"
The two glanced around, found an open patch of ground, and sat cross-legged to cultivate while they waited for Nie Li.
Watching them,
Ye Sheng and the other instructors headed off to rest, while Du Ze and Lu Piao threw themselves into fusing their Demon Spirits.
Meanwhile, inside the Celestial Illusion Sanctuary.
Light and shadow shifted before Nie Li's eyes, countless images flashing past as though he were hurtling through boundless stretches of time and space. He stepped through and looked around — in the distance, lush green grass stretched across rolling fields, and vibrant flowers bloomed in spectacular profusion. The scenery was breathtaking.
But the moment he set foot inside the Celestial Illusion Sanctuary, Nie Li felt his Soul Sea erupt with a deafening boom. His Soul Power surged as if it were about to explode, continuously expanding, stretching the Soul Sea wider and wider.
The Soul Sea swelled bit by bit, and a pained expression crept across Nie Li's face. The sensation of having his Soul Sea forcibly wrenched open was excruciating.
This Celestial Illusion Sanctuary truly lived up to its reputation as a holy ground for enhancing Soul Power!
A short time inside was more effective than days of cultivation outside!
His Soul Sea had expanded by a full third! The searing agony made Nie Li's cheeks spasm.
He forced his eyes open and gazed into the distance. On a patch of grass far away, a figure sat cross-legged — it looked vaguely like Ning'er, though his vision was too blurry to make out clearly. He decided to cultivate in place first and recover before doing anything else.
Inside his Soul Sea, both the Shadow Demon Spirit and the Tiger Fang Panda were growing stronger continuously.
As expected of the Celestial Illusion Sanctuary — Nie Li could feel the two Demon Spirits in his Soul Sea being steadily enhanced. The speed of cultivation was astonishing.
Just then, deep within his consciousness, an aged voice let out a surprised "Hmm?"
"Kid, how can your Soul Sea host two Demon Spirits?"
"Who are you?" Nie Li shot back, all the while continuing to consolidate his cultivation and strengthen his Soul Power. He could sense a drifting soul probing him. But this soul posed no threat, so Nie Li wasn't particularly concerned.
"Haha — answer my question first, and then I'll tell you who I am!"
"Because I cultivate a special technique. Is that enough for you?" Nie Li replied calmly.
"Oh… what kind of technique is so remarkable?"
"That's already the second question, isn't it?" Nie Li rolled his eyes. "Peppering someone with questions without ever answering theirs — that's a bit rude, don't you think?"