Soul Art

At the same time, a faint light suddenly bloomed from the center of the circle formed by the seven stone platforms.

The light was gentle.

Warm.

Spreading like dawn through the mist.

The white fog around them began to ripple.

The ancient runes on the stone floor lit up one after another, each line connecting with the next until all seven positions were enclosed.

Hao Nhien raised an eyebrow.

The corner of his mouth curved slightly.

“So I passed the illusion?”

“Then next…”

“The reward?”

The moment the thought appeared, the mist before him began to gather.

At first, there were only a few faint outlines.

Then they gradually became clearer.

One figure.

Then a second.

A third.

Hao Nhien stared closely.

After only a few breaths.

He recognized them.

The three opponents he had fought in the arenas.

Quan Huyen stood in the middle.

The other two stood on either side.

One had been skilled at reading the rhythm of a fight.

The other at joint locks, breaking balance, and borrowing force.

The three figures stood silently within the mist.

No words.

No movement.

Their eyes empty.

Hao Nhien frowned.

“The three of them?”

“No…”

He remembered clearly.

After being knocked out of the arenas, all three had been swept away by the power of the secret realm.

There had been no sign that they had died.

At least.

He had never seen one.

“Another illusion?”

Hao Nhien looked more carefully.

“Or just images created by the secret realm?”

There was no answer.

The three figures began walking toward him.

Slowly.

Step by step.

No killing intent.

No true qi.

Not the slightest intention to attack.

But that very silence only made Hao Nhien more cautious.

Then.

The three figures began to change.

The sharp features of their faces gradually blurred.

Their bodies shrank.

The auras that had belonged to those three young men faded little by little.

Milky white mist separated from their bodies.

Very light.

Very soft.

Within only a few breaths.

The three young men had disappeared.

In their place.

Were three children.

Plump.

Round cheeked.

Their eyes clear and pure.

No resentment.

No anger.

No killing intent.

Not even the faintest trace of the three battles remained.

They simply looked at Hao Nhien.

Like children who had never known sorrow or hatred.

Hao Nhien did not understand.

But immediately afterward.

The white mist around the three children began drifting toward him.

Very slowly.

There was no sense of force.

It even felt comfortable.

A strangely familiar feeling.

As though something that had always belonged to him was finding its way back.

A chill immediately ran through Hao Nhien.

Because the place the mist was moving toward…

Was not his meridians.

Not his dantian.

But his Divine Soul.

He immediately pulled his intent back.

“Wait…”

The mist continued forward.

The three children reached out toward him as well.

Their eyes remained clear.

Hao Nhien looked at them.

An uncomfortable thought slowly formed.

“Could it be…”

“Heavenly Accord wants me to absorb this?”

“Something taken from the Divine Souls of those three?”

His heart pounded.

Hao Nhien did not know.

He could not determine what the three children before him truly were.

Much less whether they were actually connected to Quan Huyen and the other two.

But the sensation coming from the mist was too clear.

If he allowed it to merge into his Divine Soul, he would definitely gain something.

Perhaps something enormous.

Hao Nhien clenched his hand.

The white mist continued drawing closer.

Part of it had already touched the edge of his Divine Soul.

At that exact moment.

A comfortable sensation immediately appeared.

Very faint.

But unmistakable.

His Divine Soul felt like a man dying of thirst touching his first drop of water.

Hao Nhien immediately understood.

If he absorbed it.

His Divine Soul would grow stronger.

That thought made him feel even colder.

He wanted strength.

Not mildly.

Desperately.

He needed to become stronger to survive.

To protect Tieu Lan.

To find Anh Nhien.

To find traces of Quan Bach.

To go farther in this world.

The Spirit Sword also depended heavily on his Divine Soul.

If his Divine Soul became stronger.

Many of the things he already possessed would grow stronger with it.

The opportunity was right in front of him.

All he had to do was stop resisting.

All he had to do was let it enter.

Hao Nhien looked at the three children.

For a long time.

He did not move.

In his old world.

He had heard many people say that death was simply the end.

He had also heard many views claiming that the so called soul was nothing more than a product of imagination.

But Hao Nhien had never fully believed that.

After coming to this world.

He had seen remnant souls.

Seen lingering obsessions.

Seen Tieu Dao.

Seen things that could not be explained by the physical body alone.

The Divine Soul truly existed.

Then what about the thing before him…

If it had really been taken from someone else’s Divine Soul?

If he absorbed it.

What would happen to those three?

Would they be harmed?

Would they lose something?

Or simply lose a part of themselves that even Hao Nhien did not understand?

He did not know.

And precisely because he did not know.

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He wanted even less to try.

“No.”

Hao Nhien spoke very softly.

The mist continued forward.

The three children kept reaching toward him.

He looked at them.

“I want to become stronger.”

“But not like this.”

The mist had already pressed deeper into his Divine Soul.

The comfortable sensation became clearer.

All he had to do was let go.

Simply follow along.

Perhaps he would receive an opportunity others could spend a lifetime begging for and never obtain.

Hao Nhien closed his eyes.

Then opened them again.

His gaze had become calm.

“I refuse.”

The moment that intent settled.

His Divine Soul immediately rejected it.

The white mist was pushed back.

Only slightly.

But enough to make the three children stop.

Immediately afterward.

The runes beneath the stone platform suddenly shone more brightly.

Boom.

An invisible pressure pressed in from every direction.

Hao Nhien’s expression changed at once.

The mist that had once been soft began to thicken.

No longer light as water.

It was more like a sea of fog slowly closing around him.

Forcing him to accept it.

Hao Nhien gritted his teeth.

“I said no.”

The pressure increased.

His Divine Soul shook violently.

The mist pressed inward again, bit by bit.

Hao Nhien continued pushing it back.

It did not work.

The power of the secret realm was simply too great.

It felt like standing in the middle of a raging current.

Knowing he wanted to go against it.

Yet wave after wave kept driving him forward.

Hao Nhien poured all his will into holding his Divine Soul steady.

Refusing to let the mist merge into it.

One breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths.

Time passed with terrifying slowness.

The three children still stood there.

Still looking at him.

No crying.

No pleading.

No blame.

That very innocence made Hao Nhien even less willing to yield.

If they were only illusions, then refusing cost him nothing.

If they truly had something to do with those three people…

Then he had even less reason to take them.

“No.”

Hao Nhien gritted his teeth.

“I won’t take it.”

The pressure continued to rise.

Pain stabbed through his Divine Soul.

His awareness began to waver.

His physical body outside reacted as well.

His muscles tightened.

His breathing grew heavy.

Cold sweat ran down both temples.

His hands clenched on his knees.

His nails nearly dug into his skin.

But he still did not change his mind.

He did not know what the other six were experiencing.

Did not know what choices those who had reached this place before had made.

Did not even know whether this was truly part of the trial.

But there was one thing he knew.

If today he gave in simply because he wanted more strength.

Then later.

When what was placed before him was greater.

When the reward was even more tempting.

Would he still be able to say no?

Hao Nhien had no desire to discover the answer by testing it.

“I won’t take it.”

His voice had gone hoarse.

“Even if I lose this opportunity…”

“I still won’t take it.”

The white mist suddenly pressed down even harder.

Hao Nhien’s entire body trembled.

His Divine Soul felt stretched to its limit.

He knew he was reaching the end.

The rules of this ancient space were not something a Qi Condensation cultivator could truly resist.

All he could do was hold on.

One more breath.

Then one more.

Until he could no longer hold.

His awareness began to sink.

At that moment.

Within his Divine Soul.

The Cosmic Ark trembled softly.

Only once.

Very faintly.

Hao Nhien immediately felt a familiar current of vitality slowly spread from the Ark.

It did not resist the white mist.

It did not push back the rules of the secret realm for him.

It only slowly washed across his nearly exhausted Divine Soul.

Like a cool stream.

Gradually stabilizing the chaotic fluctuations.

His sinking awareness slowly became clear again.

Hao Nhien breathed out.

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

“You don’t like it either?”

The Cosmic Ark did not answer.

It only continued to tremble faintly.

Hao Nhien did not know whether it truly understood him.

But that was enough.

The Ark was not resisting in his place.

It was only helping him stand a little longer.

The rest.

Still had to come from him.

Hao Nhien looked at the three children.

“I don’t know whether you’re real or false.”

“I don’t even know whether this is truly an opportunity.”

“But if you want me to take something that may belong to someone else’s Divine Soul in exchange for strength…”

He shook his head.

“No.”

One word.

Not loud.

But this time.

There was no hesitation left in it.

The white mist continued pressing down.

Hao Nhien continued holding on.

Time slowly passed.

After an unknown amount of time.

The pressure suddenly stopped increasing.

Hao Nhien paused.

Immediately afterward.

The three children before him also stopped.

They looked at him.

With those same clear eyes.

Then the child in the middle slowly smiled.

Not like Quan Huyen.

Not like anyone else.

Just a very simple smile.

Then.

Its body began dissolving into motes of light.

The other two followed.

No crying.

No pain.

No sense of anything being destroyed.

Only mist returning to mist.

Hao Nhien watched closely.

The three images disappeared completely.

At the same time, the mist pressing into his Divine Soul dispersed as well.

The pressure vanished.

So suddenly that Hao Nhien nearly lost his balance.

He breathed heavily.

One breath.

Two.

Then slowly raised his head.

“Just another trial?”

No one answered.

But immediately afterward.

The runes beneath the stone platform lit up.

This time.

The feeling was completely different.

No human form.

No will.

No memories.

And none of the aura belonging to Quan Huyen or the other two.

Only light.

Pure.

Clear.

Hao Nhien watched for a moment.

Only then did he slowly relax.

“So…”

“What came before might not have been the reward at all.”

The corner of his mouth twitched.

“Testing me again?”

He did not know whether the secret realm could hear him.

But the moment he finished speaking.

All seven positions on the floor lit up at once.

A ray of light slowly rose from each stone platform.

Seven rays.

They gathered at the center of the circle.

Then.

All moved toward Hao Nhien.

He did not avoid them.

Because this time, the sensation was entirely different.

No foreign will.

No sense of taking anything from anyone.

Only an extremely pure force created by the secret realm itself.

The seven rays entered his Divine Soul.

Boom.

Hao Nhien’s entire body trembled slightly.

There was no pain.

Quite the opposite.

It felt so comfortable that he nearly made a sound.

His Divine Soul, which had just been pushed to its limit, was immediately refreshed.

The chaotic fluctuations slowly stabilized.

Bit by bit.

Brighter.

More solid.

But very soon.

Hao Nhien realized that the change was not merely in the strength of his Divine Soul.

Something else was taking shape.

Very faint.

Very weak.

At first, it was only a fluctuation.

Then.

That fluctuation began to move.

From one point.

Along one direction.

Then circling back.

Hao Nhien froze.

He focused all his senses on it.

The fluctuation moved again.

One cycle.

Very slowly.

Very awkwardly.

At several points, it nearly broke apart.

But it was truly circulating.

Hao Nhien suddenly felt something familiar.

Far too familiar.

He immediately circulated the Body Soul Fist Art within his body.

True qi moved through his meridians.

One full cycle.

At the same time.

Within his Divine Soul.

That faint fluctuation also began to move.

Not exactly the same.

But the direction of movement.

The rhythm.

The way it gathered and dispersed.

All carried an indescribable similarity.

Hao Nhien’s eyes widened.

“This…”

He immediately stopped his breathing cultivation.

The circulation within his Divine Soul slowed as well.

Hao Nhien began again.

It moved again.

Very weak.

But it existed.

He remained silent for a long time.

Then.

A bright light suddenly appeared in his eyes.

“It isn’t directly strengthening the Divine Soul…”

“It’s letting the Divine Soul circulate on its own?”

Hao Nhien immediately tried again.

This time, he did not stop after one cycle.

He continued slowly.

The cycle within his body continued.

The faint cycle within his Divine Soul continued as well.

At first, they were out of sync.

One fast.

One slow.

One clear.

One nearly impossible to sense.

But after several cycles.

The two gradually began to find a common rhythm.

They were not merging.

The body remained the body.

The Divine Soul remained the Divine Soul.

But between the two.

A faint response began to appear.

Hao Nhien nearly stopped breathing.

Before this.

His Divine Soul had grown stronger through many different means.

Soul Nourishing Qi.

Life and death pressure.

Fortuitous encounters.

The repeated tempering of the Spirit Sword.

Special experiences.

But he had never possessed a clear method that allowed his Divine Soul to actively cultivate.

It had become stronger.

But mostly passively.

Now.

A very faint path was appearing.

Incomplete.

Unstable.

Hao Nhien did not even know how long it could continue circulating.

But the simple fact that it existed changed everything.

His Divine Soul had begun to gain the ability to cultivate on its own.

No longer merely waiting for opportunities.

No longer growing only through external forces.

Instead, little by little.

Circulating on its own.

Accumulating on its own.

Growing on its own.

Hao Nhien felt his heartbeat quicken.

He did not dare conclude that this was already the complete Soul aspect of the Body Soul Fist Art.

Much less claim that he now understood all its secrets.

But at least.

He had seen a direction.

Body.

Fist.

Soul.

Three words that had always existed side by side.

Now.

They had finally begun to connect.

Hao Nhien slowly closed his eyes.

One cycle.

Two.

Three.

The cycle within his Divine Soul remained extremely weak.

At times, it nearly disappeared.

But then it returned.

Each time it completed a cycle.

He felt his Divine Soul become slightly lighter.

Not obviously stronger.

More like something that had only ever known how to stand still.

Had now learned how to take a step.

Very slowly.

Very clumsily.

But it had taken that step.

The corner of Hao Nhien’s mouth rose higher and higher.

Finally.

He could no longer hold it in.

“Ha…”

A laugh slipped out.

Then another.

“Ha ha…”

Hao Nhien opened his eyes.

“This was worth it.”

He tried to keep a calm expression.

Three breaths later.

The corner of his mouth twitched again.

“Really worth it.”

He sprang to his feet.

At some point, the force holding his body to the stone platform had disappeared.

Hao Nhien clenched both hands.

He sensed it again.

That faint cycle was still there.

He laughed loudly.

“Yahoooo!”

The sound echoed throughout the chamber.

The moment the shout left his mouth.

Hao Nhien froze.

The room was far too quiet.

He slowly turned his head.

Of the other six stone platforms.

Only two people had opened their eyes.

One was Quan Nha.

The other was a tall man seated two positions away from her.

Both were staring at him.

Their expressions were difficult to describe.

Hao Nhien coughed.

Lowered his hands.

And tried to recover his serious expression.

“Ahem.”

“I got a little carried away.”

The tall man stared at him for several breaths.

Then burst out laughing.

“Only a little?”

Hao Nhien laughed as well.

“Maybe a bit more than a little.”

Quan Nha did not speak.

But Hao Nhien noticed that the faint redness at the corners of her eyes had not completely faded.

Her aura had also become more stable than before.

Her phoenix eyes, usually cold and detached, seemed slightly brighter.

Hao Nhien did not know what she had experienced.

Nor what she had received.

But judging from her current state, her gains were certainly not small.

At the very least.

She had maintained her composure better than he had.

Hao Nhien cupped his fists.

“Quan Hao Nhien.”

“Dong City.”

Quan Nha looked at him.

Only after a moment did she give a slight nod.

“Quan Nha.”

“I know who you are.”

Hao Nhien raised an eyebrow.

“My reputation is already that great?”

Quan Nha replied calmly:

“Sixth layer Qi Condensation, and you made it all the way here.”

“It would be difficult not to know.”

Hao Nhien laughed.

The tall man beside her also stood.

Broad shoulders.

Straight back.

A steady aura.

One glance was enough to tell that his body was powerful.

He stepped down from his stone platform.

And laughed loudly.

“Quan Dai Linh.”

“Southern Branch.”

Hao Nhien was slightly surprised.

He had never heard Quan Lam mention that name before.

Before entering the Inner Secret Realm.

The names receiving the most attention had been Quan Thieu Duong, Quan Tu Mac, Quan Huyen, Quan Nha, and Quan Phong.

Yet the man standing before him now.

Was Quan Dai Linh.

Someone who had barely appeared in the discussions before this.

Hao Nhien looked at him for another moment.

And found it interesting.

Sure enough.

Until the secret realm truly ended, no one knew who would actually reach the end.

Those with the greatest reputations were not necessarily the ones standing at the finish.

And those rarely mentioned.

Were not necessarily incapable of appearing here.

Quan Dai Linh looked at Hao Nhien.

“Sixth layer?”

Hao Nhien nodded.

“That’s right.”

Quan Dai Linh looked him up and down.

Then laughed.

“Good.”

“Very good.”

“If word of this gets out, those elders will probably have to take another few looks at you.”

Hao Nhien smiled.

“I was just lucky.”

Quan Dai Linh waved a hand.

“Luck can get you through one trial.”

“It can’t bring you all the way here.”

Hao Nhien did not argue.

He only smiled.

The three stood in the middle of the chamber.

No one asked what the others had encountered within Heavenly Accord.

Nor did anyone ask what opportunity the others had received.

Some things.

Did not need to be asked.

Their eyes were enough.

All three knew.

Each had just passed through something far from simple.

And each had taken away something that belonged to them alone.

But the light mood did not last long.

Almost at the same time, their gazes shifted toward the remaining four stone platforms.

The other four still had not awakened.

Hao Nhien looked at them.

The smile on his face slowly faded.

Quan Nha also withdrew her gaze.

“We can’t help them.”

Quan Dai Linh clenched his fist.

“The secret realm will handle it?”

Quan Nha gave a slight nod.

“Those who fail will be sent outside.”

“As for the result…”

She did not continue.

Hao Nhien remained silent.

Just now, he too had nearly sunk into the illusion.

Then the final part of the trial had pushed him until his Divine Soul was nearly unable to hold on.

If Anh Nhien had not provided the inconsistency that allowed him to wake.

If the Cosmic Ark had not stabilized his Divine Soul at the final moment.

His result might not have been any better than those four before him.

Hao Nhien did not believe he was simply stronger than them.

At least.

It was not that simple.

Everyone had their own path.

And everyone had something of their own that could either carry them through.

Or drag them down.

Quan Dai Linh let out a breath.

“So the three of us passed Heavenly Accord.”

He looked at Quan Nha.

“Three years from now…”

“We’ll represent the Eastern Branch in the Grand Clan Secret Realm?”

Hao Nhien’s eyes shifted slightly.

Quan Nha replied:

“According to the rules, yes.”

“But we still need the Clan Head’s confirmation.”

Quan Dai Linh nodded.

“Three years…”

He smiled.

“Enough.”

Hao Nhien looked at him.

The man had only spoken two simple words.

But the certainty in his voice made Hao Nhien understand.

Quan Dai Linh truly believed three years would be enough for him to reach the required level.

No boasting.

No arrogance.

Only confidence.

Hao Nhien smiled faintly.

As expected.

No one who could pass Heavenly Accord was simple.

Quan Dai Linh turned toward him.

“Let’s go.”

“Time to head outside and give those old fellows something to celebrate.”

Hao Nhien nodded.

“All right.”

Quan Nha stood as well.

The three walked toward the final door of the chamber.

The moment they approached.

The stone door opened on its own.

Beyond it was a path leading downward.

No more violent gray wind.

No more crushing gravity.

No more arenas.

Only a quiet flight of stone steps.

Quan Nha walked in front.

Quan Dai Linh followed.

Hao Nhien came last.

Compared with the climb upward.

The path down felt so light that it hardly seemed real.

Step by step.

Hao Nhien finally felt his mind truly relax a little.

From the moment he entered the Inner Secret Realm until now.

Body tempering.

The arenas.

Quan Huyen.

The illusion.

Heavenly Accord.

None of them had lasted very long on their own.

But strung together, they made him feel as though he had gone through a very long stretch of time.

Ahead.

Quan Nha’s back moved quietly down the steps.

Hao Nhien unconsciously looked for half a beat longer.

Straight posture.

Light steps.

Long black hair swaying gently with each movement.

Her cold bearing made her difficult not to notice.

Hao Nhien immediately withdrew his gaze.

And gave a self mocking smile.

He had nearly died several times.

Yet he still had the mood to notice a beautiful woman.

Apparently, he was doing just fine.

Quan Dai Linh suddenly turned around.

Just in time to catch him.

The corner of his mouth immediately lifted.

“Hao Nhien.”

“What are you staring at?”

Hao Nhien replied calmly:

“I was thinking.”

“Anyone who can pass Heavenly Accord really isn’t ordinary.”

Quan Dai Linh laughed loudly.

“Mm.”

“Very convincing.”

Quan Nha did not turn around.

But her steps slowed.

Only by half a beat.

Then her voice drifted back.

“Walk faster.”

“Don’t make me wait.”

Quan Dai Linh looked at Hao Nhien.

And winked.

Hao Nhien could only shake his head.

Then quickened his pace.

The three continued downward.

A final stone door had already appeared ahead.

Hao Nhien took a slow breath.

Within his Divine Soul, that faint cycle was still slowly circulating.

Very weak.

Very small.

But it had never disappeared.

The corner of his mouth rose again.

Heavenly Accord had ended.

But the waves it would bring might only be beginning.