Chapter 6 - Introspective Expedition!

Yu Yin decided to ignore Layla and focus on his new cultivation manual, [Myriad Blades of the Endless Night]. He turned over the first page and started to read.

'This manual has been passed down in the Adamantine clan for generations and has led many to the apex! Over the years, cultivators of the clan have perfected this technique, making it an ultimate treasure!'

'When one cultivates this technique to the [Awakened Soul] Realm, one will be able to execute blade formations with ease and control them like the back of one's hand.

'When one cultivates this technique to the [Expanded Soul] Realm, one would be able to conjure blades of any shape or size. One would also be able to seize control over any bladed weapon, becoming the Sovereign of all Blades!!'

'When one cultivates this technique to the [Tempered Soul] Realm, one would be able to command hundreds of magical blades all at once, instilling prickling fear into the heart of any individual! One would be able to forge blades of the finest steel from the energies of heaven and earth, assembling an army of one thousand ravaging blades!'

'When one fully cultivates this technique to the [Specialised Soul] Realm, one would be able to conjure countless blades with their soul power. Enough blades to even blot out the sun to create a true endless night, causing the earth to shake and the heavens to tremble! One would even be capable of transforming their soul into a blade itself, stepping into the [Solid Soul] Realm!'

Yu Yin panted a little reading this and turned to Layla.

"Hey hey HEY! Isn't this just a little too exaggerated?!"

Layla just shrugged and didn't reply. She was busy studying the Silver Qilin horn she had thrown at him earlier, looking at it with fascination. Watching the golden patterns which occasional snaked along it even made her spine shiver a little! She was incredibly curious about them like a child is when seeing the outside world for the first time.

"What is this thing anyway? It looks completely extraordinary and you always seem so overprotective of it too!"

"It's a family heirloom."

He lied to her point blank… kind of. Although, she didn't seem to notice as she was too caught up in the horns' brilliant appearance.

"They must surely be precious immortal treasures! But even I have never seen anything like them so I can't be sure."

Yu Yin snickered a little when he heard her say this.

"Of course you wouldn't have seen them before! These are Silver Qilin Horns for heaven's sake! Even I, who have read thousands of books on sacred treasures, only recognised them by sheer luck when I Sto....*cough* took them in! It's more likely for God to come down and sincerely kowtow to us, than for you to have seen them before!!"

Obviously, Yu Yin didn't say this out loud but only thought it in his head. He decided to leave her be to her excessive ogling of his treasure and continue reading instead.

'The soul is known to be located in the upper dantian, buried in its spirit abode. To enter the [Rousing Soul] stage, one must traverse their sea of conscience inside their spirit abode to search for their soul. Only when one makes contact with their soul can one begin to rouse it from its stupor. To walk the path of the myriad blades, one must force their soul awake with blade intent as to initialise its enlightenment into the Dao of Blades.'

Yu Yin frowned at this point. Not much of what he read made a lot a sense and forcing his soul awake with blade intent sounded rather dangerous. Thankfully he had a kind-of teacher by his side. Although she didn't seem too reliable, Layla would have to fulfil this role.

"Mind explaining any of this to me? It sounds like your clan is making up crap as it goes along!"

Layla, who was still fawning over the Qilin horns, sighed and reluctantly peeled her eyes away from them to look at Yu Yin. She was frowning, obviously upset that she was interrupted.

"Don't bash my clan when you know zero about cultivating at all! You wouldn't know any truth about cultivation if it smashed you in the side of the head!!"

And just like that, Yu Yin was put in his place! He was about to put on his "Heaven Defying Sage" persona to retort when Layla interrupted him.

"Don't speak and just listen! Every mortal has a dormant soul that rests in a place called the ‘Spirit Abode’. This Spirit Abode is found in a person's upper dantian, which is located here."

She reached forward and gently touched Yu Yin's forehead between his brows.

"The Spirit Abode is like another world inside you and takes form from places and memories which have had an impact on your life. Somewhere inside your Spirit Abode, your soul is sleeping, and you'll need to thoroughly explore it to find your soul. It will be found in the place most significant to you!"

She moved her soft forefinger away from his forehead and leant back with her hands behind her.

"The Dao is basically a path to power that each cultivator must walk along to become stronger. The Dao of blades specifically is a path to power that transforms the soul into a blade of the strongest steel, commanding all other blades before it. As for forcing the soul awake with blade intent... it isn't as complicated as it seems. You just need to stab it with a blade of some sort!"

Yu Yin was completely taken aback and started complaining.

"Ehh?? Why would I want to stab my own soul with a blade?! Do I look suicidal?!"

"Don't worry about that, it wouldn't actually harm your soul. Such a thing couldn't be done right now even if you wanted to! After all, the blade you stab it with would be made from your own soul power!"

He started murmuring under his breath.

"Stabbing my soul is still stabbing my soul… It said earlier that my soul could turn into a blade. Why would I want my soul to turn into some stupid blade! If my soul were going to transform into something, I'd want it to be a brilliant diamond, with its dazzling radiance invoking the envy of many!"

Layla overheard him and had an incredulous look on her face.

"Do you have a cultivation manual that can do that for you?"

"No"

"Then shut up!"

"..."

Yu Yin decided not to argue this time and instead returned to learning cultivation.

'Once the soul enters the [Rousing Soul] stage, one would be able to conjure a single blade with their soul power and control this blade freely as if it belonged to one's own body. This signifies having reached [Stage One] of the [Rousing Soul] realm! To proceed along the path to power, one must absorb the energies of heaven and earth and convert them into one's own soul power using blade intent as a template! One must then forge this soul power into another blade and impale the soul with its blade intent, awakening it further from its stupor. Once one has done this, they would have reached [Stage 2] of the [Rousing Soul] Realm, and would be able to conjure a second blade. Once one has forged ten blades from their soul power, and have impaled the soul ten times, that means that they have reached [Stage 10] of the [Rousing Soul] Realm and can conjure ten blades. Such individuals are ready to step into the [Awakened Soul] Realm!'

Yu Yin vaguely understood what the manual was saying and didn't like it very much.

"I have to stab my soul ten times?!! Such fun! It's a good job I only need to enter [Rousing Soul] [Stage One] for now or else I don't think I could bear it!"

He continued reading the manual. Depicted in the manual were a specific breathing technique and a chant. The breathing technique said it would allow him to enter his soul abode, while the chant would allow him to forge a blade of soul power once inside. He considered it a bit and then crossed his legs and started to meditate. He was about to incorporate the breathing technique when Layla decided to speak out.

"Before you start, there's something important you should know."

Yu Yin opened his eyes and looked at her inquisitively.

"As you know, not everybody out there is suited to cultivation, else there simply wouldn't be so many mortals in this world. A person only gets one shot to enter the cultivation world, and if they fail, they can never attempt to cultivate again!"

She was about to say something else but stopped herself and instead gazed at Yu Yin with a worried expression. She sighed and shook her head before saying something else instead.

"When you enter your soul abode, you'll only have an hour to locate and rouse your soul. If you can't enter the [Rousing Soul] Realm before then... you'll be expelled from the soul abode and never have the chance to cultivate again!"

Yu Yin smirked at her, seemingly not caring about the grievous consequences of failure. He closed his eyes and started breathing according to the manual. Before long, he could feel his mind drifting and was starting to feel lightheaded. He could feel his conscience slowly fading as if he were about to fall into a deep slumber. Just like that, he had entered his soul abode!

From the outside, Yu Yin's body hadn't moved at all and was still sat cross-legged in the lotus position. Layla smiled at him gently before letting out a long sigh.

"Good luck Yu Yin..."

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When Yu Yin came to, he had a fuzzy feeling in his head as if he had slept for far too long. He found that he couldn't remember a thing about himself! He opened his eyes in confusion and looked around. All that could be seen was a hazy white mist which expanded out in all directions. A blank expression was on his face when he felt a sharp pain in his glabella.

"Argh!"

All his memories suddenly returned to him as he recalled who he was and why he was there.

"Ah, I must be in my soul abode right now. It's strange, I'm sure Layla said that this place takes form from my memories. However all I see is fog, I wonder why that is?"

As if to answer his concerns, the fog started moving away from him, slowly dissipating into the air. As the fog disappeared, it began to unveil the hidden scenery behind it. Luscious grassland was abundant around him, contained within beautiful shrubbery to form magnificent gardens as far as the eye could see. Flowers of all kinds were found within these gardens, decorating them with vibrant colours to create a truly wondrous sight to behold.

Yu Yin looked in front of him to find a tall silver gate, adorned with all manors of precious stones. On either side of the gate could be seen a stone statue of an exquisite eastern phoenix. The craftsmanship of these statues was impeccable as it almost looked as if those legendary birds were truly alive.

Beyond the gate stood a grandiose palace which pierced the sky with its sheer hight. Its walls were made from a glittering blue jade, making the palace look as if it were truly blessed by the high heavens! At the top of the gate could be seen a single character, Yu (玉).

Yu Yin let out a bitter laugh when he saw this.

"Ah, Looks like I'm home..."