Step by step, Yi Tianyun continued to advance. His pace was incredibly slow, sometimes taking several days just to move a single step.
Fortunately, he had plenty of time. There wasn't much that needed his attention outside. Before coming here, he had already explained everything to Shi Xueyun, telling her he was entering seclusion for cultivation and would be temporarily unavailable.
If anything urgent came up, she could contact him immediately. But for now, it seemed nothing pressing would occur. Even though Heavenly Venerable Jian Si was away, he would notice if anything significant happened.
More importantly, Xiao Wu was there. With Xiao Wu guarding the area, who would dare make a move? If necessary, Heavenly Venerable Li Tian could flatten anyone with a single slap.
As time passed rapidly, Yi Tianyun's soul strength increased steadily. Each time he felt stable and had some energy left, he would take another step forward.
"Ding! Soul strength successfully upgraded to God Monarch, 9th level!"
A pleasant voice chimed in his ear. His soul cultivation had now surpassed his actual cultivation by four tiers. Although he couldn't simply dump experience points into it, the system still notified him of upgrades, it just wasn't something he usually paid much attention to.
Soul strength had always been a critical aspect of cultivation, but due to its limited upgrade paths, Yi Tianyun hadn't focused on it.
There were various ways to train the soul, most commonly through life-and-death tempering, which gave great results. Other methods included alchemy, forging, and most effectively, God Rune Master engraving.
Still, those upgrades were minimal and slow. Even after refining countless items, his soul level had only risen a few tiers, showing how difficult the process was.
When the soul couldn't keep up with cultivation, it often led to inner demons and deviation. That's why cultivators would train with special pills, forging arts, or soul-focused martial techniques, like illusions, to strengthen it.
Soul strength affected nearly everything, resisting inner demons, expanding divine sense, and more. For alchemists, it helped keep the mind steady and reduced mistakes.
Now, Yi Tianyun's soul had been greatly enhanced here, it was like gaining a powerful opportunity. Normally, such progress was nearly impossible, so he was quite pleased.
This soul growth would boost every part of his abilities, especially his mental clarity during high-level combat.
"I have to keep training here before I leave. I can't waste such a good place."
Yi Tianyun had always been a cultivation fanatic. A soul-tempering holy land like this? No way he'd pass it up. So he advanced slowly, deliberately refining himself along the way.
Years passed in the blink of an eye. Yi Tianyun sat calmly at the far end of the Forgetting Worries Bridge, meditating and cultivating his soul. He only needed to take one more step to cross it, but he didn't. He continued his training instead.
He could feel that more strength was within reach.
"Ding! Soul strength successfully upgraded to peak God Monarch level!"
After several years of cultivation, he achieved another breakthrough, his soul reaching its peak! It was no small feat, and yet here, he had accomplished it with ease.
Outside, such progress could take centuries, even millennia. But here, it had only taken a few years. It was almost effortless.
After the breakthrough, though, his progress slowed dramatically. Breaking through again might take several hundred, or even a thousand, years.
"Looks like this place only helps up to the God Monarch level. Once you're at the threshold, it loses effect."
Yi Tianyun didn't feel greedy. He was already very satisfied. At least he had been able to strengthen his soul, something incredibly hard to do outside.
He then glanced to the side. During the years he had spent here, he had watched countless souls pass him by. They never stopped. Their pace would vary, sometimes fast, sometimes slow.
Once one finished crossing, the next would arrive. Always one at a time.
These souls never glanced at him. They moved forward with dull eyes and vanished into the small hut ahead.
"Time to move on."
Yi Tianyun stood up and stepped forward. Effortlessly, he crossed the final distance. As soon as his foot touched solid ground, the oppressive feeling vanished completely.
"Ding! Special mission complete: 'Reach the cultivation to cross the Forgetting Worries Bridge and seek the truth'! Rewards: 1000 compressed experience, 1000 compressed Frenzy Points, 1000 compressed proficiency, 10,000 compressed Sin Points!"
The moment he crossed the Forgetting Worries Bridge, the mission was completed, and he received a bounty of rewards, just in time, too, as he had nearly run out of those resources.
"Not bad rewards… a little plain, but still very practical."
Experience and Frenzy Points were now common for him. What he was really hoping for were special rewards, like titles or weapons. Those were the true prizes.
His gaze turned toward the hut ahead. It was time to uncover the truth. He hadn't expected to make it in this time, but he had, and the rewards were considerable.
He looked around. Besides this small hut, there was nothing else.
He lifted his foot and stepped inside. The interior was vastly different, wide and spacious like a divine temple!
Right before him were three massive pools. The souls entering the hut would choose one and leap into it, vanishing from sight completely.
"Pools?"
Yi Tianyun approached for a closer look. Each pool reflected a different scene. The first, the Heavenly World. The second, the Mortal World. The third, the Ghost World!
"Reincarnation Pond?" Yi Tianyun was shocked. Reincarnation existed, of course, but he had never seen such a complete system spanning the Three Realms.
These souls would unconsciously choose one of the three destinations to reincarnate into.
They no longer had any awareness, so where they went depended entirely on luck. Upon entering, they would walk forward, some veering toward the Heavenly World, others the Ghost World, or the Mortal World.
Everything flowed naturally. Some of the souls, he even recognized, ordinary civilians who had died and come here for reincarnation.