Ever since going blind, Lin Xuan had never gone swimming. It was an extremely dangerous thing to do, especially since this pool was quite deep. He usually just bathed here, never diving underneath.
So when he saw a light glowing from below, he was so shocked that he dove in without a second thought. He had come here to swim before losing his sight, but he had never seen such a glow.
Lin Xuan swam quickly toward the orb of light. As he drew closer, he could feel an invisible force rippling outward, washing over him like waves.
After swimming for a while, he finally reached the orb of light. He reached out and scooped it up, finding himself at the bottom of the pool.
The moment the orb was in his hand, a warmth spread through his palm, a stark contrast to the icy depths. It was the only thing he could see; beyond the orb, there was nothing.
"What on earth is this?"
Lin Xuan brought the orb closer while relaxing his body, allowing himself to float toward the surface. But just as it neared his eyes, the orb—WHOOSH—shot through his eyes and into his head!
An intense, piercing pain exploded in his head. Lin Xuan cried out in agony, the breath he was holding bursting from his lungs. Water immediately flooded his mouth, and he began to suffocate. The pain was excruciating, as if a knife were carving into his skull, each cut sinking deep into his flesh.
'I can't die here!'
Enduring the searing pain, Lin Xuan flailed about until his hands found the stone wall of the pool. He grabbed hold and frantically swam upward. Moments later, he broke the surface. Pushing hard off a rock, he launched himself out of the water and onto the ground.
The moment he landed, the pain in his head grew even more intense. His legs buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
"Ugh, so bright..."
As he slowly regained consciousness, a dazzling sunbeam shone into his eyes, making him instinctively raise a hand to shield them. A moment later, his vision filled with the sight of the azure sky and the sun hanging high above.
He froze at the sight. Looking to the side, he saw the familiar waterfall and the lush surrounding forest. It was all just as he remembered.
"I... I can see!" He shot up, looking around in disbelief. He reached out to touch his surroundings, finding them solid and real. Finally, he gave his thigh a hard pinch.
Lin Xuan gasped. The sharp pain proved this was real—he wasn't dreaming!
Ever since he'd gone blind, his greatest wish wasn't to become unrivaled in the world, but simply to regain his sight. You don't know what you have until it's gone.
"I can really see! I can really see!"
Lin Xuan leaped to his feet and took off running, charging into the forest and shouting with pure, unrestrained joy! He sprinted all the way back to his house before stopping, his body trembling slightly. It was all too incredible to believe.
After the euphoria faded, Lin Xuan gradually calmed down and recalled the events of the previous night. His thoughts immediately turned to the orb of light. It had to be because he'd absorbed it that his eyes could see again. He certainly wasn't naive enough to think that a simple swim had restored his sight.
'What was that orb of light?' Lin Xuan turned his awareness inward and was startled to discover a Light Pearl in his Dantian. It looked like a normal pearl at first, but on closer inspection, it resembled a Jade Pearl. It emitted a faint halo, and having it just sitting there in his abdomen felt incredibly strange.
"This... isn't this the pearl from my chest?" As Lin Xuan inspected it more closely, he realized it looked familiar. He instinctively reached for his chest and found that the pearl that had hung there was gone.
Judging by the sense of familiarity, it had to be that pearl. It must have fallen off and sunk to the bottom when he went into the water. He just never expected that it could glow, much less cure his blindness!
'What could have possibly triggered this pearl?'
He sat on his bed and focused his awareness inward again. As his consciousness approached the Light Pearl, his vision went completely white, and his mind was sucked inside.
After a brief moment of blankness, Lin Xuan found himself in a white space, enveloped by a radiant light that left him feeling warm and comfortable.
He looked around in shock. Other than the vast expanse of white, all he could see were tiny points of light floating in the air. He had no idea what they were.
'What are these...' Just as he thought to approach one, a surge of Energy flooded into his mind.
Lin Xuan squeezed his eyes shut as a continuous stream of memories flooded his mind. These memories revealed the secret of the Light Pearl, leaving him utterly dumbfounded.
Soul Space!
This was the true name of the Light Pearl. The Soul Space could contain souls! The motes of light before him were souls—or to be precise, Soul Energy. Each soul contained the memories of its past life, memories he could freely explore.
'These are all souls?' Lin Xuan found it hard to believe. He had never seen a soul before, and there didn't seem to be very many of them.
He casually approached one of the souls and reached out to touch it. The soul instantly surged into his mind. An astounding volume of memories poured into his brain. In the outside world, his eyes snapped open, his entire aura transformed.
A moment later, he leaped to his feet and slammed his palm onto the table in front of him. BANG! A perfect Palm Seal was punched clean through the center of the wood, leaving the rest of the table completely unharmed.
His palm now radiated a scorching heat, as if it could melt anything!
"Flame Heart Palm!"
Lin Xuan's eyes were filled with shock. He had never studied this Martial Technique. He hadn't learned it in the slightest, nor had he ever seen it before. When the soul merged with his mind just now, he'd felt as if he'd become another person—and that person was the memories of the soul itself!
The soul he had absorbed belonged to a Spirit Refining Stage Cultivator, a disciple from the Flame Heart Sect. He never expected that by merging with the soul, he would inherit all the memories of the disciple's Martial Techniques. Even more, when he executed them, it felt as if he had practiced them countless times. The effect was astonishing!
A moment later, Lin Xuan's legs went weak, and his aura returned to normal. His mind felt empty, as if that profound Realm had vanished. It wasn't that he didn't want to continue, but his Elemental Power was being consumed at a massive rate. Even without executing a Martial Technique, his Elemental Power was draining away at an astonishing speed.
"This rate of Elemental Power consumption is terrifying," Lin Xuan panted, his eyes filled with delighted surprise.
He then slammed his palm down on the table again, once more using Flame Heart Palm. BANG! This time, the entire table was smashed to pieces. His control over the power was far inferior to the first time; where before all the force had been condensed into a single point, it was now scattered. Nevertheless, the effect of the Martial Technique was still present.
'It seems that even without the Soul Possession, the memories remain in my mind.' The effect wasn't as potent as when he was under the influence of the Soul Possession, but this meant he had essentially learned the technique!
If regaining his sight was a massive surprise, then this Soul Space was an even greater one!