"You!!"
Never expecting it was Ye Yu who had taken her away, nor that she might never see her husband Tang Hao again, Ah Yin was overwhelmed by sorrow and anger. Her voice trembled with fury.
"Why would you do this!"
"Our family has no grudge against you. Why would you tear us apart?!"
Ye Yu took a deep breath and answered calmly.
"Why? Because you're the Blue Silver Empress."
"You should be able to sense it. My martial soul was originally just ordinary Blue Silver Grass."
"It was only after absorbing your Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone that my Blue Silver Grass martial soul underwent its first evolution."
"Only then could I walk this path."
"As someone born without advantages, wanting to rise above others, to control my own fate—this was the only way."
"So for now, just focus on cultivating here."
"One day, maybe I'll let you go."
"Besides, to truly reunite with your family, you'd need to regain your hundred-thousand-year cultivation first anyway, wouldn't you?"
To Ye Yu, the purpose of planting Ah Yin beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well was to help her recover her cultivation as quickly as possible.
Only then would she be eligible to become his spirit ring.
And to motivate her to accelerate her cultivation, Ye Yu had to give her hope.
As for whether that hope would ever materialize...
Only the heavens knew.
Time passed unknowably.
After fully absorbing the medicinal power of the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, Ye Yu finally opened his eyes.
His mind was incredibly clear, and invisible spiritual power radiated from him, enveloping the surrounding area—granting him a full 360-degree awareness without a single blind spot.
But what delighted Ye Yu the most wasn't just the expansion of his perception—it was how his control over the Blue Silver Spirit Jade Tree martial soul had become even more refined and instinctive.
"Blue Silver Wood Dragon!"
With a single thought, Ye Yu summoned his martial soul. The Blue Silver Spirit Jade Tree erupted with explosive growth and division, twisting and spiraling through the air. In moments, it wove into a dragon-shaped vine—its translucent blue-crystal form vivid and lifelike—coiling, snarling, and roaring in midair.
Ye Yu was more than satisfied.
However, he also realized something else: the medicinal effects of the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew were focused purely on spiritual enhancement. Not a single trace of its power had gone toward soul power growth.
His soul power level hadn't increased at all—which left him a bit disappointed.
In hindsight, after he had consumed the Black Jade Divine Bamboo Shoot, the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, and the Infernal Delicate Apricot, he had delayed using the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, and the Daffodil Jade Flesh Bone, afraid the medicinal powers would interfere with each other and be wasted.
But now, realizing that the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew only impacted the spiritual domain…
He could have taken it three years ago.
If he had enhanced his spiritual power earlier, perhaps his Thunder Tempering, soul power compression, and even spiritual resonance with the planted Blue Silver Grass would have progressed faster and yielded better results.
Still—what's done is done.
Afterward, Ye Yu walked over to the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum.
The entire plant was a stunning violet, its petals fuzzy and radiant, its golden stamen rising half a foot above the petals, glowing faintly. Strangely, despite its large, flamboyant bloom, it had no fragrance at all.
After carefully harvesting it, Ye Yu first ate the golden stamen, then quickly chewed and swallowed the petals.
As soon as the herb entered his body, he felt a violent surge of strength explode from within—crashing through him, saturating his bones and sinews with intense heat.
Under the influence of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, Ye Yu's soul power began to surge. His skin and muscles were reinforced, taking on a subtle golden shimmer.
And yet, due to the density of his already-compressed soul power, his cultivation only rose from Level 58 to Level 59.
Still, Ye Yu forcibly compressed his soul power again—completing his ninth compression.
The spiritual power boost from the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew allowed him to control his energy more precisely, and while cultivating in a pseudo-state of unity between man and nature via the Internal Core Method, he was able to exceed previous limitations.
After completing his ninth compression, Ye Yu spent several days regaining the soul power he had used—finally climbing back to Level 59.
He then approached the Daffodil Jade Flesh Bone.
This snow-white herb looked immaculate and flawless.
After swallowing it, he felt its medicinal power not only raise his soul power but also nurture and strengthen his meridians and bones—broadening his internal energy pathways and increasing how much soul power his body could store.
Once the energy was fully refined, Ye Yu's cultivation reached Level 60.
Now, Ye Yu could feel it: his soul power quality was nearing Title Douluo level.
It was time for the final step.
Time to form a Soul Core.
But forming a Soul Core wasn't as simple as just compressing your energy into a ball.
If he had to rely solely on his own theories, Ye Yu would have waited several more years to study the process. Ideally, he would hunt several Mirror Image Beasts or Silver Shadow Beasts, hoping to obtain soul bones with clone-related abilities.
With clone techniques, he could experiment with different fusion methods to create a personalized method of Soul Core formation.
But fortunately—Ye Yu had a cheat.
The Internal Core Method he brought from his previous life.
As the name suggests, its ultimate purpose was the formation of a Nascent Core—a fusion of essence, energy, and spirit, traditionally used to become immortal.
Of course, he hadn't reached that level yet. But for now, he could adapt the energy-condensing part of the method to forge a Soul Core.
This wasn't just about compression—it was about transformation.
Sitting cross-legged beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Ye Yu calmed his thoughts and began to cultivate the Internal Core Method.
In his pseudo-harmonized state with nature, he guided his internal soul power to circulate differently than usual, spiraling through his meridians like a vast starfield.
Bit by bit, the flow gathered in his dantian, forming a vortex of rotating energy.
This energy condensed tighter and tighter.
From gas… to liquid.
Then the liquified soul power began to swirl inward again, compressing even further.
Time passed—minutes, hours, maybe longer. There was no sense of it.
Then finally—
In the center of his dantian…
A perfectly round, crystal-clear orb appeared.
A Soul Core, formed from ninefold-compressed, high-density soul power—radiant and humming with power.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin