Beauty and Might: Heavenly Flames

According to the records, beginners in the Spiritual Refinement Realm possessed roughly forty meters of Spiritual Sense, while intermediate stages reached fifty-five meters.

Advanced stages expanded toward seventy-five meters.

Peak stages eventually approached one hundred meters.

Li Yan’s expression changed immediately. ”What…?”

His eyes narrowed sharply while disbelief surfaced faintly within his thoughts. ”Not even this realm matches my Spiritual Sense range?”

The realization immediately disrupted his previous assumptions.

According to the records before him, his fifty-meter Spiritual Sense should already place him somewhere within the second realm entirely.

Yet something still felt wrong.

Li Yan continued studying carefully.

Then eventually—

He found another detail.

The moment cultivators stepped into the second realm, a profound transformation occurred directly within the Spiritual Consciousness itself.

A Spiritual Plant would appear.

Something connected deeply to the cultivator’s soul.

Its growth would evolve alongside one’s Soul Cultivation journey continuously from that point onward.

Li Yan’s gaze sharpened instantly.

Because within his own Spiritual Consciousness—

No such plant existed.

Not even the slightest trace.

A wave of realization surfaced gradually within his mind. ”So I’m still within the first realm…”

”But then why does my Spiritual Sense have already reached near the Spiritual Refinement Realm (Intermediate Stage)?”

The contradiction lingered heavily within his thoughts.

Then suddenly—

Yao Fuhuo’s words from three months earlier resurfaced clearly in his memory.

”Li Yan, your case is different. Even cultivators who reach the Peak of the Mortal Realms never have the chance to awaken Spiritual Consciousness.”

”To awaken it this early is something I have never witnessed. Especially after your soul transmigrated into this body… Your Spiritual Energy became far denser and purer.”

Li Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly. ”So the answer lies within my transmigration…”

The conclusion surfaced naturally.

Immediately afterward, Li Yan shifted his attention away from the jade slip entirely and focused inwardly toward Yan Tian within the Spiritual Consciousness.

Inside the vast spiritual sea, Yan Tian sat quietly within the transparent seal, meditating peacefully after spending considerable time studying the countless books Li Yan provided him.

Li Yan approached the seal before he asked directly. ”Yan Tian. Can you tell me exactly what happened when my soul first arrived within this world?”

Yan Tian slowly opened his eyes before nodding quietly. ”Of course.”

Then, gradually, Yan Tian began recounting everything he had witnessed at the moment Li Yan’s soul transmigrated into the body that originally belonged to him.

Li Yan listened silently throughout the explanation.

Every detail.

Every reaction.

Every transformation.

He absorbed everything carefully without overlooking even the smallest point.

Eventually, Yan Tian finished explaining completely.

Silence settled briefly across the Spiritual Sea afterward while Li Yan quietly organized the information within his mind.

Then slowly—

He began confirming several details one after another.

”So when Senior Yao awakened your Spiritual Consciousness originally…”

”The Spiritual Sea only possessed a five-meter radius?”

Yan Tian nodded immediately.

Li Yan continued calmly. ”And when my soul first appeared within the Spiritual Sea…”

”My appearance and clothing were completely different from now, and my soul was enveloped in golden energy?”

Yan Tian nodded once more.

”Afterward, my appearance gradually transformed into yours while the golden energy condensed into a liquid drop before merging into the Spiritual Sea itself…”

”And afterward, the Spiritual Sea expanded directly from five meters to thirty?”

Yan Tian nodded again. ”Right. When that happened, even Senior Yao appeared surprised.”

Li Yan slowly nodded in understanding. Now the pieces finally connected clearly within his mind. ”Thanks for explaining everything, Yan Tian.”

”With this, I finally understand why my Spiritual Sense exceeds the ranges recorded within the Soul Cultivation knowledge.”

A faint glimmer surfaced within his eyes afterward. ”So currently…”

”I’m still within the Spiritual Awakening Realm. Most likely the Intermediate Stage.”

”But because of my transmigration…”

”My Spiritual Sense is already several times stronger than that of normal soul cultivators at the same level.”

Li Yan sat back and continued studying quietly while streams of ancient knowledge unfolded endlessly within his Spiritual Consciousness through the jade slip resting before him.

Soon afterward—

The third realm appeared.

Spiritual Strengthening Realm (Soul Disciple).

Unlike the previous realms that focused primarily upon awareness and refinement, this stage emphasized strengthening the vitality, density, and stability of the soul itself.

And upon entering this realm—

Cultivators awakened a new ability.

Telekinesis.

Li Yan’s eyes sharpened slightly as he continued reading carefully.

Through Spiritual Energy, Soul Cultivators gained the ability to manipulate physical objects without touching them.

Small weapons.

Daggers.

Light artifacts.

Even flying swords.

All could be controlled directly through Spiritual Energy itself.

The records continued further.

At this stage, cultivators could also directly infuse Spiritual Energy into attacks, enhancing both precision and destructive power while greatly increasing resistance to mental exhaustion and spiritual fatigue.

At the same time, Spiritual Sense expanded dramatically once more.

Beginners within the Spiritual Strengthening Realm possessed roughly one hundred twenty-five meters of perception, while Peak Stage cultivators eventually reached nearly two hundred fifty meters.

Li Yan nodded faintly. ”Telekinesis… That’s definitely a useful ability.”

The ability immediately sparked his interest.

Flying swords alone carried enormous combat potential, especially when combined with the Spiritual Sense far beyond ordinary cultivators at the same level.

Yet Li Yan remained calm.

He continued studying further.

Finally—

The fourth realm appeared before him.

Spiritual Flow Realm (Soul Practitioner).

This realm focused entirely upon harmonizing soul and body completely while allowing Spiritual Energy to circulate smoothly throughout the cultivator’s entire being.

Once reaching this stage, Soul Cultivators gained significantly greater precision and control over Spiritual Energy itself.

Multiple weapons could be manipulated simultaneously via telekinesis while maintaining terrifying accuracy in combat.

But that was not the most dangerous aspect of this realm.

Li Yan’s gaze sharpened immediately while reading the next section.

Soul attacks.

At this stage, cultivators could directly attack another person’s soul through Spiritual Energy itself.

These attacks ignored physical defenses entirely.

Armor.

Qi barriers.

Body cultivation.

None of them could fully protect against direct soul attacks.

If the difference in soul strength proved too great, Spiritual Energy could damage—or even destroy—a target’s soul directly.

At the same time, Soul Cultivators at this stage naturally developed soul defenses.

Even without specialized treasures, their Spiritual Energy automatically formed protective layers that could directly resist weaker soul attacks.

Li Yan’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

”Soul attacks…”

”And soul defense…”

”More terrifying abilities.”

The deeper he studied Soul Cultivation, the more dangerous and mysterious the path appeared compared to ordinary Qi and Body Cultivation.

The records regarding Spiritual Sense continued afterward.

Within the Spiritual Flow Realm, beginners possessed roughly 300 meters of perception, while Peak Stage cultivators eventually expanded to nearly 600 meters.

Li Yan quietly absorbed every detail carefully.

Afterward, the jade slip still contained scattered fragments of additional information regarding Soul Cultivation itself, but nothing substantial appeared regarding the higher realms beyond the fourth stage.

Eventually, Li Yan slowly lowered the jade slip.

A thoughtful expression surfaced faintly across his face. ”So this truly is only foundational knowledge…”

Compared to anything recorded in the Shadow Haven Sect, the information on this jade slip already felt unimaginably profound.

Yet despite everything he learned—

Li Yan understood something clearly.

This was merely the beginning.

Basic theory.

Foundational understanding.

Useful—

But far from complete.

Far from the true depths of Soul Cultivation.

Still, Li Yan already understood why Yao Fuhuo avoided giving him deeper knowledge directly. The mysterious karmic restrictions she mentioned previously still existed.

Certain truths clearly could not be spoken openly.

Li Yan exhaled slowly. ”So the deeper truths remain hidden…”

Yet instead of disappointment—

Anticipation surfaced quietly within his eyes.

Because now, for the very first time since awakening Spiritual Consciousness, he finally understood the direction of the path stretching before him.

And that alone already carried enormous value.

After concluding his learning session, Li Yan left his Spiritual Consciousness, slowly stood up, and stored the jade slip in his storage ring.

Then, calmly, he walked toward the bathroom to refresh.

Warm steam drifted quietly through the bathroom while Li Yan sat motionless within the bathtub, his body relaxing even as his thoughts continued moving without pause.

After several moments, Li Yan released a quiet sigh. ”I think Elder Ji, Elder Cao, and Senior Yao were right…”

”Trying to walk multiple paths simultaneously at my current level truly is difficult.”

His gaze lowered slightly toward the rippling water. ”Even if my mind isn’t that of a child, this body still is. And no matter how much knowledge I possess from my previous life…”

”I’m still new to this cultivation world.”

Silence settled briefly afterward as Li Yan carefully organized his thoughts.

Eventually, another sigh escaped him. ”What’s done is done.”

”Now I just need to decide how to move forward properly.” His expression gradually steadied once more. ”I need a clear schedule.”

”A schedule capable of advancing every path together without wasting time.”

Li Yan slowly began arranging everything within his mind one piece at a time. ”Currently, I’m handling one task, two professions, and three separate cultivation paths.”

”The task is collecting ten thousand Tier-3 beast cores.”

”The professions are Swordsmanship and Alchemy.”

”And the cultivation paths are Qi Cultivation, Soul Cultivation, and Body Cultivation.”

He paused thoughtfully before continuing the analysis further. ”Swordsmanship can continue naturally while hunting magical beasts.”

”Combat itself is already the best training for Swordmanship.”

”But Alchemy requires separate time entirely.”

His fingers tapped lightly against the edge of the bathtub while his thoughts deepened. ”As for Soul Cultivation…”

”That can’t progress further until Senior Yao gives me a proper Soul Cultivation technique after I complete the task.”

”So currently, there’s nothing additional I can do there.”

Li Yan nodded faintly to himself. ”Qi Cultivation is manageable.”

”I can continue advancing it naturally while meditating to replenish Qi reserves during hunting, cultivation, and alchemy practice.”

”And thanks to the Fire Mine…”

”If I truly need rapid advancement later, I already possess the means.”

With those points settled, his focus shifted toward the final path. ”Which leaves Body Cultivation.”

His eyes narrowed slightly. ”And that one consumes the most time and preparation.”

Unlike Qi Cultivation, Body Cultivation demanded repeated herbal baths, physical refinement, and gradual adaptation through pain and endurance.

It could not be rushed carelessly.

Li Yan thought quietly for several moments before forming a rough schedule within his mind. ”I can dedicate one week to alchemy after each hunting session.”

”And at last once every month…”

”I’ll undergo another herbal bath session to advance my Body Cultivation by one stage.”

His gaze sharpened slightly afterward. ”If everything progresses according to plan…”

”It should take roughly seven or eight months to reach the next realm. The realm where herbal baths will no longer remain necessary for advancement.”

The moment the overall structure settled within his thoughts, Li Yan finally relaxed slightly. ”So that’s the plan.”

”Practice Swordsmanship while hunting Magical Beasts.”

”One week of alchemy after each hunting cycle.”

”One body cultivation session at last, once every month.”

”And continuous Qi Cultivation during hunts and alchemy. Naturally, a few days of studying in the Shadow Knowledge Pavilion are necessary if important information must be learned.”

The schedule was brutal.

Yet realistic.

And for Li Yan—

That was enough.

However, another thought soon surfaced within his mind.

A more important one.

His expression gradually became serious again. ”I’m planning to enter the Tier-3 Hunting Ground tomorrow…”

”But is my current strength truly enough?” The question lingered heavily within the warm silence.

Tier-3 Magical Beasts were fundamentally different from Tier-2.

Stronger bodies.

Higher intelligence.

More dangerous instincts.

And far greater lethality.

Li Yan lowered his gaze thoughtfully. ”I possess Divine-Tier techniques copied from the Ancient Techniques Hall…”

”But my cultivation probably still isn’t high enough to fully utilize them properly.”

The sheer Qi requirements alone likely exceeded his current limits.

Then he considered the other techniques available to him. ”I also have the Fire-element technique and Neutral technique Senior Yao gave me…”

”But those alone aren’t enough.”

A faint gleam surfaced within his purple eyes. ”I still need stronger Darkness-aligned techniques.”

”Especially ones suitable for combat against Tier-3 Magical Beasts.”

The decision settled quickly afterward.

Without lingering further, Li Yan slowly rose from the bathtub while water streamed quietly from his body.

He dried himself calmly before changing into clean robes once more.

Then he left his residence.

Outside—

Night had already fallen across the Shadow Haven Sect.

Moonlight spilled across stone pathways while distant Qi lamps illuminated the sect beneath the dark sky with soft golden light.

Li Yan walked steadily toward the Core Area of the sect. Toward the Techniques Hall.