On the night chosen by the system's countdown, Jian sat alone under a starless sky. His entire body trembled with pressure as he attempted to condense spiritual energy into a stable core within his dantian. The next step was to ignite it—transforming it into a nascent version of his soul.
A thin crackling sound echoed inside his chest.
Then came the pain.
It ripped through him like a blade. His vision blurred. His meridians shuddered violently. He nearly bit through his tongue as the spiritual core inside him heated to unbearable levels.
Minutes felt like hours.
Hours felt like days.
Only when his consciousness reached its final edge did the system intervene.
[Assistance Granted: Soul-Stabilizing Thread.]
A faint strand of energy wrapped around the core within him, holding it together just long enough for him to compress it—
—ignite it—
—and birth a small, radiant figure inside his dantian.
His Nascent Soul opened its tiny eyes.
Jian collapsed backward, panting, his body shaking uncontrollably.
8th Realm. Achieved.
But the exertion had left him more exhausted than he had ever been.
Still… he survived.
That alone was enough.