Overdraw the future and become a peerless martial god

Chapter 170 First-Rank Martial Artist, Chu Ning
"This……"

Tun Yuan raised an eyebrow: "This kid... he's got pretty good luck."

In an instant, the thunder and fire that should have shattered his sea of ​​consciousness was swallowed into the second soul gate, instantly melted and transformed into a gentle soul stream, flowing back out and pouring back into Chu Ning's ruptured bone marrow.

"Zizi-"

The broken section of the Thunder Bone was instantly filled with divine liquid. Golden lightning and blue light intertwined, reshaping a brand new bone structure in the bone crevice. Lightning patterns faintly appeared on it, and soul light clung to the bone.

Chu Ning opened his eyes wide, feeling as if a thunder tower was rising inside his body.

His soul power was no longer adrift; his marrow was no longer fragile.

For the first time, the soul, lightning power, and bones showed signs of resonance.

"Soul bone fusion... soul marrow transformation... he actually forcibly completed the preliminary stage of the half-step soul wheel!" Tun Yuan murmured, a rare hint of appreciation flashing in his eyes.

Chu Ning, however, was unaware that he had already overcome a hurdle that many people could not reach even in a hundred years. He simply raised his blood-soaked hand and felt the faint "thunderous echo" within his bones.

"—Boom!"

He slowly stood up, his joints vibrating with a slight echo, like the first toll of a morning bell, or like the impending storm.

That was the resonance between soul and bone after their first encounter.

"It's not over yet."

He murmured quietly.

"Come again!"

This time, instead of waiting for the formation to strike, he struck his chest with a backhand, igniting the thunder and fire in his sea of ​​consciousness and detonating the remnant soul of his second soul gate.

He wanted to strike while the iron was hot, and through this forging of pain and will, carve out the path to the "first rank" of spiritual mastery.

His body had been reshaped three times, his bones broken and regenerated three times. Even when his hands could no longer grip the knife, the lightning patterns on them never crumbled.

In the deepest part of his consciousness, the second soul gate had opened, like a hibernating dragon awakening, its faint light shining ever brighter.

"Although the second soul gate in your sea of ​​consciousness is open, the soul essence has not yet gathered. The remnant soul of Youhou is on the left side of your sea of ​​consciousness. Draw it out and forcefully inject it into the central part of Leiwei, and you will be able to forge the first 'soul essence foundation chain'."

"This step is the most dangerous." For the first time, Tun Yuan's tone revealed caution. "If you are not careful, you will go mad, suffer a qi deviation, and have your soul reversed—you will be reduced to ashes."

Chu Ning did not hesitate, only whispered:

"bring it on."

Using the Thunder Pattern Bone as a guide, he slowly opened the Divine Gate of Consciousness. The remnant soul of the Nether Throat, like smoke and mist, surged from the soul consciousness into the lower end of the spine and flowed upstream.

It was a "reverse flow of soul fire," as if his entire spine had been torn apart and reforged by lightning and soul flames. Chu Ning was in so much pain that his whole body convulsed, but he gritted his teeth and didn't utter a sound.

For three days and three nights, his soul remained with his body, and the thunder never ceased.

"I have no other way," Chu Ning roared from the pool of blood, "Only by facing death... and breaking through to the first rank!"

With the soul fire flowing back and the lightning bones tempering his body, Chu Ning's body had already reached its limit after three days and three nights.

Blood congealed like iron, finger bones curled backward, spine felt like a thunder python coiling around the body, and the soul felt excruciating pain as if a thousand knives were piercing the brain.

However, at dawn on the fourth day...

In the deepest part of his consciousness, the second soul gate, as deep blue as an abyss, finally opened completely.

The remaining ghostly soul behind the door suddenly exploded under the pull of soul power.

"boom."

A wave of dark blue soul energy, carrying lightning and flames, surged outwards, instantly sweeping across the entire sea of ​​consciousness, like a roar of ten thousand thunderbolts, like a desolate sea flowing backwards.

Chu Ning suddenly opened his eyes, his right pupil glowing, and a divine pattern of gold and blue appeared between his brows.

At this moment, in the center of his sea of ​​consciousness, a long-lost lightning core quietly condensed as the lightning souls converged.

The lightning core, like a newly risen sun, was initially dim and without light, but as the soul essence was infused and the lightning bones returned to their positions, its shape gradually became clear and its power gradually returned.

"Snapped!!"

Deep within the sea of ​​consciousness, a resounding clang, like shattering glass, echoed.

Those were fragments of the old lightning core, which were finally melted and reforged under the tempering of the new soul power.

What followed was a boiling sensation throughout the entire Qi Sea.

Within Chu Ning's dantian, thunderous energy surged. The originally depleted and lifeless sea of ​​qi suddenly erupted with a tsunami-like power the moment the thunder core reorganized.

The Qi Sea surged! Thunderous currents echoed!
Rings of lightning, like waves crashing on the shore, rippled outwards from the Qi Palace, opening up the five internal organs, six bowels, bone marrow, and meridians. Even the spiritual platform of the sea of ​​consciousness, which had been dormant for many days, once again showed lightning patterns and starlight.

Tun Yuan's expression shifted slightly as he stared at the newly condensed lightning core, and finally spoke softly:
"...Your Qi Sea has been reconstructed."

"Thunder Bone Hammer Soul, Thunder Core returned to its place, Qi Palace revived... Finally back to the sixth rank."

Chu Ning slowly opened his eyes, a flash of lightning as sharp as a blade appearing and disappearing deep within them.

He clenched his fist suddenly, his knuckles cracking.

A shockwave rippled through the air, and a thunderous roar shot out from his palm, shooting ten feet into the air and instantly shattering the rubble in front of him.

"This is the power I should have."

Chu Ning whispered, lightning flashing on his forehead.

He felt the power of resurgence, his body surging with lightning energy like a vast ocean, no longer the empty shell it once was.

Although the power of the sixth rank is not the peak, it is the true root of destiny that has been forged through hardship.

After that battle, he was no longer the "loser" whose Thunder Soul was taken away by the Ape Lord and who was forced into a desperate situation.

Rather, they are the swordsmen who survived the inferno of thunder and fire.

Chu Ning continued his cultivation, while outside, deep within the icy plains, a wisp of smoke slowly rose.

Dong'er was carrying a snow deer, her cheeks slightly flushed, and her shoes were covered with a thin layer of snow.

She crouched down, lit a small fire in the crevice of the rock, carefully deboned and sliced ​​the venison, and then neatly inserted the meat skewers into the fire and turned them over.

"You're not eating..." she murmured softly, her tone gentle.

Not far away, Chu Ningjing sat on a shattered soul crystal rock, her eyes closed, lightning patterns faintly visible all over her body, and soul light pulsed within her lightning bones.

He had not opened his eyes for three consecutive days, as if he had sunk into the heavens and earth.

After Dong'er finished grilling the meat, she gently placed the hot, fragrant skewers on a clean piece of animal hide beside his knee, and also placed a small bowl of warm soup made by Qingxue next to it.

She reached out to brush the frost from his brow, but stopped just before touching him.

"You..." she murmured softly, "Even when you're cultivating, you still need to eat something."

She didn't say anything more, but just sat not far from him, hugging her knees and watching the firelight flicker.

The wind blew, the firelight flickered, and reflected in her eyes, just as she hid her love for him.

……

After two months of arduous practice, all thoughts returned to stillness.

Chu Ning sat quietly in the abyss of her consciousness, her body surrounded by lightning that shimmered like silk threads, permeating her limbs and bones.

His skin was slightly red, and his blood seemed to be filled with countless lightning snakes. With each throbbing, his soul consciousness was shaken.

At this moment, the three sections of "Thunder Bone" in his body were finally fully connected. In the spine of his soul tail, a light golden soul marrow base chain slowly emerged, like a divine thread that runs through the soul and body, completely entwining thunder and soul—"soul consciousness" and "Thunder Bone" no longer separated, and for the first time entered a true "resonance" state.

He sat still, his gaze slightly lowered, but the moment he thought of it, a faint rumble of thunder echoed in the heavens and earth.

Even in a half-dreaming, half-awake state, he could repel the soul invasion of a third-rank expert with just his mental power.

This is already the initial sign of "the fusion of soul and spirit".

At the summit of his sea of ​​consciousness, Tun Yuan stood silently, his soul burning like a raging inferno. His gaze was deep and unfathomable as he stared at Chu Ning:

"You already possess the foundation of both soul and bone, and your soul breath has returned to its proper place. But this is only the 'beginning'."

He paused, his voice deep and thunderous:

"You originally had a mortal soul, but now you have cultivated into a Soul Master. If you are willing to take in a wisp of my blood soul, and the three souls cultivate together... then there will be a glimmer of hope to step into the 'Soul Wheel'."

"The soul of a mortal is the root; the soul of obsession is the bridge; the soul forged in blood is the blade."

"If these three are not in harmony, the soul will collapse and the spirit will shatter, and one will forever fall into the abyss of consciousness."

Chu Ning slowly opened his eyes, and lightning emanated from the depths of his pupils, reflecting the image of the sleeping abyss beneath his sea of ​​consciousness.

He gazed at the Devouring Abyss Will that was slowly raising its head amidst the ghostly thunder, his eyes as firm as a blade.

“I built this road not to ascend to godhood,” he whispered, “but to—block the gods.”

Having said that, he sat cross-legged, focused his mind, and his spirit manifested.

Tun Yuan slowly raised his palm, and a wisp of crimson divine soul thread, like a lock in fire, pierced through the void and fell into Chu Ning's second soul gate, slowly winding into the depths of his soul shell.

In that instant, his consciousness trembled.

Thunderstorms burst from the marrow, soul fire scorched the divine shell, and the indistinct outline of the "soul wheel" resounded like the first chime of an ancient bell in the deep sea.

Chu Ning gritted his teeth, his body almost contorted, but he held firm to prevent his soul core from breaking. For the first time, the illusory wheel revealed its complete and clear outline.

"This step is the threshold of the Wheel of Life and Soul," Tun Yuan said in a deep voice, "the narrow passage between mortals and gods."

He looked down at Chu Ning, who had already stepped into the forefront of the Soul Wheel, his voice deep and resonant like an ancient warning bell:
"The three-year journey begins today."

"If you fail, it won't just be your death and annihilation—the entire realm will perish at the hands of the Ape Lord because of you."

The wind and snow have stopped, and the soul bell tolls.

Dong'er sat upright on a windswept rock ridge, guarding the "New Moon Ice Soul." The crystal was translucent, with starlight flickering inside, like a white fox slumbering in the icy night.

She gently stroked the ice spirit again and again, as if it were not a cold object, but a life that needed to be cherished.

"Qingli...do you still remember him?"

Her voice was as soft as snow.

“He cultivated desperately every day, even when his body was cracked and his soul was backfired… he still gritted his teeth and didn’t say a word.”

He said... he would save you.

Dong'er lowered her head, her eyes slightly red. She placed the Ice Soul beside her and gently covered it with a corner of a warm cloth, just like covering a sleeping child with a blanket.

"But you have to come back too, otherwise what's the point of all his hard work...?"

She sat quietly by the Ice Soul until dawn, and only left when the first ray of morning light touched Chu Ning's brow, without disturbing his cultivation for even a moment.

As night fell, Dong'er leaned against a warm rock and fell into a deep sleep.

She had a dream. In the dream, Chu Ning finally opened his eyes, walked towards her, patted her head, and said:
"You have worked hard."

She nodded with a smile, but tears involuntarily rolled down her cheeks.

But the next moment, she woke up.

Chu Ning remained seated cross-legged in meditation, his soul power and lightning aura deepening like an abyss.

He didn't wake up, he never did.

She approached him dejectedly, squatted down, propped herself up on her arms, gently rested her head against his knees, and whispered:
When... will you finally look at me?

The wind rises again, and the snow falls again.

But she slept the most peacefully that night.

The night was as dark as ink, and the icy plains were silent.

During this two-month-long training, Chu Ning never truly "woke up".

But that night, his soul suddenly returned quietly.

The lightning in the sea of ​​consciousness has stabilized, and the pathway between the soul marrow and the lightning bone has finally been initially connected.

Although it has not fully achieved "stabilization," it has already been able to briefly awaken.

He slowly opened his eyes, and icy blue lightning patterns flickered faintly deep within his pupils. All around was utter silence, broken only by the distant, low murmur of wind and snow.

He turned his head and the first thing he saw was a pile of roasted meat that was already frosted over.

Some were burnt, while others still glistened with cool oil and were lightly covered by snow, but they were all neatly stacked not far from him.

In that instant, Chu Ning seemed to see Dong'er standing in the wind and snow, bending over, carefully placing the pieces of roasted meat one by one beside him.

He remained silent and sat cross-legged for more than two months.

He quietly got up, his soul power still slowly circulating within his body, but at this moment, none of those waves could compare to the fleeting pain in his chest.

He raised his head and looked at Wen Yan not far away.

Dong'er curled up beside that warm rock, like a sleeping white fox.

She was wrapped in her cloak, but she was shivering slightly from the cold.

Her head rested against the rock, her cheeks flushed, the tip of her nose slightly purple from the cold, and beneath her long eyelashes, a look of weariness and quietude lingered on her face.

Chu Ning walked over, slowly took off his black outer robe, and gently covered her with it.

The moment the fabric fell, her body trembled slightly, as if she felt a familiar warmth.

She slowly opened her eyes, and the firelight illuminated a familiar yet distant figure.

For a moment, she almost thought she was still dreaming.

But that shadow truly approached her in the wind and snow, snow falling on his shoulders, and lightning flashing in his eyes.

The next moment, tears silently streamed down her face.

She bit her lip, and the longing and torment that had been building up in her eyes for two whole months finally overflowed like a flood.

"You...you're finally awake?" Her voice trembled like a withered leaf in the wind, afraid to speak loudly lest her dream shatter.

Chu Ning didn't speak, but slowly sat down, his figure blocking the firelight. He looked at her, his eyes extremely calm, like mountains and rivers after a storm, silent yet unfathomable.

“I’m awake,” he said.

These three words seemed to pull her back from the depths of winter to the warmth of spring.

Dong'er sat up abruptly, her eyes brimming with tears, yet she dared not approach too quickly.

She feared he would close his eyes again, feared it was just a fleeting moment of his soul's light.

"You...you've woken up this time...will you go into seclusion for a long time again?"

Her voice trembled, yet she stubbornly asked the question.

Her eyes seemed to be grasping at an answer, even if that answer was cruel.

Chu Ning raised her head and looked up at the northern night sky.

Deep in the far north, a beam of aurora borealis spread silently across the dark sky like a divine miracle.

Green and purple-blue intertwine to form flowing silk, like starlight flowing down from a distant spiritual realm, quietly staining the earth.

He stretched out his hand and pointed to the divine river-like curtain of light on the horizon.

"From now on—three days."

“I wake up once every three days,” he said softly, “to spend time with you… to talk to you, to look at the sky, and to listen to you tell me about your dreams.”

Dong'er froze for a moment, then tears streamed down her face like a broken string of pearls. Her fingertips trembled, and then she suddenly threw herself into his arms, holding him tightly.

Her voice was like a thin stream struggling to emerge from the depths of a shattered heart:
Do you know how tough these past two months have been?

Chu Ning didn't speak, but simply placed his hand on her thin back.

That was the first time he had truly held her tightly since he went into seclusion. It wasn't a passive acceptance, nor a silent expression of gratitude, but an active response.

His palms were slightly warm as he enveloped her in them.

“I know,” he said. “You’ve worked hard.”

"From this day forward, every single second, I will remember how long you have guarded this icy plain for me."

A gentle breeze swept by, carrying the lingering whispers of the fox clan's souls from the distant snow-capped mountains.

The aurora borealis shone down, casting the shadows of the two people on the snow, making them blend into one.

Dong'er leaned against him and suddenly whispered, "Do you know that sometimes I secretly talk to you when you're meditating?"

Chu Ning lowered her head, her eyes gentle: "What did you say?"

"Tell me if you're hungry, tell me if you've dreamed about me... Once your brow twitched, and I thought you were listening, so I talked for a long, long time."

"Did you hear it?"

Chu Ning pursed her lips and answered softly, "I can't remember what I dreamed about, but now, I can hear it."

She looked up at him, her eyes seeming to hold the entire starlight of the polar night.

"Please don't go into seclusion for so long in the future, okay?"

“I don’t necessarily need you to stay with me, and I know you have your own path to follow… but you must remember, whether you are awake or not, I will wait for you.”

She smiled, but the tears wouldn't stop.

"Just... don't suddenly close your eyes, I'll really be scared."

Chu Ning's gaze flickered, as if struck by something.

He suddenly pulled her into his arms, rested his chin on her forehead, and closed his eyes, as if to etch this moment into history.

"Dong'er, this life doesn't belong to me alone."

"It's been connected to you for a long time."

A gentle night breeze caressed the warm glow of the fire.

On the distant icy plains, the crescent moon's icy essence glowed faintly.

Inside the icy crystal, a barely perceptible fox shadow appeared, as if its memories had been awakened by this gentleness.

"Tsk tsk tsk... Kid, you've really opened my eyes."

Deep within his consciousness, a familiar voice suddenly rang out, like spilled ink on a beautiful painting.

The figure of Tun Yuan slowly emerged from behind the Soul Gate, his body covered in black lightning scales, half-hidden and half-revealed, his ferocity carrying a certain inexplicable interest.

He clicked his tongue repeatedly, shaking his head as he paced back and forth in Chu Ning's sea of ​​consciousness, the last syllable of his voice trailing off.

"You lad, not only are you lucky, but you're also quite the ladies' man." He deliberately lowered his voice, as if afraid someone would hear him, and said, "Whether it's Qing Li, that Xie Ming Li, or this little girl, they all wholeheartedly protect you, cry for you, wait for you, and risk their lives for you."

“Especially that little fox spirit…” He pointed to the faintly glowing Crescent Moon Ice Soul on the coffin, “Even if she’s not dead, she lives on in your soul; and Dong’er, she’s even more devoted, treating you, a dead man in seclusion, like a treasure for two months.”

Tun Yuan slowly turned around, then suddenly looked at Chu Ning with a mocking expression:

"How come you, a cripple, have the ability to make so many girls willing to die for you? Do you have multiple clones? Or are you planning to become an emperor, managing three palaces and six courtyards all by yourself?"

Chu Ning opened his eyes, his face expressionless:

"Have you said enough?"

"Hey, I haven't finished yet." Tun Yuan's expression suddenly turned serious, his voice slightly cold, his eyes like cold stars at the bottom of an abyss:

"You humans... emotions are really useless."

He stopped laughing, his tone sharp as a blade.

"The strong contend for destiny, it's about who dares to sever the Dao, who dares to kill the gods, who cares about your love and hate? Emotions? On the real battlefield, they are the softest flesh, the first place on your soul to crack."

He approached Chu Ning, each word uttered as if in a low growl:
"Do you know how many souls I've swallowed? How many people have I seen call out for their loved ones and cry out for their partners before they die? But in the end, they are still swallowed by me. All the obsessions and memories are nothing more than a bit of bitter fragrance from the past."

Chu Ning was silent.

He gazed at the radiant light of thunder in his sea of ​​consciousness, offering no rebuttal.

Tun Yuan sneered: "The more you indulge in these useless entanglements, the harder it will be for you to attain enlightenment. Didn't you say you wanted to slay gods and protect this world? Have you ever considered that if one day your emotions stir your soul and your fighting spirit trembles, you might not even be able to protect the people around you?"

“You’re right,” Chu Ning suddenly said.

His expression was calm, his voice even, yet it carried an undeniable sharpness:

"Emotions do make me vulnerable."

"But it is only in vulnerability that I can know... why I need to become stronger."

“You see it as a burden, but I see it as a direction,” he said, pointing to his heart. “If this heart is empty, I will truly be nothing more than a walking corpse.”

Tun Yuan paused for a moment, then a cold smile curled at the corner of his lips:

"Heh, interesting."

"Then remember this: whatever you try to protect will become your most fatal weakness."

Chu Ning nodded:

“I know. But it is precisely because I know that I must be stronger than anyone else.”

Tun Yuan's pupils narrowed slightly. After a long silence, he suddenly smiled:

"interesting."

He waved his hand, his figure disappearing back into the depths of his consciousness, his voice fading into the distance.

"Love however you want, but remember, kid, if you dare to die in a woman's arms, I'll devour your soul first."

The sea of ​​consciousness returns to tranquility.

Chu Ning slowly closed his eyes, but a layer of indescribable heaviness settled in his heart.

There were some things he hadn't forgotten to think about.

But he understood even more clearly that—precisely because he was walking on thorns, he couldn't afford to abandon that ray of warmth.

Because that was the only reason that sustained him in his willingness to face death.

Time flies like snowflakes, passing by silently.

In the blink of an eye, Chu Ning had been cultivating on the far northern ice plains for more than three months.

On this day, the ice plains were silent, and the world was as smooth as a mirror.

Only the snowflakes were gently swirled by the wind, turning into crystalline dust around him, adorning a space that seemed to have frozen time.

Chu Ning sat alone deep in the icy plain, his eyes closed, his breath barely perceptible.

His black robe had long been stripped of its original color by the wind and snow, leaving only a dull black, stained with traces of scorched lightning and old bloodstains, hanging silently.

Around him, layers of dense lightning patterns intertwined to form an array, like lightning locks hanging in the sky—that was the "Severing Consciousness Lock Array" personally set up by Tun Yuan, cutting off all external soul interference and shielding the perception of lightning, turning this place into the most extreme and isolated domain for cultivation.

In this completely isolated world, Chu Ning quietly completed the first stage of his cultivation:

The "Soul-Guiding Anchor" has been fully constructed. His cultivation level has also risen from the unstable state of his remnant soul after the war to the "Fifth Grade Saint Realm".

At this moment, he was no longer the mortal who trembled before the remains of the gods, but a martial artist who had just stepped into the realm of the extraordinary.

His mind was as clear as a mirror, and his bones as firm as cold iron.

He opened his eyes, lightning crackling within them, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth pulsed with each breath. An unprecedented sense of control quietly brewed between his flesh and soul.

Chu Ning looked down at his palm, slowly clenching it, his knuckles cracking slightly, like the first beat of a thunder drum. At that moment, an indescribable storm surged within him.

Fifth-grade sacred realm.

That was the height he once looked up to.

Li Jing'an, his teacher, the dignified "Inspector" of the First-Rank Pavilion, had been stuck at the peak of the sixth rank for many years, unable to advance further. Many years later, through a stroke of luck, he reached the fifth rank.

Xie Chengjun, the top general of the Great Qian Dynasty and the pillar of the north, was only at the fifth rank.

"but me……"

Chu Ning stood up, lightning patterns appearing behind him, his soul energy surging like the tide.

"Now, we've reached this point."

A sharp, piercing glint suddenly flashed in his eyes.

"Prince Duan."

That man who once disregarded his own life and death, ordering his own assassination in order to consolidate his royal power; that smiling tiger who used the imperial blood as a weapon and regarded human life as worthless.

"You wanted to wipe me out back then, but now... I've reached the fifth rank."

Chu Ning exhaled slowly, his soul power condensing between his fists, causing his knuckles to crack.

"Your personal guards, each a high-ranking official of the eighth rank, surrounded me like a trapped beast. Now—"

With a gentle clench, lightning flashed between his fingers, and a thunderous roar seemed to echo in the void.

"Can they withstand this punch from me?"

This is not boasting, nor is it empty talk, but a long-lost, calm, and seemingly genuine confidence—as if one had returned from a near-death experience.

His gaze was sharp as he looked beyond the snow-covered plains.

That punch, though never thrown, had already left its echo in the heavens and earth.

The figure of Tun Yuan slowly emerged at the top of the sea of ​​consciousness, his dark eyes as black as night:
"You have completed the Nine Thunder Inscriptions, and your soul bones have begun to stabilize."

"Next, the soul is transferred to the marrow."

The lightning in Chu Ning's eyes flashed and then disappeared.

He didn't say much, just nodded silently.

With a flick of his finger, his sea of ​​consciousness, like the vast sky, suddenly cracked open.

A faint light slowly rose from the depths of the sea of ​​consciousness, accompanied by the subtle vibrations of soul power. Within that light, soul patterns could be vaguely seen moving and lightning could be seen penetrating, as if it were a "soul essence" that had condensed countless resentments yet had become nearly pure.

That was the core of Youhou's remnant soul—in the past three months, it had been sealed and refined by Chu Ning with the "Thunder Seal" and tempered by the Thunder Bone, finally stabilizing and becoming a "soul seed" that could guide divine consciousness.

Tun Yuan gazed at the soul essence, his voice low and solemn:
"Soul Transcending Marrow is the most dangerous path among the three stages of Thunder Soul Cultivation."

"You must use this soul essence as a guide to inject its soul flame into the very last segment of your spine—the 'Thunder Tailb'. That is the meeting point of your entire body's thunder meridians and divine soul. Once it collapses, not only will your soul and bones be destroyed, but your entire soul chain will also turn to ash."

Chu Ning did not hesitate. He lowered his gaze for a moment, touched the center of his consciousness with his fingertips, and murmured softly:

"Thunder enters—the root of the soul."

As if drawn by a force, the wisp of ghostly soul essence bloomed into a pale blue soul flame within his sea of ​​consciousness. As thin as a hair, yet like a needle and thread, it slowly swam into the very end of his spine.

That section of the "Thunder Tailb" exudes an ancient thunderous aura and is almost pierced by thunderous bone patterns.

"—Click."

In that instant, Chu Ning's whole body trembled, and the joints on his back suddenly turned red as the soul flames coursed through them. The lightning power flowed back along his meridians like mercury, crashing into the depths of the lightning tail.

"what--!"

A wave of excruciating pain washed over Chu Ning, causing her throat to tighten suddenly, but she bit down hard and refused to spit it out.

He didn't shout. He knew that if his will wavered even slightly at this hurdle, all his previous efforts would be in vain.

Soul flames scorched the thunder bones inch by inch, and the thunder veins gradually condensed the soul marrow.

Tun Yuan, standing above his sea of ​​consciousness, silently spoke:
"Hold on. Once the soul essence is formed, you will not only be able to perceive enemies with your soul and draw attention with lightning—but also be able to control weapons with your will and manipulate magic with your mind."

"This is the foundation for reaching the 'First Rank,' the first key to the embodiment of your soul."

Chu Ning closed his eyes, letting the lightning and fire pierce his bones, and only responded in a low voice:
"I will hold on."

The wind and snow swirled and undulated outside the heavens and earth, and his soul sea, amidst the intertwining of thunder and soul, began to be "forged" again little by little—for that legendary step, the beginning of the first grade, a soul becoming a god.

His spine seemed to be infused with lightning and fire, his bone marrow seemed to weep and plead, and lightning patterns appeared between his bones, while his soul power flowed backward in his blood.

"Hold on—"

Tun Yuan suddenly made a move, embedding a wisp of his "Soul-Suppressing Anchor" into Chu Ning's sea of ​​consciousness, firmly suppressing his still unstable soul shell.

"If the Soul Fire backfires, you will suffer a qi deviation; if your sea of ​​consciousness collapses, even I cannot save you."

Chu Ning gritted his teeth, veins bulging. He didn't respond, but gripped the Broken Snow Blade tightly on his knee.

At that moment, he seemed to see the sea of ​​thunder and the river of soul merging in his spine, and a transparent "soul marrow channel" was being reconstructed within his body.

He could feel that with each breath, his soul was grinding new bone patterns, and every inch of his nerves contained traces of thunder and fire.

……

Half a year later.

Chu Ning slowly opened his eyes from his composure, his aura as deep as an abyss, his soul consciousness gathering into a thin line.

The Thunder Bone has been reshaped, and the Soul Marrow pathway has been opened to the Heavenly Spirit, making the Thunder Sensation as precise as divine sense.

Tun Yuan nodded and said, "With the soul essence stable, the divine consciousness is formed."

At this stage, although Chu Ning had not yet reached the first rank, his spiritual power and the strength of his thunder bones far surpassed those of others of the same rank.

Tun Yuan stood atop his sea of ​​consciousness, his figure as solemn as a rugged, ghostly shadow.

"Good progress." Tun Yuan murmured, his voice no longer mocking as it once was, but rather like that of a teacher calmly inspecting his disciple. "This is already the threshold of 'First Rank'."

“But you’re still one last step away,” Tun Yuan said.

"Soul Wheel?" Chu Ning asked.

“Indeed. The most crucial aspect of the First Grade Realm is the formation of the ‘Soul Wheel’.” Tun Yuan said slowly, “You have one mortal soul and one wisp of the Soul, and now you need to add another soul—using me as a ‘divine simulation’ so that you can enter the realm of three souls resonance ahead of time during your cultivation.”

"You're willing?" Chu Ning asked in surprise.

Tun Yuan smiled and said, "Although I don't believe in fate, I believe in you. If you succeed, I will use your body to escape; if you fail, it doesn't matter to me."

Chu Ning's eyes flickered slightly.

At this moment, within his soul wheel, a lightning bone vein pierced through its core, and three soul shadows intertwined and swirled.

Firstly, his "mortal soul," which came from the mortal realm, preserved his human emotions and beliefs;
Firstly, it is the "spirit" forged in the flames of war and sacrifice that carries his will and the weight of his mission;
The last one is the "pseudo-god soul" that evolved from the remnant soul of the Devouring Abyss's divinity within its sea of ​​consciousness.

When the three souls resonate together, it marks the beginning of a mortal's journey into the divine realm.

Thus, during the next two years of "Soul Wheel Construction" cultivation, a wisp of Tun Yuan's soul resided deep within his sea of ​​consciousness, forming a three-soul resonance structure with Chu Ning's original mortal soul and wielding soul.

Guided by Tun Yuan, his condensed "soul essence" slowly merged into Chu Ning's soul shell core, like a drop of raging fire falling into a cold spring.

In an instant, his soul surged.

His sea of ​​consciousness surged with towering waves, countless bolts of lightning swirled like dragons, and his soul threads exploded like snowflakes.

At that moment, he seemed to become the center of the entire sea of ​​consciousness, torn apart by thunder and fire and soul power, where life and death, spirit and bone intertwined and were forged.

At this point of "convergence of soul and consciousness", he stepped into the first threshold of the resonance of the three souls.

"The Soul Wheel is the boundary between gods and mortals." Tun Yuan's voice came from afar, as steady as iron. "Success means crossing the boundary, failure means annihilation."

Chu Ning's brow twitched suddenly. He was no longer an observer, but the "creator" of the Soul Wheel Gate.

In an instant, his consciousness was forcibly torn apart, plunging him into a "soul illusion".

He dreamed that he had become the Monkey King.

Bone forged in endless pools of blood, with countless souls as lamps, igniting the "fire of divinity."

Each soul shadow wailed within the bones and veins, its pain, resentment, and sorrow all transforming into the power of the Ape Lord—this was the price of the gods, the price of devouring all living beings.

He was in so much pain that he was almost driven mad, but he couldn't wake up.

In the next instant, he transformed into Hunyuan again.

Holding the seal atop the dome, it locks in the spirit and stabilizes the heavens.

Wherever the divine seal in his hand pointed, even the stars trembled.

He saw countless "heavenly gates" collapse beneath his feet, yet he stood alone, untouched by the gods, and silenced by all living beings.

That loneliness, that destiny that was destined to be incomprehensible, swallowed him up like the sea.

Finally, he saw "himself" in a shattered mirror.

He is neither a god nor a demon.

It was Chu Ning.

A mortal who once defied orders with a sword in the snowstorm of the North; a mortal who once drew his sword for a friend and burned his soul for a young girl.

He wanted to break free, but he was trapped in an endless cycle of reincarnation.

"Soul Wheel...can you succeed?" Devouring Abyss's voice appeared again, deep and resonant as if it came from the depths of the abyss.

At the edge of his sea of ​​consciousness, the gate to his soul suddenly exploded, and lightning surged in like a sea of ​​fire, forcefully pulling him out of the illusion.

He stood there, gritting his teeth, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, yet he did not fall.

His "mortal soul" still shines; it is the night he drank with Li Jing'an with a smile, the gentleness he showed when stroking Qing Li's hair in the wind and snow, and the fearlessness he showed when he held the Broken Snow Blade to Prince Duan's heart.

That's an obsession, that's the ego.

Next is "Soul Holding".

That was his unspoken "guilt," the sleepless night he spent by Qingli Ice Soul's side, and the regret he felt when he heard Dong'er crying but couldn't open his eyes during his seclusion.

This was his unfulfilled vow.

I will make sure you all live.

Thunder and fire rose in his sea of ​​consciousness, and the last wisp of "divine soul" light, from the divine thought of Devouring Abyss, slowly implanted into the core of his soul wheel. The three soul shadows converged in the sea of ​​thunder.

His sea of ​​consciousness roared, lightning and fire surged to his head, and his soul wheel slowly emerged.

It is neither gold nor jade, neither form nor shadow.

Rather, it is a sacred projection of the "soul consciousness" in its physical form. Within that wheel, three soul shadows rotate endlessly, like a three-legged divine cauldron, forming the core of the life soul.

Tun Yuan stood above the Sea of ​​Souls, quietly watching Chu Ning emerge from the storm and step into the center of the Soul Wheel.

On the pale golden wheel, the veins of the Thunder Bone flowed like divine blood, and the halo of the three souls resonated slowly, like an ever-burning star ring.

He thought that after the promotion he would only feel an increase in power, but unexpectedly, a strange "feeling" quietly crept into his heart.

His eyelashes trembled slightly, and suddenly, the world fell silent.

It is not a silent stillness, but a "silence" stripped of its original logic.

The air seemed to thicken, and all the spiritual energy in the world seemed to lose its usual trajectory in that instant, leaving only the sound of breathing from some "indescribable place".

Faint, yet impossible to ignore.

“…Did you hear that?”

An extremely indistinct voice suddenly rang out at the edge of Chu Ning's sea of ​​consciousness.

It is neither Devouring Abyss nor itself.

The voice did not belong to this world; it was too ancient, too distant, and it was impossible to determine whether it was male or female. It was merely a vibration rising from the very source of the soul, as if a sleeping ancient god was spying on him through the Thunder Soul and Soul Wheel.

"The first to manifest the Soul Wheel... the Spirit of the Critical Point."

Chu Ning suddenly opened his eyes, cold sweat streaming down his back.

He looked around. The far northern snowfield remained unchanged, with winds rising and clouds swirling, and the ice field shimmering slightly under the aurora. But he knew that the sound was no illusion.

He began to hear the "whispers of the soul" of heaven and earth.

That was the gasp of the Old World's will;

It is a whisper within the cracks of the shackles of Heaven's Way;
It was the gaze of some ancient dimension that left its first mark the moment his soul wheel took shape.

"You sensed it, didn't you?"

Tun Yuan suddenly appeared deep within the sea of ​​consciousness, his expression more solemn than ever before.

“You no longer belong to the category of people who are ‘simply shaped by fate.’ You now belong to the category of people who ‘may participate in writing’ fate.”

Chu Ning's throat tightened slightly, and she asked in a low voice, "...What is that?"

Tun Yuan stared at him for a long time, then uttered only one sentence:

"It's the 'list' of arbitrators."

“Every mortal who can condense a soul wheel will be perceived by higher dimensions once they take that step.”

The vague, indistinct voice of the divine soul floated into Chu Ning's mind, and an unprecedented sense of oppression rose in his heart.

"In other words, I... am being watched."

Tun Yuan nodded slowly.

“From the moment you condensed your soul wheel, you were no longer a mere ‘martial artist’.”

“You are the future of this world—the holder of the ‘Ascension Authority’.”

"You have become a variable in fate."

Chu Ning slowly opened her eyes.

Those eyes were no longer filled with obsessive anger, but with a profound calmness and power, like thunder calmed at the bottom of the sea, like fire hidden in an icy heart.

He gently raised his hand, and a bolt of lightning spilled from his fingertips, capable of tearing apart a corner of his sea of ​​consciousness.

His divine sense could now control lightning as if it were a blade.

At this moment, he understood.

Above this level—my life force is self-sufficient, and the heavens will not oppress me.

“Devouring Abyss,” he spoke, his voice deep and powerful, “is this Soul Wheel truly just the beginning?”

“If you can control it, then it is not,” Tun Yuan replied. “It is… the destiny you have forged yourself.”

“The manifestation of the Soul Wheel is not limited to power, but is the starting point for ‘stepping into the discourse of the gods’.”

The Soul Wheel rotates, and the Sea of ​​Consciousness is reconstructed.

After three years of practice, a rough outline has finally been drawn.

He gazed at the icy plains where gods were enshrined, the thunderous bones hummed softly, and his soul wheel slowly turned.

Chu Ning said in a low voice:
"Three years have passed since the ten-year promise was made."

"The rest—I will take it back myself."

Chu Ning slowly withdrew his fist, his aura gradually receding into the world.

However, just as the soul wheel returned to calm.

His soul suddenly jolted.

It was an unprecedented expansion of perception. His sea of ​​consciousness was as if it were being traversed by a torrent, and all things in the world flowed silently before his eyes, as if he had "heard" the entire world.

Amidst the countless fragmented fluctuations of soul sounds, he suddenly caught a faint yet extremely familiar soul aura.

That's... Chu Yun.

"Sister?!"

Chu Ning's pupils suddenly contracted, and he felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

He suddenly looked up, his divine soul power tracing the waves emanating from his soul wheel into the distance. The aura was deeply hidden, as if it were being heavily sealed and suppressed, or as if he was being chased and fleeing to avoid battle.

His chest tightened; the faint, almost wind-blown spiritual thought filled him with a piercing anxiety.

"She's hiding...she's being chased." Chu Ning whispered.

At this moment, the soul shadow of Tun Yuan appeared in the sea of ​​consciousness, raised an eyebrow, and said coldly, "What did you sense?"

Chu Ning turned around, her eyes burning: "It's my elder sister."

Tun Yuan's divine sense trembled, and he said in a deep voice, "I can detect that there is a wisp of 'spiritual blood catalyst' hidden in that aura... It is the blood of the same origin as yours that has awakened this resonance."

"Her current location is in the southwest—more than 5,000 li away."

"Southwest..." Chu Ning murmured softly, then suddenly looked up. That direction was exactly where the First-Class Pavilion was located.

"So she was there too."

He clenched his fists tightly, breathing rapidly for a long time, before slowly relaxing them.

His eyes flashed with a deep, unfathomable light, yet he showed no further hesitation.

"Whatever she is there for, I have to go."

"I should have left Yipin Pavilion a long time ago."

The wind and snow rose again, the soul wheel was like the moon, and the thunder rumbled.

His figure moved forward through the snow-covered landscape, his steps firm, as if he wanted to shatter the silence of heaven and earth.

It wasn't for glory, nor for breaking through boundaries, but for a name that had always lingered in my heart and I had never forgotten; it was also for the inevitable battle to break through boundaries ten years later.

He slowly exhaled, and the white mist dissipated in the cold wind.

However, there was no trace of ease in his eyes.

"not enough."

he whispered.

Tun Yuan raised an eyebrow: "Why?"

Chu Ning looked north towards the place where the Ape Lord was sealed.

An indescribable sense of corruption and decay permeated the world.

That was the smell of the seal slowly "rotting".

The soul of the Ape Lord has been nailed to the lock for three years. Now, the Golden Lock Divine Tree, which originally stood still like a divine tower, is withering away at its roots and its branches and leaves are turning dark gold like rust spots.

What's even more unsettling is deep within the roots.

One section is silently cracking open, and wisps of black and red soul mist, like venomous snakes, slowly emerge, spreading to the earth's veins, corroding through the ice layer, and polluting the snow.

The chains jingled softly, as quiet as a whisper.

Yet, in the wind, a faint sound, like a mournful wail, could be heard:

"Return to life... return me..."

Chu Ning sat cross-legged a hundred feet away from the sealed domain.

He had just stepped into the "first rank," but he felt no relief. Instead, a kind of anxiety from the depths of time entangled him like vines.

That soul wheel hovered atop the sea of ​​consciousness, its light radiating, yet each rotation seemed to issue a somber warning:
"If you don't hurry... it will wake up."

“The Ape Lord will break the seal.”

He slowly rose, his cloak billowing as ice shards fell in a flurry.

The sacred tree still stands, but beneath it, the first strand of chain has become stained with blood and rust.

He looked down.

That was a golden lock—the first divine lock he had personally bound around the Ape Lord's soul core with the Primordial Chaos Lock Seal.

Now, the chain is stained with blood, the gold patterns are dull, and the lock seal incantation is mottled and unclear.

"The lock... is bleeding?" he murmured.

At that moment, the earth suddenly trembled very slightly.

He looked down and saw that the snow beneath his feet was cracked, and wisps of dark soul energy rose along the cracks, turning into black mist that formed a soul mist circle like a poisonous swamp around the edge of the golden tree.

And within that fog, countless blurry "faces" were slowly emerging.

They gnawed at the chains, howling as if the dead were breaking out of their graves, struggling outside the cycle of reincarnation.

“That is… the remnant of the Soul Clan that Ape Lord sacrificed.” Tun Yuan suddenly spoke in his sea of ​​consciousness, his voice unusually heavy, “When their souls were out of balance, they backfired on the seal, forming the treacherous swamp.”

"If this swamp of souls were to engulf the roots, the three-year seal would reduce the lifespan to one year."

"And if a second seal is not found to replace it in three years... this world will perish before you."

As Chu Ning gazed at the golden tree roots, whose blood-red chains were about to crack, his heart felt as if it were being slowly tightened by an invisible hand.

He didn't speak, but slowly raised his right hand, and the pale golden soul wheel slowly appeared in his palm.

This time, it was calmer, yet clearer than ever before.

At its core, three souls are intertwined: one is mortal, one is obsessive, and the other is a "divine model soul" that the Devouring Abyss has taken refuge in.

The thunder veins run through his chakras, and his bone marrow reaches his sea of ​​consciousness.

Chu Ning knew that he had stepped into the "threshold of God".

But he also knew that the threshold was not the end.

He slowly closed his eyes.

Tun Yuan spoke softly:
"Although you have reached the first rank, you have not yet honed your first soul technique, nor have you forged your own divine sense skill."

"Only seven years remain out of ten; time cannot be wasted."

"From now on, you should begin to truly learn how to control the gods with the 'Soul Wheel,' how to slay enemies with the 'Thunder Bone,' and how to guard the realm with the 'Three Souls.'"

Chu Ning slowly exhaled and opened her eyes:
"it is good."

He gazed at the golden lock, which was on the verge of corroding and breaking, and whispered as if making a vow:

"I must fully master the power of 'Godslayer' before he awakens."

"Next time, we won't just seal him up—"

"Instead, kill him forever."

The wind howled, and the golden lock jingled softly.

Deep within the withered roots of the distant golden tree, a scarlet eye seemed to quietly open.

(End of this chapter)