Stretching his arms, Seraph realized there was nothing he could do about Halo’s absence, so he decided to focus on himself.

His sudden rise in cultivation had astonished him, and he wondered if it was because of the poison pancakes he had eaten.

’But I wasn’t even close to a breakthrough.’

Frowning, Seraph was enveloped by confusion.

However, since it was a great boon indeed, there was no reason to not be happy.

"I just hope there are no repercussions."

He went to the bathroom, took his bath, then came back into the room.

Sitting on the bed, he closed his eyes and began meditating again. His thoughts gradually disappeared, and soon, there was nothing on his mind anymore.

Throb~!

The instant he felt that sensation, he focused on it, confirming the outline of the soul was just like his own body.

’Interesting.’

That thought shattered his concentration, displeasing him.

"Sigh, it’s already morning anyway. I should go to the cafeteria and get something for myself."

Hopefully, they didn’t serve poison pancakes over there. Although the boon was great, the process of enduring its poison wasn’t something he’d want to face anytime soon.

When he arrived at the cafeteria, he was surprised to meet Left and Right again.

"Good morning, Brother Left, Brother Right."

The twins turned to him, surprise flashing across their identical faces.

"Hello, Brother Seraph."

They greeted back, then invited him to seat with them. While they ate, they casually discussed about their progress in contacting their souls.

"Well, I was able to make contact with mine yesterday. But I haven’t been able to reach that level of concentration since then."

Right said with a bitter smile, though he wasn’t really saddened. At least he had felt it once.

On the other hand, Left’s case was worse. "It’s not that I can’t feel it, but I can’t even try."

Seraph pretended to be oblivious. "Why?"

The young man answered calmly. "Because anytime I try to meditate, I suddenly feel a sharp pain, and it always breaks my meditation."

By his side, Right shook his head. "I thought as twins, our progress would be identical. But alas..."

Seraph paused eating, pretending to think.

"Could it be an injury? Maybe your soul was injured or something?"

Right blinked, astonished. "Is that even possible?"

Left answered him. "It should be. After all, we all felt Elder Simone’s soul aura the other day. Surely he can weaponize it and use it to attack. So there’s a possibility that souls can get injured."

The other two nodded, agreeing with him.

"You see, maybe you should go to Elder Simone and complain to him?"

Seraph suggested. After all, when one had issues regarding homework in a boarding school, they’d either take it to a senior, or back to the teacher that gave it to them.

Unfortunately, he still hadn’t seen any Core Court disciple around. They were still in closed cultivation, if he was correct.

"It’s not that simple. I can’t just barge in to go see Elder Simone. I’d get kicked out before I can even talk."

Left sighed, suddenly feeling that the food had become tasteless.

Seraph pursed his lips and asked.

"Well, is there a library, then? We can check out the library to see if there are any books relating to soul injury."

Right frowned. "This soul injury is merely a conjecture, though."

Seraph shrugged, indifferent. "There’s no harm in checking it out. And if it isn’t, the knowledge gained would still be useful in the future."

Left nodded, agreeing with him. After a moment of consideration, Right agreed too.

Immediately after they finished breakfast, the trio headed to the Soul Peak Library.

It was located at the higher section of the mountain, close to the peak.

Gazing at the tall, dull gold pagoda, Seraph marveled in his heart.

’Wow. I’m amazed.’

It was as expected of a grand sect. The three walked through the open doors, entering into the lowest level of the library.

"Young ones. What have ye come to seek?"

Hearing the aged voice, they all turned to the old librarian lady who was staring at them with narrowed eyes.

’She’s staring at Left.’

Seraph noticed, but didn’t say a word. Instead, he let Left handle the conversation.

"Esteemed Elder, we’re here to inquire about books relating to the soul."

The woman closed her eyes, then hummed. "Ah, I see. Ye goeth up to the fourth ground. Therein ye shall find books speaking of the soul."

Ignoring the weird accent of the woman, Seraph and the twins thanked her, then hastened upstairs.

Finally reaching the fourth floor, they decided to spread out and cover more ground instead of sticking together and reading the same or similar books.

’The library is unusually empty. I guess these inner court disciples aren’t fans of knowledge.’

Clicking his tongue, Seraph went straight. Left and Right had departed in the directions according to their names, so Seraph just took the path forward.

He scanned the titles on the shelves, his fingers brushing against the dusty covers of the books.

’Hmm... Nirvana War?’

Pausing, he picked the book and skimmed through. Intriguing, but not that good.

The book only depicted a war that had occurred thousands of years ago, so it wasn’t really his concern.

After minutes of searching, he finally found a book about the soul. Though it wasn’t really about soul injuries, Seraph still decided to read.

He sat on a nearby stool, opening the book and reading carefully. He began learning about the connection between the soul, the body, and the mind.

The soul was a cultivator’s true form, hidden and protected by their body. If a high-level cultivator perished in a fight, their soul could escape and wait until another body was crafted for them, then they would be alive again.

It was almost like immortality, but not that exact cheat.

Seraph exhaled, reading more. It took him half an hour to finish the book, and understand most of the information written within.

"That’s a lot. But not my focus."

He returned the book to its position, then continued finding other books regarding the soul.

After a while, he returned empty handed to their meeting point. To his surprise, Right was already there, holding a book in his hand.

’Oh?’

Taking a step towards the young man, Seraph asked with a smile. "Have you found it?"

The young man nodded, still engrossed in the book. Seraph took a peek, realizing it was about soul injuries indeed.

"Ah... you guys!"

Left called out, running over with another book. "I found a book that talks about the causes of a soul injury. Right, what about you?"

His twin answered and said. "The one I found talks about how to heal soul injuries."

Instantly, Left’s expression brightened. "Great! With the two books, we can truly confirm if I’m actually injured in my soul."

Seraph nodded in agreement.

The three of them began to read the two books, constantly discussing and exchanging ideas. After an entire hour, two things were confirmed.

Left indeed had a soul injury, though its cause remained unknown. Also, there was a cure for the injury, and it required getting an expensive pill.

"Oh well, we have to start working on money-rewarding missions."

Right said, closing the book he had taken. Left agreed, and they returned the books to their original positions.

"Will you be coming with us, Seraph? It’s not compulsory though."

Left asked out of courtesy.

Seraph pondered, then nodded. "Alright. But just this once."

The twins smiled and nodded.

They left the library and the eccentric librarian, then headed to the Mission Hall immediately.

Unfortunately, Seraph was forced to part with them because...

"Seraph, Elder Song told me to bring you to her."

Sylvia appeared to them like a ghost, startling the twins. Seraph had noticed her since she was approaching, though.

Nodding at her, he gave the twins a bitter smile and followed her. They also understood the circumstances and waved him off.

"You’ve made friends with them."

Sylvia remarked, her steps quick and light as they traveled up the mountain.

Seraph tilted his head. "It’s comfortable around them. And they’re not scarce like you."

She turned, looking at him in surprise. "You had thoughts about me?"

Seraph nodded. "You’re the first person I know in the Soul Peak. So it’s natural that I become your friend. Unfortunately, you’re like a flower in the winter—rare."

Sylvia rolled her eyes. "That’s your concern, not mine. By the way, your cultivation..." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

She suddenly paused, her expression warping in shock.

"Peak Advanced Stage?!"

Seraph was startled by her outburst, though he expected it. She had known when he became a Core Advanced Stage cultivator, after all.

"What the hell did you do?"

She turned to him, her gaze sharp.

Seraph rolled his eyes and shrugged. "I ate something that boosted my cultivation. Don’t go acting like a frightened fowl."

Instantly, Sylvia was flustered. "W-who’s a frightened fowl? I’m merely astonished by the speed of the boost. Hmph, let’s go."

Seraph blinked several times, then nodded. In his mind, he confirmed something. It seemed Sylvia was a tsundere.