After her curiosity about the Soul Golden Altar was piqued, Li Shuang intentionally began gathering information.
Fortunately, since the Soul Golden Altar was set to open in two years, it was currently the most discussed topic in Ten Thousand Dharma City. She listened around and quickly understood most of it.
The Soul Golden Altar was a top-tier opportunity that appeared every seven years within the Soul Prison.
The Soul Golden Altar had a total of seven layers.
The first layer had no limit on the number of participants. As long as one was under a hundred years old and had over 30,000 Soul Points, they could join the competition.
Based on past experience, each time the Golden Altar opened, over a thousand young talents would join the first layer.
By the second layer, the number of participants would drastically decrease.
By the third layer, it was almost exclusively the battlefield for disciples on the Genius Rankings.
During the last opening of the Soul Golden Altar, among the many cultivators, only You Lan managed to enter the fifth layer and receive a mysterious gift.
As for the sixth and seventh layers, no one had ever heard of anyone reaching them.
"Interesting," Li Shuang mused.
Based on the information she had gathered, a quick integration revealed that this opportunity primarily targeted the soul.
Compared to her spiritual power cultivation, her soul was already a significant advantage. If she could further expand this advantage, why not?
Moreover, this was a rare opportunity that even the geniuses on the Genius Rankings eagerly sought.
She absolutely shouldn't miss it!
The Soul Golden Altar had seven layers, and its opening cycle was also seven years.
However, she had entered too late, and now there were only two years left until the Golden Altar opened.
Others only needed to collect 30,000 Soul Points within seven years.
If she wanted to participate, she would have to collect 30,000 Soul Points within two years.
Within the Soul Prison, countless Soul Beasts resided.
Killing Soul Beasts would grant Soul Points!
At the same time, the Soul Beast crystals obtained could be exchanged for points.
To quickly improve her strength, hunting Soul Beasts was the fastest method!
Li Shuang immediately made a decision.
Regardless of whether she succeeded, for the next two years, she would dedicate herself to hunting Soul Beasts!
She would try for the 30,000 Soul Points no matter what.
Li Shuang ultimately chose not to accept any missions and instead headed directly out of the city.
Some of these missions involved clearing a specific area, while others required obtaining certain materials.
Completing these missions would undoubtedly consume a lot of her time.
But now, her only goal was how to more efficiently hunt Soul Beasts and acquire Soul Points!
Beyond that, she couldn't waste time on anything else.
At the gates of Ten Thousand Dharma City.
Many cultivators were entering and exiting.
Cultivators leaving the city were often quite relaxed, but the vast majority of cultivators entering the city looked miserable. Missing an arm or a leg was considered a minor injury. Some severe cases would disappear immediately upon entering the city—this meant their soul power was too weak to sustain their activity in Ten Thousand Dharma City.
Many others had their souls directly dissipate in the Soul Prison.
When the soul dissipated, the physical body also died.
Everything would then return to nothingness.
The guards at the city gate checked each person's Ten Thousand Dharma Eye.
Li Shuang queued for a while, and it was soon her turn.
The guard glanced at Li Shuang's information and couldn't help but say, "Only joined Ten Thousand Dharma City three months ago? And your cultivation is only at the Golden Core stage?"
Li Shuang nodded.
The guard pointed to the city gate for entry: "Have you seen the miserable state of those people? This Soul Prison lives up to its name; it's a true hell. Over countless years, the cultivators who have died in the Soul Prison could probably fill this Ten Thousand Dharma City. With your cultivation... are you sure you want to seek death?"
Li Shuang didn't argue, just continued to nod.
The guard didn't try to persuade her further. He directly stepped aside: "Then go. Everyone has their own fate; no one can interfere."
Li Shuang knew the guard meant well, but she had her own plans.
Her steps didn't falter as she flew directly into the distance.
The guard watched her receding figure from afar.
"Li."
He still remembered that name; it was said to be a new emerging genius.
Unfortunately, the more talented one was, the more prone they were to arrogance and complacency.
That brief encounter was probably the last time he would see this Li.
The guard didn't dwell on it too much. These thoughts flashed through his mind, and he continued to check the Ten Thousand Dharma Eyes of others.
After leaving Ten Thousand Dharma City, Li Shuang initially didn't notice much difference. She flew across a green grassland, not seeing any of the legendary Soul Beasts.
Just as she was feeling confused, suddenly, the sky changed dramatically.
The sky, which had just been clear and boundless, suddenly turned blood-red. Cracks appeared in the sky, as if giant beasts were opening their mouths towards people.
Li Shuang was slightly startled and instinctively wanted to escape.
However, in the blink of an eye, she saw cultivators from all directions rushing towards the giant cracks without hesitation!
As soon as these people touched the cracks, they were instantly absorbed, leaving no trace.
Li Shuang's pupils constricted slightly.
Were these giant cracks the true passage to the Soul Prison?
She observed carefully for a while, and after confirming it, Li Shuang imitated the others and rushed towards the giant cracks.
The closer she got to the sky, the more terrifying the suction from the cracks became.
Li Shuang struggled to control the urge to resist, allowing herself to be swallowed by the blood-red cracks.
After all the nearby cultivators had entered the cracks, a satisfied burp echoed in the air, and the world fell silent.
And at this moment, Li Shuang had appeared in a strange place!
In Ten Thousand Dharma City, it was always daytime.
But in this place, stars and the moon hung high, their light shrouded in layers of mist. Only a very faint glimmer could penetrate the mist and reach the ground.
Li Shuang instinctively circulated her Rebirth Art.
Her Rebirth Art could actually absorb moonlight normally here.
This was undoubtedly good news for Li Shuang.
For the next two years, she would likely spend most of her time in the Soul Prison.
With the Rebirth Art functioning, her soul cultivation progress wouldn't fall behind.
Besides the dim light, the area where Li Shuang appeared was also occasionally filled with strange black miasma.
Once contaminated by the miasma, the soul would be affected to some extent. If the damage accumulated to a certain degree, cultivators might lose their sanity and be permanently trapped here.
Therefore, once infected by the miasma, one either had to find a way to dispel it or control the time and return to Ten Thousand Dharma City before completely losing control.
Li Shuang tightly gripped her Black Abyss Sword and slowly advanced inward.
Suddenly!
The previously solid ground suddenly cracked open.
Before Li Shuang could fly away, countless hands seemed to reach out from beneath her feet, pulling her down!
The ground beneath her instantly turned into a giant swamp.