Du Zhe froze.
The storm of emotions in his chest calmed instantly, replaced by something steadier—something warmer.
He nodded silently, gripping the crystal with renewed resolve.
Lu Piao shivered slightly, rubbing his arms. "Listening to your conversation is giving me goosebumps," he complained. "Brothers must share both fortune and woe together!"
He straightened suddenly, pointing at himself with confidence. "Nie Li, I only have a red soul sea. Am I also fit to practice soul power?"
Nie Li smiled broadly, eyes narrowing as he laughed. "Naturally, everybody is!"
He leaned back casually. "Even those with a red soul sea only need to practice techniques that are most suitable for them."
Lu Piao's eyes lit up. "Good! Look at me next!"
He stepped forward eagerly, clutching the soul crystal as excitement flickered across his face. His expression hardened as he focused, gripping the crystal tightly.
A strange pressure filled the air.
"Hrrrrnggg—!" "Aaaarrrgh!"
Lu Piao gritted his teeth, pouring all his concentration into the crystal.
Du Zhe, standing nearby, turned his head slightly and glanced over with an unreadable expression. "..."
The glow inside Lu Piao's crystal finally stabilized.
Nie Li studied it calmly. "Red soul sea," he said. "Chaos attribute. Scarlet Sun form."
Lu Piao frowned deeply, staring at the crystal. "You guys are really…" he muttered. "…pathetic."
Nie Li ignored the jab and continued explaining. "The Scarlet Sun form itself is rather common," he said. "But for it to belong to the chaos attribute—something like that only occurs in one out of every ten thousand people."
Lu Piao blinked. "Then… what should I practice?"
Nie Li met his eyes. "Why don't you try practicing the Holy Primal Chaos Technique?"
Lu Piao's jaw dropped. "H–Holy Primal Chaos Technique?" he repeated excitedly. "Is it strong?!"
"Of course," Nie Li replied without hesitation. "It's on par with the Heavenly Qilin Technique. On top of that, there's no need for rigorous practice. You only need to nurture the body's chaos force. This technique seems very suitable for you."
Lu Piao clenched his fists, grinning widely.
"But whether or not you can reach the top levels…"
"That's all up to you," Nie Li finished calmly.
"Heh heh," Lu Piao laughed, stretching lazily. "I don't need to achieve the top level. I'll be satisfied as long as I can reach demon spiritualist Silver level!"
Nie Li shot him a flat look.
I don't know what the creator of the Holy Primal Chaos Technique would think, if he knew Lu Piao's ambition only stopped at Silver level.
he thought dryly,
Lu Piao scratched his head, still grinning.
As the chaos force accumulates in the body,
one's power will become increasingly abnormal. It's impossible to think that you can maintain only Silver level.
Wei Nan stepped forward eagerly, eyes bright. "My turn!"
Nie Li nodded and handed him a soul crystal.
Time passed quietly in the library as Nie Li helped Wei Nan and the remaining two test their attributes. One by one, the soul crystals glowed with different hues as Nie Li explained their affinities and recommended strengthening techniques suited to each of them.
Although their abilities were not as overwhelming as Du Zhe's Heavenly Thundercloud form or Lu Piao's Holy Primal Chaos Technique, each of them possessed tier techniques that matched their attributes extremely well.
It was more than enough.
As they finished, Nie Li leaned back slightly, his gaze drifting toward the library entrance.
…He's late.
Karma still hadn't arrived.
Nie Li lowered his eyes to the soul crystal in his hand.
In his previous life, he already knew Karma's soul attributes.
He knew how terrifying Karma's potential truly was.
But this time was different.
This time, Nie Li wanted Karma to start with the strongest possible foundation from the very beginning—without detours, without wasted years.
I'll test him later, Nie Li thought quietly. I won't miss it.
He exhaled and shifted his attention inward.
"I should test my own," Nie Li murmured.
He raised the soul crystal, his expression turning serious.
In his previous life, he had wasted far too much effort—
practicing countless pointless and miscellaneous techniques, resulting in a lack of true power during later stages of his cultivation.
This time…
I'll start from the beginning, he told himself.
I'll find the techniques most suitable for me.
A faint red glow rose from his body as he activated the crystal.
Energy surged quietly.
Nie Li stood motionless, eyes closed, the crystal glowing softly in his grasp.
Behind him, Du Zhe and Lu Piao leaned closer, staring.
"…" "…?"
Neither of them spoke.
A sudden snort broke the silence.
"Pfft!"
Lu Piao struggled to hold it in, shoulders shaking.
"Don't laugh!" Du Zhe snapped immediately, shooting him a glare.
Nie Li lowered his gaze to the soul crystal in his hand.
Soul power… still only five.
His eyes shifted slightly as he focused inward. Inside the crystal, several faint red points flickered weakly—scattered, uneven, without any sense of structure.
A red soul sea… scattered form… no attributes.
A wry smile crept across his face.
So this is what my soul realm looked like in the beginning.
No cohesion.
No defining attribute.
Deemed the weakest type of soul realm.
I blindly practiced all kinds of techniques.
His smile faded.
That only made it worse. More chaotic.
The realization settled heavily.
No wonder breaking through was so difficult, he thought.
Even after practicing for so long inside the Demon Spirit Book's temporal space… this was the root cause.
Nie Li closed his eyes briefly.
Soul realms without attributes are unstable,
But precisely because of that… they're also the easiest to change.
His thoughts sharpened.
That means the choice of technique is everything.
Images rose naturally in his mind—three towering paths extending toward the heavens.
There should be three types.
The first stood vast and all-encompassing.
The Heavenly God Technique,
the most comprehensive… and the most difficult to cultivate.
The second was violent and domineering, overflowing with force.
The War God Technique,
extremely overbearing.
The third was shrouded in silence, depth without end.
The Void God Technique,
the most mysterious and unknown.
Nie Li inhaled slowly.
Comparing what can truly be accomplished…
the Heavenly God Technique is the best.
If I succeed in mastering it,
I'll be able to practice all attribute-type techniques…
The possibilities unfolded endlessly.
Immeasurable power.
My own path.
His mind instinctively compared it to ordinary cultivation.
With normal techniques, the soul sea can only contain one spirit,
replacing it only when a stronger one is obtained.
But with the Heavenly God Technique…
the soul realm can contain up to seven different attribute spirits.
Nie Li's heart quickened.
With every combination,
the increase in power will be explosive.
The result… unimaginable.
His fingers tightened slightly around the crystal.
So what if my cultivation speed is slower at the beginning?
I'll start from the basics, he decided.
Strengthen the foundation.
Increase spiritual strength.
The soul crystal glimmered faintly in his grasp.
The path had already been chosen.
Nie Li sat motionless, eyes closed, his breathing slow and steady.
Beside him, Du Zhe glanced over, then leaned slightly toward the others. "Nie Li seems to have already started practicing," he said quietly. "We should begin as well."
Lu Piao nodded in agreement. "Yeah."
Nie Li, however, remained completely immersed in his own world.
I shouldn't focus on training speed, he thought calmly.
I need to build a solid foundation—step by step.
Within his soul sea, faint flames swirled slowly, forming a crude, unstable outline. The Heavenly God Technique began at the most basic level—refining, stabilizing, and restructuring.
Around him, the others gradually settled down as well.
Zhang Ming crossed his legs and closed his eyes.
Wei Nan followed suit, expression serious.
Lu Piao sat awkwardly at first, then reluctantly calmed his breathing.
Soon, the library was quiet once more.
During class time over the next few days, the group remained in the library, practicing together.
They left only to eat and rest.
Third Day
A faint aura flickered around Nie Li's body as he sat cross-legged, eyes closed.
The spiritual energy surrounding him was still thin, but it was far more stable than before—flowing evenly instead of scattering chaotically. Each breath he took was slow and controlled, his posture steady.
After a while, Nie Li opened his eyes and let out a long breath.
"Sigh…"
He stretched his shoulders lightly, then leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. His hand slipped into his pocket as he searched for the soul crystal.
Finding it, Nie Li straightened and raised the crystal in his palm.
Inside, several points of light shimmered clearly.
Thirty soul power, Nie Li thought, a faint grin tugging at his lips.
Hehe… I wonder what Shen Xiu would think if she saw this.
The crystal glowed softly, its light reflecting in his focused eyes.
For a moment, the library remained utterly still.
Beyond the wooden doors, the plaque of the Beginner Apprentice Class hung quietly in the corridor, untouched by time or noise.
Down the stone steps nearby, a small figure stood in the shadows.
Its presence was subtle—almost impossible to detect—but faint ripples of energy crackled around it, restrained, disciplined, and unnervingly calm.
The figure paused.
As if sensing something.
The air shifted—just slightly.
And somewhere within the quiet library, Nie Li's heart skipped a beat.
…He's back.