Chapter 248 - Soul Cultivation
Many changes were frantically altering the mental state of numerous Huang Dragons. Nearly all of them had their own goals and plans in mind for the near future.
But though they were at the center of attention of such change, Cain, Kali, and Amber practically ignored all troubling situations.
Cain and Kali's status were always untouchable, being direct royal descendants. And now, with their showcase of talent along with Shi Wei's evident aura of protection, the common Huang Dragons wouldn't even dare to carelessly ask them a causal question.
Naturally, Amber was included with them. Her Soul Dragon Mark virtually put her on the same level as Cain since she is his linked companion.
Moreover, even without this protection, the fact that Amber was faintly superior to the Crown Prince was terrifying in its own right.
With these high and mighty statuses, Cain, Kali, and Amber were genuinely free to their own devices until Shi Wei or any highest Dragon Elders summons there.
For the past couple of days, however, no highest Dragon Elders or Ancestors have sought them.
This had allowed for the trio to expertly invest their time.
Kali continually cultivated in her own chambers, focusing on consolidating her foundations more than anything.
Because of the Divine Essence of Heaven and Earth permeating the God Galaxies, the effect of consolidating the foundation was numerous times better.
Her speed was still slightly slower compared to previous cultivation realms. But Kali's cultivation still reached speeds that'll leave the other Huang Dragons green in envy.
As for Cain and Amber, they both had a lovely time sharing a chamber together.
They both were perfectly comfortable staying in such an intimate environment with each other. After forming the Soul Dragon Marks, it was like their relationships took massive invisible steps forwards.
Just being in each other's presence while also investing in their own cultivation was equivalent to cuddling.
Even when they were to take small breaks, they could physically cuddle each other with little embarrassment on Amber's part.
Neither of them felt any particular desire or rush to physically connect. But not because they had no lustful drive but rather the pleasure of their Souls was enough to provide unending satisfaction.
Furthermore, Amber could drown herself with World Spirit Master's books, texts, and jade scrolls for hours without feeling bored. She spent the majority of her time advancing on the Spiritual Way.
As for Cain, he split his time between the Martial and Spiritual Way. He was both consolidating his dantian foundation and slowly refining 2nd Class blue Spirit Energy.
Up in the God Galaxy, Cain had noticed that the natural Spiritual environment is numerous times superior to the Lower Realms.
Cain estimated he could reach 2nd Class Middle Layer in just a few weeks!
An astonishing speed that only someone like Great Spirit Master Bellax could sigh at.
On this day, Cain wasn't actually inside his chambers. Instead, Shi Wei had summoned him, and like a filial child, he instantly responded to her call.
After following her direction, Cain soon entered the same chambers he first ended up in when returning to the Imperial family.
As he walked into the chambers, Cain couldn't help but sight how extravagant it was.
It truly felt like entering into another dimension, large shelves with rows of books, jade scrolls, and ancient texts that all exuded an authentic divine aura that can directly influence any mortal mind.
The resources of any God Galaxies indeed are on another plane of existence.
As Cain slowly walked, he soon found Shi Wei in the chamber's center, simply floating a few inches above the ground in a lotus position.
Her expression was perfectly serene as if she was in her natural habitat.
When Cain neared close to her, Shi Wei slowly opened her eyes, a beautiful smile blossoming her fairy-like face.
She calmly said, "Little Cain…has everything been alright for you? The last few days surely have been bustling."
In response to Shi Wei's question, Cain nodded with respect and sat down into a cross-legged position.
In this universe, the only people who have his full respect and trust are Kali, Amber, and Shi Wei.
More than the girls, Shi Wei took such an enormous precedent within his heart.
Without Shi Wei, he wouldn't be able to accomplish nearly everything he worked hard for. Furthermore, through her aura of protection, he, Kali, and Amber suffered zero troubles or setbacks while in the Imperial Palace.
While the ordinary Clansmen have to challenge each other, while his other Royal siblings have to scheme against each other, he, Kali, and Amber were exempt from all of that.
Previously, many had claimed it was blatant favoritism of how closely protected Shi Wei is over Cain and Kali.
But now, with their ultimate showcase of talent, nothing substantial could be said about her overt protection.
Understanding this, Cain is fully aware he could 100% rely on Shi Wei. And only to her would he show the most respect.
So with a faint smile, Cain said, "It indeed has been going well for me, grandmother. Amber and Kali are all making steady progress with their cultivation. And thanks to you, we can so calmly cultivate."
"Oh? Because of me?" Shi Wei lightly giggled, sounding like a fairy that can soothe any cold-hearted soul. "Little Cain, it's all because of your effort you all managed to achieve this step. Talent is crucial, but it isn't everything. Without the appropriate amount of hard work, I'm afraid anyone will become a good for nothing."
Between grandparent and child, there simply weren't hidden pretenses or hidden intentions.
Only pure, genuine love.
At that moment, a thought flashed within Shi Wei's mind, causing him to mysteriously smile.
"Before we continue with the purpose of this meeting…little Cain, I presume you haven't forgotten about your fiance, right?"
"Ah…that…no I haven't." Cain furrowed his brows while speaking.
Sorting through his memory, he indeed recalled that beautiful and honest young maiden.
During that time, he was still merely a mortal without any aptitude for cultivation. His mental state at that time was vastly differs with so many ideas he deemed worthless now.
Because of his numerous enlightenments with cultivation, Cain became more determined to walk the peak of the Martial and Spiritual Path.
His goal for true freedom can be obtained from this, and it was an intense desire that was birthed from deep within his Soul.
As for Qiu Lan, currently, Cain held zero thoughts about her.
The Soul Dragon Mark with Amber was fulfilling and exudes a sense of incredibly unique satisfaction.
But, it truly wasn't enough to sway Cain's rock-solid Martial Heart.
Truthfully, he's more than aware of his family tradition of taking on multiple loves and having one main wife. That is how they were able to rapidly grow in the cruel God Galaxies environment.
The benefits of their Dual Cultivation method were practically heaven-defying.
But still, Cain's own ambition was far too massive. He one day aspire to see the peak of the Heavenly Dao and possibly peer into the methods of eternal life!
Things like romances or multiple patterns just seem far too distracting.
Already, Cain counted his luck that Amber naturally likes to keep to herself and have her own goals and ambitions. They didn't even need to hang out as much as ordinary couples, as their Soul feelings will never waver.
When considering all of this, Cain's confused eyes suddenly turned clear.
He calmly said, "Grandmother, if it isn't too much to ask, but can you can deal with this marriage? My dream is to one day walk into the God Galaxies main stage and pursue the peak of the Martial and Spiritual Way. Affairs like this…well, it seems too distracting."
"My? You already reach this point, huh?" A twinkling glint sparkled Shi Wei's eyes. "Alright then. We can put this on hold for now. Truthfully, this marriage is more so about our family gaining access to more resources and personnel. That little Dilong and Ya even have the intentions of swallowing that massive sect whole through you. But enough about that."
As Shi Wei spoke, she suddenly opened her palm and summoned a faint purple light.
The purple light rapidly intensified, formulating into a small purple sphere. When the purple sphere formed, an incredibly refreshing aura washed over the entirety of the chambers.
Anyone who could feel this would undergo a trance as if they were submerging into the warmest hot springs crafted from divinity itself.
"Hm!"
Cain's brows jumped as he obverse the purple sphere. His body was shuddering from the pleasurable warmth, but his mind stayed focused on Shi Wei's hands.
This purple sphere looked utterly fantastical. It was translucent and, at the same time, entirely solid.
Small streaks of beautiful purple light continually flashed out of the purple sphere, adding to its majestic glory.
Cain tried hard to accurately describe this purple specialty. But all words he had just seemed to come short of genuinely describing its otherworldly radiance.
Without even taking his eyes off the purple sphere, Cain asked, "Grandmother…this has to be the most beautiful thing I ever saw. Just what…what could it possibly be?"
Shi Wei lightly chuckled, feeling great amusement over his bewilderment. "Little Cain, this is what we all have lying deep within our being. This is our Soul's Core. Such a magical thing it is, really. Now then, what I want you to do is to spread your sense into this Soul's Core and perceive its properties."
Almost instantly, Cain was about to interject his Spirit Sense. But right as he stimulated his Soul, his mind suddenly flashed back to the Dragon Altar test.
During the brief moment before the 11th step, he recalled those mysterious words that had suddenly appeared from his Soul.
Cain then asked, "Before I do this, grandmother, can I ask about something? During my test, I felt that my Soul was undergoing continuous advancement because of the strain of Essence. And during the 11th step, my mind had suddenly developed some mysterious words. I remember it saying that the Soul contains our Martial Nature. And if I can understand this, I can reveal the true power of the Soul."
When hearing this, Shi Wei paused in genuine surprise. Her deep purply glossy eyes that seemed to contain infinite wisdom traveled up and down Cain's body.
After what seemed like a long minute, she slowly said, "I had already sensed that you managed to reach the Spirit Soul realm. But to think, you also managed to reach small success in it already. To your question, Martial Nature is indeed the key to truly using the power of the Soul. In essence, you will need to strengthen your own set of Soul beliefs to grasp the power of the Soul."
Furrowing his brows, Cain deeply pondered about the hidden meanings in Shi Wei's words, knowing that she was testing him.
When thinking about so-called Soul beliefs, his mind started to wander to his previous homeworld.
Such a completely different life compared to his current one. But it was here that a flash of inspiration struck Cain's mind.
'Because I was so determined to leave that world, I actually managed to find out how to use Soul energy. It was the most primitive and rudimentary form, but still, I had a massive advantage over nearly all humans. Furthermore, I even strained my Soul energy so much to stimulate the Chaotic Emerald and transmigrate it into this body. The basis of all of this came from the fact I was so crazily determined to be free and live a luxurious life of adventure. This was a belief that should've come from Soul…'
As his eyes gradually glowed, Cain spoke up. "Is this Soul belief is having massive hope within yourself that stems directly from the Soul's Core? This hope transcends all physical feelings and provides sensations that are magical…at least, I think that what it is."
"Mn. Well done, child, that is just one small part of this question."
Genuine praise oozed from Shi Wei's tone, her warm smile blossoming like the sun. Just this alone unknowingly caused Cain's own confidence in his answer to surge.
Shi Wei continued to say, "If you're not aware of this, remember this deeply, little Cain. This goes for the Soul and any other cultivation or combat situation. A weak Martial Heart that is on the verge of shattering or a completely shattered Martial Heart will never be able to display the full abilities of that Martial Cultivator. Their Heart Demons will be far too intense, even going so far as to limit their cultivation forever as well. One of the leading causes of this is when a Martial Cultivator has zero sets of strong Soul beliefs. They're confused about their true nature, leading to severe doubts about their abilities. Remember, little Cain, without knowing your true nature, you will never be able to advance on Soul Cultivation. To start with, began perceiving this Soul's Core as to engrave the sensation of its nature into your Mental Psyche and Soul."
Cain nodded and promptly spread his Spirit Sense straight into the Soul's Core. Instantly his mental psyche was filled with the sensation of the Soul.
To Cain, it felt as if he was staring at the origin of nature, a sensation that felt so natural it was nearly unreal.
As he slowly comprehended this sensation, Cain started to think to himself, 'It truly is odd… it's not my Soul, and yet I feel so in tune with it. This must be the general qualities of Soul essence.'
Gradually, Cain fell into a trance. With the sensation of a foreign Soul's Core, his mental psyche linked it to his own Soul's Core.
'At the start of coming to this universe, I just wanted true freedom. Now, I want to walk the path of a true Martial Artists. This is my deepest passion. No matter how thorny this road is or if my body is alight with flames, I'll walk through it all and, reborn as a True Dragon and reach the very peak of the eternity of Martial Arts!'
The very moment this thought formulated, Cain's entire body quivered while his Soul's Core rapidly stirred.
He instantly fell into a comprehension trance, his abyss-like black eyes now glowing a luminous green hue.
'Mn, perfect.' On the outside, Shi Wei approvingly nodded.
With a wave of her hand, she gushed out streams of Spirit energy that instantly covered the whole chamber.
A soothing aura spread from the Spirit energy, engulfing the entirety of Cain's being. Under this aura, his mental psyche will subconsciously relax more, allowing for his Soul attainments to advance quicker than average.
Shi Wei had great, high hopes, believing Cain could genuinely make an unforgettable history.