Outside the tranquil confines of the Dantian, Xia Wei sat cross-legged, his eyes closed in deep concentration. As the night enveloped him, a fine sheen of sweat broke out across his body, glistening in the moonlight.
Strangely, a circle of purple light leaves materialized, stacking themselves meticulously around his form, never once touching his sweat-drenched skin.
The nocturnal breeze whispered through the leaves, and in an instant, the purple light dissipated, revealing Xia Wei with his eyes wide open, his breath ragged and small puffs of mist escaping from his parted lips.
He stared at his trembling hands, astonished by the changes he sensed within himself. "Peak-stage of Nascent Soul?" His voice carried a mix of surprise and disbelief. Seeking confirmation, he extended his senses to his Yinglong Soul outside his corporeal self.
Like an alchemist's cauldron, extracting the essence of herbs and harnessing the transformative heat of fire to create a potent elixir, a palm-sized orb emerged slowly from his chest, hovering before him.
"This is my Yinglong soul?" Xia Wei steadied his breath before scrutinizing the ethereal orb. As he focused, he realized that the orb was actually a miniature dragon, its body coiled and tail curled, resembling a frightened kitten.
Unlike the vague white image of a dragon, lacking detail but manifesting abundant Qi, his soul resembled a genuine newborn dragon at first glance.
"Not quite how I imagined it from those cultivation novels," he mused, attempting to touch the dragon with his fingers, only to find them passing through the incorporeal creature. "Though it appears as a real dragon, it remains in the form of a soul."
After intently observing the unmoving dragon for several minutes, Xia Wei resolved to test the mobility of his Yinglong Origin soul.
As he willed it to move, the small dragon suddenly extended its majestic claws and horns, tilting its head and fixing its gaze upon him.
Their eyes met, and Xia Wei couldn't shake the uncanny feeling that his Yinglong Soul shared his own temperament.
"Well, that's to be expected since it is a part of my soul," he commented, his thoughts drifting to the possibility of his soul soaring through the skies and exploring the vast expanse.
Granting his wish, the dragon took flight, its sinuous form twisting through the air as it ascended, effortlessly piercing through the veil of clouds.
In that moment, Xia Wei experienced an extraordinary vision, with his Yinglong Soul overlapping his mundane sight for a brief, fleeting instant. But as quickly as it arrived, the vision dissipated, leaving him with a divided focus.
One part of his consciousness fixated on the night sky, beholding the colossal moon suspended above the cloud cover, while the other part remained rooted, observing the deserted square beneath the sheltering pine trees.
He commanded his Yinglong Soul to descend, seeking to assess his surroundings. A wry amusement crept over him as he marveled at his physical body, seemingly adrift and out of focus, while his consciousness wandered freely through the empty firmament.
"This technique is fascinating, yet it comes with its share of drawbacks," he mused inwardly, prompting his Yinglong Soul to return to his corporeal form.
With obedient grace, the dragon soul descended from the celestial heights and effortlessly merged back into Xia Wei's body, seamlessly passing through his physical vessel and settling in the sea of his Dantian.
His body jolted momentarily, and the divided focus fused back into a unified whole.
"A middle-stage Nascent Soul possesses the ability to traverse the realm of souls, and yet I have achieved the peak stage, granting me the abilities of a late-stage Nascent Soul," he murmured, a faint grin curling his lips.
Casting his gaze upon the surrounding area, he sought out the nocturnal activity, hoping to encounter one of the creatures that thrived under the cloak of night.
His piercing gaze cut through the shroud of darkness, akin to a prowling tiger honing in on its elusive prey.
His dark magenta pupils, slitted and intense, seemed to emit a subtle glow, granting him temporary night vision that revealed the hidden details of the nocturnal landscape.
.
.
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High above, on an elevated ground within the Illusionary Sect, the aftermath of a fierce battle lingered in the air. As the diligent individuals cleaned the debris and wiped away the traces of blood staining the ground, a lone fly darted through the scene.
Its diminutive wings deftly maneuvered through narrow gaps, finding its way to a crushed head belonging to a young child. Tears lingered in the child's eyes, reflecting a profound regret before their untimely demise.
The fly's tiny tongue extended, lapping at the blood that pooled upon the lifeless features before taking flight once more.
Driven by its insatiable search for sustenance, the fly abruptly halted its movement, sensing a surge of vibrant blue Qi emanating from its surroundings.
It convulsed uncontrollably, its fragile form wracked by invisible currents of energy, until finally succumbing to the overwhelming force and plummeting into a pool of blood.
Struggling to maintain its feeble existence, the fly valiantly attempted to flutter its wings, only to falter and collapse once more, enveloped in the pungent scent of blood that clung to its tiny body.
After a protracted interval, the fly managed to regain its tenuous flight, gradually navigating its way through the scattered debris with renewed determination.
Casting its gaze upon the surroundings, it fixated upon the Lower Area and made the decision to descend.
There stood a grand edifice, resplendent in its ornate dragon-themed decorations, guarded by two brawny disciples exuding an aura befitting the peak stage of Foundation Establishment.
The fly deftly slipped through minute crevices of the entrance, gaining access to the expansive hall within. A solitary figure occupied the central seat, elevated above the others, their gaze fixed upon the assemblage of individuals whose cultivation surpassed that of the Core Formation realm.