The sound of the waterfall echoed endlessly, but Alex's mind was fixed on something else.
He looked at the glowing pill in his hand, his brows slightly furrowed.
"But… I am not an Alchemist. How can I refine this?"
Yi Zhau's voice came calmly, yet carried its usual arrogance.
"You can become one."
Alex's eyes narrowed slightly.
"But how?"
A brief silence followed.
Then—
"Through your soul."
Alex paused.
His grip on the pill tightened slightly.
"My… soul?"
"How do I even have that?"
Yi Zhau let out a faint, dismissive chuckle.
"You speak as if you are empty."
"The soul is not something you gain later… it is something you are born with."
"The body…"
"…is nothing more than a machine."
"And the soul…"
"…is the engine that drives it."
Before Alex could respond—
Yi Zhau raised his fingers slightly and twisted them.
In an instant—
Alex's vision changed.
The world around him vanished.
Darkness.
Then—
Light.
A vast, endless white space appeared before him.
Silent.
Limitless.
"This…"
Alex's voice echoed softly.
"Is your Soul Sea."
Yi Zhau stood beside him, his figure calm yet overwhelming.
At the center of that endless space—
A faint glow flickered.
A small, thin, white light.
Fragile.
Unstable.
"That… is your soul."
Alex stared at it.
It looked weak.
Almost insignificant.
"It's… so small."
"Of course it is."
Yi Zhau's tone carried clear arrogance.
"It is immature. Incomplete."
"And far from what it needs to become."
Alex turned slightly.
"What do you mean?"
Yi Zhau stepped forward, his gaze fixed on the glowing light.
"If you wish to refine pills…"
"If you wish to control power beyond the physical…"
"You must cultivate your soul."
Alex listened carefully.
Yi Zhau continued.
"Soul Cultivation is different from Elemental Cultivation."
"It does not rely on the body…"
"It relies on understanding… control… and existence itself."
He raised his hand slightly.
The white space trembled.
"There are stages."
"Each one… a transformation of your very being."
His voice deepened slightly.
"Listen carefully."
"Stage 1 — Soul Awakening
The moment you awaken awareness of your soul… the first step."
"Stage 2 — Soul Expansion
Your soul grows… becoming stronger, wider… more stable."
"Stage 3 — Soul Advancing
Your soul gains power… begins to influence the world."
"Stage 4 — Soul Statue
Your soul takes a defined form… a stable existence."
"Stage 5 — Soul Purification
Impurities are removed… only pure essence remains."
"Stage 6 — Soul Manifestation
Your soul can act beyond your body… independently."
"Stage 7 — Divine Soul Statue
A higher evolution… closer to divinity."
"Stage 8 — Emperor Soul
Dominance over other souls… absolute authority."
"Stage 9 — Soul Eternity
The soul transcends the body… becoming nearly indestructible."
The space fell silent.
Alex absorbed every word.
"For an Alchemist…"
Yi Zhau continued,
"You must at least reach Soul Advancing."
Only then can you properly refine high-level pills."
Alex frowned slightly.
"But… I am not even at the first stage."
Yi Zhau smirked faintly.
"Do not concern yourself with limits."
"When I am here…"
"…rules can bend."
Alex looked at him.
"Then why don't you do it yourself?"
A brief pause followed.
Then Yi Zhau spoke.
"I am only a soul."
"I do not possess a physical body."
"I have no Elemental Energy."
"And refining requires both."
He continued calmly.
"The form of a pill depends on elemental energy…"
"But the quality…"
"…depends on the soul."
Alex nodded slowly.
Understanding forming within him.
"So what do I do?"
Yi Zhau gestured lightly.
"Open your ring."
Alex returned to reality.
The Soul Sea vanished.
The cave returned.
The sound of water echoed again.
He opened the ring.
Inside—
Various items floated in space.
Scrolls.
Pills.
Strange objects.
His eyes stopped at a blue scroll.
He took it out.
"This one?"
"Yes."
Yi Zhau's voice carried authority.
"That is the Heavenly Soul Mantra."
"A cultivation technique… for the soul."
Alex looked at it carefully.
"How do I use it?"
"Sit."
He sat down.
Cross-legged.
Back straight.
Breathing steady.
"Now… open the scroll."
Alex did.
The moment he opened it—
A faint blue light emerged.
Symbols.
Ancient.
Complex.
They began to move.
Flowing like water.
Entering his mind.
Yi Zhau spoke.
"Do not resist."
"Do not force."
"Just… follow."
Alex closed his eyes.
His breathing slowed.
His body became still.
The energy around him began to shift.
Not elemental.
Not physical.
Something deeper.
Subtle.
Pure.
The energy of nature itself.
The air around him vibrated faintly.
His body began to float slightly above the ground.
A faint blue aura surrounded him.
Inside his Soul Sea—
The small white light flickered.
Then—
It expanded slightly.
Unstable.
Shaking.
But growing.
Yi Zhau observed silently.
"Good…"
"But not enough."
He raised his hand.
From the ring—
A dark essence emerged.
Dense.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
"The essence of the dark beast…"
Without hesitation—
He sent it toward Alex.
The moment it touched him—
His body trembled violently.
His calm state shattered.
His breathing became unstable.
The soul energy inside him surged uncontrollably.
The small white light in his Soul Sea flickered wildly.
Cracks of instability appeared.
Alex's body shook.
Pain spread through him.
Too much.
Too fast.
Too heavy.
Yi Zhau's eyes narrowed slightly.
"As expected…"
He stepped forward.
His own soul energy surged.
It entered Alex.
Stabilizing.
Controlling.
Purifying.
"Focus."
His voice echoed inside Alex's mind.
"Do not fight it."
"Guide it."
Alex clenched his teeth.
His consciousness steadied.
Slowly…
He began to absorb the energy.
Not forcefully.
But gradually.
Piece by piece.
The violent trembling reduced.
The white light in his Soul Sea began to change.
It grew brighter.
Stronger.
More stable.
The cracks disappeared.
The light expanded.
Not large.
But complete.
For the first time—
It felt… alive.
Outside—
The blue aura around Alex intensified.
Then—
A sudden glow appeared on his face.
Calm.
Peaceful.
Powerful.
Yi Zhau stepped back.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"It is done."
The energy settled.
The floating stopped.
Alex slowly opened his eyes.
A faint blue light passed through them.
His breathing was steady.
His presence… different.
"What… is this feeling?"
Yi Zhau replied calmly.
"You have stepped into Soul Awakening."
Alex looked at his hands.
He could feel something new.
Something deeper than before.
Not strength.
Not energy.
But awareness.
Clarity.
Control.
Yi Zhau turned away slightly.
"Remember this…"
"The body can grow strong…"
"But without the soul…"
"…it is nothing."
The waterfall roared in the background.
But Alex stood silently.
Feeling the change within him.
For the first time—
He was no longer just alive.
He was… awake.
"When the soul awakens…
the path of true power begins."