The threads entered the Soul Core.
The refinement process began.
Using the technique, he immediately stripped away impurities and foreign energy, gradually condensing the gathered threads into a purer form. By the time the refinement finished, only a tiny strand of pure Soul Energy remained.
Li Yan repeated the process.
Gather.
Refine.
Purify.
Then repeat.
Hours passed in silence.
The amount of Soul Energy available in the environment was simply too limited for rapid progress. Even with the assistance of the Qi Gathering Array, cultivation proceeded at a pace far slower than ordinary Qi cultivation.
Still, Li Yan remained focused. He had long understood that the path of cultivation often demanded patience more than talent.
Gradually, the purified strands accumulated within his Soul Core. Then, for the first time, something changed. The countless refined threads merged.
A tiny droplet of pure Soul Energy formed.
The droplet vanished from the Soul Core, appeared in his Spiritual Consciousness, and fell into the Spiritual Sea below. The moment it merged with the sea, a faint ripple spread across the calm water.
Li Yan immediately sensed a subtle increase in his Spiritual Power. The improvement was small, far from enough to advance his Soul Cultivation.
Yet it was unmistakably real. His soul foundation had become slightly stronger. Li Yan carefully observed the result before continuing his cultivation.
The process repeated itself countless times.
A few threads gathered.
Refined.
Purified.
Merged.
Another droplet formed.
Then another.
And another.
Time gradually lost meaning.
The sun climbed toward its peak before descending toward the western horizon. Evening arrived, followed by night. Moonlight illuminated the ancient tree outside the treehouse while Li Yan remained seated in silent cultivation.
The night passed.
A new dawn arrived.
Still, he did not stop.
The cycle continued uninterrupted.
Gather.
Refine.
Condense.
Merge.
Li Yan had long since abandoned any attempt to count the number of droplets that had entered his Spiritual Sea. The process had become almost instinctive.
Each droplet strengthened his soul slightly.
Each droplet expanded his foundation.
Each droplet brought him one step closer to a breakthrough.
By the time noon approached, as another droplet descended from the Soul Core and merged with the Spiritual Sea, something finally changed.
A powerful ripple erupted across the entire Spiritual Sea.
Li Yan's body trembled slightly.
Within his Spiritual Consciousness, waves of Spiritual Energy surged in every direction. The previously calm sea began expanding outward as a powerful force spread through the surrounding fog.
The hidden region beyond the known boundary started to reveal itself.
The clear area of the Spiritual Sea had previously extended only fifty meters from the center. Beyond that distance, dense fog concealed everything from view.
Now, that fog was retreating.
Slowly at first.
Then faster.
Meter by meter, the concealed territory became visible.
Fifty-five meters.
Sixty.
Sixty-five.
Seventy.
The expansion continued until the visible Spiritual Sea finally reached a radius of seventy-five meters.
Only then did the movement gradually stop. The surging waves settled. The fog ceased retreating.
Silence returned to the Spiritual Sea.
Li Yan immediately understood what had happened.
His Soul Cultivation had advanced. He had made a breakthrough within the Spiritual Awakening Realm. The growth of the Spiritual Sea itself was the clearest evidence.
As the newly expanded sea gradually stabilized. The slow and painstaking cultivation had finally produced results.
As the disturbance spread throughout the entire Spiritual Consciousness, even Yan Tian was affected. Inside the transparent seal, the soul slowly lowered the book in his hands. For the first time in many hours, his attention shifted away from reading.
His gaze moved across the expanding Spiritual Sea, observing the changes occurring around him.
Outside, Li Yan slowly opened his eyes, a faint smile appearing on his face. After more than a day of uninterrupted cultivation, he had finally advanced his Soul Cultivation.
"Finally," he muttered. "Spiritual Awakening Realm, Advanced Stage."
The breakthrough itself was not particularly dramatic, but the benefits were immediately apparent. Extending his Spiritual Sense outward, Li Yan carefully examined the surrounding area.
The invisible perception spread through the treehouse and beyond, reaching a radius of seventy-five meters. Compared to the previous fifty-meter limit, the increase was substantial. More importantly, everything within that range appeared clearer and more detailed than before.
Even the movement of leaves outside the treehouse and the subtle fluctuations of Qi within the surrounding environment felt sharper and easier to perceive.
After familiarizing himself with the changes, Li Yan's gaze shifted toward the Qi Gathering Array nearby. Three of the five Fire Qi Stones had already been completely depleted during his cultivation, leaving only two with usable energy remaining.
Since the array still possessed enough power to continue operating, he paid it little attention.
Instead, he closed his eyes once more and allowed his consciousness to descend into his Spiritual Sea.
The expanded Spiritual Sea greeted him immediately.
Compared to before, the entire space felt broader and more complete. The previously hidden regions remained concealed beneath dense fog, but the area revealed by his recent breakthrough had increased significantly.
Not far away, Yan Tian sat within the transparent seal as usual. Although the earlier breakthrough had clearly disturbed him, the soul had already returned to reading the book in his hands, seemingly uninterested in anything happening around him.
Li Yan did not interrupt him.
His attention quickly settled on the massive tower hovering above the Spiritual Sea.
Even after nearly a year, its appearance remained as imposing as ever.
The enormous black structure resembled an ancient fortress forged from layers of dark steel and jagged stone. Countless sword marks scarred its surface as though it had endured innumerable battles across untold ages.
Broken swords protruded from its walls like relics left behind by forgotten warriors, while at its peak stood a single colossal sword embedded point-down into the tower's crown.
This mysterious tower had appeared the day he comprehended the Inscribed Word Sword within the Ancient Techniques Hall.
Since then, it had remained silent.
Waiting.
Li Yan walked across the surface of the Spiritual Sea toward the tower. Shortly, he arrived at the massive black door located at its base.
"Let's see whether my new Soul Cultivation is enough this time."
Standing before the entrance, he gathered Spiritual Energy and directed it toward the door.
The moment contact was established, the tower responded.
A faint ripple spread across the black metal surface. Ancient runes carved into the door illuminated one after another, their glow gradually spreading across the structure.
Then the door opened.
Several inches.
Li Yan froze.
"What?" The reaction caught him completely off guard.
A year ago, he had exhausted nearly all of his Spiritual Energy reserves in an attempt to open this door, only to achieve a similar result. Yet now, the moment his Spiritual Energy touched the surface, the door opened to nearly the same extent.
Immediately sensing something unusual, Li Yan withdrew his Spiritual Energy.
The runes dimmed.
The door slowly closed.
For several moments, he stood in silence, carefully recalling his previous attempt. Then he tried again. Spiritual Energy flowed from him and entered the door. The runes awakened. The door opened. Again, it stopped at the same gap.
Not smaller.
Not larger.
This time, however, Li Yan did not withdraw his Spiritual Energy. Instead, he continued supplying it.
Moments passed. Gradually, the gap widened.
One inch.
Then another.
The heavy black door slowly continued opening as additional Spiritual Energy poured into it. Five inches became seven. Seven became ten.
Within only a few minutes, the opening had become noticeably larger than before.
Li Yan immediately stopped.
The runes faded.
The door remained open for a brief moment before slowly closing once again. A thoughtful expression appeared on his face.
After waiting a short time, he repeated the experiment. Spiritual Energy flowed into the tower.
The runes illuminated.
Almost immediately, the door opened to the same ten-inch gap it had reached earlier.
Seeing this, Li Yan finally understood.
A chuckle escaped his lips. "I've wasted an entire year."
The realization was both amusing and frustrating.
For the past year, he had assumed that his Soul Cultivation was simply too weak to open the tower. The first failed attempt had reinforced that belief, causing him to postpone further exploration until his cultivation improved.
Now he understood that his assumption had been wrong.
The tower was not testing whether he could force the door open in a single attempt.
It was accumulating Spiritual Energy.
Every time he supplied Spiritual Energy, the energy remained within the tower instead of disappearing. The door opened based on the total amount of Spiritual Energy it had received, rather than on the amount supplied in a single session.
Whether that energy was delivered all at once or accumulated gradually over months made no difference.
Li Yan shook his head and laughed softly at himself. "I kept waiting for my Soul Cultivation to become strong enough."
His gaze settled on the enormous black door.
"When all I needed to do was keep feeding it Spiritual Energy."
The discovery left him feeling slightly foolish, but it also filled him with anticipation. For the first time since the tower had appeared within his Spiritual Consciousness, he could see tangible progress.
The door was opening.
Slowly, perhaps, but undeniably.
And whatever secrets lay hidden beyond it were finally beginning to reveal themselves.
A faint smile appeared on Li Yan's face. "Then let's finish this."
Without hesitation, he continued supplying Spiritual Energy to the tower. His expression remained calm, but his concentration reached its peak. Every strand of Spiritual Energy was carefully guided into the massive black door before him, ensuring that not a single trace was wasted.
The gap slowly widened.
The heavy metal doors groaned as they moved, producing a deep sound that echoed throughout the Spiritual Sea. It was as though countless years of silence were being disturbed for the first time.
As the opening widened, subtle changes began to appear across the tower itself.
Several sword marks carved into the outer walls gradually lit up with a faint silver glow. One of the broken swords embedded near the entrance trembled almost imperceptibly, as though responding to the influx of Spiritual Energy.
Li Yan immediately noticed.
His eyes narrowed slightly. "So it isn't just the door."
The realization came quickly.
His Spiritual Energy had not simply contributed to opening the entrance. It had been gradually awakening the entire tower.
The thought filled him with anticipation. Unfortunately, anticipation did not replenish Spiritual Energy.
Several minutes later, Li Yan felt the reserves within his Soul Core approaching exhaustion. The widening door gradually slowed before finally coming to a halt.
At its current state, the opening was nearly large enough for a person to squeeze through sideways.
Yet Li Yan knew it remained far from fully open. He slowly withdrew his Spiritual Energy. The glowing runes dimmed.
Silence returned.
For several moments, he stood before the tower and quietly observed the results of his efforts. The massive doors slowly drifted shut once more, returning the entrance to its sealed state.
Even so, today's progress was obvious. Compared to the tiny crack he had managed to create a year ago, the difference was enormous.
The tower was opening. Slowly. Steadily. Inevitably.
Without wasting another moment, Li Yan withdrew from his Spiritual Consciousness and opened his eyes within the treehouse.
The familiar scent of wood greeted him. Outside, the forest remained peaceful beneath the afternoon sky. Inside, however, a spark of excitement flickered within his usually calm gaze.
The path forward had become clear.
Cultivate.
Recover Spiritual Energy.
Feed the tower.
Repeat.
Eventually, the door would open completely.
Li Yan adjusted his breathing and closed his eyes once more. The soul cultivation technique circulated quietly.
Wisps of Spiritual Energy hidden within the surrounding Heaven and Earth Qi were carefully extracted and guided into his Soul Core. Since the answer had finally revealed itself, there was no reason to rush.
He had already waited an entire year. A few more hours would change nothing.