Chapter 297: Resentful Soul Sea Soul Refinement

Time quietly passed as Li Fan continued to familiarize himself with the soul.

With the Ghostly Hairpin as a wondrous item, Li Fan's ability to sense souls greatly improved.

The success rate of identification also nearly doubled.

From one in a thousand, it became two in a thousand, a truly massive leap!

"Hmm, it is indeed useful. Unfortunately, my initial foundation was too poor. To reach a qualified level, I still need to intensify my training."

As he fully immersed himself in comprehending souls, the golden light content in the Soul Gathering Orb rapidly diminished.

Seven days later, when all fifteen "lucky ones" who had originally been eliminated returned to the Universal Manor, the second phase of closed training officially began.

The trainees had more or less heard about the "accidental" deaths of Dantaitao and his companions, and their expressions were somewhat nuanced. However, everyone understood that the matter was deeply complicated, so no one discussed it openly.

The second phase of training, in addition to studying the inner formation structure of the Sky Profound Spirit-Locking Array, focused on further improving the accuracy of sensing soul-pact traces. It was required to achieve one hundred percent accuracy.

This was quite difficult for Li Fan and other substitute members who were already below standard. Fortunately, Ji Hongdao had considered this and thoughtfully prepared additional special training for these struggling students.

"You were originally eliminated, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, you have returned here."

"This is your fate. Although your talent is inferior to others, your destiny is better than those geniuses."

"Fate... is very important."

"The reason you were previously eliminated was mainly due to your inability to properly sense soul-pact imprints. The wasted Soul Gathering Orb proved your lack of proficiency in this area."

"Since that is the case, to ensure your qualification, we can only try a different method."

Ji Hongdao looked at Li Fan and the others expressionlessly, then waved his hand.

Suddenly, several golden chains extended from the void in all directions, binding their hands and feet.

Ignoring the trainees' astonished expressions, Ji Hongdao said coldly, "This method is extremely dangerous. If you cannot endure it, becoming a senseless idiot is the best outcome. Complete destruction of body and soul, or a quick death, would be a release."

"This method was not used before because the mortality rate is too high for ordinary cultivators."

"However..."

A strange glint flashed in Ji Hongdao's eyes.

"Since your fate is so good, I imagine you'll endure it without much trouble."

He clapped his hands softly, and the surrounding scenery suddenly changed.

The sound of surging waves filled the air, and Li Fan and the others found themselves bound by golden chains to a reef by the sea.

Although their limbs were bound, it did not affect their vision.

Li Fan squinted, observing the "sea" before him.

The aura emanating from this ocean sent shivers down his spine.

Listening closely, amidst the sound of the waves, there seemed to be countless wails of agony.

"This is..." Li Fan's expression subtly changed, as if he had realized something.

"Before you lies the infamous Sea of Grudges of the Myriad Immortal Alliance."

"For thousands of years, the shattered souls of all Five Elder Society cultivators who died in battle within the Myriad Immortal Alliance's territory have been absorbed into this Sea of Grudges."

"Over time, no one knows how many souls have accumulated in this sea."

"Every drop of seawater could be the amalgamation of the souls of several, or even a dozen, cultivators."

"Since you can't discern soul-pact imprints by sensing them individually, let's try with a greater quantity."

Ji Hongdao's eyes were slightly lowered as he spoke coldly.

As he spoke, the Sea of Grudges seemed to respond to a summons.

Waves rose without wind, and billows surged instantly.

Giant waves several zhang high suddenly formed and crashed head-on towards Li Fan and the others, who were chained to the coastal reef.

The moment they made contact with the seawater, countless images and emotions instantly appeared in Li Fan's mind.

It mattered not whether they could truly absorb such a massive amount of information in such a short time; the condensed souls violently and eagerly spread throughout Li Fan's sea of consciousness.

They forcefully occupied every empty space.

The immense impact arrived abruptly, and caught off guard, Li Fan nearly lost control of his mind and self.

Cursing inwardly, Li Fan desperately tried to maintain his self-awareness amidst this soul tide.

Simultaneously, the Dao Transformation Stone in his mind operated at full capacity, rapidly classifying, archiving, and processing the vast amount of information mixed within the countless souls.

And seemingly due to the life-threatening danger, the Profound Yellow Soul Refining Incantation also very rarely accelerated its operational efficiency at this moment.

It absorbed all the negative emotions such as joy, anger, sorrow, and fear from the souls.

With both methods working in conjunction, it felt as though a long time passed before Li Fan barely managed to pull through.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the surrounding cultivators; one had already failed to endure it, their body directly dissolving under the impact of the Sea of Grudges' waves.

Their soul, too, became part of the seawater.

Most of the others had their eyes completely blank.

Only the occasional twitch of their black pupils indicated that their consciousness had not yet been completely erased.

Only two or three individuals, like Li Fan, had managed to recover from the impact of the soul tide.

However, the distorted and terrifying expressions on their faces revealed the agony they were currently enduring.

Adopting an expression of unbearable suffering, Li Fan barely had time to think before the second wave crashed upon them.

Sinking, resisting, recovering, then sinking again.

In this cycle, after an unknown period, the seawater finally calmed.

The chains vanished, and everyone, exhausted, collapsed onto the ground.

"Indeed, your fates are quite good. Out of fifteen people, eleven actually endured," Ji Hongdao said with some astonishment.

"The path of destiny is indeed profound and mysterious. Though unseen, it truly exists. You should know, based on our previously collected data, the survival rate for ordinary cultivators under the impact of the Sea of Grudges is only one percent."

"Excellent!" Ji Hongdao seemed very pleased.

"Today's special training is over. You may go back and rest now!"

Everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"It will continue tomorrow."

Ji Hongdao added.

Upon hearing this, everyone felt lingering fear and their expressions turned grim.

Their survival today was entirely due to luck.

Who knew if they could endure it again tomorrow?

Inevitably, some began to have second thoughts.

After all, compared to a future in array formations, their own lives were a bit more important.

However, the only response these individuals received was Ji Hongdao's icy remark: "Want to withdraw now? It's too late."

"How precious is the Sea of Grudges? It's not easy for our Array Planning Hall to even apply to use it once."

"Either you endure it, or you become part of it."

The cultivators whose requests were denied turned ashen-faced and slumped powerlessly to the ground.

Li Fan, however, felt no fear.