"Plop, plop, plop."
One bucket, two buckets, three buckets, one hundred buckets, two hundred buckets, three hundred buckets. This seemingly small tank could hold three hundred buckets of water! It had taken Xing Jue an entire afternoon to complete the task.
"Huff...huff...huff..." Xing Jue panted heavily, dragging his exhausted body over to Elder Cang and said, "Elder Cang, it's full."
"Yawn~"
"Hmm? It's full? You were a bit slow, kid." Elder Cang yawned lazily before turning to Xing Jue with a smile.
Xing Jue could only mutter under his breath, so only he could hear, "You have no idea how much water this blasted tank can hold!"
"Take your clothes off and jump in," Elder Cang looked at the tank, now overflowing with water, and said to Xing Jue.
Following the elder's instructions, Xing Jue quickly stripped naked and with a "Plop", jumped into the tank. The tank was very deep, Xing Jue had to stand up straight just to barely keep his head above water.
"Comfy?" Elder Cang asked, smiling at Xing Jue.
"Yes, very comfortable," Xing Jue replied with a smile. The fatigue from a long day was definitely eased after being immersed in the tank.
"Now, training begins. You need to be mentally prepared for this," Elder Cang's expression turned serious, and he held out a small red bottle to Xing Jue.
"When I drop this medicine into the water, it will produce a substance that will stimulate your skin. Let me warn you, it will be very painful."
"However, it is only in these conditions that we can unleash the power of your soul. When that happens, you must stay awake."
"Once you can tolerate the pain, then you can combine Soul Defense, Soul Attack, and Soul Movement techniques and execute them together."
"Whether you successfully cultivate Soul Burst or not is entirely up to you. It depends on your own destiny," Elder Cang explained.
"Okay," Xing Jue nodded in response. He had already been mentally prepared for the difficulty of this Soul Burst technique.
And so, under Xing Jue's watchful and anxious gaze, Elder Cang opened the lid of the red bottle. A plume of smoke rose from the open bottle. Then, with a flick of his wrist, a bright red liquid poured into the tank.
The liquid spread rapidly within the water, instantly turning the entire tank a vibrant red. Boiling bubbles started rising to the surface of the water.
What Xing Jue couldn't bear, however, was that as soon as the medicine touched the water, a heart-wrenching, excruciating agony spread throughout his body.
The pain was like countless needles piercing every cell in his body, or like someone continuously cutting away at his flesh with a knife. It was an unbearable pain!
"Ahh!" Unable to endure the torment, Xing Jue let out a loud wail. His vision started to blur. His head became dizzy.
"Control your emotions, stay awake!" Just then, Elder Cang's voice rang out like a clap of thunder, exploding in Xing Jue's ears.
Xing Jue instantly snapped out of the haze. He clamped his teeth together and repeated to himself, "Xing Jue, hold on! Hold on! Otherwise, you'll never become a strong warrior!"
As he gritted his teeth and persevered, Xing Jue's face paled. Even his lips turned a pale purple.
From some distance away, Xiao Qian watched Xing Jue enduring his agonizing pain. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she whispered, "Master, you will succeed."
As a servant of the Soul Eater Clan, Xiao Qian had seen many young members of their clan undergo this almost brutal training during their flight to safety. However, very few of these young members had actually succeeded.
In fact, none of the young members during their flight had successfully trained in Soul Burst! So, Xiao Qian knew how difficult it was to cultivate this technique.
After enduring in the tank for half an hour, Xing Jue finally couldn't hold on any longer and fainted.
Seeing Xing Jue pass out, a look of heartache spread over Elder Cang's face. He shook his sleeve and brought Xing Jue out of the tank.
"Huff…huff…huff…" Xing Jue lay pale in the cave, gasping heavily. Xiao Qian sat beside him and gently fed him the medicinal soup she was holding.
"Xing Jue, can you still hold on?" Elder Cang stood before Xing Jue and asked slowly.
"I can," Xing Jue answered without hesitation, forcing the words through his trembling lips.
"Alright, get some rest today. We'll continue tomorrow." Seeing Xing Jue's resolute answer, Elder Cang smiled in relief.
The next day, Xing Jue was once again submerged in the bright red water tank, the heart-wrenching pain once again tearing through him.
Xing Jue clenched his fists tightly, gritted his teeth, and endured the torment! It was a matter of will! All he had to do was hold on, stay focused, and keep his mind clear. Even if he could only endure it for a little longer, it would still be an improvement!
In the days that followed, Xing Jue would soak in the red water tank every day, until he passed out, before Elder Cang would pull him out, and Xiao Qian would feed him medicinal soup.
After that agonizing torture, Xing Jue's body was practically paralyzed. He couldn't use Soul Healing to recover. Therefore, Elder Cang had created a special medicinal soup for him that would allow him to recover quickly.
Despite the agony of this self-inflicted training, Xing Jue persevered. He continued this torture for two months! Finally, Xing Jue was able to stay conscious and avoid passing out in the bright red water. This was not because the power of the water had weakened, but because Xing Jue's endurance had increased.
Now, Xing Jue stood in the tank with his eyes closed. His goal was to control the Soul Power within him and release all three forces – Soul Defense, Soul Attack, and Soul Movement – at the same time. But it was incredibly challenging.
However, through his efforts, he gradually began to grasp the trick. He discovered that he could indeed use the three forces simultaneously, but the process was much more complex.
In order to cultivate Soul Burst as quickly as possible, Xing Jue would soak in the tank for hours every day, refusing to stop until he could no longer tolerate it.
After a month of such training, his efforts finally started to pay off.
One day, Xing Jue, as always, submerged himself in the tank. However, this time, he seemed much calmer compared to two months ago. He looked like he was simply standing in ordinary water.
Although his expression was calm, deep within Xing Jue, his dark black Soul Power was moving rapidly. As it moved, his muscles and blood vessels expanded and contracted. Every part of his body was undergoing a transformation.
"Bang!" Suddenly, Xing Jue's Soul Power surged out of his body. It flowed out like a rising flame and then wrapped around his entire body.
Under the shroud of this Soul Power, Xing Jue's power started to rise. His body began to slowly lift off the ground, rising up above the tank.
"He did it! Master succeeded! Elder Cang, come look!" Xiao Qian shouted excitedly as she witnessed the Soul Power swirling around Xing Jue.
Upon hearing Xiao Qian's shouting, Elder Cang rushed out of the cave.
He looked at Xing Jue floating in mid-air, his dark black Soul Power swirling around his body like burning flames. Elder Cang smiled with a hint of excitement.
"Xing Jue, withdraw your Soul Power," Elder Cang suddenly roared.
Hearing Elder Cang's instructions, Xing Jue quickly withdrew the Soul Power that had engulfed his body. When the dark black Soul Power returned to his body, Xing Jue's power spiked instantaneously. Instantly, his strength reached the level of a Middle Stage Martial King!
Xing Jue performed a graceful flip in the air and landed firmly on the ground. He then checked the power now coursing through his body, and smiled at Elder Cang. "Elder Cang, let me have a go at you."
With that, he unleashed a fist. A burst of Martial Qi, several times more potent than before, surged from his hand and exploded towards Elder Cang.
"Good!" Elder Cang burst into laughter, delighted by Xing Jue's reckless behavior.
He waved his sleeve, releasing a wave of Soul Power that was no less powerful than Xing Jue's Martial Qi. The Soul Power and Martial Qi clashed violently.
"Bang!" The collision produced a terrifying wave of energy.
"Not over yet!" Seeing his attack deflected, Xing Jue laughed and launched a series of punches toward Elder Cang.
Elder Cang was ready for his attack. He unleashed waves of Soul Power from his sleeve, which collided with Xing Jue's Martial Qi.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The Ancient Mountains reverberated with the sound of their clashing attacks. Beasts residing nearby were terrified and fled.
"Xing Jue, are you really going back to the Wind Emperor Pavilion?" Elder Cang asked, somewhat perplexed.
After successfully cultivating Soul Burst, Xing Jue told Elder Cang and Xiao Qian that he planned to return to the Wind Emperor Pavilion. Elder Cang wanted Xing Jue to stay and train by his side. With Elder Cang's guidance, Xing Jue's growth would accelerate.
"Yes, I have to go back," Xing Jue said decisively.
"Ah… alright. Come back to me once you've reached the Martial God level. I have some important matters to discuss with you." After a moment of silence, Elder Cang said slowly.
"Yes, Junior will obey." Xing Jue replied respectfully. He could sense Elder Cang's concern for him.
The next day, under Elder Cang's insistence, Xing Jue was escorted by the elder and Xiao Qian to the edge of the Ancient Mountains before setting out on his own.
Elder Cang and Xiao Qian stood on a mountain peak near the edge of the Ancient Mountains, quietly watching Xing Jue fade into the distance. A look of contentment plastered Elder Cang's face.
Even after Xing Jue's silhouette completely disappeared, they didn't turn around and leave. Xiao Qian stood silently by Elder Cang's side.
"Xiao Qian, because I am a Soul Body, it's not convenient for me to be out and about. I am leaving it up to you to locate these items," After a long silence, Elder Cang turned around and handed Xiao Qian a piece of paper.
"Elder Cang, you can't do this. The Spirit Soul is what sustains your life! If..." Upon receiving the paper, Xiao Qian was shocked. The paper listed rare herbs and gemstones. Xiao Qian knew their purpose well – they were used to refining a Spirit Soul.
Before she could finish, Elder Cang waved his hand to stop her. "Xing Jue is the only hope for the Soul Eater Clan. To ensure he grows quickly, my life means nothing. Do as I say."
Elder Cang refused to hear the rest of Xiao Qian's objections. He turned and marched confidently toward the depths of the Ancient Mountains.
Gazing at his receding figure, Xiao Qian bit her lip. She put away the paper and, with a flourish, dashed toward the edge of the Ancient Mountains, beginning her quest to find the heavenly treasures.