"You are no longer merely a Rune Master," the spirit said. "You have become something else. Perhaps something greater. You will have to discover the truth yourself."
He raised one hand and pointed toward Mo Xuan's chest.
"Strength without wisdom leads to ruin. Wealth without strength is an illusion. If you wish to survive this path, train your mind and forge your will as carefully as your body."
The spirit glanced at the projected book and stroked his beard.
"What a madman. What an extreme theory… and yet, how fascinating."
He looked back at Mo Xuan.
"No one should have survived this method. I doubt even the man who created it lived long enough to complete it."
The spirit's body began dissolving into silver motes as his remaining essence flowed into Mo Xuan's chest.
"Once my remaining essence fully merges with you, I will disappear. But remember this, Mo Xuan: one day, you may walk a road even the gods fear to tread."
Mo Xuan stepped forward. "Wait. What's your name?"
The old man gave him one last, unreadable look—pride, sorrow, expectation. Then his figure dissolved into white light. Only his voice remained. "Walk your own road, Mo Xuan. That will be your revolution of fate."
When dawn arrived, Mo Xuan opened his eyes. He was still in the cauldron. The bath had gone cold, and the burning fire beneath was extinguished. The water had turned dark and still. His body, though soaked in sweat and grime, felt strangely light—balanced, awake, alive.
He rose slowly and looked inward. He gasped.
Everything that had happened felt like an illusion. Yet before he could gather his thoughts, the door burst open. Mo Kang rushed inside and looked around anxiously. Only after confirming that his son was alive—and appeared healthier than before—did he finally relax.
Mo Kang quickly suppressed his rising emotions. He told Mo Xuan to bathe first; they would speak afterwards. A few minutes later, they sat together in Mo Kang's study. Mo Kang listened patiently as his son described the ordeal, determined not to miss a single detail.
When Mo Xuan finished, Mo Kang let out a long sigh of relief and stared at him. "You were reckless, and I was foolish to encourage you. Still, fortune favours the brave."
Mo Kang formed a series of hand seals. A rune formation rose around the study, isolating the entire room from outside perception.
Mo Xuan looked around in confusion.
"Caution is never a bad thing," Mo Kang said. "It is what allows people to live long enough to enjoy their success."
His expression became eager.
"Now answer me honestly. Can you summon your Cosmic Soul and cultivate?"
Mo Xuan nodded.
Mo Kang immediately rose from his seat. "Summon your Cosmic Soul. Let me see it."
Mo Xuan closed his eyes. Soul Power began spiralling around his body. A moment later, his Cosmic Soul manifested behind him.
A black-and-white rune resembling a Yin-Yang Taiji appeared in the air. It resonated faintly with the Heavenly Laws. At its centre stood a radiant sword, linking the two halves like a bridge between opposing forces, though the two sides did not appear completely fused.
The image was strange and beautiful, as though chaos and order had been forced into perfect harmony.
Mo Kang inhaled sharply. His son had skipped the Meridian Opening Realm entirely and advanced directly to the Soul Scholar realm. Yet that was not what shocked him most.
The Cosmic Soul behind Mo Xuan was nothing like the Mo Clan's traditional inheritance. The black-and-white rune was unfamiliar, while the sword at its centre made the entire manifestation even more mysterious.
Mo Kang suddenly threw back his head and laughed.
"Heavens! My son has become a genius!"
He quickly suppressed his excitement and beckoned Mo Xuan closer. His experienced gaze studied the strange Cosmic Soul, and he recalled several ancient accounts concerning cultivators who possessed twin Cosmic Souls.
Mo Xuan's Cosmic Soul reminded him of those descriptions, yet it was clearly different from any twin Cosmic Soul Mo Kang had heard of. Mo Kang could not determine exactly what he was seeing. One thing, however, was certain: his son had begun a new path and was destined to rise far beyond the small Mo Clan.
In Mo Kang's eyes, the Mo Clan was little more than a larger ant compared with the powerful clans and sects he had encountered during his travels.
"Put your Cosmic Soul away for now," Mo Kang said.
After Mo Xuan did so, Mo Kang rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Do not let anyone know about this change—not even Mo Ming. Keep a low profile, continue your usual activities, and avoid drawing suspicion."
"Since you have permission to enter the archive, you already have what you need to study rune art. However, your Cosmic Soul has deviated from the clan's inheritance, so I cannot guide you in its cultivation. I will do what I can to obtain resources for you, but the rest of the path is yours to explore."
His expression grew serious.
"I know you dream of becoming the wealthiest person alive. But Heaven has given you another opportunity. Do not waste it. Who says you cannot become both powerful and wealthy?"
Mo Xuan's expression became solemn, and he nodded repeatedly.
"I am saying this for your future," Mo Kang continued. "Do not limit your vision to this small clan. Broaden your mind and look beyond this place. I know you are clever enough to make the right choices."
He gently waved Mo Xuan toward the door.
"Go. Let your poor father rest. I have endured enough emotional turmoil since you decided to attempt that body-tempering method. Thankfully, the result was better than expected. Rest for the next few days and give your body and mind time to recover."
Mo Xuan cupped his hands to his father as Mo Kang watched him exit the study. Mo Xuan returned to his room. He immediately sat down in meditation and placed the old book before him—the same book he had spent months feeding with his blood.
Mo Xuan did not know why the book had taken so long to respond. The old sword spirit's explanation had provided part of the answer: no one had ever successfully cultivated the body-tempering method. Everyone who attempted it had been destroyed.
Even Mo Sang, the author, had eventually abandoned caution when his lifespan began to run out. After using different people as test subjects and witnessing their brutal deaths, he decided to attempt the method himself.
He failed as well.
Before his death, Mo Sang used the last of his Soul Power to seal the book. He did not want his life's work to disappear. Perhaps—just perhaps, if someone endured the pain and used their blood to break the seal, his creation might finally flourish.
Mo Xuan remembered the old spirit's words and the agony he had endured. His body shivered.
He had been hoping to become wealthy. Instead, his father might have been burning paper money at his funeral.
Still, he had survived the most difficult stage. Whatever the reason, abandoning the knowledge within the book would be a waste.
He closed his eyes and began meditating. As Qi entered his body, the circulation method recorded in the Revolution Connecting Mantra converted it into Soul Power.
After an hour or two, Mo Xuan entered a state of warm, tranquil bliss.
"This…" he whispered.
Soul Power circulated smoothly through his body for the first time in his life. It surged forward like a dam bursting beneath a flood.
Soul Scholar—Level Three.
He had advanced two levels in a single meditation session.
Mo Xuan slowly tightened his fists.