"Did it fail?"

"Yeah."

"No need to rush. This Hidden Dust Sand's high tier, it can handle the strain. Just try a few more times."

"I mean... that's the only way."

Luo Chen pressed his thumbs against his temples and rubbed them repeatedly. Even with divine consciousness comparable to a late-stage Adept, he felt deeply exhausted. This alone showed how taxing it was to create a mana circulation route within the Hidden Dust Sand. The difficulty was not only due to Luo Chen's limited abilities but also because Han Zhan himself had never used the Nascent Core Art and could not provide detailed guidance. He could only explore step by step on his own.

Fortunately, as Han Zhan had said, the Hidden Dust Sand was exceptionally high tier and could withstand repeated attempts. If it had been an ordinary third-tier one, it would have been ruined after at most two tries. Not to mention the cost, the wasted effort alone would not have been worth it.

Luo Chen let out a soft breath, and the fatigue in his mind seemed to ease slightly. He needed proper rest now. Carving a complete mana circulation route onto a foreign object and ensuring it functioned smoothly was extremely difficult. After each failure, he would rest and recover before attempting it again.

However, Han Zhan finally spoke up, "You've already absorbed all the energy inside the Hidden Dust Sand, haven't you?"

A faint smile appeared on Luo Chen's face. "Of course!"

He had fully recovered, and his cultivation had even increased by twenty progress points; he was now much closer to the fifth stage. Of course, if others knew that the entire energy of a peak third-tier being had only provided a twenty-percent progress through a minor realm, they would surely curse him for wasting a treasure. But he knew clearly that although he grasped the principle of power, his methods of conversion remained crude. Thus, most of the energy had been wasted during the process. Even so, gaining twenty progress points was a blessing. It had saved him years of arduous cultivation.

Han Zhan's spirit lifted. "Now that your mana is restored and you have time, how about..."

Luo Chen smiled, and a small piece of black wood appeared in his hand. "It's not impossible, but..."

Luo Chen looked at the black wood in his hand. The smile on his face slowly faded, and his expression grew solemn. His earlier hesitation did not come from a lack of integrity. It was just that, when he first touched the Soul-Nurturing Wood, the dark energy clinging to it made his heart race in fear. That instinctive reaction made him unwilling to attempt removing it. Because of this, he had given plenty of excuses to delay it.

Han Zhan's tone turned a little anxious. "You promised me!"

Luo Chen looked up and blinked. "I have a feeling... something Adepts avoid and even Sages refuse to touch can't be anything ordinary."

"You have mastered the Dragon-Slaying Art. What is there to worry about? Besides, this dark energy is only a remnant. With a bit of effort, I'm sure you can remove it."

Luo Chen bit his lip and frowned in thought for a long while. In the end, he gave a slight nod. He had given his word, and Han Zhan had paid a great price for this wood. He had given Luo Chen the Nascent Core Art and the Nascent Soul Pill formula. He had set up formations, fought Blood Nightmare, and even helped remove the imprints on the storage pouches. Backing out would be unjustifiable.

Of course, before he began, Luo Chen had to make thorough preparations. He mobilized his mana, and a layer of azure light formed around his body—Glazed Skyveil. The barrier drew in and clung tightly to his body. He then took out the Divine Seal Compass, set several top-grade spirit stones into it, and activated a protective formation to shield himself. At last, a strand of black light spread from the depths of his sea of consciousness. He had refined this Forsaken Chess Piece over many decades and it was close to the middle grade even without its pair. With a defensive spell, formation, and treasure working together, his defenses were about as good as they could get.

Even so, before he began, Luo Chen said, "If anything goes wrong, I will need you to step in and protect me."

Han Zhan found his caution both amusing and exasperating, but he still agreed in a serious tone.

Luo Chen then formed hand seals toward the black wood floating half a chi in front of him. Then he activated the Dragon-Slaying Art. After years of practice, he had reached Grandmaster-level proficiency and now stood only a step away from Perfected Mastery. In fact, this was a perfect chance to push it further. Mana flowed through his body and gathered in a precise pattern under his control. A sharp aura formed in his palm as he shaped his hand like a sword and struck.

The strike was both extremely powerful and as precise as a surgeon's scalpel. His hand brushed past the Soul-Nurturing Wood. The first strike left almost no trace. The second met soft resistance, as if cutting into cotton. When the third strike fell, a sudden change erupted. A violent energy flow burst forth, broke through the formation of the Divine Seal Compass, and shattered the azure barrier.

Luo Chen's eyes widened as he shouted, "Seni—"

Before he could finish, the final black barrier shattered. It was simply too fast. The overwhelming energy flow tore through his defenses and rushed into his sea of consciousness. In that instant, he felt as if he had fallen into an abyss. Ghostly shadows swarmed around him, and towering structures loomed endlessly.

Where is this place?

In a daze, Luo Chen looked at the illusions closing in from all sides. His formidable soul now felt as fragile as an infant. In the next instant, countless ghostly figures burst out from the towering structures and charged straight at his soul.

I am so dead.

The thought had just appeared when a burst of green light exploded within his mind. "LUO CHEN, WAKE UUUUP!"

Amid a thunderous shout, Luo Chen snapped awake as if from a dream. He was entirely drenched in cold sweat, as though he had just been pulled from water. He shuddered.

"What the fuck was that..."

Outside the Myriad Soul Banner, Han Zhan emerged in his little Nascent Soul form. His phantom brows were tightly knitted as he spoke in an uncertain tone, "Hmmm... I wonder what kind of being left behind that energy. How powerful must it have been? Just a wisp of that energy was enough to push a fully prepared Adept to the brink."

"Senior... maybe we should try again another day?" Luo Chen said cautiously, already starting to waver.

The little Nascent Soul glanced at him coldly. "Strike while the iron is hot!"

Seeing Luo Chen frown, the Nascent Soul sighed and forced a smile. "Don't be afraid. You saw it yourself—while that energy carries a strong mental impact, your soul defense can block it. And I specialize in divine soul arts, so I can make sure you won't get trapped in that illusion. Let's try again!"

Luo Chen forced a smile and fell silent. Han Zhan did not urge him and simply waited. During this time, he occasionally floated near the wood to observe the faint strands of red mist emerging from it. After a long while, Luo Chen finally nodded slightly. "Alright, let's try it one more time."

"Good!" Han Zhan said with delight. "Don't worry. I'll prepare in advance this time and make sure it doesn't affect you too much."

"I hope so." Luo Chen glanced at Han Zhan before repeating his previous actions. Although the earlier spells and formations seemed ineffective, he still set them up again. He even added several more layers of Glazed Skyveil. Perhaps it wasn't entirely useless; it was just too thin, in which case a few more layers might be able to do the trick a single layer couldn't.

Then, just like before, Luo Chen formed hand seals, mobilized his mana, and used the Dragon-Slaying Art.

This time, the backlash came even faster. Ghostly shadows surged into view, and towering structures loomed once more. The same scene reappeared in Luo Chen's mind. A green light flared at once and shielded him, guiding him out of the illusion.

"Again!"

"Okay."

"Again!"

"Let me rest for a bit."

"Continue!" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Senior, I think I am getting it."

"Oh? Then try again!"

The sun rose and set while waves and winds passed by. Like this, three days passed. At the dawn of the fourth day, Luo Chen struck out with his palm, and the Soul-Nurturing Wood trembled slightly. Seeing this, Han Zhan was overjoyed. "Did it succeed?"

Luo Chen replied wearily, "It... kind of counts as a success."

"What do you mean 'kind of'?" Han Zhan asked, surprised.

Luo Chen explained patiently, "It may look like just a tiny wisp of dark energy, but it's deeply rooted. I've only found a way to start shaking it loose. If I want to remove it completely, it'll take a long time and steady effort."

Han Zhan understood. Although he was still impatient, he comforted Luo Chen, "As long as you've found a way, that's enough. Take your time, I'm not in a hurry."

Luo Chen shot him a half-smiling glance. The tiny soul shifted awkwardly under his gaze. "Okay, okay... I am in a bit of a hurry."

"I'll rest for two days. Once I've recovered, I'll continue. I'll summon you then."

Luo Chen lay down on the bed without waiting for a reply and soon fell asleep. Han Zhan carefully stored away the Soul-Nurturing Wood, his eyes filled with hope. This was the most crucial step for him to rebuild his soul. Whether he could return depended on it.