Chapter 624: Changes in the Nascent Soul Stage

On the journey back to Great Xia, while the others rested, Lu Yang finally found the time to ponder the esoteric mysteries of the Nascent Soul stage.

Ever since breaking through to this realm upon the Altar of Heaven, events had cascaded one after another, leaving him absolutely no leisure to study it properly.

"The power of space..."

Lu Yang extended his hand, and the space within his palm twisted slightly; it tore, stretched, and deformed, shaping into a vortex-like silhouette.

One of the defining traits of the Nascent Soul stage was a rudimentary mastery over the power of space.

Storage rings were the most typical type of spatial magical treasures; to forge one, the minimum required cultivation was the Nascent Soul stage, and if one desired to master a larger space, it required the intervention of great figures from the Soul Formation or Unity stages.

Take the identity jade plaques of the Dao Seeking Sect, for instance—they were a special type of storage ring, all forged by the Fifth Elder.

Before the Eldest Senior Sister gave him the Green Peak Sword, the most expensive magical treasure on Lu Yang's person had been that identity jade plaque.

He could feel that his speed, strength, agility, and divine sense had all undergone an earth-shattering transformation.

That so-called number one prodigy of Great Xia, Lu Yang, was nothing special compared to his current self!

Lu Yang also discovered that his mental space had expanded more than tenfold, comparable to a football field—a mental strength possessed only by the Soul Formation stage.

If he so wished, he could crush any Nascent Soul cultivator purely through divine sense attacks, causing dizziness at best or turning them into an idiot at worst.

Lu Yang slowly closed his eyes, focused his mind, and gave a soft shout: "Soul Out of Body!"

Leaving behind a mere physical husk, his soul ventured outside his body, feeling a cool breeze—this was the yin wind that pervaded the world, perceptible only to souls. To an unstable soul, it was a calamity, but to Lu Yang's soul, the yin wind was merely a slightly chilly breeze, posing no threat.

In this state of astral projection, his sensory capabilities ascended to yet another level.

Soul projection was another characteristic of the Nascent Soul stage, except Lu Yang had already been capable of achieving it during the Foundation Establishment stage.

Back then, after slaying the tiger demon, he had obtained the art of driving ghost servants from its hands. After cultivating this spell, he could drive his own soul as a ghost servant, achieving the effect of an out-of-body experience.

However, his soul had been too fragile back then; the slightest disturbance would injure it, and in severe cases, damage his foundation, which was why Lu Yang had refrained from using this move.

Therefore, for a cultivator to possess another's body, two necessary conditions had to be met: first, their cultivation had to at least reach the Nascent Soul stage; second, they had to abide by the "Body Possession Law" and could only proceed after going through the approval process.

"They say an out-of-body soul can travel ten thousand miles in spirit, visiting the vast sea at dawn and Cangwu by dusk. This is the perfect time to test it."

Lu Yang laughed with excitement as his soul completely detached from his body, sprinting forward with all his might to see just how fast he could fly.

Then, he watched with wide eyes as his physical body sat cross-legged upon the clouds, drifting further and further away from him.

The auspicious cloud was being driven by Jiang Lianyi, and its speed was astonishingly fast, completely beyond anything Lu Yang's soul-projection flight speed could match.

"Hey—wait for me!" Lu Yang's soul hastily cried out.

"You silly boy."

Sensing Lu Yang's abnormality, the Grand Elder gave a laughing scold and pulled Lu Yang's soul back.

Lu Yang scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, grinning foolishly as he continued to observe his changes.

Inspecting his internal self, he discovered a white and chubby Nascent Soul at his dantian, alongside the Immortal Fairy, who was clutching her stomach and laughing so hard she was shedding tears.

"Hahaha! You actually dared to let your soul leave your body while Lianyi was driving the cloud, aren't you afraid of being left behind!"

Lu Yang's face darkened, unwilling to be mocked by the Immortal Fairy: "Fairy, what are you doing in my dantian?"

"What a thing to say. Is it any of your business where this Immortal goes?" The Immortal Fairy stood with hands on her hips; given the vastness of Lu Yang's body, where could she not go?

"Never mind that, look at your Nascent Soul, doesn't it look a bit like me?"

Lu Yang rolled his eyes, thinking the Fairy was talking nonsense again: "How could that be? My Nascent Soul naturally looks just like me... Holy crap, why does it really look a bit like you!"

The Nascent Soul was white and chubby, exceedingly cute, and its brows bore a striking resemblance to the Immortal Fairy.

What kind of situation was this?!

"Have you forgotten? When this Immortal acted as the proxy sect master, you helped this Immortal handle the sect affairs, and this Immortal helped you cultivate."

"In other words, a portion of your Gold Core stage cultivation was cultivated by this Immortal on your behalf."

"It is only normal for the Nascent Soul to bear a one- or two-tenths resemblance to this Immortal."

Lu Yang: "..."

If I had known this earlier, I would never have let you cultivate for me under any circumstances; you should have handled the sect affairs yourself.

It was too late to say anything now.

"What is the use of this Nascent Soul?"

Lu Yang had heard that the Nascent Soul stage held infinite wonders. The power of space and soul projection went without saying; the ultimate key still lay within the Nascent Soul itself.

The quality of the Gold Core, as well as the cultivation methods used during the Gold Core stage, would directly determine the strength of the Nascent Soul.

Considering that an experienced cultivation senior like the Immortal Fairy was present, it was more convenient to ask directly.

Speaking of this topic, the Immortal Fairy chuckled, looking very proud.

"This Nascent Soul was obtained from the shattering of the Invincible Core, and all the essence of the Invincible Core is gathered in this infant!"

"Therefore, your Nascent Soul is vastly different from ordinary ones. Other Nascent Soul cultivators summon their Nascent Soul to control it in battle."

"Theoretically speaking, your Nascent Soul stage involves summoning the Nascent Soul, and the Nascent Soul can fight on its own."

"That intelligent?" Lu Yang was startled. This was equivalent to having two of himself; when deploying a wood clone, he would no longer need to divide his attention to control it, allowing him to engage in two battles simultaneously.

This was a literal doubling of combat power!

It truly made all the pains he took to maintain a one-hundred-percent win rate during the Gold Core stage worthwhile!

"So, this Immortal has given this kind of Nascent Soul a name: the Invincible Infant!"

"...Can we change the name?"

"No!" The Immortal Fairy's attitude was resolute.

"Alright."

"As powerful as the Invincible Infant is, there is a prerequisite if you want the Invincible Core to fight for you."

"What prerequisite?"

"You need to defeat your Nascent Soul."

"???"

Lu Yang's mind was filled with question marks.

However, considering his own unparalleled combat prowess, defeating his own Nascent Soul shouldn't be difficult.

"Want to give it a try?" the Immortal Fairy suggested.

"Let's try it!"

The Immortal Fairy pulled Lu Yang's soul and Nascent Soul into the mental space, instructing Lu Yang: "Feel carefully, does it feel like there is an invisible thread connecting you and your Nascent Soul?"

"There is such a feeling."

"Cut this thread!"

"You need to use your imagination, imagine that this thread truly exists, and that you hold a pair of scissors in your hand that can snip it!"

Lu Yang followed the Immortal Fairy's instructions step by step, severing the connection with the Nascent Soul.

The moment the connection broke, the Nascent Soul snapped its eyes open and lunged fiercely at Lu Yang.

"What incredible speed!" Lu Yang exclaimed in admiration, "But it is still no match for me!"

A brief moment later, Lu Yang lay sprawled upon the earth, pinned and relentlessly pummeled by the Nascent Soul, staring up at the Immortal Fairy with his fading, final breaths.

"Fairy, how can this Nascent Soul be so formidable?"

The Immortal Fairy nodded, her voice carrying an air of absolute certainty:

"Did I not tell you? This is the Invincible Soul. It can even best you, so how could it not be called invincible?"

The second update will be at eleven o'clock.

(End of this chapter)