Lestes awoke before dawn.
The cave was silent, bathed in faint morning light filtering through the concealed entrance. As his consciousness fully returned, his gaze drifted across the disordered scene around him—and memory followed.
Everything came rushing back.
His expression darkened.
None of it had been planned. Neither he nor Feng Luochen had been in control. Their actions had been driven by something external, something invasive.
So it really has begun…
He closed his eyes and carefully retraced the events. The conclusion was unavoidable.
The sealed Nine-Headed Serpent Soul was not merely influencing his emotions—it was actively leaking corruption. Worse still, its influence radiated outward. Anyone close to him was subtly affected, their desires amplified without conscious awareness. During moments of intimacy, a passive domain formed, heightening lewd impulses and eroding rational restraint.
This realisation chilled him.
Lestes turned his focus inward and inspected his soul.
To his surprise, he had broken through the second stage of Body Tempering and entered the third stage during the chaos. Under normal circumstances, this would have been cause for celebration.
But not now.
As he probed deeper, he found something far more alarming.
Impurities.
Too many.
Foreign thoughts, alien emotions, impulses that did not belong to him—threaded through his soul like poison veins. They carried a distinct origin.
The serpent…
His earlier assessment had been wrong. The seal had not merely weakened—it had been damaged.
Lestes summoned the image of the seal within his soul. The Nine-Headed Serpent writhed within, its form ferocious and malignant. Upon closer inspection, he saw it clearly now:
A microscopic fissure.
The serpent's essence was leaking out in micro quantities. Insignificant for his former self, but catastrophic for his current state. If not for his immortal soul, he would have already lost himself.
His brows furrowed.
This is worse than I thought.
He was too weak to repair the seal. To attempt it now would be suicide. It was like standing inside the jaws of a beast that could close at any moment.
For the first time since awakening, Lestes felt genuine danger.
He forced himself to calm down.
Opening his eyes, he took a slow, steady breath.
Then he looked beside him.
Feng Luochen was still asleep.
Her breathing was soft and even, her posture relaxed, her features peaceful. In the quiet light of dawn, her figure appeared almost unreal—graceful curves, delicate lines, a beauty untouched by the world's cruelty.
A surge stirred within him.
The heat rose.
His breath tightened.
The serpent's influence flared.
No.
Lestes clenched his fists. He knew that if he stayed, he would lose control again. Without another thought, he stood and left the cave at full speed, disappearing into the forest.
Only after running far away did he finally stop.
He sat on a stone overlooking the forest, the rising sun painting the horizon gold. Slowly, his breathing steadied.
I need to purify my soul. Immediately.
There was no alternative.
Closing his eyes, Lestes began to recite a familiar mantra. True Soul Art.
The True Soul Art was a divine technique created by a legendary Buddhist cultivator whose name had long been erased from history, yet whose influence endured. It was an art that targeted the most fundamental aspect of existence—the soul itself.
Unlike ordinary cultivation techniques, the True Soul Art did not focus on qi or flesh. It refined the soul directly, purifying corruption, strengthening spiritual essence, and burning away foreign influences.
At its core, the technique summoned a Spiritual Flame of Wisdom, a flame born from clarity and truth. This flame did not harm the soul—it cleansed it. Hatred, fear, lust, obsession, curses, demonic influences—all were fuel for this fire.
As the soul purified, the cultivator's spiritual perception sharpened. Illusions became transparent. Deceptions lost their power. Even beings that existed beyond the physical realm could be perceived and confronted.
At advanced stages, practitioners could manifest their soul directly as a weapon—capable of striking spiritual entities immune to physical attacks.
However, the art was extremely dangerous.
If the soul was too weak, the flame could consume it instead. One mistake could lead to irreversible soul damage—or death. This was why so few dared to practice it.
The True Soul Art was divided into nine levels, each with three sub-stages.
The first level focused on establishing the foundation:
Soul Sensitivity – awakening awareness of one's own soul
Initial Purification – removing surface-level impurities and intrusive thoughts
Spiritual Foundation – stabilising and storing spiritual energy within the soul
Only after completing this level could true purification begin.
Lestes began cultivating.
The technique was profound, complex, and unforgiving. Even for him, comprehension was slow. But after two days of uninterrupted meditation, he achieved initial mastery of Soul Sensitivity.
His thoughts became clearer.
The serpent's whispers faded—for now.
To truly cleanse the corruption, he would need to reach Initial Purification. Ideally, before stepping into the Core Formation Realm.
With my immortal soul, it should be possible…
But he was cautious.
Excessive purification could alter his nature. That was unacceptable.
Lestes opened his eyes.
The sun was already high.
His stomach growled.
"I need food."
He rose, performed a brief divination, and headed toward the forest's outer edge, where low-tier demon beasts roamed. Concealing his aura with spiritual sense, he moved silently through the trees.
High-tier beasts were unnecessary risks.
For now, patience was the correct choice.