Chapter 86: Coming...

Neolan stood on a small circular platform, carefully examining the formation he had constructed. ‘The problem is… I need a massive quantity of Spiritual Qi, which I currently don’t have.’ He continued inspecting the formation, searching for a way to overcome this limitation.

Only a minute earlier, he had explicitly instructed the Goddess of Niflheim not to record anything about this operation and had even forbidden her from entering the room.

Although the room was located inside the Federation’s space station, Neolan had still taken every precaution to keep his actions secret. He had used all the remaining Spiritual Qi in his body to construct the spatial formation, leaving himself completely depleted and unable to activate the Myriad Paths Formation.

Without an adequate supply of Spiritual Qi, even the formation he had painstakingly prepared was useless, at least for the moment.

‘Though, even if she had recorded everything, she would still be unable to analyze it down to its core.’ Neolan considered that possibility one last time before sitting down on the platform, directly within the empty circular area at the center of the formation. He had already taken precautions against the Goddess discovering what he was doing, but he wasn’t about to rely entirely on those precautions. For now, he needed to solve the problem in front of him.

‘System, it’s time to use Soul Essence to advance my cultivation a little.’ The moment he gave the command inwardly, a translucent system screen appeared before his eyes, displaying his current condition.

[Soul Essence: 4500]

[Cultivation Rank: Middle Stage Foundation Establishment Realm]

‘Hmm, I knew it. That life-and-death battle pushed me an entire stage higher.’ Neolan studied the information carefully, recalling the sudden increase in his reserves and how he had managed to heal his internal injuries using the Light Element.

Everything seemed to fit together, confirming his earlier suspicion that the battle had brought him considerable gains. His gaze then shifted toward the displayed Soul Essence, and after comparing the amount with the information the system had provided him in the cultivation world, he found that the numbers matched exactly.

‘System, how much Soul Essence do I need to spend to advance to the Late Stage?’ As soon as he asked, the system responded without delay.

[900 Soul Essence is required to advance to the next stage.]

‘Although I’m worried about damaging my foundation, I have no choice at the moment…’ Neolan let out a quiet sigh as he considered his options, ‘Even if I use the spirit stones in the jade I received from the sect master, I would still need to channel my own spiritual QI into the formation for it to teleport me there.’

He needed to activate the formation and reach Alice, and remaining stuck at his current cultivation level would only make things more difficult. However, just as he was about to proceed, another system window suddenly appeared before him.

[Host needn’t worry. Advancing realms through Soul Essence is the most effective method. It does not harm the Host’s foundation in the slightest.]

Neolan’s eyes widened as he read the message, and a bewildered expression spread across his face. “Huh?” was the only response that escaped his mouth at first, as he struggled to process what he had just learned.

‘Are you kidding me? Isn’t this cheat better than a cheat itself?!’ he questioned hurriedly, unable to hide his disbelief. Even after reading countless novels about systems and cheats, he had never imagined that something like this could actually happen to him.

‘…Are you sure there’s no catch? After all, everything has a price.’ Neolan asked internally, choosing to remain cautious rather than blindly accepting the system’s assurance. He had experienced enough unexpected situations to know that relying on something without understanding its limitations could lead to trouble later.

Even if the system claimed that the method was effective, he wanted to make sure there wasn’t some hidden consequence waiting for him.

[…Host is correct. Using Soul Essence carelessly can be costly. However, in this case, it remains harmless.]

Neolan went completely silent after receiving that answer. He spent a long moment considering the information, weighing the potential risks against his immediate need to reach Alice. Eventually, he let out another sigh and made his decision, “For now, let’s only advance to the next stage.”

In an instant, the same strange, translucent white aura appeared around his body, looking noticeably different from the manifestation of his Talent’s will. Neolan closed his eyes and focused on his Dantian, carefully observing the Spiritual Qi gathered within it.

At his current cultivation level, the energy had already undergone considerable refinement, but advancing further would ordinarily require him to compress it beyond its existing limits, a process that demanded both time and control.

However, the moment soul essence took effect, he noticed something unusual.

Suddenly Spiritual QI poured into the Dantian from somewhere unknown which Neolan immediately caught, ‘Is…Soul Essence providing the spiritual QI?’

While he thought inwardly, QI began circulating on its own, moving through its established pathways before gradually converging toward the center. Unlike his previous attempts at cultivation, he didn’t need to guide every movement himself, as though the process had already been arranged to ensure the energy followed the most effective route.

The spherical mass of Spiritual Qi began compressing, its volume gradually decreasing as the energy within became increasingly concentrated. Each successive cycle brought another change, forcing the Spiritual Qi to condense further without causing the instability he would ordinarily have expected from such a process.

He could still sense the pressure building inside his Dantian, but it remained within manageable limits. There was no sudden obstruction or need to force his way through a bottleneck, the energy simply continued refining itself until it reached the point required for the next stage.

Neolan couldn’t help but find the process strange, especially considering how much effort he had previously needed to make even modest progress.

‘This must be what the system meant when it said Soul Essence was the most effective method.’ He continued observing the process, making sure his Dantian remained stable as the final stage of compression began.

The spherical mass of energy contracted once more, and the Spiritual Qi within it settled into a denser state. A moment later, the pressure reached its peak, and the accumulated energy surged outward.

BOOM!

A small wave of energy spread from Neolan’s body in every direction, marking his successful breakthrough to the Late Stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm. The translucent white aura lingered for another brief moment before gradually disappearing, leaving him sitting quietly on the platform.

Neolan opened his eyes and examined his hands, then turned his attention inward to inspect the changes within his Dantian. The difference was immediately apparent. His Spiritual Qi had become denser, and the energy circulating within his Dantian felt more substantial than before.

When he inspected his body more carefully, he also observed that impurities were still being expelled, but their quantity was far smaller than during his previous breakthrough, leaving behind no particularly foul stench.

‘Damn… If this is the speed of a breakthrough using Soul Essence, then it’s nothing short of a cheat.’ Neolan couldn’t help laughing at his circumstances as he stood up from the platform. The process had been far smoother than he had anticipated, and he hadn’t needed to endure the usual difficulties associated with advancing his cultivation.

‘This should be more than enough to activate the formation.’

Without further hesitation, Neolan took out the jade given to him by the sect master. He accessed its contents and retrieved several high-grade spirit stones, then used his Spiritual Qi to control them and position them around the circular platform.

The moment the stones entered the air above the platform, Spiritual Qi began flowing out of them, gradually filling the entire room with dense energy.

Once enough Spiritual Qi had accumulated, Neolan channeled a portion of his own energy into the formation to initiate its activation. The Qi circulation formation integrated into the structure activated alongside it, drawing in the dense Spiritual Qi that had spread throughout the room.

The energy began flowing along the formation’s intricate pathways, supplying it with the power it needed to function.

As the Spiritual Qi continued circulating, the formation finally lit up. Its circular structure slowly lifted off the ground, hovering in the air as though it were some kind of spell rather than an ordinary formation.

Neolan watched the scene for a brief moment before focusing his attention on the task ahead. He had done everything he could to prepare, and now he needed the formation to take him to the one person he was determined to reach.

‘I’m coming, Alice!’

Neolan concentrated on Alice’s locket, using the connection he shared with it as the foundation for the formation. He directed his thoughts, emotions, and the connection within his heart toward Alice, trying to guide the formation’s connection there as much as he could.

In the next moment, the entire room was engulfed in light, completely covering Neolan’s figure before he vanished from sight.

– – –

[A/N: Book cover had been removed by WN, don’t worry it will be fixed in 26th October. And to reassure you guys, no, the book won’t be dropped.]