Chapter 376 Emperor Realm Soul

Zhu Kun departed.

That purple-gold figure vanished into the void, coming and going in a hurry like a gust of wind.

The Flower Hall returned to silence.

Shen Wen leaned against the back of his chair and took a sip of his tea, which had already gone cold. His gaze fell upon the sky outside as it gradually darkened.

Gu Yuan had visited, and Zhu Kun had visited as well.

Two Peak Nine-Star Dou Sheng existences—one came to test him, the other came out of concern. Each had their own thoughts and their own calculations.

Shen Wen set down his teacup, stood up, and walked toward the backyard.

In the days that followed, he stayed peacefully in the Shen Residence.

Cultivating, refining pills, and spending time with his wives and child, his days passed calmly and fully.

Every morning, he would spend two hours in the Pill Tower's medicinal garden, pondering the refinement of Ninth Grade Pills.

In the afternoon, he would return to chat with Cao Ying and play with Shen Yunlong, who had already learned to crawl.

At night, he would Cultivate the Dragon-Phoenix Harmony Scripture with the women. They spent every night in revelry, never tiring of it.

At first, the women were somewhat shy and refused to share one large bed.

After all, each had her own personality. Cai Lin was cold and aloof, Xiao Yi Xian was gentle, Tang Huo'er was bright and dazzling, Qing Lin was soft and sweet, Dan Chen was innocent, and Zi Yan was haughty. Getting them together was already a rare feat of harmony, let alone having them lie in one bed.

But they couldn't withstand Shen Wen's relentless persuasion.

“If I go to you one by one, I'll spend the whole night just running back and forth,” Shen Wen said, leaning against the headboard with a helpless tone. “Besides, this Cultivation Technique needs to be operated simultaneously. The effects are much worse if we Cultivate separately.”

Cai Lin glanced at him and didn't speak, but her eyes clearly said, 'You're just looking for an excuse.'

Xiao Yi Xian covered her mouth and chuckled, Tang Huo'er snorted and turned her head away, Qing Lin lowered her head with a red face, Dan Chen blinked, not quite understanding, while Zi Yan simply flopped onto the bed carelessly: “Then let's just do it together. It's not like we haven't seen each other before anyway.”

The women looked at each other and eventually agreed, albeit half-reluctantly.

In any case, they paired up in various ways, ensuring no one was left out.

Every few days, Zi Yan would rush over from Ancient Dragon Island and stay for three to five days.

She left the affairs of the Void Ancient Dragon clan to Zhu Kun and several Elders, happy to enjoy her leisure.

Every time she came, she brought a large pile of rare medicinal ingredients scrounged from Dragon Island. She would place them in front of Dan Chen, saying they were "for Brother Shen Wen to use for Alchemy," and then pull Shen Wen into the backyard.

The favorability of the women continued to rise over these six months.

Cai Lin had long since reached ninety, Xiao Yi Xian followed closely behind, Tang Huo'er and Qing Lin were also climbing steadily, and even for that girl Dan Chen, the System's notification sound rang in Shen Wen's mind one morning when she woke up.

Shen Wen received the rewards one by one.

Of the Three Thousand Great Daos of the Eternal Life Great World, he had obtained all of the top ten techniques except for the Great Destiny Technique.

Each one was as vast as the sea, and each was enough to turn an ordinary person into a titan of their region.

Shen Wen did not get greedy. Instead, he integrated them one by one into his own cultivation System, taking the essence and discarding the dregs, making those powers part of his foundation.

But what truly caused a qualitative change in his strength was the Great Soul Technique.

The moment that technique was obtained, Shen Wen felt a thunderous shock in his Sea of Consciousness.

An unprecedented clarity surged from the depths of his Soul, like parched earth receiving sweet rain, or a dust-covered mirror being wiped clean.

The Soul power that originally required deliberate operation to mobilize was now like his own limbs; with a single thought, he could drive it freely.

In his Sea of Consciousness, golden light flourished.

The verses of the Past Amitabha Sutra flowed silently, and golden characters slowly rotated deep within his Soul, merging with that newborn power.

At this moment, the barrier of his Soul Realm shattered.

Emperor Realm.

Shen Wen opened his eyes, and an invisible ripple spread out from between his brows, sweeping in all directions.

That ripple was silent and soundless, yet it carried a vast pressure that struck directly at the Soul.

Wherever it passed, the women in the Flower Hall all looked up. The teacup in Cai Lin's hand paused slightly, Xiao Yi Xian's hand peeling an orange stopped in mid-air, the Nine Dragon Lightning Flame in Tang Huo'er's palm suddenly shrank, Qing Lin's Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils throbbed violently, Dan Chen clutched her head and let out an "ah," and Zi Yan's purple-gold eyes suddenly lit up.

“Brother Shen Wen, you are...” Before Zi Yan could finish, she was pushed back a step by that wave of energy.

Shen Wen did not suppress it.

That Soul ripple surged from his body, passing through the Flower Hall, the front yard, and the walls of the Shen Residence, spreading toward the entire Pill City.

In the Pill Tower, Old Monster Lin was meditating in his residence on the top floor. The moment he sensed that ripple, he snapped his eyes open. A flash of shock crossed his cloudy old eyes, which then turned into gratification.

“Emperor Realm...” he murmured softly, a curve appearing at the corner of his mouth. “This kid has stepped ahead of this old man.”

Old Man Shennong was watering a Nine-Leaf Golden Ginseng in the medicinal garden.

When that ripple swept through the garden, the water ladle in his hand paused slightly. He looked up, his gaze piercing through layers of spatial barriers to land in the direction of the Shen Residence.

In those cloudy old eyes, there was some emotion, some gratification, and a trace of an indescribable complexity.

“Emperor Realm Soul.” He set down the water ladle and stood straight, leaning on his cane. “This kid is even faster than I expected.”

Xuan Danzi rushed out of the stone chamber where he was in secluded cultivation, his youthful face full of disbelief.

He stood at the highest point of the Pill Tower, letting that Soul ripple sweep over him, feeling that pressure as vast as the sea. His lips trembled slightly.

“Emperor Realm... Emperor Realm...” he repeated in a murmur, his eyes gradually reddening.

He was a pill in human form, a Grade 9 Profound Pill.

For an Alchemist, the Emperor Realm Soul was the threshold to becoming an Emperor Grade Alchemist, a legend that was visible but unreachable.

And now, he had personally witnessed the birth of an Emperor Realm Soul.

In the Pill Tower, the Elders who were currently refining pills all stopped their movements at the same time.

Some had medicinal ingredients fall to the ground, some had the flames in their cauldrons spiral out of control, and some even held their Pill Formulas upside down.

But no one had the mind to care about such things.

Everyone looked up toward the direction of the Shen Residence, feeling the reverence welling up from the depths of their Souls.

Emperor Realm Soul.

That was a level that belonged to the legendary Dou Di.

Shen Wen closed his eyes, feeling the unprecedented clarity in his Sea of Consciousness.

Emperor Realm.

From now on, his Soul was no longer at the 'Heavenly Realm Great Perfection,' but had truly stepped into that level belonging to the legendary Dou Di.

Those Soul attack methods that once required full effort to execute were now just a matter of a single thought.

The Soul erosion that he once needed external help to resist could no longer even enter his Sea of Consciousness.

He opened his eyes and let out a long breath of turbid air.

In the Flower Hall, the women were still stunned in place. Cai Lin was the first to snap back to her senses. She set down her teacup, walked over to him, and looked down at him.

“Emperor Realm?”

Shen Wen nodded.

The corners of Cai Lin's lips curved slightly. She reached out to rub his head, then turned and left.

Xiao Yi Xian walked over, handed a segment of an orange to his mouth, and said softly, “Congratulations.”

Shen Wen bit into it and smiled.

Tang Huo'er withdrew the flame in her palm, crossed her arms, and looked him up and down before snorting: “Not bad.”

Qing Lin threw herself into his arms, her jade-green eyes full of admiration: “Brother Shen Wen is so amazing!”

Dan Chen leaned in and asked with blinking eyes: “Brother Shen Wen, what Realm am I at now?”

Shen Wen glanced at her: “Spirit Realm.”

Dan Chen gave an 'oh.' She wasn't disappointed and said with a giggle, “Then I'll work hard.”

Zi Yan stood at the very back, light flowing in her purple-gold eyes as she looked at Shen Wen, her lips curving into a smile.

“Emperor Realm Soul,” she said softly. “One step closer to Dou Di.”

The next morning, as soon as Shen Wen came out of the backyard, he saw Xuan Danzi standing at the door of the Flower Hall.

That youthful face carried a rare awkwardness. His hands were clasped in front of him, fingers constantly twisting the hem of his clothes. Seeing Shen Wen come out, he opened his mouth to say something but then swallowed it back down.

Shen Wen raised an eyebrow: “Old Ancestor?”

Xuan Danzi took a deep breath and finally spoke: “Shen Wen, I want to... ask you to help me take another step forward.”

Shen Wen was slightly startled.

Xuan Danzi continued: “I am a Grade 9 Profound Pill in human form. Six-Star Dou Sheng is already my limit.”

His voice was low, tinged with bitterness. “A pill in human form, after all, cannot compare to spiritual beings born of heaven and earth.

My potential ends here. If I want to go further, unless...”

He paused and looked up at Shen Wen, his eyes filled with expectation, nervousness, and an irrepressible apprehension.

“Unless I can become a Ninth Grade Golden Pill.”

The Flower Hall went silent for a moment.

Shen Wen leaned against the doorframe, looking at Xuan Danzi, and remained silent for a while.

Ninth Grade Golden Pill.

That was an existence a level higher than a Grade 9 Profound Pill.

Ninth Grade Pills were divided into Treasure Pills, Profound Pills, and Golden Pills; each level was worlds apart.

Profound Pills already possessed intelligence, while Golden Pills were nearly like living beings. After taking human form, their potential far exceeded that of Profound Pills.

But the difficulty of refining a Ninth Grade Golden Pill was more than ten times higher than that of a Grade 9 Profound Pill.

“Old Ancestor,” Shen Wen spoke in a calm tone, “a Ninth Grade Golden Pill—I have never refined one before.”

Xuan Danzi said hurriedly: “I know, I know.

But I'm not asking you to directly refine a Ninth Grade Golden Pill from scratch; that's too difficult.

I was thinking... could you help me advance?”

He paused, his voice dropping a bit lower. “I am already a Grade 9 Profound Pill, only one step away from a Golden Pill.

With your Alchemy skills plus an Emperor Realm Soul, you might not be unable to help me take this step.”

Shen Wen did not answer immediately. He leaned against the doorframe, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest, his mind rapidly calculating.

Advancing an already formed Grade 9 Profound Pill into a Ninth Grade Golden Pill was indeed much easier than refining a Ninth Grade Golden Pill from scratch.

But 'easier' was relative. It was still a Ninth Grade Golden Pill, an existence that countless Alchemists could never even touch the threshold of in their entire lives.

“I'll try refining a Grade 9 Profound Pill first,” Shen Wen finally spoke. “To see how it goes.”

Xuan Danzi nodded repeatedly, so excited his eyes reddened.

For the next several days, Shen Wen immersed himself in the Pill Tower's medicinal garden.

Grade 9 Profound Pill.

That was a Realm he had never attempted before. Although Old Man Shennong could refine Grade 9 Profound Pills, each batch took several months, and the success rate was pitifully low.

Shen Wen did not rush to start. Instead, he first took several Grade 9 Profound Pills refined by Old Man Shennong and studied them one by one.

Medicinal power, runes, spirituality, laws of heaven and earth...

Every Grade 9 Profound Pill was a complete Small World. The interior of the pill formed its own heaven and earth, with layers upon layers of runes, medicinal power circulating endlessly, and spirituality so dense it almost condensed into substance.

After studying for several days, Shen Wen finally began to take action.