Ascension Day

'He's become even more diligent than before,' Yuan Tiangang thought.

On the Naihe Bridge, the sorrowful old man queued behind a crowd of Ghost Souls. His face was a mask of misery, even more sorrowful than before.

After an unknown amount of time, it was finally his turn.

When Meng Po saw it was him, her hand couldn't help but tremble again.

"Granny, ten bowls of tea, and make the soup strong."

The sorrowful old man, his brow deeply furrowed, said, "I want the first brew, not the second or third."

Meng Po couldn't hold back. "Envoy, weren't you just here yesterday? Why are you back again today? And where is your umbrella?"

The sorrowful old man sighed, avoiding the subject of the Cyan Paper Umbrella. "Last time, your tea was watered down. It had no effect on him. This time is different. With ten bowls of the first brew, the seal will be reinforced."

Meng Po laughed in fury. "This old lady's tea has no 'first brew' or 'second brew'! The potency is always the same! My tea is also called Enchanting Soup. Anyone who drinks it will have all their memories washed from their soul, making them forget their past and fall into a state of pre-birth ignorance—more infantile than an infant! It's absolutely impossible for someone to drink my tea and still remember anything!"

The sorrowful old man said, "Your words are meaningless. He drank your tea and became even more energetic, even a little hyper."

Meng Po was burning with rage. "Impossible! If I can't enchant his soul, you can smash this old lady's golden reputation to bits!"

The sorrowful old man said, "Ten bowls of tea. Make the soup strong."

Meng Po gritted her teeth, staring daggers at him. After a moment, she said helplessly, "Ten bowls? Are you feeding an elephant? You can bring ten bowls of tea to him, but he still has to drink them. Also, you took my bowls last time. Where are my bowls?"

The sorrowful old man arranged ten tea bowls in a line, suspended in mid-air. "Ten bowls," he said. "I have my ways to make him drink."

Meng Po had no choice but to pour the tea. "If you really can't seal him, what is your plan, Envoy?"

The sorrowful old man was silent for a moment before saying, "Then I can only report it up the chain: target has broken containment. I will request that the higher-ups pass judgment."

Meng Po shuddered and said no more.

After a moment, the sorrowful old man slowly walked off the Naihe Bridge and into the boundless darkness.

「In Qinyan Cave on Wuyang Mountain, within the Mud Pill Palace.」

Da Zhong was in a foul mood. Originally, the ringing of the bell was supposed to shock Xu Ying's soul out of his body, leaving the body behind. But now, it was the other way around. When the bell rang, Xu Ying's body was shocked away, leaving his soul in place.

The reason for this situation was that *someone* had eaten too many Ten Thousand Spirits Pills, causing his soul to be flooded with Undying Primordial Spirit and making it incomparably robust!

Xu Ying looked down at his own hands and saw a milky-white light shining from his palms. He had jade bone and ice flesh, unlike a body of flesh and blood!

He looked at his body, which was brilliantly radiant, with inch-long rays of light shining out from within!

"I am... my soul?"

Xu Ying suddenly felt a burning heat on his left shoulder. He turned his head and saw a ball of fire there, emitting a faint glow.

He looked at his right shoulder, and there was a ball of fire there too!

He tilted his head back and saw another ball of fire floating above him, this one even more vigorous!

The Big Copper Bell said, "These are the three clusters of Yang Fire in the human body. When refined into one, they become the Sanmei True Fire, which is the ultimate in hardness and yang energy, capable of incinerating all things."

"But..."

Xu Ying pointed to the Ox Demons. "Why is their Yang Fire different from mine?"

The Ox Demons trembled as they looked at his soul, huddling together as if terrified of him.

Xu Ying could even see the souls within the Ox Demons' bodies.

They had souls, too, roughly the same size as their bodies, but they completely lacked his radiance!

They also had three clusters of Yang Fire, and while they looked vigorous, they would flicker unstably at the slightest breeze, looking as if they could be extinguished at any moment. They were nothing like his own three clusters of Yang Fire, which were so stable they were unmoved by the wind!

Da Zhong said, "So that's how it is. No wonder these Ox Demons submitted to you. Your soul is too strong. When they whipped you with the Soul-Beating Whip, you didn't feel pain, but the whip did. If you were to whip someone else with it, the whip's power would likely be amplified three or four times over! Your current mastery of the soul has probably already surpassed a City God Magistrate and is approaching that of a Ghost King! These Ox Demons most likely mistake you for a Ghost King, which is why they're loyal to you!"

"A Ghost King?"

Xu Ying was stunned for a moment. 'Does that make me Xu the Great Ghost King? But aren't I supposed to be Great Demon King Xu?'

"Your three clusters of Yang Fire are so pure and unmoved by the wind because they were tempered by the Pure Yang Anomalous Fire. But their immense vigor isn't from the Pure Yang Anomalous Fire—it's because you ate too many Ten Thousand Spirits Pills!"

Da Zhong sneered, "Your soul is about to become solid, a soul composed of Undying Primordial Spirit. Compared to that, your Three Souls and Seven Spirits and your Flesh Body are extremely weak. These three clusters of Yang Fire are burning both your Primordial Qi and your essence. The Primordial Qi comes from your Flesh Body, and the essence comes from your Divine Soul. In other words, these three fires have lit you up like a candle! You must cultivate the Soul Refining Body technique as soon as possible, or these three fires of yours will burn you to nothing!"

Xu Ying's heart leaped into his throat, and he was struck by the gravity of the situation.

'To have a soul on the level of a Ghost King without the corresponding Cultivation is definitely not a good thing!'

'It's like earning only two copper plates a day but having to spend four. My expenses would outstrip my income, and I'd quickly go broke.'

Da Zhong urged, "You have just entered the Gate-Opening Stage. The Tailbone Profound Gate is open, creating the Qi Refining Gate and starting you on the grand path of the Heaven-Reaching River. This realm allows one to comprehend Life and Death and understand Yin and Yang, using the Celestial River Water to regulate the Five Viscera and strengthen the physique. At the same time, you must open the Celestial Mountain within your body and bravely climb it to advance to the next realm. This 'comprehending Life and Death and understanding Yin and Yang' means you can now adjust and cultivate your soul."