Chapter 89: Tangible Yet Formless! Electrolux’s Gift!

Sea God Island, Shrek Academy.

Forty days after their departure, Zhu Ziyang and his companions finally returned to the island.

As soon as they were back, Elder Song introduced Jiang Nannan to the other elders and the four deans of the academy. Jiang Nannan received many gifts and, for the first time, learned the truth about Mu En's identity—and that he was Zhu Ziyang's teacher. The revelation left her both shocked and thrilled.

However, all of this was now secondary in Zhu Ziyang's mind.

He had already gone to the base of the Golden Tree, found the wooden cabin Mu En had mentioned, and entered it. After glancing around casually, he sat down and took out the high-grade spirit herb Clear Heart, which he had acquired a month earlier.

Looking at the Clear Heart in his hand, he couldn't help but chuckle. Can't believe it took this long to finally use it. I just hope it lives up to expectations.

He plucked the petals and began to eat them—one, two, three… until the flower was completely consumed, save for the now-useless stalk, which he discarded on the ground. Then, he closed his eyes and began meditating, focusing on absorbing the herb's medicinal properties.

Clear Heart was a rare, high-grade spirit herb that enhanced spiritual power. Zhu Ziyang hoped it would help him break through to the next realm of spiritual cultivation—the realm of "Tangible Yet Formless."

As soon as he swallowed the herb, a refreshing coolness surged into his spiritual sea. His mental power accelerated its circulation, and the silver vortex within his sea of consciousness began to greedily devour this cooling energy. The rate at which it absorbed and circulated spirit power greatly increased. The surrounding blue sea inside his mental world also began to swirl along with the vortex, forming an even larger whirlpool. At its center, something began to quietly shift in color, consumed bit by bit by the silver spiral.

Seeing this, Zhu Ziyang's heart settled. He immediately activated the Great Radiance Technique, focusing all his attention on refining the herb and breaking through the invisible barrier that separated him from the next realm.

Time passed—uncounted.

Eventually, Zhu Ziyang awakened from his meditative trance. A thunderous crash echoed in his mind, followed by the sound of something shattering—and then came a serene, dreamlike melody, like celestial music. His mind was clearer than it had ever been. He immediately realized—

He had broken through!

Without hesitation, he projected his consciousness into his spiritual sea—and froze in astonishment.

Everything around him gleamed with brilliant silver light. His mental power was now far more refined and solid, flowing like a radiant river of stars. His sea of consciousness had more than doubled in size, and at its center, a sizable island had taken form—though it was barren, holding only two objects: Electrolux's soul pearl and the Silver Dragon Wolf's soul crystal.

The blue sky above still held golden stars, but to the right of the brightest one now floated a silver orb—like a satellite. Its surface bore wing-like patterns, representing the connection between Zhu Ziyang's right eye and his sea of consciousness. Compared to before, the orb had grown significantly.

Zhu Ziyang didn't focus on these details. He was thrilled by the appearance of the mental island, the symbol of having reached the Tangible Yet Formless realm of spiritual power.

At this stage, a soul master gained a new level of precision in controlling mental energy. They could sense the world more acutely, manipulate soul skills more effectively, and project their power farther. The formation of a mental island was the key prerequisite for materializing spirit-based techniques in the future.

"So this is what it feels like to have formless, tangible spiritual power... Amazing," Zhu Ziyang murmured.

His eyes remained closed, yet he could clearly perceive the Light Element flowing through the air around him. Before, he had needed his martial spirit to detect it. Now, just his spirit alone was enough—he no longer needed the Scythe of Judgment and Fate as a conduit.

He didn't get up right away. Instead, he focused on feeling the changes within himself after the breakthrough.

The most obvious upgrade was in his silver right eye—its time-freeze ability had increased from one second to three, and the maximum level of affected targets had risen from Soul King to Soul Emperor. His combat power had greatly improved.

Meanwhile, the breakthrough had also boosted his soul power, raising him from level 37 to 38. This made Zhu Ziyang extremely pleased, as he was now just one level away from Soul Ancestor. Once he reached level 39, he could use the Soul Ascension Pill he'd earned as a freshman exam champion and push straight to level 40!

Just the thought was exhilarating.

Satisfied, he prepared to end his seclusion.

But just then—

The gray soul pearl floating on his mental island suddenly trembled. Though the movement was minuscule, Zhu Ziyang sensed it clearly within his spiritual sea. He immediately abandoned the idea of leaving and instead focused all his attention on the soul pearl of Electrolux.

It had been about half a year since Electrolux had fallen into dormancy. Could he be awakening?

Zhu Ziyang couldn't help but feel excited. What kind of surprise would this otherworldly teacher bring him upon waking?

Time flowed silently. The trembling of the pearl grew stronger, until it began floating midair, swaying with visible energy.

Then, abruptly, it went still.

Three seconds later, a stream of gray mist emerged from it—mist that looked like fog from a primordial world, shimmering faintly with golden flecks. The mist multiplied rapidly, eventually filling his entire mental space, cutting off all his senses.

But Zhu Ziyang felt no fear. Instead, the mist gave him a feeling of warmth and affection. Though there were no words, he knew clearly—this was a gift from his teacher Electrolux.

Sure enough, the mist began to bypass the barriers of his soul sea and flow directly into his physical body.

He could feel it clearly—this gray energy entered his meridians, acupoints, bone marrow, and flesh, purifying every inch of his body. More of it traveled through his bloodstream to his heart, then to the middle dantian, where it began affecting his martial spirit—the Scythe of Judgment and Fate.

The scythe manifested involuntarily, and its three soul rings began to pulse. The gray mist crept up the shaft, passed the two purple rings, and completely enveloped the yellow first ring.

A crisp shattering sound echoed through his body. The cool, ethereal warmth left him entranced. Without realizing it, he fainted.

When Zhu Ziyang awoke, everything was back to normal—except for one crucial change: the power of death within him now responded like an extension of his own will, proving that what he had just experienced had truly happened.

He opened his eyes and summoned the Scythe of Judgment and Fate. It appeared unchanged—until he looked at the soul rings.

His first soul ring, which had once been a pale yellow, had now turned into a rich, deep gold!

Zhu Ziyang was stunned. He hadn't expected his teacher to upgrade the age of his first soul ring—how had he managed it?

Even more surprising, the previously incompatible powers within him—Light and Death—which had once been completely separate, were now beginning to resonate with each other. They still couldn't fuse, but their connection had grown significantly stronger.

Excited, Zhu Ziyang quickly dismissed his martial spirit and prepared to reenter his spiritual sea to check if Electrolux had fully awakened.

But then—he heard another voice.

"Since you're awake, come up."

It was the voice of Mu En.