proliferation Scripture's inheritance to him. On the Ice Heaven Continent, Spiritual Cultivation was the most prevalent. Body Cultivators were extremely rare. As for Soul Cultivators, given Luo Ren's humble status in this life, he had never even heard of them. Perhaps to become a Soul Cultivator, one inherently needed soul power far exceeding ordinary people, coupled with the extreme rarity of Soul Cultivation techniques, not to mention the need for countless spiritual pills and miraculous elixirs to supplement soul power.
The first layer of the Immortal Proliferation Scripture was called: "Condensation – Soul Refinement." This was a cultivation method that could simultaneously increase Spiritual, Body, and Soul cultivation.
In other words, Luo Ren alone could become a Tri-cultivation martial artist. This would be an immense advantage in combat, and in the future, Luo Ren would even become a nightmare for anyone who had to fight him.
Of course, cultivating the first layer was not simple. In Luo Ren's cage-like situation within the Luo Clan, it was completely unsuitable for cultivation.
"It's time to leave this filthy clan," Luo Ren thought. Relying on his current complete Foundation Establishment soul power, he was fully capable of self-defense. Furthermore, he possessed three Minor Teleportation Talismans, allowing him to instantly teleport away if he encountered danger.
With a thought, the Minor Teleportation Talisman appeared in his hand.
"Wait, leaving like this, I'm truly unwilling."
Luo Ren mumbled. Although his strength had improved somewhat, to take revenge on a monstrous Eighth-rank force like the Luo Clan, he didn't know how many years it would take. Thinking of the injustices this body had suffered, Luo Ren was unwilling to sneak away without doing anything. His mind raced. A moment later, he began to earnestly communicate with the System:
"System, can you slightly loosen a tiny bit of the seal, to allow a wisp of the Immortal Proliferation Scripture's Forbidden-grade aura to leak out?"
"No, it's too dangerous, Young Master could be annihilated by the Heavenly Dao!" Kim Nhi shrieked in alarm. Being linked to the System, she could fully sense Luo Ren's thoughts.
"Just an extremely tiny wisp of aura, and it only needs to appear for a fleeting moment. I want the Luo Clan to be scrutinized by the Heavenly Dao!" Luo Ren's face was resolute. A plan was rapidly forming in his mind.
"This is too insane, it's gambling with your life!" Kim Nhi was still worried. Luo Ren's action could be described as madness.
"I've gained some basic knowledge of the universe from the Immortal Proliferation Scripture. This Ice Heaven Continent is a low-level plane, and its Heavenly Dao isn't too high-ranked. It probably can't detect the System's existence," Luo Ren calculated seriously. He wasn't foolish enough to recklessly gamble his entire life.
"Ding! Forbidden-grade belongs to the Host. The Host has full discretion," while Kim Nhi hesitated with worry, the System's emotionless voice sounded.
"Good, how could a future Overlord like me be willing to leave like a stray dog?" Luo Ren scoffed angrily. "Consider this merely reclaiming a small portion of interest!"
"System, the release and retraction of the aura must be extremely fast, within half a breath is fine," Luo Ren took a deep breath. He only needed a wisp, a wisp of Forbidden-grade aura appearing within the Luo Clan's territory for half a breath.
"Ding! Request confirmed. Commencing aura release: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1."
BOOM!
As soon as the sound ended, a wave of aura, with Luo Ren at its center, rapidly spread outwards.
Luo Ren clearly felt a tranquil aura that was extremely intimate to him, yet at this moment, the space within a hundred-mile radius was trembling violently, as if it could shatter at any moment.
"Ding! Closure complete."
Luo Ren had no time to observe his surroundings. His figure had already mysteriously vanished from the small room.
He used the Minor Teleportation Talisman.
Luo Ren knew that if he didn't leave now, he would die a miserable death. The moment the System's voice ended, he decisively crushed the Minor Teleportation Talisman in his hand, disregarding the fate of the Luo Clan.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
In the very instant Luo Ren departed, endless dark clouds suddenly enveloped the sky above the Luo Clan's territory. Darkness abruptly descended, occasionally pierced by flashes of lightning and immense power. An overwhelming pressure emanated from the heavens, as if a celestial deity was stirring in wrath.
North of the Ice Heaven Continent
In an endless mountain forest, two colossal beastly figures, like two small mountains, violently collided. Their bloodshot eyes raged, as if they wanted to completely tear each other apart. The surrounding hundred-mile mountain range saw countless trees toppling. Some smaller, weaker spirit beasts were either torn to shreds or fled in a panic, while others lay still on the ground, trembling, not daring to move.
This horrifying scene was clearly caused by the two terrifying spirit beasts engaged in a frenzied battle. Their sharp claws repeatedly, mercilessly plunged into each other, holding nothing back.
As they continued to recklessly throw themselves into fierce combat, a long-haired youth's figure suddenly flashed, appearing atop the shoulder of one of them, as if he had just traversed endless space.
"Ding! Successfully escaped the Luo Clan. Completed the mission Dragon Enters the Vast Sea. Reward: one designated Earth-grade item summon."
The System's voice echoed in his ear.
After using the Minor Teleportation Talisman, Luo Ren was immediately teleported away from the Luo Clan. He had once fantasized that with his luck, he might be fortunate enough to be teleported into some hidden cave, containing an immortal's legacy, along with countless spiritual pills and miraculous elixirs.
But…
"What the hell is this?!"
Upon witnessing the scene before him, Luo Ren cursed loudly in his heart. He never dreamed that his first teleportation would directly land him in the midst of a battle between two terrifying spirit beasts.
Luo Ren swiftly jumped from the beast's shoulder to the ground, simultaneously projecting a layer of soul power to protect his body. His current soul power intensity was sufficient to withstand the battle repercussions emanating from the two spirit beasts.
If an ordinary cultivator witnessed his actions, they would widen their eyes in shock, because a cultivator's soul power was the most fragile and easily damaged area, yet this fellow dared to use soul power as a shield.
That was the difference between a Spirit Cultivator and a Soul Cultivator. Although Luo Ren wasn't a true Soul Cultivator yet, he could still perform some basic manipulations of soul power for defense or offense.
Fortunately, in the eyes of the two spirit beasts, Luo Ren was completely insignificant at this moment. They continued to recklessly attack each other, disregarding Luo Ren's presence.
Using the Insight Talisman's effect, Luo Ren recognized them as two colossal Black Mountain Bears.
Kim Nhi still hovered beside Luo Ren in all circumstances. Apart from Luo Ren, no one could see her; not the two Black Mountain Bears, not even the Heavenly Dao. Kim Nhi seemed like an existence completely separate from the world.
She observed the situation, then opened her small lips and said:
"They are Black Mountain Bears. The aura they emit belongs to mid-stage Third-rank spirit beasts, equivalent to human mid-stage Core Formation cultivators."
"I see these are clearly a married couple. I wonder why they're fighting to the death like this," Luo Ren said, releasing his soul power, resisting the shockwaves from the two large creatures' battle, and speaking. He noticed his control over soul power had become a little more proficient. This was clearly an opportunity for refinement.
"They might be a pair, but that was before. At least, before that thing appeared," Kim Nhi said indifferently, her small finger pointing in a direction.
Luo Ren followed her finger and looked. In the distance, he saw a small spiritual herb faintly glowing. Its stem was as thin as a toothpick, but at its peak grew a large, earthy-brown flower brimming with spiritual qi.
"What kind of spiritual herb?" Luo Ren said with attention. Clearly, something that could make a pair of bears divorce and fight over it must be incredibly potent.
"It's decent, just a mid-grade Profound-rank Earth-attribute spiritual herb," Kim Nhi said calmly. She continued:
"Its name is Earth Spirit Grass. It can provide a certain amount of Earth-attribute spiritual qi to the user and temporarily increase their ability to absorb Earth-attribute spiritual qi."
Luo Ren had a sudden realization. Black Mountain Bears were spirit beasts proficient in Earth attribute. Standing before the temptation of an Earth-attribute spiritual herb, going mad was understandable.
Luo Ren thought of the cultivation method within the first layer of the Immortal Proliferation Scripture and immediately felt a stirring in his heart.
Kim Nhi also knew Luo Ren was interested and didn't stop him.
Luo Ren observed the two bears still locked in battle. He tried to appear harmless, slowly and unhurriedly approaching the spiritual herb.
The two Black Mountain Bears paid him no attention. In their eyes, Luo Ren was merely a slightly larger ant, one they could crush with a single paw, completely incapable of contending for the spiritual herb.
If it were anyone else, that would be true. However, this was Luo Ren, a man of great skill and audacity. He used his soul power to protect his body while stealthily and slowly advancing.
Luo Ren discovered that the closer he got to the spiritual herb, the weaker the shockwaves from the two large creatures became. Clearly, they didn't want to harm the spiritual herb, so they fought quite far from it.
But when Luo Ren was only a few steps away from the spiritual herb, because they were constantly alert to any movement near the spiritual herb, the bear couple also discovered the little rat Luo Ren intending to steal their "rice."
ROAR!
ROAR!
Two enraged roars echoed, causing countless low-level spirit beasts to collapse paralyzed on the ground. Luo Ren also didn't feel well. After all, his physical body was still too weak. Even with soul power protecting him, he couldn't withstand the aura directly emitted by Third-rank spirit beasts. He suppressed the pain, swallowing back the mouthful of blood he was about to spit out, and frantically dashed towards the Earth Spirit Grass.
The two Black Mountain Bears' eyes turned bloodshot with rage. However, they weren't in a hurry. Third-rank spirit beasts possessed a certain level of intelligence. They thought Luo Ren's cultivation was weak, so what if he picked the Earth Spirit Grass? He still couldn't escape their pursuit. Luo Ren was currently near the Earth Spirit Grass. If they attacked with full force, they could annihilate Luo Ren, but it would also damage the herb.
Therefore, the bear couple now stopped fighting. They began to run towards Luo Ren, their roars and emitted aura continuously pressing towards him, intending to crush him to death without attacking directly, thereby preserving the spiritual herb.
Luo Ren directly bore the oppressive aura of the two Third-rank spirit beasts. His face turned extremely pale, and the soul power protecting him began to tremble. At this moment, he was only two steps away from the Earth Spirit Grass.
ROAR!
This time, Luo Ren couldn't hold back a mouthful of fresh blood. Gritting his teeth, he vigorously propelled himself towards the Earth Spirit Grass, his right hand swiftly pulling it out, while his left hand crushed another Minor Teleportation Talisman.
The thief vanished miraculously.
The bear couple looked utterly bewildered.
Their two pairs of bloodshot eyes frantically searched.
ROAR! ROAR!
They continued to ferociously charge at each other, this time as if wanting to perish together to vent the hatred in their hearts.
The youth's figure appeared once more.
Mmm… mmm…
"This time, I wonder…" The youth mumbled, not finishing his sentence, as a mesmerizing groan suddenly sounded beside his ear, making his expression stiffen.
A woman's voice.
Luo Ren took a deep breath to calm himself, then began to assess his surroundings. Suddenly, his expression became somewhat strange, with a hint of pity, a touch of astonishment… countless emotions flashed across his face in an instant.
This was a sealed secret chamber, about several tens of square meters wide. However, it was exceptionally bright because five sparkling Night Pearl Gems were embedded in its walls.
But what perplexed Luo Ren was not the valuable Night Pearl Gems, but the woman lying within this mysterious secret chamber.
A heavily wounded, dying woman.
Luo Ren swallowed hard. He swore to the heavens, this was the first time he had witnessed such a beautiful woman, beautiful enough to make one gasp for breath.
Under the light of the Night Pearl Gems.
The beauty was clad in thin silk, her skin as soft and white as congealed fat. Her body was slender and graceful, her full, round breasts undulating gently with each breath. Her long, lustrous blue hair, her noble swan-like neck, and her exquisite collarbones.
Peerless in Beauty and Grace.
That was the epithet Luo Ren bestowed upon her. However, this peerlessly beautiful woman seemed to be severely wounded. She lay weakly on the ground, her eyes half-closed, long eyelashes trembling. Her small, alluring lips were pale, occasionally groaning in pain, and her forehead was beaded with sweat.
As if by habit, Luo Ren knelt down and gently wiped the sweat from her forehead with his sleeve.
"This woman suffered a severe backlash during her closed-door breakthrough. This is a phenomenon that occurs when one's mental state is insufficient but they eagerly pursue a higher realm. Her soul has been quite seriously damaged," Kim Nhi, with her extraordinary knowledge, immediately concluded.
"Can my Healing Pills cure her?" Luo Ren asked, his hands already supporting the beauty, leaning her against his chest. He felt it would be a sin to let her lie on the ground for another second.
"The Healing Pills provided by the System only restore spiritual energy and heal the body. They are ineffective against soul damage like hers," Kim Nhi explained.
Luo Ren felt the soft, delicate body in his arms tremble slightly. He tightened his embrace, using his body heat to warm her. His right hand wrapped around her slender waist, feeling her soft skin, his nose inhaling the subtle fragrance emanating from the beauty's body. The satisfaction in his heart was beyond words.
And the woman in his arms, as if sensing something, her willow-like eyebrows, originally furrowed in pain, finally relaxed slightly. However, her small mouth continued to groan, indicating she was still in immense pain.
"This situation is a consequence of one's mental state not keeping up with their cultivation, yet stubbornly attempting to break through. Because not everyone is a Soul Cultivator with powerful Soul Power like the Host, soul damage is extremely severe. If not treated in time, it will lead to demise," Kim Nhi seriously provided Luo Ren with knowledge.
"I want to know how to save her?" Luo Ren urged, his hands still continuously wiping the sweat from her forehead. He didn't know why he was so worried about her. Having met her for the first time, he was already captivated by her beauty, and her frail, delicate appearance compelled him to protect her without reason. He even thanked the Minor Teleportation Talisman for teleporting him here to discover her.
"Perhaps it's legendary love at first sight," Luo Ren thought. Based on the layout of the secret chamber, he knew her identity was definitely not ordinary. However, as a future Overlord, Luo Ren wanted her for himself. Anyone who dared to stand in his way would be met with a single word: "Kill."
"There are two ways to treat this case."
"The first way requires powerful heavenly and earthly treasures capable of increasing her Soul Power for her to consume," Kim Nhi stated.
Luo Ren nodded in relief. He had completed the branch mission of escaping the Luo Clan, and still had one unused designated Earth-grade item summon. He could summon an Earth-grade heavenly and earthly treasure to replenish her soul.
However, he wanted to hear the second method.
"The second way is for Young Master to cultivate dual-cultivation with her," Kim Nhi said directly.
Pfft!
Luo Ren nearly spat out a mouthful. He looked at the pale face in his arms, swallowed, and asked, "Why this method?"
"Young Master's soul intensity surpasses ordinary people, and with the aid of the Immortal Proliferation Scripture, Young Master's soul is the highest-grade soul-healing medicine in heaven and earth," Kim Nhi calmly continued to explain. "And to use your own soul to heal her, it's natural for the two of you to merge."
"DING! Successfully plotted against the Luo Clan. Completed hidden mission."
Luo Ren was immediately bewildered. What was this hidden mission? He quickly opened the mission description:
"Host, using your weak cultivation to scheme against an Eighth-rank force, leveraging the Heavenly Dao to inflict heavy losses on the Luo Clan, demonstrates the cunning that an Overlord should possess. Therefore, the hidden mission has been completed."
Luo Ren understood, and at the same time, let out a cold snort of satisfaction: "This is just the beginning. Sooner or later, I will reclaim all the principal and interest."
"DING! Triggered branch mission: Save the Beauty. Reward upon completion: one random Earth-grade Martial Skill summon. Failure: no affinity with beauties for 10 years."
Mission Description: "An Overlord needs assistance to achieve great things. As the saying goes, behind every successful man is a woman. Host needs to use dual-cultivation techniques to heal Yan Ruoxue, then find a way to conquer her heart. She is suitable to become a virtuous wife for the Host's path to Overlordship."
"Her name is Yan Ruoxue?" Luo Ren gazed tenderly at the increasingly trembling body in his arms, mumbling her name.
He knew it was time to make a decision.