"Then, if we're at home, it wouldn't be a big deal, right? I'm sure we can get Array Formations that can disperse spiritual energy from the surroundings," Leyvi said.
"Not necessarily." Anda shook her head.
"Why is that?"
Anda's expression turned serious. "Since the merging process takes quite a long time, there's always the possibility that the Array Formation could malfunction or run out of power. If that happens, spiritual energy would rush into the area all at once, leading to a catastrophic merging failure. Your Sea of Consciousness could be completely dispersed, resulting in death, or partially dispersed, which could cause memory loss or even mental retardation. That's why people usually prepare both, just to be safe."
"What? Is it that serious?" Leyvi couldn't help feeling shocked.
At first, he thought the merging process would only take time and wouldn't be as dangerous as forming his core. But he had been too naive. Things were never that simple or safe.
Anda rolled her eyes. "Of course it's that serious. This is the formation of a Nascent Soul we're talking about. It's the first real step toward immortality. How could it possibly be easy? It might sound simple, but it's not. That's why finding a location with still and minimal spiritual energy is extremely important for this breakthrough."
Leyvi scratched his head, feeling embarrassed for underestimating the situation.
Anda continued staring at her husband. She knew his personality well. He could think seriously about certain matters, but after some time, he would forget about them until the issue appeared before him again. For something as important as this, she decided she would have to keep reminding him from time to time.
She needed to make sure he paid attention to the condition and changes of both his core and his Sea of Consciousness. Both were equally important. Many cultivators had failed to form their Nascent Soul because they focused too much on their core and neglected their Sea of Consciousness.
"Listen, Leyvi. Don't take this lightly. I've already started gathering information and conducting investigations on this matter. We can ask Senior Sister June or the other seniors for advice and guidance later, but in the end, everyone's cultivation circumstances are different. I can't possibly know more about what's happening inside your body than you do. That's why we need a complete understanding of everything about our Sea of Consciousness and core before attempting the breakthrough. Both of them are equally important. Do you understand?"
Because of Leyvi's one-of-a-kind core, Anda was especially worried about him. With no reference or precedent to compare it to, his future breakthrough was bound to be extremely risky.
Leyvi straightened, his face mock-serious as he saluted. "Yes, Madam! I understand! I'll take this matter seriously!" he declared.
Anda's eyebrow twitched. "You… I said take it seriously!" she huffed, stomping on his feet repeatedly in annoyance.
Leyvi burst into laughter. "Hahaha! My wife is so cute." Anda's stomps, though fierce, couldn't dent his sturdy frame.
A few hours later.
Leyvi and Anda arrived at a place surrounded by large rocks.
"Alright. I think you can spy from here. We're about thirty kilometers from where that crown prince should be. In this direction, you'll see a small, lush hill. He should be somewhere around there," Anda said, pointing before gracefully sitting on a rock.
"Sure," Leyvi replied. He sat beside her, closed his eyes, and spread out his Spiritual Sense.
Very quickly, he found the small hill Anda had mentioned. Since it was quite far, his Spiritual Sense couldn't effectively gauge the density of the spiritual energy there, so he looked around instead. After scanning the area, he noticed that not a single demonic beast was present, which suggested the place might be lacking in spiritual energy.
But that alone wasn't enough proof. The most convincing sign was the absence of spirit herbs in the area. Spirit herbs were plants that absorbed spiritual energy, and in a world without cultivators to harvest them, they grew abundantly almost everywhere.
The fact that not even one appeared in such a lush place said everything. The hill wasn't just lacking spiritual energy—it was devoid of it. If it were merely sparse, there would still be at least a few scattered spirit herbs.
"Interesting. I wonder what makes this place devoid of spiritual energy. Is this a Nature-Born Formation or something?" Leyvi muttered curiously.
Anda couldn't help but roll her eyes when she heard it. "Ahem... Mister Leyvi, you're supposed to look for your crown prince friend and learn about the merging process. Why are you investigating something else?"
"Oh right, I got sidetracked. Hahaha!" Leyvi opened his eyes and laughed.
He refocused on the hill, and when he found nothing else on the surface, he sent his Spiritual Sense deeper inside.
It didn't take long before he found a newly made tunnel leading to a spacious man-made cave. Leyvi immediately recognized the construction style. It was unmistakably Tamina's work—her unique excavation method that rearranged the earth's structure left distinct, uniform patterns on the walls, easily recognizable to anyone familiar with her craft.
At the center of the cave sat Dastan in a meditative position, eyes closed. A complex arrangement of array plates was placed at each corner, forming an Array Formation Barrier that protected him from external disturbance while also serving as a safeguard to prevent spiritual energy from entering.
What caught Leyvi's attention the most was the glowing spherical object floating directly above Dastan's head. It was his core, radiating with intense silvery energy as it rotated slowly and steadily. Since Dastan was a metal-attributed cultivator, the color and texture of his core reflected the essence of his attribute perfectly.
"Wait! Is that his perfected core? So the merging process happens outside the body? I didn't know that! Now it makes sense why you want me to spy. If it happened inside the body, there would be no way for me to see it," Leyvi exclaimed, astonished by what he was witnessing.
Anda shook her head with a smile. She had expected his reaction. I knew he was clueless about this. Bringing him along to watch the process was definitely the right choice. Sigh, I wish I could see the merging myself. I wonder what it feels like, she thought.
"Wait... what's that ethereal mist-like thing around him?" Leyvi asked, finally noticing the glowing mist that had been overshadowed by the brilliance of the core.
The mist resembled an intricate neural network, spreading into a vast, shimmering web of countless tiny dots, each pulsating with a faint light. It was Dastan's Sea of Consciousness, externalized in this delicate, ethereal form. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the core drew the mist inward. Each dot, like a star in a constellation, drifted toward the silvery orb with meticulous care, as if guided by an unseen hand.
One by one, they merged into the core's surface, sinking in with soft ripples. Each integration made the core pulse brighter, its rotation growing steadier. The process was deliberate and precise, like a master artisan weaving threads into a flawless tapestry, binding the Sea of Consciousness to the core in perfect harmony.
Leyvi's eyes remained fixed on the scene, his breathing steady as he sat in silence, completely absorbed. The glowing orb of Dastan's core hovered above the crown prince's head, its silvery light pulsing rhythmically and casting faint reflections across the cave walls. The intricate mist surrounding it, a delicate web of countless shimmering dots, held him completely captivated.
He watched unblinking as each dot drifted toward the core with agonizing slowness, like stars drawn into a gentle orbit. One by one, they touched the orb's surface, merging with a soft ripple that sent a fleeting pulse of brighter light through the core. The process was mesmerizing, a quiet dance of energy, precise and deliberate, as if the universe itself were weaving a new existence.
Time slipped away unnoticed. Leyvi's focus never wavered, his Spiritual Sense tracing every subtle shift in the ethereal mist. After a long while, realization finally dawned. "That mist… it's his Sea of Consciousness," he whispered to himself, the pieces falling into place. The glowing web, resembling an enlarged neural network, was the manifestation of Dastan's mind, slowly fusing with his core in a delicate and intricate process.
"I understand. No wonder the breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Realm takes so long. Each dot represents a part of you that defines who you are as an individual, and there are countless of them. If even one is lost during the process, you might end up different from your original self," Leyvi muttered.
Gulp. He swallowed hard. "Then what about me, whose Sea of Consciousness is much larger than anyone else's?"
A chill ran down his spine. His fear was real. When the time came for his own Nascent Soul breakthrough, he might have to spend far longer than anyone else, and his precious time would be stretched to its limits.
My precious timeeeee!!! Leyvi screamed in his mind.