章節 125: Yo Shi
I entered the underground crypt at the dawn of the next day.
The Sect was shrouded in mist, making the mountain appear more mysterious than it really was. Everything was quiet, with only the massive stone door locks moving creating a sharp contrast to the peaceful silence.
As the mass of stone sealed shut behind me and the braziers came to life with their gentle blue light, I felt a lump forming in my throat and nervously swallowed. There was no going back. Everything I had done in recent weeks, every plan I came up with, would be tested in a moment.
Before entering the underground mountain graveyard, I absorbed the remaining six Divine Fragments from the ancient Memory Orbs. The memories they contained were fascinating and I had learned much, but that was only about the Divine Realm. It helped me nothing with my immediate problems, nor was the knowledge useful to me in any way at the time.
I spaced out the Fragments around my Soul and felt their combined pressure weigh heavily on it. I walked through the long corridor and came to the final door. I opened it just the same as I did with the first, and the Hall of Ancestors was revealed before me.
I lit up an incense stick and stepped inside. The change was immediate. With the increased pressure from the Fragments, my heart skipped a beat as the Formation in the hall added to it. I squeezed my jaw tight and gave a thin smile. There was no going back.
I came to the middle of the room, placed the incense into its designed holder, and then kowtowed to the ancestors, my forehead touching the stone floor. I then got to work.
Making use of a Spirit Sword I sliced my forearm and used the crimson blood as ink for my Formation.
My hand wanted to tremble from the stress, pain, and Soul pressure, but I kept myself steady. I was slower than I would have liked and the incense was burning up fast. I had another one, but after that, it would be over.
I exhaled deeply after the job was done. I still had some incense left.
"What are you doing?"
I nearly jumped out of my skin. I quickly turned around and saw a Cultivator standing at the door, looking at me intently. He was an older man with a well-trimmed brown beard and long hair, dressed in golden robes.
I didn't see any badge so I couldn't guess which division he belonged to. My guess was enchanting. They didn't come out often, and I have never seen an Elder from there. I quickly bowed and cupped my fist.
[This Junior greets esteemed Elder.] I said. I had absolutely no clue who he was. Maybe a guardian of the crypt? That was possible too.
"You drew a Tortured Soul Formation? Here, in the Hall of Ancestors?" I detected some anger in his voice. "What are you doing, Disciple? Are you trying to desecrate this place?!"
So that was what the formation was called? Irrelevant! I barely kept myself from panicking. I needed to do this! It had to happen no matter what, it was my best shot at reaching the Golden Core Realm!
I quickly bowed again and decided to tell the truth. It was my best shot. [I wouldn't dare, esteemed Elder! This Disciple was foolish and made a mistake in Cultivation.]
"A mistake?"
[I consumed too many Soul-Strengthening and Soul-Hardening Pills on top of stuffing my Soul full with as much Soul Essence as I could. Now I am too weak to compress my Soul to reach the Golden Core Realm.]
"And you are here because…?"
[I wanted to borrow the Soul Pressure in here to help me advance.]
"And the Formation?"
[To make my Soul more pliable, hopefully increasing my chances.]
The man began chuckling, which was good. At least he wasn't angry anymore.
"Interesting, very interesting… Now I'm curious. A Soul too strong to compress? Such a thing has never happened before. Impressive.
[Thank you, Elder.] I quickly said, bowing and cupping my fists again.
"My name is Yo Shi." The man said.
[Elder Yo Shi!]
"Who do you belong to?"
I didn't exactly understand the question, so I answered what I thought he was asking. [My master is Elder Li Roy, Elder Yo Shi]
The man nodded and smiled warmly while urging me to continue. "Go on then, I'll watch over you. I really want to see if this crazy idea will work."
I nodded and quickly sat down in a lotus position in the middle of the Formation after setting down a few Spirit Stones. I then drank and consumed all the potions and pills I had gathered for the occasion and closed my eyes.
I activated the Tortured Soul Formation and the energies merged and combined, turning my Soul to rubber. There was so much pressure on me, yet I could still hold on. I pulled the Fragments closer and the Divine Soul Essence weighed heavily on my mind. There were six of them practically touching my Soul. If that wasn't enough, I didn't know what else to do. I was under extreme strain, ready to pop. It was time.
I gathered all my courage and intent and pushed, and pushed. My Soul was getting squished further every cycle. The first three were hard, but doable. I felt the layers touching and collapsing one on top of the other. I was doing it!
Numbers four and five were a struggle, but they caved. Number six didn't. It barely even trembled. I gave it my all, sweating like crazy while clenching my teeth, but it didn't budge.
I took deep breaths and tried again. Same result. I was stuck!
It was only the halfway mark! How?! All the preparations I had done… If this time didn't work, the next one would be even harder. I had six Fragments near my Soul. If I didn't advance soon, my Soul would gain even more resistance! This was impossible!
But then I remembered the incense stick. It was still offering me some protection, even if it was halved. I didn't even need a second to decide. It needed to go. I was willing to take that risk. Fuck the consequences.
I released a single strain of thought and crushed the wooden stick with Telekinesis. A few seconds later the protective layer collapsed and more pressure descended on me. A scream escaped my mouth before I could stop it. It was so painful. The pressure. I could just barely endure.
I didn't have time to waste, I had to be quick. Who knew how long I could sustain this torture?
I pushed again. The sixth layer collapsed as well. So did the seventh, and the eighth. It was difficult, but it worked! It worked!
Ninth! Done! But just barely. I was out of breath and my heart was racing like mad. My mouth was parched. I was at the end of my rope. There was just the last step remaining. I just had to tie it all together and merge the layers into the Golden Core.
But that was the problem. I was spent. There wasn't even an iota of energy left in my body. That was it. I could see the finish line, but my body just wouldn't move anymore. I lost. Lost just steps away from the finish line. I had nothing left. All my preparations were exhausted yet it still wasn't enough.
I had failed.
"Are you alright?" I heard the Elder ask. The Elder… The Elder!
[Elder…] I gasped for breath, my concentration slipping. This was supposed to be quick and easy, and instead, I was going at 110% for so long! I couldn't take it anymore!
[Elder, please… I just need… a little bit more… pressure….]
"Are you sure? While you seem to have an extremely strong Soul, it looks like it's at the limit already."
[YES! Please! I…. I can't hold it much longer!] I couldn't. I just couldn't. It was my last chance.
"Well, alright. Here I come…"
I felt the pressure increase and a groan escaped my lips. But the last part slowly moved. My Soul was getting squeezed even more. Beyond what I thought was possible. It was working! It was fucking working! The newfound hope imbued me with new energy and I made one final push, giving it my all!
I then heard a quiet click. It was as if a lock just snapped into place. I felt a wave of energy suddenly erupt from the depths of my Soul, and a blinding golden light exploded outward. That's when my consciousness collapsed.
***
Yo Shi visited the Hall of Ancestors in the early morning just as he did every week before, to pay his respects and to ask for guidance from the old ones. However, as he neared the sacred hall, he noticed the door was already opened with someone already inside.
He went in, thinking it was probably one of the Elders as they sometimes meditated there, seeking enlightenment under the collective gazes of their ancestors, exposed to the Soul Pressure. Yet instead, he found a young Disciple, painting the floor with blood.
Yo Shi lifted an eyebrow in confusion.
"What are you doing?" It was rare to see a Disciple in this place, even more so drawing a… Tortured Soul Formation? The disrespect!
But, seeing the Disciple so nervous, he allowed his anger to diminish and instead let the boy explain himself before taking action. And what a story that was.
The Disciple, a genius with unmatched talent no doubt, somehow managed to overfeed his Soul and was unable to compress it to enter the Golden Core Realm. Yo Shi found such a thing hilarious. Something like that never happened before. Usually, Cultivators would try to advance at the earliest possible opportunity, and instead, the guy delayed it until he couldn't even do it anymore.
Yo Shi decided to humor him as he was also interested to see what would happen. No doubt, the way this Disciple built his Soul was impressive. He was only at the peak of Nascent Soul Realm, yet he could resist the pressure of the Hall of Ancestors with a single incense stick.
That's what Elders could do, not a mere child.
Funnily enough, the kid took even more stimulants to make him more susceptible to the Soul pressure. And it was working. He slowly climbed up the steps, collapsing one layer after the other. Yet, when he came halfway, he stopped.
Yo Shi thought he might be tired, but then he saw the Disciple destroy the incense stick granting him protection. His eyes nearly jumped out of his sockets and he already moved and was just about to act to shield the reckless child from certain death, when the guy collapsed another shell.
Yo Shi was rendered speechless. He rubbed his eyes to confirm his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. Nope, everything was real. Worse yet, that wasn't even the peak of insanity. He saw him struggle and as he reached the final step, his body was sweating and trembling all over. He was at his limit.
"Are you alright?"
That one innocent question triggered an avalanche. The fool asked him to add his weight to the existing pressure. Was he insane?! Did he not feel death looming over him?! He already crossed so many lines that should never be crossed, and now he was asking him of all people, to help him trample over another?!
Yo Shi felt as if he was living in a dream. For a moment he even considered he was trapped in a nightmare illusion, but then discarded that thought. This was real! Way too real! With an internal sigh, Yo Shi agreed. This was either going to be the birth of a legend or a tragedy he would have to explain to this kid's master.
He did as he was asked, releasing his colossal Soul pressure a tiny bit at a time. And would you know it, the kid didn't die, though he felt it was close. Instead, his Soul suddenly merged, and he stepped into the Golden Core Realm.
Yo Shi was just about to clap and congratulate him when something changed.
A feeling washed over him, a pressure like no other as if an ancient beast was awakening. He shuddered. An instant later the illusion was gone but an explosion of energy made him reel back, guarding his eyes from the blinding light that came from the kid's body.
However, just as quickly as it came, it too was gone, and the kid collapsed to the ground.
"What…?"
Yo Shi warily stepped closer, activated his Spirit Sense, and scanned every millimeter of his body. Everything seemed normal, even if the quality of his flesh was much better than it should have been for someone his age. The newly formed Golden Core also, while it was clearly much larger than average, was still just a normal organ in the end.
There were no visible changes either.
Yo Shi scratched his beard, wondering if what he had felt was even real.
"The kid has extraordinary talent, that's for sure. Elder Li, right? He's the one that just lost his oldest… Also a genius. Ah, such a shame. But where was he hiding this Disciple all this time? I'll have to talk to him."
He turned around.
"Shadow, take the kid and bring him back to his master. Also, tell him I'll visit him shortly."
A shadow on the wall shifted and turned into a person. "Yes, Master! It will be done."
"Ah, Darkness, go with him as well. Keep an eye on the kid until further notice."
"Yes, Master." Another figure answered as it emerged from the shadows.
Yo Shi nodded and left the hall.
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