Chapter 38: Overflowing Soul Power

Time, in the agony of waiting, seemed to stretch into infinity.

Bai He was restless, pacing back and forth at the mouth of the valley, his footsteps packing the earth harder with every pass. Then he would sit, straining his ears, trying to distinguish even a sliver of his granddaughter’s presence amidst the howling gales.

He had weathered more storms in his life than most could ever imagine. He had been hunted by Titled Douluo, gathered intelligence from within the heart of enemy armies, and led his clan through the direst of perils. Yet, never had he felt as unsettled or as helpless as he did today. In the past, every gamble had been his own life on the line. But this time, he had staked the only and absolute hope of the Min Clan.

Just as he was about to lose his composure and force his way inside, a sudden change occurred.

The fierce wind that had been howling out of the valley entrance weakened, without warning. No, it did not weaken—it changed direction! The power of wind and thunder that had been erupting outward seemed to be caught by an incomparably powerful gravitational force, rushing back violently into the depths of the valley.

Bai He stood up abruptly, his eyes locked onto the heart of the valley. The entire energy field of the Purple Lightning and Wind Thunder Valley had formed a massive funnel, and at the center of that funnel was the exact location where he had sensed his granddaughter.

The majestic energy converged, forming a visible, cyan-violet vortex that spun slowly above the valley. The sight was as magnificent as it was terrifying, as if a giant eye made of storms and lightning had opened in the heavens, coldly surveying the earth below.

"What on earth is that girl doing?" Bai He’s throat bobbed with difficulty. In over eighty years of life, he had never seen such a bizarre phenomenon in cultivation. This was no longer just absorbing spirit power; it was as if she were devouring the very heavens and earth.

He could feel his granddaughter’s presence at the very core of the vortex. It was faint, yet resilient—like a stalk of green bamboo standing tall in a storm, unyielding despite the lashing wind and rain. This discovery calmed his racing heart by half. He knew she was still alive; not only alive, but in total command of this terrifying feast of energy.

Time passed, though he knew not how much. Perhaps an hour, perhaps only the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. The energy vortex hanging in the sky spun faster and faster, its scope shrinking ever smaller. Finally, under Bai He’s horrified gaze, the massive energy that had once shrouded half the valley collapsed inward, transforming into a pillar of cyan-violet light. Like a spear of divine retribution, it descended vertically and plummeted deep into the valley.

"BOOM!"

A dull thud, like an ancient war drum, echoed from the depths of the earth. Immediately after, the entire mountain range shuddered violently. Then, everything fell silent. The wind ceased. The thunder stopped. The howling and roaring that had echoed through the valley for years vanished in an instant.

Silence. A deathly, absolute silence.

Bai He’s heart rose into his throat once more. In that recess within the cliff wall, the small figure remained sitting cross-legged. Her clothes were soaked through with sweat and dust, clinging to her frame, making her look quite disheveled.

Her delicate, porcelain-like face was deathly pale, devoid of all color. Yet, her spine remained straight as a spear piercing the sky. Her breathing was steady and long, carried by a peculiar rhythm as if she had become one with the pulse of the world.

Just as Bai He was about to let out a sigh of relief, his pupils suddenly contracted to the size of pinpricks. He saw threads of cyan-violet spirit power, refined to the extreme and finer than a strand of hair, slowly overflowing from every pore of Bai Chenxiang’s body, swirling around her incessantly.

That was not a deliberate release of spirit power. That was an overflow—a sign that her meridians could no longer contain the vast and pure energy, causing it to seep out naturally! How could a fifteen-level Spirit Master possess so much spirit power that it spilled over? What kind of monster was this?

Just as Bai He’s worldview threatened to collapse again, Bai Chenxiang’s eyelashes trembled. Then, she opened her eyes. They were still clear, yet deeper than before, as if they held a starry sky within them. Deep in her pupils, a cyan wind seemed to swirl in the left, while a violet lightning flickered in the right. When she looked toward him, Bai He even had the illusion that his very soul was being drawn into her gaze.

Bai Chenxiang stood up slowly. As she moved, the cyan-violet energy swirling around her seemed to respond to a summons, coiling back and re-entering her body. She began to walk toward the valley entrance. Her steps were light and slow, yet they possessed an indescribable sense of harmony. With every step she took, the surrounding air parted naturally to either side, as if respectfully making way for their queen.

"Grandfather."

The crisp voice echoed in Bai He’s ears. He jolted as if waking from a dream. He covered the distance in three long strides, dashing in front of her. Forgetting all the dignity of a Spirit Douluo, he reached out with trembling hands, gripped her shoulders, and scanned her up and down, asking in a rapid-fire burst:

"Xiangxiang! How are you? Are you hurt? Where do you feel unwell? Tell Grandfather!"

"That damned Zi Dianxiong, daring to set us up in a place like this—I’ll go back and tear down his family's ancestral grave right now!"

Seeing his grandfather so worried he was practically dancing with anxiety, a wave of warmth washed over Bai Chenxiang. She shook her head, a faint, genuine smile gracing her lips.

"I’m fine, Grandfather," she said, her voice carrying an ethereal quality born from her recent breakthrough. "I’m wonderful—better than I’ve ever been."

She held up a slender finger, and a wisp of cyan-violet spirit power danced at her fingertip as if it had a life of its own. "The energy here... it’s delicious."

Bai He stared at that wisp of spirit power, which was so pure it made his own heart tremble, and then at his granddaughter’s pale yet radiant face. He opened his mouth, but for a long time, no words came out.

*Delicious?* You call an energy storm that could tear a Spirit Grandmaster to shreds *delicious*? Was there some fundamental disconnect in how they defined that word?

He grabbed her wrist and channeled his own spirit power into her. A second later, his body stiffened, and the expression on his face froze completely.

Her meridians were vast and resilient, like rivers forged from millennium-old cold jade! And flowing within them was that pure, condensed cyan-violet spirit power, carrying the agility of wind and the tyranny of thunder. The total volume of her spirit power was more than double what it had been before she entered!

Her spirit power level... eighteen! No, that wasn’t right—it was already vaguely touching the threshold of nineteen! To rise three levels in such a short time? This could no longer be described as genius; it was a miracle!

"Did you drain all the energy in this valley?" Bai He’s voice sounded as if it had been rasped by sandpaper.

"No," Bai Chenxiang shook her head, answering quite seriously. "I only ate until I was about seventy percent full."

Bai He: "..."

He felt his heart struggling to cope. He decided that once they returned, he would have the clan physician prescribe him some medicine for his nerves; otherwise, he feared he might one day be scared to death by this granddaughter.

Just as Bai He was still struggling with his inner turmoil and questioning his existence, Bai Chenxiang’s gaze turned once more toward the silent depths of the valley. Her brow furrowed slightly.

"What is it?" Bai He keenly sensed her unease.

"It’s strange," Bai Chenxiang said, her eyes filled with doubt. "The wind has stopped, the thunder has ceased, but I think I can still hear something."

"A sound?" Bai He was startled and quickly extended his own perception. The valley was deathly silent; not only was there no sound, but even the energy fluctuations were pitifully weak. "Did you over-cultivate and start having auditory hallucinations?" he asked with concern.

"It’s not a hallucination." Bai Chenxiang shook her head, closing her eyes to feel carefully. In her world of wind, the violent symphony had concluded. Yet, amidst this silence, a faint but highly rhythmic beat persisted. The sound was not like wind, nor was it like thunder. It sounded more like...

"A heartbeat." Bai Chenxiang opened her eyes, speaking with absolute certainty.

"What?" Bai He’s hair stood on end once more. "A heartbeat? What kind of living thing is hiding in this valley?"

"I don’t know." Bai Chenxiang looked toward the deep, dark reaches of the valley—the places she had been too afraid to tread before. In her eyes, which had just calmed, a flame of curiosity and exploration flickered anew.

"But, I really want to go and see."