Immortal Refiner

Watching Li Qing’s retreating figure, his determined steps climbing steadily upward, Hu Sheng lowered his head, a look of self-reproach crossing his face.

”Truly worthy of an ascended cultivator who fought their way out of the spirit-poor lower realm. Their ambition to cultivate the Dao is truly vast.”

”But breaking through to the void refinement realm isn’t something that can be achieved with mere ambition.”

As Li Qing re-entered the mountain cave, his expression grew even more solemn after just a few steps inward.

He felt as though his divine soul were bearing the weight of a massive mountain. With each step he took deeper into the cave, this invisible mountain grew heavier.

”Hiss... what terrifying soul pressure!”

A look of awe flashed in Li Qing’s eyes. He dared not imagine what kind of pressure he would face if he were to venture completely into the depths of this cave.

This was truly a burden that could crush a divine soul!

At this point, Li Qing felt a growing sense of hesitation. He didn’t want to risk his life.

”I’ll have to try activating the Soul Refinement Scripture and see if it can withstand this pressure.”

This secret technique had become the foundation of Li Qing’s divine soul, which far surpassed those of cultivators at the same level. Yet he had only managed to cultivate it to the second layer. As for the third layer, he couldn’t even begin to grasp it.

”Gathering Yang to forge the Divine, and shaping the Divine into form...”

This was the introductory passage of the third layer of the Soul Refinement Scripture, the key to mastering it.

Li Qing silently recited the scriptures, attempting to cultivate the Soul Refinement Scripture, which had remained stagnant for so long.

But the next moment, to his surprise, the scriptures seemed to trigger a disturbance throughout Fallen Soul Mountain.

Rumble!

The massive, majestic mountain trembled violently, sending a cascade of boulders crashing down the cliffs.

Inside the cave, Li Qing’s vision blurred, and the scene abruptly shifted.

In the next instant, his primordial spirit detached from his body and left his physical form.

Before Li Qing could comprehend what was happening, a colossal millstone came crushing down upon him.

”What the hell is going on?!”

He tried to flee, terrified of letting his divine soul bear such a blow, which could result in its complete annihilation.

But he discovered he couldn’t control his spirit body’s movement, forced to watch helplessly as the massive millstone descended.

Rumble!

The millstone rolled over him, and Li Qing felt as if struck by lightning, a searing pain radiating through his divine soul.

His spirit felt as if it were being torn into four pieces—a torment unlike anything he had ever experienced.

It was like being torn apart by a chariot and yet remaining conscious, the agony multiplied many times over.

”Accumulating yin forms the body, and within that form, spirit and yin-yang emerge and vanish—that is the light of the sun and moon.”

Li Qing continued silently reciting the scriptures of the Soul Refinement Scripture. To his surprise, his damaged divine soul began to recover at an astonishing rate.

Before long, the excruciating pain of his soul being ground like a millstone finally subsided.

He even discovered that his divine soul had grown slightly stronger.

Moreover, it seemed he had finally achieved entry into the third layer of the Soul Refinement Scripture he was cultivating!

Before he could fully process this, a voice suddenly rang out within the peculiar soul space:

”First trial pass! Rewards: three Soul Condensation Pills. Proceed to the second trial?”

A chill ran down Li Qing’s spine at the sound. He hadn’t expected there to be an unknown, mysterious presence here.

”Who? Who are you?”

The response came in the same rigid, mechanical voice: ”I am the artifact spirit of Fallen Soul Mountain, responsible for the trials of disciples of the Nine Heavens Holy Sect.”

”Proceed to the second trial?”

So it was an artifact spirit!

Li Qing’s eyes flickered. He had never even heard of this so-called Nine Heavens Holy Sect.

He suspected it must have been a faction from the Heavenlight Secret Realm many years ago. Countless years had passed since then, and only the artifact spirit of the mountain remained.

He hadn’t expected that his actions would actually summon the mountain’s artifact spirit.

”Could the Soul Refinement Scripture be connected to this so-called Nine Heavens Holy Sect? Just by circulating the Soul Refinement Scripture earlier, I entered this place.”

”No, or rather, to unlock the secrets of Fallen Soul Mountain, one must cultivate a secret technique that strengthens the divine soul.”

”Only by circulating that secret technique within the mountain can its special properties be activated!”

Of course, he couldn’t rule out the possibility that his particular version of the Soul Refinement Scripture was special.

The artifact spirit of Fallen Soul Mountain didn’t give Li Qing much time to ponder. It mechanically and rigidly asked, ”The trialist has not responded. Entering the second trial pass by default.”

Li Qing: ???

He was utterly baffled. He never expected the artifact spirit to be so inhumanely rigid—a lack of response simply meant automatic progression to the next trial pass!

”Wait! I want to terminate the trial!”

But it was too late. This time, two golden stone millstones began to roll toward each other, crushing toward his primordial spirit.

The first trial had already been agonizing, nearly rendering him unconscious. With two millstones crushing him simultaneously, the pain would likely be even more unbearable.

Li Qing’s expression turned grim. Once a trial began, there was no turning back.

He had no choice but to endure the ordeal and first terminate the third trial. He needed to understand what was happening here before continuing.

Otherwise, blindly continuing the trial would be impossible to withstand, no matter how strong his divine soul.

In the blink of an eye, two golden millstones crushed inward, trapping Li Qing’s divine soul between them.

The next moment, the millstones rotated in opposite directions, and Li Qing, caught in the middle, felt his consciousness blur.

A pain far more intense than before struck him, nearly shattering his soul on the spot.

Soon, the golden millstones vanished, leaving Li Qing’s divine soul to recover.

”Those who rise and fall with yin and yang possess the essence of metal and jade.”

He continued cultivating the third layer of the Soul Refinement Scripture, mending the damage to his divine soul as the excruciating pain gradually subsided.

”Second trial passed! Reward: a random primordial spirit weapon refining inheritance. Proceed to the third trial?”

This time, Li Qing, his mind reeling from the ordeal, refused to continue.

He was certain that this space posed a risk of complete soul annihilation. Without proper preparation, he could easily perish here.

”No, no, no! I want to terminate the trial!”