If he were outside, he might have faced the problem of insufficient energy supply, which could have affected the condensation of his soul core.But in this valley, where the energy concentration was two or three times higher than that of the outside world, such worries were unnecessary.
The surrounding energy surged toward him endlessly, allowing Yun Ze to condense his soul core without any hesitation or fear.
Gu Yuena stood at a distance, a little nervous, holding the seven-colored dragon pearl she had previously condensed.If Yun Ze showed any sign of energy depletion, she would immediately give the dragon pearl to him, allowing him to use the energy within it to complete his condensation.
Failure in soul core condensation could harm a soul master—sometimes lightly, sometimes severely—and in extreme cases, it could even be life-threatening.
That was why she was so anxious now, silently praying in her heart:
"You must succeed."
Inside Yun Ze's dantian, a fiery-red, rhombus-shaped crystal core slowly rotated, accompanied by a smaller silver crystal nucleus orbiting around it.The silver crystal was smaller, serving as a subsidiary core, radiating spatial fluctuations.
Together, the two formed a single, complete soul core — one dominated by flame, the other by space.This dual-attribute combination gave it a quality far superior to any ordinary soul core.
The power of the Emerald Dragon King had been crucial for Yun Ze's ability to form the space nucleus.Without the Dragon King's spatial strength, Yun Ze's current cultivation would never have been sufficient to condense a space-type crystal.
His dantian space was like a microcosm — small in appearance, yet vast within.The fire crystal nucleus had already expanded to the size of a fist, yet the inner space easily accommodated it.
The fiery core continued to grow, and the space core expanded as well, though at a slower rate.Inside the fiery nucleus, the space seemed endless — a phoenix of flame spread its wings and soared freely within, unrestrained.
Three days passed swiftly. Yun Ze's soul core condensation had reached its final stage.
The swirling vortex of energy gradually shrank until it vanished completely; the surrounding energy no longer rushed toward him.
When Yun Ze opened his eyes, a faint flame flickered within his pupils — the phantom of a phoenix briefly visible.
Having successfully formed his soul core, his aura grew heavier and deeper, blending seamlessly with the environment, giving him an almost unfathomable presence.
The ambient energy naturally flowed into his body now — even without cultivating, his strength would continue to grow slowly on its own.Of course, that growth rate was much slower compared to active cultivation.
"Forming a soul core at level forty-four… if this gets out, you'll scare half the continent," Gu Yuena said with a soft laugh.
The previous record-holder for fastest soul core formation had been Yun Ming of Shrek Academy, who succeeded at level fifty-nine.
She herself could have condensed hers at level fifty-six, but she had delayed it for lack of time.
By the time she finally condensed her own, her cultivation had reached level fifty-eight — breaking Yun Ming's record.
But that record hadn't lasted long before Yun Ze shattered it entirely — and in an even more shocking way.
To condense a soul core at the Soul Sect level — he was undoubtedly the first, and perhaps the only one who could ever achieve it.
"There's no need to talk about these things," Yun Ze said with a shake of his head."Just knowing it myself is enough," Gu Yuena replied with a smile.
Then, curiosity got the better of her.
"By the way, what level is your soul power now?"
They both had taken Breath-Concealing Pills, so without actively using soul power, it was impossible to sense each other's levels.
Normally, after forming a first soul core, a soul master's power would rise by one to three levels.
Gu Yuena herself had advanced by three levels at that time — and with the Dragon God's soul, Long Yun, and Dragon Soul energy absorbed afterward, she had gained a total of seven levels.After absorbing her sixth spirit ring and releasing all her accumulated energy, her current soul power had reached level sixty-four.
"Level forty-six," Yun Ze answered. "I'm not far from forty-seven."
"Only two levels?" Gu Yuena said, surprised. "Your soul core's quality should be higher than mine. You should've advanced by at least three!"
The higher the soul core's quality, the greater the benefits it brought — reflected most obviously in one's soul power increase.Given Yun Ze's extremely high-quality soul core, he should have gained at least three full levels.
"It's close enough," Yun Ze said with a faint smile. "I said I'm close to forty-seven — meaning I nearly reached a full three-level increase."
"Numerically, yes, it's two levels, but practically it's about three."
"Besides, my soul power foundation is unusually deep. Even at the same level, my total power reserves are at least double those of most top-tier soul masters."
"Since I have more energy overall, it naturally takes more to level up. Gaining nearly three levels' worth is already a great result."
"If you compared it to a top-tier soul master's scale, it's equivalent to about six levels of increase. That's quite a lot."
Gu Yuena finally nodded in understanding, her doubts fading.
The two continued their cultivation within the small pocket space.With its dense energy, it was a perfect place to train — provided one could use their martial soul and soul power.
Without that ability, even the richest energy environment would be useless.
Because of her quasi–Dragon God martial soul, Gu Yuena wasn't restricted by the realm's laws — she could cultivate freely.
Yun Ze, on the other hand, used formation arrays to nullify the restrictions on himself, allowing him to train within the array's boundaries.
Anyone else would have been unable to make use of the dense energy here as they could.
Time passed quickly. From the moment they had entered this small space, three and a half months had gone by.
In that time, both Yun Ze and Gu Yuena had made huge progress.Yun Ze's soul power had risen from level forty-one to forty-seven — a six-level increase in just three and a half months, an incredible rate.
Gu Yuena's progress was even more astonishing — she had gained seven levels, one more than Yun Ze.
Of course, Yun Ze hadn't yet absorbed the energy of the dragon pearl formed from Long Yun and the Dragon Soul.If he did, his advancement would easily surpass seven levels.
But he wasn't planning to absorb the seven-colored dragon pearl's energy yet — rising too quickly in cultivation could be harmful.
Even the golden dragon pearl formed from the Golden Dragon King's energy, he had decided not to absorb until reaching the Soul King stage.
After the Mountain Dragon King soul spirit consumed its final piece of bone, it turned into a stream of light and entered Yun Ze's body, falling into deep slumber.Its bones were enormous — despite beginning its devouring first, it was the last to finish.
The Thunder Sacred Dragon and Emerald Dragon King soul spirits had already completed their own bone absorption and returned to Yun Ze's body long ago.
Afterward, they too fell into deep sleep, refining the immense energy within the bones. The time of their awakening remained uncertain.
(End of Chapter)