The man dragged Alrin to another room that was a complete mess where there was 2 formation arrays next to each other. He tossed Alrin's body into the one on the right while he stepped into the left. He began channeling Sencia into the arrays to activate them and just as they were about to activate they once again failed.
In his frustration at failing once again he walked over to Alrin's body and began kicking as hard as he could releasing his anger.
"Fuck if only the inheritance was complete I wouldn't be suffering like this." The man spoke as he continued to kick Alrin's body.
In the end he could only modify the formation once again and try again.
Back in Alrin's soul the man was currently in deep thought as he watched Alrin's soul reach 49%. Even he was amazed Alrin had made it this far despite being so young in the end it didn't matter. He was able to see Alrin had reached his limit as his soul grew incredibly unstable and at any moment would flicker out of existence.
"…If you had more time to forge your will you could have succeeded how unfortunate." The man truly felt it was a pity.
As he watched what were supposed to be Alrin's last moments his soul suddenly stabilized and he who had been writhing in agony suddenly opened his eyes and approached the man.
"I need your help." He said with his eyes completely unfocused unable to even see the man but he was still struggling to survive.
"I told you I can't help you."
"I don't believe that, you are just afraid of taking the risk but are you not tired? I felt it when you touched my soul… the loneliness of being trapped for an eternity but are you not afraid? Will you remain here waiting for someone who may never come or will you take this chance and help me?" He spoke falling to his hands and knees struggling to continue using his last bit of will for a chance to live.
As he listened to Alrin the man who was just a fragmented soul felt the sensation similar to a chill running down his spine. Although done as a last resort he was still made for the purpose of finding a successor and had been waiting all this time but seeing Alrin such a young child struggling his hardest to live impassioned him. Their was a great risk in helping Alrin succeed and may result in the destruction of both of them, but would that not be a path? A path chosen of his own free will.
"I never would have imagined I would be convinced to help by a child but your right and seeing you I don't believe anyone else could be a better successor. Even still child I am only a fragment soul and can only alleviate you must still push through the rest on your own." Saying that the man placed both hands on Alrin's soul and it greatly stabilize no longer in immediate danger of flickering out of existence.
Feeling the relief Alrin returned to the lotus position and continued the process immediately reaching half completion. Now that he reached half completion he immediately sped up the process although the pain increased it was a race against time since he did not know how long the man could hold out for.
Not long later back in the real world the fiend was ready to test his next experiment. He checked Alrin's body to see if he was still alive and on seeing he was began his next experiment.
The array below their feet began to illuminate as he infused Sencia into the formation arrays. As he watched this happen a smile appeared on the fiend's face in anticipation of success.
"Finally it worked!" He spoke in excitement and relief as he felt the array tugging at his soul. "Wait that doesn't make any sense where is the rest of his soul? Die he die during the process?" He connected to the array below Alrin but was confused when he only saw a speck of a soul inside of Alrin's body. He began to think he failed again but how could he know Alrin no longer had a full soul he had fused it with his body becoming something more. Perhaps if he had been a more proficient cultivator of the soul he could have seen what he was missing but at his level all he thought was that he had done something wrong once again
"Since I've come this far I should at least see if I can take what's left of his soul." He spoke to himself deciding to continue with his experiment.
At the same time inside of Alrin's body him and the man were struggling but hopeful as Alrin had reached 99% completion a bit more and he would succeed. It was at that moment he felt that last piece of his being ripped away as the fiend was pulling it out.
Seeing this the man took action having come this far. If his fragmented soul was still at full strength he could have easily dealt with this but since it wasn't it was being ripped out of place instead of Alrin's, "Finish it!"
"Hold on!" Alrin shouted as he finally completed the fusion of body and soul named by his predecessor as the Above Heavens Seal.
At that moment the fiend's formation having lost its original target recoiled and began pulling out the fiends own soul. Feeling the formation recoil and target his soul the fiend immediate cut off the formation damaging his own soul in the process and passing out as a result.
At this point Alrin was far too exhausted to continue but he still had no choice but to try to force himself awake he knew this was an opportunity he wouldn't get again to kill the fiend but he couldn't he had already gone beyond his limit.
He didn't know how long he was out for but Alrin eventually woke up to the sound of banging the ground.
"Fuck what the hell happened why did my soul get hurt!?" The fiend was furious at the damage to his soul it basically prevented him from doing anything.
Seeing that Alrin got up although he was still exhausted upon succeeding in the Above Heavens Seal his recovery rate had drastically increased allowing him to move. He knew he had to finish him off now while he was still injured.
"You what the hell did you do!? Are you even human where's your soul!!?" He began yelling at Alrin seeing him get up.
Alrin grabbed a nearby pole that was left lying around and began walking towards the fiend to which he started to panic.
"Wait calm down don't do anything rash if this is about your friends I can set them free I even have some healing pills." The man started pleading. "Your good friends with that girl right if I don't help her she will die."
Alrin pause for a moment hesitation naturally on his face.
"Right I just need to heal and then I'll set you all free." The man continued talking seeing Alrin hesitate but that was his mistake. After hearing that Alrin continued walking not believing a word coming out of the man's mouth.
"The only thing you can do for us is die." Alrin said grabbing the man by the neck. At that moment Alrin felt a shock to his body as he fell to his knees.
"You fool even if I'm injured did you really think I had no options? You're nothing but a mere mortal!" He shouted as he kicked Alrin again and again.
He continued attacking Alrin while was down causing him heavy injuries but after a minute Alrin recovered from the first sneak attack and struck back.
Alrin grabbed the cultivator's foot and yanked it causing his back to slam onto the ground, "
Did you forget you're still mortal." Alrin said grabbing the metal pole up as he got up.
Looking down on the man Alrin proceeded to break of the end of pole and impaled the man's heart with it.
"Hahaha I'm glad you didn't instantly kill because even if I die I can still watch you squirm. You are too naive I set a trap activate in case I died or needed to flee…as soon as I die this place will blow up along with you and all your friends…Hahaha." Hearing this Alrin immediately ran to the door but it was sealed shut with a formation.
The fiend no longer had the strength to speak but he watched in satisfaction as Alrin struggled to get the door open. He knew he would never succeed he had put his strong protective formation on it to ensure he was never attacked while cultivating so he felt joy watching Alrin slam his fists in futility.
"Tara! Wade! Anyone can you hear me!? RUN THIS PLACE IS GOING TO BLOW UP SOON!" Alrin tried to warn them but their was no response.
Only a few minutes later did a massive explosion ring out as the fiend died. Alrin tried to struggle to escape to the end but it wasn't enough.
The explosion sent Alrin flying into the wall breaking breaking all his bones as he slowly began to burned alive from the fire. With the completion of the Above Heavens Seal his regeneration was now superhuman so he wouldn't be killed by the flames but that did not mean that pain was lessened.
At this moment he was just barely kept alive by his regeneration just barely out healing the fire but all his bones and internals had been heavily injured in the explosion. He could do not but stare at the ceiling as it collapsed on him.
Still even as he was being burned alive he could only lament that he couldn't save his friends and began thinking of this as a punishment for once again not being able to do anything. He could not even cry the flames burnt his tear ducts away.
The flames burnt for days before the entire building finally turned to ash and Alrin would finally get the chance to fully heal. Even then it was only another day after that, that his body was finally healed. The only that had survived was his mother's ring and for the first time in his life could he use it because he was finally a cultivator but he could not feel happy about that fact in this moment.
He did not bother seeing what was of value in it only grabbing some clothes it contained one of which he saw was his father's red cloak. Which brought back even more unpleasant memories but even still he still took it.
Once he was dressed he walked over to where their room had been and hoped that they had escaped as he began digging through the debris. He continued digging through until he eventually he found bones at which point he broke down and began crying.
"Why why does everyone keep dying? Is it my fault would the world be better off if I wasn't in it?"
Before the tribulation could continue penetrating deeper into his nightmares it was suddenly interrupted.
"No its not your fault you've done nothing wrong and I'd be sad without you in the world." Alara suddenly appeared and hugged him while trying to comfort him.
Hearing that Alrin body returned to normal he had longed to hear those words but unfortunately their was no one to give them to him when he was a child when he needed them most.
"From now on whether you want it or not you will always have me by your side so never go thinking it would be better if you were gone." Alara continue to comfort him.
Hearing that, for the first time since he was a child Alrin genuinely smiled, "I'm glad you're here."
Once he said those words the spiritual tribulation ended.