"Master, what happened?!" Feng Shanshan exclaimed.

"That brat must have directly completed the compression of his Spirit Realm. What a prodigy! How ruthless must he be to himself to pull that off?" the Mirror Spirit’s voice came from her side.

The moment his voice fell, Feng Shanshan and the Mirror Spirit’s vision blurred for a moment before clearing completely. The first thing they saw were Mu Chen’s silver-purple eyes and the dazzlingly brilliant Soul Engraving. What a pair of eyes they were. Though they lacked spirit, their mere presence made Feng Shanshan feel as if Mu Chen could see right through her. However, Mu Chen had not yet truly awakened.

"Did he... Did he already complete the refinement and compression of his Spiritual Realm?" Feng Shanshan quickly averted her gaze from Mu Chen’s and turned to ask.

The Mirror Spirit gave Mu Chen a solemn look and nodded. "It’s not that simple. Based on his current state, the little guy must have directly shattered the first layer of the human soul’s seal. His current Spiritual Realm is his True Realm—Late Stage of the Li Realm!"

"Late Stage of the Li Realm?!" Feng Shanshan was stunned. "But Master, didn’t you just say his Spiritual Realm was only at the Middle Stage of the Li Realm? How could it be the Late Stage?"

The Mirror Spirit pondered for a moment before saying, "If I’m not mistaken, his Spiritual Power must have been enhanced while he was refining his soul. Moreover, this was an increase in his True Realm. If you convert it, that single jump in his True Realm is equivalent to two Small Realms in the Pseudo-Spirit Realm—the Early Stage of the Kun Realm! That’s the same as your Spiritual Realm, little girl. And he was even more thorough with his refinement and compression, forcefully condensing it all the way down to the Late Stage of the Li Realm!"

"Does that mean he’s about to wake up?"

The Mirror Spirit nodded. "Theoretically, yes. But it takes time for a consciousness that has fully submerged into the Sea of Souls to return to the body. I really didn’t expect this kid to compress it so quickly. It seems he’ll be able to immediately test the synchronized Cultivation of the Forest of Myriad Manifestations and the God-Nashing Technique. Your plate is getting a little full, little girl. Are you worried?"

Feng Shanshan just shook her head. "No, I don’t feel that much pressure. I tried it just now. It’s incredibly difficult to use my own consciousness to control the God-Nashing Technique to shatter my spiritual body. The subconscious mind always tries to protect itself, so I’m trying to think of a solution."

The Mirror Spirit laughed. "You’ve run into it too, haha! That’s perfectly normal. Even that monstrous kid was stumped by this problem for a long time at the beginning. See that bloodstain on his chest? That’s from failing to suppress his subconscious."

Feng Shanshan glanced at the bloodstain on Mu Chen’s chest with lingering fear and asked, "Master, is there a good solution?"

"Of course there is, and it’s the best one," the Mirror Spirit said. "Back then, this little guy only managed to restrain his subconscious because of my guidance, though I never expected him to do it so thoroughly. This method might not have been viable for you a moment ago, but now it’s very easy to achieve. You could say your subconscious problem is already completely solved."

"Huh?" Feng Shanshan froze.

"Because you have now bonded with the Soul Concentration Mirror. As its Mirror Spirit, I can naturally use the connection between you and the mirror to smoothly enter your Sea of Souls. If I am the one controlling the God-Smashing Hammer, your subconscious will be useless. So, this problem doesn’t exist for you at all," the Mirror Spirit said with a smile.

Hearing this, Feng Shanshan clenched her fists, a smile gracing her lips. "I see. I guess I’m really lucky."

"Of course you are! Just think about who your Master is." As he spoke, the Mirror Spirit quickly struck a pose he thought was cool but was actually incredibly awkward.

At the same time, Mu Chen’s consciousness fully returned to his body from the Sea of Souls. He took a deep breath. The moment his vision cleared, the first thing he saw was the Mirror Spirit’s extremely awkward pose. The corner of his mouth twitched twice. "What are you guys doing?" he asked, breaking into a cold sweat.

Startled by Mu Chen’s sudden voice, the Mirror Spirit hastily straightened up and cleared his throat. "Yo, good morning! Lovely weather today."

Although they were inside the Mirror Spirit’s Spiritual Domain, the passage of time still existed. Mu Chen looked up at the pitch-black night sky and said flatly, "Yeah, lovely weather today."

Listening to their nonsensical conversation, Feng Shanshan felt a vein throb on her forehead. The night was always quiet. Mu Chen closed his eyes, joyfully sensing the changes in his Spiritual Power. Although his Spirit Realm had dropped by a Great Realm, when he cast out his Spiritual Detection, he found that the scenery within a radius of tens of thousands of meters was clearly reflected in his mind.

’The range is several times greater than before. The God-Nashing Technique is ridiculously heaven-defying.’

Stretching his upper body, Mu Chen placed a hand behind his head and gently fell back onto the soft, fluffy grass. Gazing at the starry sky, he felt as if he had returned to his training in the Demon Beast Forest three years ago.

’What does it feel like to have both arms? Would I be even stronger than I am now? And there’s the Profound Jade Fan’s Dual Blade Mode, which requires two hands to use. I hope that Spiritual Liquid can really restore my body...’

Lost in this hazy fantasy, Mu Chen drifted off to sleep. He was unaware that in the grass not far from him, Feng Shanshan was sitting quietly with her legs crossed. Within her mind, a series of rumbles echoed continuously. Although Feng Shanshan’s expression was twisted in agony, a faint excitement could be seen in her tightly knitted brow. Everything was developing in a positive direction...

The crushing and suppression that the Mirror Spirit had thought would take a month was completed by both of them in a single day, which he found very gratifying. For the next month, Mu Chen and Feng Shanshan naturally became the Mirror Spirit’s "guinea pigs" again, beginning to practice the synchronized Cultivation of the Forest of Myriad Manifestations and the God-Nashing Technique. This step was much easier than the crushing and compression phase.

A month passed in a flurry of intense Cultivation. During this month, Mu Chen’s True Spirit Realm rose from the Late Stage of the Li Realm to the Early Stage of the Kan Realm. Although he had only just broken through, this level already far surpassed his previous Spirit Realm at the Peak of Kan Realm. Furthermore, Mu Chen had completely ingrained the Forest of Myriad Manifestations and the God-Nashing Technique into his mind.

"Little ones, by my calculations, today is the tenth day in the Outer Realm. You have to leave here, no matter what. Over the past month, I’ve analyzed the trouble you’ll face when you get out. Although I’m thirty thousand years old and my Martial Artist Realm isn’t low, the Soul Concentration Mirror has bonded with little Shanshan. Because of that, my Martial Artist Realm is affected by hers, rendering me useless. So, I’ve come up with a plan. Do you want to hear it?" the Mirror Spirit said in a low voice, calling the cultivating Mu Chen and Feng Shanshan to his side.

Mu Chen said, "Please enlighten us, Senior Mirror Spirit."

The Mirror Spirit nodded. "As little Shanshan said, control of the Senluo Ruins is currently in the hands of the Blood Python Family, and their goal is the Soul Concentration Mirror. Since you opened the Senluo Tomb and successfully walked out of it, they will definitely assume you’ve obtained the Soul Concentration Mirror. When that happens, they will surely launch a frenzied siege against you in the Outer Realm."

"Mhm." Feng Shanshan nodded forcefully. "And this time, the Blood Python Family sent four High-Tier Martial Sect experts into the Senluo Ruins. With the realm boost from the Blood Python Blood Poison, if they truly unleash their full power, they’ll be no weaker than four Martial Emperors. Against that kind of strength, we have almost no chance of survival if we go out."

"I thought of that as well," the Mirror Spirit said. "Thirty thousand years ago, creatures like the Blood Python were extremely powerful. I never thought someone would be able to command their power. However, the stronger they are, the greater your chances of survival."

Mu Chen was taken aback. "How so?"

The Mirror Spirit continued, "Since they’re certain you’ve obtained the Soul Concentration Mirror, what if you hand it over the moment you get out?"

"What? How could we do that?" Feng Shanshan was the first to object.

The Mirror Spirit lovingly stroked Feng Shanshan’s hair and chuckled. "Silly girl, how could I let you really hand over the Soul Concentration Mirror? Now, give it to Mu Chen. I’ll give you a demonstration."

Feng Shanshan hesitated for a moment but still summoned the Soul Concentration Mirror and handed it to Mu Chen. As Mu Chen took it, he noted it was soft to the touch, not at all like a cold, inanimate object. The Mirror Spirit said, "Mu Chen, take the Soul Concentration Mirror ten thousand meters away. Then, don’t do anything. Just stare at it."

Mu Chen nodded. With a step, a burst of Thunder Light erupted, and he vanished from the spot. The Mirror Spirit’s expression froze. This was the first time he had seen Mu Chen display such speed, and his admiration for him grew. That speed was not something a Seventh Ring Martial Spirit should be able to achieve.

"Senior Mirror Spirit, I’m ready," Mu Chen reported via a spiritual message once he reached the location.

The Mirror Spirit acknowledged him and said with a mysterious smile, "And now, it’s time to witness a miracle..."

Without any exaggerated movements, the Mirror Spirit simply raised his left hand, quickly formed a Seal Technique, and shouted softly, "Return!"

The next moment, a mirror flashed and appeared in the Mirror Spirit’s hand. Feng Shanshan looked closely and exclaimed, "That’s... the Soul Concentration Mirror!"

At the same time, Mu Chen’s figure also appeared instantly beside the Mirror Spirit, his expression a little strange, but with a hint of pleasant surprise. The Mirror Spirit smiled faintly. "Now, do you understand?"

Mu Chen and Feng Shanshan nodded at the same time, but Mu Chen immediately asked, "Senior Mirror Spirit, what’s the maximum range of this special ability?"

"Anything within ten thousand *li*." After saying that, the Mirror Spirit coughed awkwardly. "But that was in the past. Now, the maximum distance is only... ten thousand meters."