Xue Mo and Lu Yao had spent a couple of months in seclusion. Even after reaching the peak of the True Arch Condensation Realm, they didn't leave. Instead, they stabilized their Cultivation and got used to their powers by sparring underground.
Once they finished, Xue Mo and Lu Yao left the Academy discreetly. They kept moving till they were 10 thousand kilometers away. After checking that no one around, Xue Mo let Lu Yao down from on top of his shoulder.
"So, what now?" she asked, neither excited nor bored. "Are we finally going to enter the Foundation Opening Realm?"
"Ya, we are," Xue Mo spoke casually, something he didn't do much of, even if it was with Lu Yao. "Before Opening our Foundation, we have first to strengthen our Souls. Maybe even enter the Mortal level of Soul Cultivation!"
"Mortal level? I don't remember the name of the realm, but I don't think it was called Mortal level." Lu Yao commented seeing Xue Mo changing realm names, not that she minds. "Ya, I know, but I decided to make a new Soul Cultivation Power-System while we are at it. I instructed Infinite Darkness on it as soon as we allowed it to enter our Souls." Xue Mo replied casually.
"So Mortal level… ok. So, what do we do now?" Lu Yao quickly got used to the new name and made sure to memorize it this time.
"Now? Well, I was thinking of leaving the Soul strengthening job for Infinite Darkness. It's been living in our souls for some time now," Xue Mo smirked before calling on Infinite Darkness.
"You know what to do, right?" Xue Mo asked when the usual black display appeared in front of their eyes.
[Yes, Father. I already made preparations and simulated the safest and best method for strengthening your Souls.] Infinite Darkness spoke with respect veiled with nervousness.
Xue Mo and Lu Yao felt that Infinite Darkness seemed worried about something from the slight hesitation in its monotonous voice. They have already noticed that it started developing emotions.
"What are you hesitating for?" Xue Mo asked, annoyed at the withheld of information.
[Father, the process to strengthen the Souls will be very demanding on your mental faculties, and you will feel an unbearable amount of pain to your Souls! I-I just don't want you and mother to feel pain!] Infinite Darkness finally relented and gave voice to its worries.
Instead of feeling touched, Xue Mo felt offended. "Do you see me as such a weak person that I would fear getting hurt? YOU, MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE, SHOULD KNOW WHAT I WENT THROUGH!!" Xue Mo's voice at the end almost became full out screaming.
Lu Yao was so surprised that she let out a gasp. It was her first time seeing Xue Mo this emotional in all her years with him. It made her feel that there was still so much that she didn't know about Xue Mo's past.
"I have allowed you to call me father, yet you disappoint me Infinite Darkness," Xue Mo said with a disapproving voice after calming down his anger. "This is the last time. I will let this slide, but there will be no next time!"
[… when do you want me to start, father?] Infinite Darkness sounded hurt, but it returned to its monotonous voice soon after.
This wasn't a decision he could take alone as it concerned Lu Yao too. Xue Mo turned towards her and tried to find a way to ask her without insulting her the way Infinite Darkness did.
A smile spread on Lu Yao's furry mouth as she said, "you know that just like you, if I can get stronger, I would bear any pain." Xue Mo smiled back, genuinely. He knew the answer but still wanted to confirm it.
He remembered his state of mind when he got mad at Infinite Darkness and knew that Lu Yao must have many questions to ask. He decided to be honest with her and tell her everything after they get through this.
After getting a nod from Lu Yao to start now, Xue Mo said, "you heard your mother. What are you waiting for? Start already!"
Whoom!
A small shockwave emitted from Xue Mo and Lu Yao's position as they felt their bodies become heavier. It was the weight of their Souls pressing down on them.
Infinite Darkness devised the method to compress their Souls by surrounding them in a sphere-like mental and Soul energy that would fuse. This method was to see if they could merge the two powers and make one of a higher form.
Lu Yao gritted her teeth as she felt every once of her getting torn apart. It felt like she was dying over and over again. Sweat rolled down her body as her whole being trembled. Her legs wobbled, appearing to be losing strength, but she never faltered.
Her eyes remained steady as she passed through this tribulation. On the other hand, Xue Mo didn't even move a muscle. The density of his Dark Soul and mental energy were many times that of Lu Yao's. The things he went through forged his will and made him unfeeling.
Although he always lacked the necessary emotions to express stuff like happiness and joy, he retained dark emotions such as anger, pain, and many others as if to torture him. The worst part was that these emotions got amplified, making him feel double the pain when he got hurt.
Yet even Xue Mo started feeling the effects of the method after an hour had passed. His eyes turned bloodshot, making him appear eviler than usual. After the second hour, Lu Yao was sprayed on the ground, screaming while he calmly gritted his teeth to persevere.
After the fourth hour, Lu Yao's hoarse voice mixed with growls sounded out in the barren area. Xue Mo was next to her, kneeling on the ground and hyperventilating, but no sound came out of him. Even after all this immense pain that could kill anyone else, they persevered and hardened their wills.
After another three hours, a message from Infinite Darkness informed the mentally and physically exhausted hosts—[Congratulations, Mother, Father. You have achieved the Mortal Level early-stage realm. From now on, for a distance of 20 meters around you, you would perpetually have your expanded Arcane Energy spread. This will allow you to perceive everything at that distance!]
The message was monotonous and cold. The feeling they felt from it was one of a displeased, angry, and sulking child. Even though it didn't feel their pain, Infinite Darkness helplessly watched the people it called parents suffer immensely. This shook its very core and made it understand how powerless it was.
Lu Yao went unconscious as soon as the procedure stopped. The ground around her collapsed slightly from the pressure. Her sweat-filled enough around her to make six cups of water. Xue Mo was still better off; he remained conscious enough to say, "than you. …keep us safe!"
This message was for Infinite Darkness, and it immediately complied. Using the new higher energy, Arcane, Infinite Darkness manifested a small barrier that turned the area that Xue Mo and Lu Yao occupied invisible.
It took an entire week for them to wake up. Xue Mo first stirred and got up. His sudden movement awoke the sleeping Lu Yao. They both glanced at each other before looking around them.
They felt every speck of dust in 20 meters surrounding them. Their Arcane energy was covering them in the shape of a dome. Weirdly enough, they felt more connected than ever. They felt as if a part of them fused with the other.
'This is amazing,' Lu Yao thought while checking her new vision. Even if she closed her eyes, she could see everything in a better way than her eyes. 'it is, isn't it?' Xue Mo smirked.
Lu Yao got startled. Did Xue Mo just read her mind and talk mentally? "Yes, I did." This time Xue Mo answered with his mouth.
"It seems that the fusion made us fuse our consciousness and Souls. As long as we concentrate, we can hear each other's thoughts and talk telepathically!" Xue Mo explained his deduction.
Xue Mo gave Lu Yao some time to get used to their situation as he did the same. After an hour, they got the hang of controlling this new ability.
"Which do you want to do first?" Xue Mo asked even though he could transmit telepathically in a faster way. "Opening our Foundations or learning how to use the Mortal level Soul power that we have now?"
Lu Yao put her claws on her face, tapping with one nail as she pondered. After a couple of minutes, she answered, "I think we should open our Foundations. We delayed this long enough!"
Xue Mo shrugged. He didn't care what they did first. In the end, they will do both. It didn't matter what came first, which is why he left the choice up to Lu Yao.
"Well then, let's do it," Xue Mo narrowed his eyes and spoke.