At Mu Chen’s command, the Snow Qilin let out a low growl. A golden light shot from its pupils, and under its control, the God-Smashing Hammer flew toward Mu Chen at an exceptionally terrifying speed.

BOOM! A shockwave, even more terrifying than the last, spread out with Mu Chen at its center. Even the Soul Condensing Mirror Spirit in the Outer Realm, who was casually sipping tea with its legs crossed, could feel the massive bang from within Mu Chen’s mind.

Its expression turning to one of horror, the Soul Condensing Mirror Spirit cursed, ’Is this kid trying to get himself killed? Using so much force to temper his soul! No, that’s not right. How could he possibly use that much force to temper his own Soul Power? Even if he managed to trick his own subconscious, there’s no way he could have the resolve to strike so hard. How did he do it?!’

The Soul Condensing Mirror Spirit’s mocking expression finally froze, gradually turning serious. As for Mu Chen, he wasn’t faring any better. In fact, he was even more shocked than the Mirror Spirit. The blow had been too sudden. Pain instantly flooded his entire soul. The Snow Qilin’s strike had been powerful enough to pulverize his Soul Body into countless fine particles in a single moment. It was shattered completely.

"Ugh..."

Mu Chen’s Spirit Platform preserved the last shred of his consciousness. If this sliver of awareness were to be extinguished, his soul would suffer severe trauma. At best, he would be listless for months; at worst, he would fall into an eternal slumber, just like the Profound Old Ghost.

"So... painful..."

Mu Chen’s voice trembled. His condensed Soul Body had long since dispersed. He was now just a single point of light among the countless particles of soul dust. His vision had blurred and faded. Mu Chen felt like a speck of dust in the ocean; the moment a storm rolled in, he would be utterly destroyed by the terrifying waves.

’It’s no use... Am I going to fail? I really can’t do it... Is this pain truly unbearable? I want to sleep so badly. Maybe if I sleep, it won’t hurt so much...’

These words surfaced in Mu Chen’s heart as his consciousness slowly faded. In the Outer Realm, the Soul Condensing Mirror Spirit watched Mu Chen’s face grow pale and his expression listless. It frowned and gave a bitter smile. ’Did he fail? I knew it. A Secret Technique like the God-Nashing Technique is just too cruel. Besides, that first strike was far too reckless. A blow that heavy... I’m afraid even my master would have trouble withstanding it. How ridiculous. I actually thought he could succeed. He’ll be in a deep sleep for at least a month now.’

Just as Mu Chen’s last wisp of consciousness was about to fade, a tall, proud figure appeared within it. The man stood with his hands behind his back, dressed in robes whiter than snow, his long, ice-blue hair flowing without a wind. He was simply standing there, yet he gave Mu Chen the impression of a towering mountain range.

"Is this all you’re capable of?"

"Did this little bit of pain make you shrink back and give up hope?"

"You’ve disappointed me, Mu Chen..." As the voice faded, the figure suddenly turned, locking onto him with a pair of extremely indifferent and contemptuous violet eyes. Mu Chen’s last shred of consciousness froze, because that figure was none other than himself!

"You’ve disappointed me... you’ve disappointed me... disappointed me..."

Mu Chen gave a tragic smile. ’Even my own subconscious looks down on me? My hands... is that my ideal self? I haven’t even fully recovered my body. How can I give up here?’

’I can’t give up! I will not give up! I am Mu Chen! Condense!!’

A furious roar that shook the entire Sea of Souls erupted from that last sliver of Mu Chen’s consciousness. The soul particle, which had already dimmed and was on the verge of dissipating, suddenly flared with a dazzling light. Mu Chen’s consciousness gradually reawakened, and his whole Sea of Souls felt as if it had been reborn.

It was at this moment that the Extreme Spirit Pearl, which had been silent in the center of his Sea of Souls, suddenly spun. A milky-white wisp of energy shot toward Mu Chen’s scattered Soul Body, rapidly fusing with the particles of light. Simultaneously, all the dispersed soul particles instantly converged on the brightest one among them. In the blink of an eye, Mu Chen’s Soul Body reformed. Not only that, but it was now a fist-size smaller than before. Although it had shrunk, his Soul Body had become much more solid.

In the Outer Realm, the disappointed Soul Condensing Mirror Spirit’s pupils suddenly shrank. Its mouth fell open as it gasped in astonishment, ’How is this possible?! His Soul Power was completely shattered just a moment ago! How did it suddenly condense again? What in the world happened inside that kid’s Sea of Souls?’

While the Soul Condensing Mirror Spirit was still in shock, a faint white mark appeared on Mu Chen’s forehead. The mark looked unremarkable, like an ancient, esoteric rune that was difficult to comprehend. But the moment the Soul Condensing Mirror Spirit saw that mark, its entire soul trembled.

’Is that...? A Soul Engraving! That kid actually managed to complete Soul Carving!’

The Soul Condensing Mirror Spirit exclaimed, staring at Mu Chen as if he were a monster. Soul Carving was something only Spiritual Martial Artists dared to attempt. If successful, their soul would become exceptionally stable. It was common knowledge that the soul was an ephemeral and volatile Spirit Body, as fragile as smoke with extremely weak Defense Power. A wound to the soul was infinitely harder to heal than a wound to the physical body.

To put it another way, if a person’s body was cut, some Healing pills and Medicinal Herbs might allow them to recover within a day, with little impact on their physical abilities. However, if their soul was cut, it would take at least a month of rest to recover. During that month, their Spirit would remain listless, and their reaction speed, precision, and even their control over Primordial Power would be greatly reduced. This showed just how important a person’s soul was.

Attacking the soul meant attacking the Spirit. This was what made Spiritual Martial Artists so powerful and feared, because no matter how strong your physical defenses were, your soul remained fragile. Of course, the same was true for battles between Spiritual Martial Artists. The higher one’s Spiritual Realm, the stronger their soul’s defense and Soul Power, making their soul harder to injure. However, this only applied to Spiritual Martial Artists who hadn’t undergone Soul Carving. Once a Spiritual Martial Artist completed this process, they surpassed all others. A Spiritual Martial Artist who had not carved their soul could never defeat one who had, even if they were a Great Realm higher.

’However, Spiritual Martial Artists who dare to carve their own souls are all monstrously powerful cultivators. If they fail, their soul will become twisted or even mutated, and the end result is always regression. If a Spiritual Martial Artist at the Qian Realm attempted Soul Carving, that would be one thing; their chance of success would be at least fifty percent. But what is Mu Chen’s Spirit Realm? In reality, he’s only at the Early Stage of the Kan Realm! How could such a weak Spiritual Martial Artist complete Soul Carving in an instant?! How can I possibly believe this?’

Inside the Sea of Souls, Mu Chen sat cross-legged on the giant disc, his expression serene. A strange, dazzling rune flickered on his forehead. His Soul Body had also undergone a massive transformation. It had originally been just an ephemeral, naked phantom, but now, exaggerated, armor-like solidifications had appeared on his bare form, as if his soul was wearing armor. Yet, these plates didn’t feel like external objects; they seemed to be part of the Soul Body itself. When his Soul Body reformed, Mu Chen felt a refreshing sensation spread through him, though he had no idea why.

In truth, this was all thanks to that milky-white wisp of energy from the Extreme Spirit Pearl. It was because of that stabilizing energy that Mu Chen had unknowingly completed Soul Carving. His soul’s defense had now reached a terrifying level. Not only that, but his Spiritual Realm had even been compressed by a Small Realm, going from the Peak of Kan Realm down to the Late Stage of the Kan Realm.

He slowly opened his eyes, and an otherworldly violet light shot out. It was followed by the sight of a pair of incomparably clear eyes, possessing a clarity he had never experienced before. Mu Chen felt he could see everything around him with perfect sharpness, down to a single crease in the Snow Qilin’s fur.

"This feeling... is incredible."

Clenching his left hand, Mu Chen found that a sturdy bracer now covered it. However, this armored bracer didn’t dull his sense of touch at all. In fact, his sensitivity had increased by ten percent. This discovery overjoyed him. As a Martial Artist, he knew better than anyone how important physical sensitivity was. It meant he could better communicate with the Primordial Qi between heaven and earth and could sense danger more quickly.

The Snow Qilin stared blankly at Mu Chen on the disc, a trace of admiration flickering in its eyes. "As expected of Father."

Hearing this, Mu Chen smiled slightly. "It seems I’ve gained something amazing without even realizing it." As he spoke, he thumped his chest with a fist, producing a metallic CLANG CLANG. "For the next strike, Xiaobai, you might need to use more power. Otherwise, you might not be able to shatter this new Soul Body of mine."

The Snow Qilin gave a human-like smile. "Don’t worry, Father. This time, I’ll use fifty percent of my power."

Mu Chen smiled, nodded, and closed his eyes once more. With the experience of the first time, he believed in himself. No matter how painful it was, he could absolutely endure it. For no other reason than the fact that he was Mu Chen!