Within the Yang Family's divine mountain. Shi Yan and Xia Xinyan sat cross-legged, facing one another.

Between them, the Soul Gathering Bead pulsed with dazzling light, threads of pure, clear soul power flowing along their arms and necks into their respective minds. The soul power within the Soul Gathering Bead, like a trickling stream, diminished bit by bit.

Time flowed—in the blink of an eye, half a year had passed. Shi Yan held his breath, concentration absolute.

On his forehead, a radiant glow had appeared sometime during this period. An intensely powerful soul fluctuation emanated from his mind, slowly spreading throughout the entire stone chamber.

The critical moment had arrived. For the past six months, following the instructions of the Profound Ice Cold Flame, he had continuously absorbed the soul power from the Soul Gathering Bead.

This infusion of soul power had rendered his mental strength overwhelmingly robust. His spiritual sense could now encompass a radius of a hundred li, allowing him to perceive every rustle of grass and flutter of leaves within that vast expanse!

His mental acuity had increased tenfold under the injection of soul power, a rate of growth that showed no sign of slowing even now. Amidst this surge of spiritual power, Shi Yan did not pause; he remained focused on refining it.

He began combining one thousand strands of mental power according to a specific pattern, coalescing them into a single, unified current. Within his mind, the mental energy manifested as hundreds of thousands of fine threads, which, under the dominion of his will, were being interwoven, one thousand threads at a time.

On this day, the mental power in his mind, after this systematic re-merging, gradually formed several hundred distinct currents. These few hundred merged currents of spiritual power, under the control of his consciousness, were then driven into his soul imprint.

As his soul imprint suddenly became interwoven within this mental energy, those threads, which had previously seemed slightly coarse, instantly began to contract at an astonishing speed! Shi Yan clearly witnessed a dramatic metamorphosis occurring within his mind.

Streaks of mental energy began to gleam with an unusual light. Amidst the brilliant radiance, he saw every single thread of mental power slowly shrinking, becoming finer.

Each thread was saturated with his soul imprint, containing within it fragments of his life experiences and comprehension gained over the years. Dipping his consciousness into one of these threads of mental power for close examination was like watching a film, where he could distinctly see scenes from a specific period of his life.

His past seemed to be replaying within these streams. Those lines of mental power were deeply etched with the experiences of his life; each thread seemed to be a miniature reflection of his very existence.

In the midst of this process, his soul felt as if it were undergoing sublimation, utterly immersed within that mental energy. At one specific moment.

Flashes of lightning began to leap between the mental threads. The spiritual energy gradually became indistinct, impossible to sense.

A strange energy fluctuation started to dissipate from within them; a mysterious transformation was quietly unfolding… Shi Yan suddenly felt as though he possessed countless new eyes! Or perhaps, countless new souls!

A marvelous sensation flooded his mind. Before he could fully grasp it, those threads of mental power abruptly converged and fused together.

In his mind, stream after stream of pure essence merged, slowly forming a vast ocean of spirit. The Sea of Consciousness!

Tendrils of divine sense gathered together, coalescing in his mind into what felt, to his perception, like a divine sea roughly one square meter in size. Looking inward with his mind's eye, he could see this small sea suffused with intense life vibrations.

Within the Sea of Consciousness, the entirety of his soul’s memories were now profoundly imprinted. With the slightest shift in thought, he could observe every past experience within this sea!

Whenever he willed it, the Sea of Consciousness would transform into a screen, playing back his previous moments with absolute clarity, just like a movie. His life, his very existence’s mark, resided in the Sea of Consciousness—it was the sublimation of his soul!

Gradually, the flickering light in his mind ceased; everything seemed to slowly return to normal. The Soul Gathering Bead, unnoticed, had stopped its luminous pulsing.

At some indeterminate point, not a trace of soul power remained within it. The purified soul power, refined from tens of thousands of souls, had been completely absorbed by the two of them during this period.

Shi Yan abruptly opened his eyes. With a mere thought, the Sea of Consciousness produced a strange fluctuation.

His divine sense extended outward, swiftly spreading in all directions. Wherever the divine sense passed, centered on the divine mountain, the nearby single-tree demonic beasts, the ancestral halls, the many martial artists of the Yang family—all scenes were instantly reflected within his Sea of Consciousness.

The small sea was partitioned into countless fragments of imagery, each corresponding to a scene in the outside world. Shi Yan was stunned, his expression utterly bizarre.

This momentary extension of divine sense, coupled with the transformation of his Sea of Consciousness, brought him an extremely wondrous realization. The divine sense he projected was like countless invisible, intangible cameras or satellites, recording every scene nearby, while the Sea of Consciousness acted as a screen, displaying those scenes one by one with perfect clarity, down to the minute texture of every blade of grass in each scene.

A strange smile touched his lips as Shi Yan sat on the stone couch, his eyes shining brightly. This martial path cultivation—the formation of the Sea of Consciousness—actually held such marvelous utility; it was far beyond his prior expectations.

He had known before that martial artists in the Nirvana Nest Realm could perceive surrounding movements through divine sense, but he had always imagined that sensation would be akin to fumbling in the dark, lacking true clarity or detail. Yet, now that he had formed his Sea of Consciousness and possessed divine sense, this first experience brought with it an emotion he couldn't name.

He believed that with his current ability, if placed in the world he originated from, he could rightfully be called a deity. Remaining stationary, yet able to perceive events a hundred li away, discerning every minute detail—this was truly comparable to the satellites of that other world.

And it wasn't just passive observation! The Sea of Consciousness shifted again.

Streams of divine sense suddenly condensed into an attack and violently struck the crystal wall beside him. The faint white mist formed by the dense spiritual energy of heaven and earth in the air visibly rippled as if struck by an unseen force.

At the center of this faint mist, a vacuum appeared, forming a concentrated wave of power that shot outwards. Pffft… These three waves of divine sense impact landed against the crystal wall, eliciting a faint, audible collision sound.

Shi Yan’s expression lit up, his smile deepening. Indeed, with the formation of the Sea of Consciousness, he could directly launch soul attacks against enemies.

Divine sense differed from mere mental power; although also invisible to the naked eye, it could generate intensely fierce soul assaults. Softly, it could be as fine as a hair; hard, it could become steel, possessing direct destructive power against the soul!

Shi Yan sat upon the stone couch, a smile playing on his lips, continually experimenting with the power of his divine sense and his Sea of Consciousness, testing every subtle variation he could conceive, over and over again. “Congratulations, you have formed your Sea of Consciousness and acquired divine sense…” A message resonated from the ring.

“However, it seems you shared all the soul power from the Soul Gathering Bead with your woman! Well then, what about the portion you promised me?” Shi Yan forced a wry smile.

“My apologies, I was deeply immersed in cultivation and forgot. Unconsciously, we used up all that soul power.

But, didn’t you say I wouldn’t need much soul power? Why was it used up so quickly?” “You used sixty percent, and your woman used forty percent…” The Profound Ice Cold Flame pondered for a moment.

“Your potential is greater than I imagined, leading you to consume significantly more soul power. I initially thought thirty percent would suffice for you.

I didn't anticipate you absorbing sixty percent, allowing your Sea of Consciousness to expand so vastly. Your Sea of Consciousness has now formed and holds substantial divine sense power, all thanks to that sixty percent absorption.

And your woman’s cultivation is profound; the phenomenon in her mind was also strange, as she actually absorbed forty percent. I’ve truly lost out…” “Uh… didn't you mention that my blood could restore the Soul Gathering Bead’s ability to absorb soul power?” Shi Yan asked sheepishly.

“How about this: once the Soul Gathering Bead recovers, I will continue to gather soul power, and next time, I will certainly divide the essence for you. Is that acceptable?” “Hmph, I suppose that is the only way,” the Profound Ice Cold Flame conceded helplessly.

“Since it’s already done, I have no choice. Just remember our agreement.” Shi Yan nodded immediately, agreeing to the terms.

“Your woman is about to wake up…” the Profound Ice Cold Flame transmitted. A joy flashed through Shi Yan’s heart.

He immediately ceased communication with the Profound Ice Cold Flame and focused his attention intently on Xia Xinyan. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, Xia Xinyan’s long lashes trembled, and her red lips moved almost imperceptibly, as if stirring from a deep dream.

Shi Yan watched with focused intensity, a strange tension growing in his chest. Slowly, the soul fluctuations around Xia Xinyan began to stabilize, and the delicate color returned to her complexion, becoming rosy once more.

Even now, in this state, she retained an air of noble grace, possessing an inherent, untouchable elegance. Gazing upon the beauty of his companion, Shi Yan’s eyes softened, a faint smile touching his lips.

After an unknown period, Xia Xinyan finally opened her eyes slowly. Her captivating, bright gaze shone like stars, deep as the ocean, fixed quietly on Shi Yan.

“Seeing you again feels wonderful.” A graceful curve lifted the corner of her mouth as she smiled softly. “Xinyan, are you alright now?” Shi Yan took a deep breath, his face alight with a gentle smile.

He leapt down from the stone couch and extended his hand toward her. “Let’s get down and walk around a bit, see if anything feels off, make sure there are no lingering issues…” Xia Xinyan smiled radiantly, shaking her head lightly, yet willingly extended her jade hand, allowing Shi Yan to help her descend from the couch.

Her perfect figure moved gracefully within the stone chamber a few steps. With a smile coloring her delicate features, she murmured softly, “Not only am I fine, but I have also broken through to the Second Heaven Realm of the Earthly Position.” Shi Yan was taken aback, then filled with delight.

“Congratulations…” Xia Xinyan nodded slightly, gazing at him with a playful smile. “Our wager still stands.

Until you manage to defeat me, hehe, you had better behave yourself…” With that, she withdrew her jade hand from Shi Yan’s grasp, raised an eyebrow slightly, and challenged him, “You had better work hard. If you don’t put in the effort, I won't promise you anything…” “Don’t worry, you won’t be waiting long,” Shi Yan grinned widely, his face radiating confidence.

“It won’t take long before I surpass you…” “Big talk,” Xia Xinyan pursed her lips and chuckled. “Don’t just boast; prove it to me sooner rather than later…” “I will,” Shi Yan affirmed.