The moon cast its reflection upon the ancient ruins, casting a soft, pale light upon the broken stones.
It was so silent that even the rustling of the wind seemed to come from afar.
Jun Tian stood before the altar that had awakened days ago, looking at the runes still pulsing softly under his feet.
But something different stirred in him ever since the event; an echo deep inside, as if someone had summoned him from a place which time itself had forgotten.
Even Yue Lian couldn't explain what was happening.
"This place holds more than spiritual energy," she said, landing lightly on the air, her silvery eyes mirroring the altar. "There's something here that touches the spirit."
Jun Tian nodded. "I feel the same. Ever since the training awakened, there's been a presence trying to communicate.
He traced runes in the air with a movement of his hand. The golden lines shimmered and the earth vibrated in response; a round passage opened up, disclosing a staircase leading down to below.
"A sealed hall," Yue Lian murmured. "Not even the main formation showed this."
Jun Tian inhaled deeply. "Then it is time to find out what it conceals.
It was a silent path, lit only by spirit crystals embedded in the walls. Ancient runes on the stones seemed to watch every step.
At the very bottom was a large, round hall. Right in its center, there was a moss-and-dust-covered throne. A mummy sat upon it, wrapped in dark robes that were torn here and there.
It emanated an oppressive pressure, though it was dead.
Jun Tian slowly neared. On the corpse's chest, an eye-shaped medallion glowed with light-and a voice echoed in his mind.
"Who… disturbs the sleep of the Divided Soul Bearer…?"
Jun Tian took a deep breath. "I do not seek to desecrate. Only to understand."
Silence. Then a hoarse laugh echoed.
"Understand…? I too sought to understand, and for that I died.
I was a guardian of the Celestial Spiritual Division Art. I sought to divide my soul… to achieve immortality.
But the Soul Dao does not forgive arrogance."
The shadow of the ancient cultivator rose from the body, translucent and fragmented.
Even incomplete, the presence was powerful enough to distort the air around it.
"The technique I leave behind… is incomplete.
It lacks the runes of balance and origin.
Whoever tries to practice it will perish, just as I did."
The medallion floated, hovering before Jun Tian.
Without hesitation, he extended his hand.
—Even incomplete, your legacy must not disappear. If you failed trying to understand the soul, I will finish what you started.
The shadow laughed, and then the medallion landed gently on Jun Tian's chest.
"Then inherit… and suffer."
A cold wave coursed through his body. Symbols and runes began to burn within his mind—a complex diagram, impossible to fully comprehend.
He clenched his teeth, his body trembling.
Yue Lian flew to him, worried. "Jun Tian! Your spiritual sea is collapsing!"
She placed her hands on his ethereal back, channeling a silvery light.
The spiritual power gradually calmed.
"This technique…" she murmured, analyzing the energy flows, "is unstable because it lacks the link between body and soul."
"If completed, it will allow consciousness to be divided into multiple fragments, each with its own will."
Jun Tian opened his eyes, sweat dripping down his face. "Can you complete it?"
Yue Lian looked at him hesitantly. "Not alone. But if I use part of my spiritual essence as a guide, perhaps I can stabilize the flow and unite the missing runes." — Then do it — he said without hesitation. — This art will be essential.
She frowned. — This will cost me vital energy, and you can...
Jun Tian smiled. — I trust you.
For a moment, Yue Lian watched him in silence. Then she closed her eyes.
A nine-petaled silver flower bloomed on her spiritual chest—the Soul Lotus Essence.
Runes of light flowed from her hands and intertwined with the burning marks on Jun Tian's body.
The altar's energy reacted instantly. The ancient runes began to spin, casting shadows on the ceiling.
A profound force formed, connecting their consciousnesses.
Yue Lian whispered, her voice soft but firm:
"Listen to the vibration of the soul, not the body."
"Division is not rupture... it is expansion."
Jun Tian closed his eyes, guided by her voice.
His consciousness expanded, and for a brief instant, he saw something within himself—a gray light, slowly swirling in the depths of his spirit.
An ancient, pure, silent energy.
Yue Lian felt it too.
Her gaze widened.
This... is the power of Chaos.
The entire formation trembled. The ground shook, and the medallion shone brightly.
The throne crumbled, but the hall was overcome by a sudden calm.
The new rune engraved on Jun Tian's chest shone harmoniously.
Yue Lian's voice echoed, breathless but serene:
"I did it. The art is now complete."
"Heavenly Spiritual Division... a perfect technique between body and soul."
Jun Tian opened his eyes. Within his pupils, for a brief moment, two distinct consciousnesses shone.
He smiled slightly. "So this is the first step to transcending the limits of the soul."
Yue Lian silently watched him, a soft expression appearing on her face.
"Jun Tian. sometimes I really wonder if fate brought you here by chance."
He looked at the broken altar and replied, "Perhaps chance is just a disguise for the inevitable."
The wind whistled through the ruins, its gusts carrying the last vestiges of the ancient guardian.
The medallion burst into fragments of light and coalesced into Jun Tian's body.
Yue Lian escorted him to the door.
The sky started to lighten, and a new feeling filled the air as if something invisible had been loosed into the atmosphere.
Jun Tian murmured to himself, looking toward the horizon.
"The body shapes the world."
"But the soul shapes destiny."