Beyond the Jade Gates, a mountain pierced the very heavens. Verdant and immense, it seemed to prop up the sky itself. This was the Forbidden Reach of the Great Soul Sect, the secluded domain of the Ancient Azure Bull.

Wang Lin, in his haste, traversed the land, the Great Soul Sect’s many wards parting before him like ripples in a pond, offering no resistance. He halted only at the foot of Azure Heaven Peak, his gaze fixed upon the colossal stone. He clasped his hands in respect, his voice booming forth.

“Wang Lin, a junior disciple, seeks audience with the Azure Bull Ancestor!”

Azure Heaven Peak shuddered, its protective barriers dissolving into nothingness. An aged voice echoed from within.

“The summit awaits. You will find me there.”

Instinctively, Wang Lin’s divine sense swept across the mountain. Though seemingly ordinary, a potent aura thrummed beneath its surface, emanating from the mountain itself.

“A mountain forged from a mystical artifact…” Wang Lin remarked inwardly. Without a word, he ascended, a blur against the azure face, until he stood at the peak.

There, cross-legged upon the summit, sat the Azure Bull Ascetic, clad in verdant robes that billowed in the mountain winds, scattering his silver hair. Wang Lin, maintaining a neutral demeanor, seated himself opposite the elder.

“The Art of Soul Deduction is indeed remarkable,” Wang Lin began, “One hundred and seventy-eight thousand years of practice may well rival the calculations of the Imperial Preceptor. The depth of the Great Soul Sect’s foundations is truly admirable.”

The Azure Bull Ascetic chuckled, unfazed by the veiled accusation. His expression remained serene.

“Indeed, Elder Wang speaks truly. It is commendable that upon joining our Great Soul Sect, you have already embraced its glory. I have always believed that one who perseveres in the Art of Soul Deduction for one hundred and seventy-eight thousand years would undoubtedly possess a calculating prowess akin to the Preceptor!”

“One hundred and seventy-eight thousand years spent honing a single art,” Wang Lin countered, his tone unyielding. “A feat unattainable without succumbing to the ravages of time. Is there such a being?” The immense time commitment weighed heavily on him.

“Ha! I have yet to hear of any within the Great Soul Sect who have mastered the Soul Deduction to such an extent. Even our First Ancestor merely etched forty-one billion runic inscriptions.”

“Yet, Elder Wang possesses prodigious talent and, no doubt, many fortuitous encounters. Perhaps you hold the key to unlocking the true potential of this cherished art of the Great Soul Sect,” the Azure Bull Ascetic said, a sly smile playing on his lips.

“Balderdash!” Wang Lin exclaimed, a rare display of his true feelings. He rarely spoke so bluntly, but the Azure Bull Ascetic’s demeanor was simply too much to bear.

The elder blinked, taken aback by such a retort. A flicker of guilt crossed his face, and he chuckled sheepishly.

“Enough of that! I have three gifts prepared for you, by order of the sect, which should prove most useful!” With a wave of his hand, three radiant beams materialized into ornate, silken boxes and floated towards Wang Lin.

Wang Lin, with a flick of his sleeve, collected the boxes without so much as a glance.

“I presume the time required to open these gifts is also one hundred and seventy-eight thousand years?”

The Azure Bull Ancestor coughed. “That, I cannot say. These gifts were prepared by the First Ancestor long ago, and the Great Soul Sect has merely held them in trust. Now that you claim them, I know not what lies within. Should any issue arise, do not seek me out!”

Seeing Wang Lin’s brow furrow, the Azure Bull Ascetic rose and pointed towards the heavens. A colossal rift tore open in the sky above Azure Heaven Peak, revealing a hidden dimension and within, a towering nine-storied pagoda.

The pagoda was shrouded in mist, its presence a vague yet imposing silhouette. A wave of oppressive energy emanating from the soul radiated outward. Even without stepping through the rift, Wang Lin felt its immense power.

“I must return to my alchemical forge,” the Azure Bull Ancestor said, “Enter the Soul Repository and choose a single divine art. Such is the ancient custom. To select a second, you must first prove your worth by completing a task assigned by the sect.” With these words, he vanished in a burst of teleportation, eager to escape.

Wang Lin rose and, ignoring the departing elder, regarded the rift in the heavens. After a moment of contemplation, he stepped through.

The instant he entered, a wave of overwhelming power washed over him. It was a desolate realm, devoid of sky or earth. Only the towering, nine-storied pagoda remained, enshrouded in mist.

Before the pagoda stood two gargantuan statues of ferocious beasts, perched in silent vigil.

The pagoda’s doors were sealed. Silence permeated the air, broken only by a flickering light from the sixth story, suggesting a presence within.

Above the great doors, three characters were etched:

Soul Repository!

This was the Great Soul Sect’s sanctum, where generations of techniques and divine arts were stored. Though seemingly still, Wang Lin sensed a hidden danger, a labyrinth of lethal traps.

After a pause, Wang Lin began to approach the pagoda’s doors. But then, he stopped, his gaze snapping to the right, to the massive beast statue that stood guard.

The creature resembled a Qilin, yet it possessed an alien grace.

As Wang Lin’s eyes met the beast’s unblinking stare, the statue stirred. Stone limbs began to contort, and a low, guttural growl resonated within Wang Lin’s mind.

“The jade slip! Hand it over!”

Wang Lin’s eyes flashed. He realized the statue was a prison, containing the soul of a powerful beast. Imprisoned here and fused with the stone, it could manifest various supernatural abilities.

With a flick of his wrist, Wang Lin summoned the jade slip that had been gifted to him by the Azure Bull Ancestor. As soon as it appeared, Wang Lin felt a surge of power, and the jade slip vanished. The stone beast’s maw appeared to chew, and with a satisfied motion, the same jade slip was spat back out to be exactly the same.
“Enter now the Soul Repository, and claim a single divine art or mystic technique!” The stone idol ceased its silent gesticulations, its surface no longer rippling with arcane energies, becoming still and inert as any common statue.

“Such speed!” Wang Lin’s eyes narrowed, his pupils contracting. He had barely perceived the idol’s movement. After a moment’s contemplation, he realized the flash of crimson light was, in truth, the flick of the beast’s tongue.

As the idol settled into stillness, the doors of the nine-story tower creaked open a fraction, releasing waves of spiritual energy that intensified the oppressive atmosphere.

With deliberate calm, Wang Lin strode towards the barely-ajar gateway, stepping through the sliver of opening into the first level of the Soul Repository. In that instant, the secrets held within were revealed.

It was a chamber vast, stretching for thousands of *zhang*. Within, hundreds of diminutive figures, no larger than the span of a hand, floated in meditative postures, eyes closed and bodies motionless. Yet, from each emanated a palpable aura of potent cultivation.

Wang Lin’s gaze swept across these miniature beings – men and women, old and young – all without exception were disembodied souls, each imbued with a unique divine art or mystical technique.

“The Soul Repository…” Wang Lin murmured, his eyes continuing their survey before alighting on the staircase that spiraled towards the second level. The steps pulsed with an ethereal light, a silent sentinel of arcane restrictions, insurmountable to those lacking sufficient cultivation.

Clearly, the higher one ascended through the Repository’s nine levels, the more profound and intricate the arts became. With a flick of his sleeve, Wang Lin bypassed the hundreds of hovering souls and approached the stairs. The moment his foot touched the first step, a surge of repulsive force erupted, as if to bar his ascent.

The force was considerable, enough to deter any power less than that of a Third Step Ascendant, but to Wang Lin, it was little more than a gentle breeze. His expression remained serene as he ascended each step, the sound of his footsteps echoing in the vast chamber as he reached the second level.

The second level of the Soul Repository held another multitude of ethereal figures, their spiritual energies radiating with a power many times greater than those of the first level. Yet, after a swift appraisal, Wang Lin did not find the two techniques he sought – the Multiple Vajra Art, and the summoning ritual to call upon the ancestral soul of the Grand Soul Gate.

“The arts here are mostly comprehensible to those of the Sky Nirvana stage, and powerful indeed when unleashed… but for me, they are of no use.” Wang Lin mused, before ascending to the third level.

He passed swiftly through the third, fourth, and fifth levels, arriving in the fifth level of the Soul Repository. Here, the number of soul forms was greatly diminished, with barely a hundred floating in the chamber. Their auras hinted at the Sky Profound realm, a domain belonging to cultivators of considerable power.

Though Wang Lin could not discern the precise incantations or forms of these divine arts, he could sense the immense potential within each one.

What cataclysmic effects would be wrought, were any one of these souls to be brought forth into the world? Wang Lin pondered, unsure. But were it unleashed within the Realm of the Caves, it would surely ignite a calamity of immense proportions!

Yet, alluring as these skills were, they were not the treasures Wang Lin sought. He fixed his gaze upon the stairs leading to the sixth level, a flicker of determination in his eyes, and advanced.

The instant his foot landed on the first step, a thunderous wave of force crashed through his mind. He staggered, momentarily stunned, his body freezing as he fought to maintain his balance.

In the sixth level above, Yan Luan sat in meditative stillness, an ethereal soul form hovering above her head, tendrils of spiritual essence seeping into her crown.

As Wang Lin’s foot touched the sixth step, Yan Luan’s eyes snapped open, a flash of keen interest flickering within.

“To reach the Soul Repository at this time… it could well be Wang Lin! Hmm, his cultivation is veiled in secrets, far more than the Late Sky Spirit stage suggests. Let us see if he can ascend, for that will reveal his true strength!”