The moment the boy opened his sea of consciousness, I shot inside like a streak of black light. Hah… how effortless. His consciousness sea was wide, yet raw—untrained, unrefined. A place like this was child's play for me to invade.
Once inside, I released a fragment of my power. Waves of corrosive qi spread like a black mist, creeping into every corner. The water of his consciousness—his spiritual energy—began to darken. Ah… how delightful it was to watch a human's inner world rot piece by piece.
Then I laughed.
A genuine laugh from the depths of my iron heart.
"Hahaha! Finally! After all this time… I have another chance!"
The boy stared at me, pale-faced, but his eyes still alive. "So… all this time, your goal was to take over my body?"
I drifted downward, my black aura thickening. "Correct. Your body—pathetic as it is—is far better than having to seek another vessel. Let me take control. Stay still… and disappear."
I intensified my mental corrosion. My black currents pried into his mind, slicing at his consciousness bit by bit. He was starting to waver. Just one more push and I would—
The boy… laughed?
"Of course I've suppressed you once before," he said while looking at me. "This time… I'll also suppress you."
I froze for a moment. What did he mean?
But before I could devour his consciousness, something trembled at the center of his mind-sea.
No…
A lotus slowly emerged. I recognized that shape—damn it, why was this in a weak brat like him!?
"This…" I muttered. "That damned lotus… how is this possible!?"
Its petals opened slowly. A gentle yet suffocating light spread across the entire consciousness sea. Spiritual pollen fell like golden rain, striking my corrosive aura and purifying it.
I roared. "NO! DON'T PLAY WITH ME!"
I condensed my power, attempting to destroy the lotus. But soon, one of its petals detached, drifting toward me… then adhered to my sword-body.
In an instant, all the corruption I had spread was sealed.
"YOU…!"
The boy looked at me calmly, as if he had already expected this to happen.
I hissed in fury. "You've forced me… don't blame me for this!"
I gathered all my original energy—power capable of destroying the soul of a Golden Core cultivator—and directed it straight at the boy's consciousness, intending to kill him rather than let myself be imprisoned.
But right as my attack was released…
A massive ancient wall emerged from the depths of his consciousness sea. The wall was carved with ancient symbols and exuded a primordial aura I knew too well.
I froze.
"The Eternal Ancient Wall… belonging to that damned eel…?"
The wall appeared instantly, blocking my attack and sealing my spiritual body like a worthless creature.
"No… impossible… how can those two cursed things exist inside a Qi Condensation brat!?"
I trembled, furious and in disbelief.
"Damn it! If I knew this, I should have let you die from poison and looked for another body!"
Pov Wu Tian
"Good thing the wall the senior left behind could block him, otherwise I'd need to sacrifice another petal."
Wu Tian felt the change and began checking his qi. "Wait, did I break through to Golden Core?" Wu Tian was shocked and quickly examined his cultivation.
After checking his cultivation, Wu Tian found that he was still at Qi Condensation level 1.
"Strange, even though my qi carries Golden Core traces." Wu Tian observed his qi—despite having the aura of Golden Core, it was still clearly Qi Condensation.
Wu Tian released a wind blade toward the scorpion corpse before him. The wind blade struck the scorpion corpse and split it cleanly in two.
"This strength… peak Qi Condensation." Wu Tian realized that after merging with the Soul Reaver, his qi—though still Qi Condensation—somehow possessed Golden Core traits and his power increased significantly.
"Hey, did my strength increase because I purified you?" Wu Tian talked to the Soul Reaver but received no answer.
"Are you angry? Don't worry, next time I'll give you another soul. If needed, I'll purify this world." Wu Tian tried to reassure the Soul Reaver, though he wouldn't actually purify the world like a madman—he might kill a few people he met on the road if necessary.
"There are three parts of my power that will influence you, shape you… or destroy you."
"First, your body. Every time you spill the blood of an enemy or kill a being with a strong soul, its residual qi and soul essence will be absorbed into me."
"And that… strengthens my body?" Wu Tian asked with excitement.
"Correct. I will refine it, then channel it back into your body. Your bones harden, your meridians expand, and your physical limits rise. With this, your cultivation can surpass what a normal human body can endure."
"Second, your qi. The qi of a Soul Reaver wielder becomes Reaver Qi."
"Reaver Qi? Does that mean—" Wu Tian asked nervously.
"A type of evolved qi. Sharper, denser, and laced with soul-severing aura. Even low-level techniques will surpass high-level ones."
"As long as there is killing intent, the Reaver Qi aura will tear through an enemy's defense. And the more souls I devour, the stronger the Reaver imprint in your qi."
"And the Golden Core-like imprint? It feels like this beast's qi, doesn't it?"
"That is a soul-qi imprint."
"Every soul I devour leaves a trace of its characteristics on your qi.
If I absorb a fire-element expert, your qi gains slight burning traits.
If I absorb a cultivator with strong physique, your qi gains suppressing traits."
"Isn't that dangerous? Impure qi—" Wu Tian felt worried that his qi would become chaotic and hinder his cultivation.
Soul Reaver cut him off. "HA! For ordinary cultivators, yes. But I refine and merge it into you. You will become a vessel of many imprints without losing control."
"…So basically, if I kill a Transcendence stage cultivator, I get his power?" Wu Tian asked, confused.
Soul Reaver fell silent for a moment. "That is possible, but you would explode the moment I channeled that qi into your body."
Wu Tian realized something and shouted, "Ohhhh, I understand! When I kill someone stronger, their qi's characteristics are absorbed by you and then channeled to me. At that moment, my body is tempered. So even if my cultivation doesn't rise, I still gain a portion of the cultivator's strength." Wu Tian frowned as he understood something.
"But if the power is too great, my physical body—still untempered—won't withstand that qi and I'll explode. So that means I just need to kill someone slightly stronger, wait for my body to be tempered, then kill someone even stronger?" Wu Tian smiled happily, having found a glitch in cultivation.
"You're both stupid and clever. Earlier you killed a scorpion with Golden Core stage 7 cultivation, but it only raised your power to peak Qi Condensation. Besides, the higher the realm, the harder it is for you to kill them by force."
Soul Reaver sighed. "Besides, the body-tempering process will take longer. I can help you surpass your realm in combat, not give you divine power while you're still an ant."
Wu Tian remembered what the senior dragon said. "If that's the case, why did your previous owner kill so many people? Wouldn't killing a few higher-level ones be enough?"
"Oh, he was a lunatic far crazier than I am. And a small fish is still a small fish."
Wu Tian understood the cold meaning in Soul Reaver's words. After putting the scorpion corpse into his storage ring, Wu Tian sat down, preparing to break through to Qi Condensation stage 2. He felt that his qi was dense enough after the battle.
Note: as long as you're not breaking through a phase (early -> midle -> late) or breaking into a new realm, pills are not required.