Nascent Soul Rebirth: Starting as a Wizard

After thoroughly extracting the spiritual essence of Moonlight Pool and transforming it into the foundation for his initial path to enlightenment, Solo did not stop there.

His gaze fell upon another remote and mysterious spot in the Silvercrown Mountains—Thunder Falls.

Unlike the secluded tranquility of Moonlight Pool, Thunder Falls is located at the end of a deep canyon.

Even before getting close, one could hear the deafening, continuous rumbling sound, as if countless thunderbolts were constantly crashing down into the deep ravine.

Upon closer inspection, a wide stream of water plunges fiercely down a cliff tens of meters high.

It crashed into the bottomless emerald pool below, stirring up a cloud of white mist that refracted into tiny rainbows in the sunlight.

The water roared, and even the rocks beneath our feet trembled slightly. It was difficult for an ordinary person to even stand still, let alone have a conversation.

Solo squinted as he looked around, his eyes filled with mist.

The area is extremely humid, and the waterfall has been eroding the rock face for years, creating countless ravines and caves.

He scanned the area meticulously with his spiritual sense and, sure enough, discovered a natural grotto partially obscured by the water flow behind the curtain of water and on the side of the waterfall's impact point.

The entrance was hidden, but the interior space was unexpectedly dry and spacious, with a significantly higher concentration of spiritual energy than the outside.

"Another 'spiritual cave'," Solo thought to himself.

These "points," formed by the accidental gathering of wandering spiritual energy between heaven and earth due to special terrain and geology, may lack the "momentum" of a long and nourishing spiritual vein, but they still form energy-rich areas suitable for cultivation in certain localities.

He followed the same method and sneaked into the cave, where he indeed encountered the "master" of the place—a low-level magical beast that resembled a hunched monkey, but was covered in slippery moss and scales, and whose claws and teeth gleamed with a metallic cold light.

After a fierce battle far inferior to that against the Frostwater Serpent, this beast, adept at maneuvering between slippery rock walls and capable of manipulating small-scale water mist to interfere with sight and hearing, finally fell to Solo's profound inner strength and spiritual awareness.

This spiritual cave is slightly inferior to the one at the bottom of Moonlight Pool, but it still falls into the same category.

After cleaning the nest, they found two more medicinal herbs and some crystals.

Solo made this cave deep inside Thunder Falls his new temporary retreat.

The roaring water became a natural barrier, and the pervasive water vapor also concealed many subtle fluctuations during cultivation.

As time goes by, bottlenecks become apparent.

There is no sun or moon in the cave; one can cultivate without knowing the years have passed.

In the blink of an eye, Solo had been cultivating here for nearly a month.

Solo sat cross-legged in a secluded cave behind the waterfall, surrounded by misty water vapor, and spiritual energy was slowly drawn into his body through the "Taihao Yangyuan Jing" (a classic text on nourishing vital energy).

January passed quietly amidst the ceaseless roar and mist of Thunder Falls.

Solo sat cross-legged at the deepest part of the cave, beneath him the warm, smooth rock that had been moistened by spiritual energy over the years.

The profound path of the Taihao Nourishing Yuan Scripture circulated endlessly within his body, like the most precise instrument, with an efficiency far exceeding that of ordinary Qi-refining methods in this world.

The meager spiritual energy drawn from the outside world, as well as the essence obtained from refining materials such as the gallbladder and eyes of the Cold Water Demon Serpent, are transformed bit by bit into usable spiritual power.

Eight hundred years of cultivation experience from his previous life now transformed into an invisible beacon, guiding him to carve out a path through the darkness of his meridians and avoid the detours and pitfalls often taken by lower-level cultivators.

This body with "pseudo-spiritual root" was forced to move under such high-level guidance and with no expense spared in accumulating resources.

The nascent vortex within his dantian was nurtured and gradually strengthened, becoming more solid and dense, slowly but steadily approaching the threshold of the second level of Qi Refining.

Finally, after a long and deep cycle, the cyclone suddenly accelerated its rotation, emitting a clearer spiritual energy fluctuation.

Qi Refining Level 1 Peak, reached!

However, at this crucial moment, as if touching an invisible yet incredibly tough barrier, an unprecedented, teeth-grinding, and sluggish sensation arose.

Like an icy tide, it suddenly surged up from the depths of the limbs and meridians!

The feeling wasn't pain, but it was far more irritating. It was like pushing a heavy carriage stuck in the mud, no matter how hard you tried to activate your skills or concentrate your mind.

No matter how hard one tries to squeeze out the newly refined spiritual energy to break through that barrier, all that is returned is a deep sense of powerlessness and stagnation.

When spiritual energy flows through those four spiritual roots with mixed attributes, it can no longer be transformed and purified as smoothly as before.

Instead, it's like encountering four "filters" of different textures that interfere with each other, causing a sharp drop in conversion efficiency.

Furthermore, the conflicting spiritual energy attributes generated become increasingly apparent, hindering each other within the meridians and making it difficult to form a combined force.

What alarmed Solo even more was that the spiritual energy in the cave, which was originally quite abundant, had diminished after a month of continuous absorption.

It has become much thinner, and the rate of replenishment is far from keeping up with the massive consumption he needs to break through the bottleneck.

The limited "capacity" of the spiritual cave was to be expected.

However, the demanding requirements for the "quantity" of spiritual energy when the pseudo-spiritual root faces a breakthrough, as well as the stubborn and hopeless transformation bottleneck, still put him under real and heavy pressure.

"Hoo..." He slowly exhaled a long breath, which was tinged with a bit of restlessness, and opened his eyes.

The glow of the fluorescent moss inside the cave seemed to have dimmed somewhat due to the decline of spiritual energy, reflecting on his slightly furrowed brow.

"As expected... the limitations of a pseudo-spiritual root are only revealed so clearly at the critical juncture when a qualitative breakthrough is needed."

Solo silently chanted in his heart, a cold, burning feeling, like a venomous snake, quietly gnawing at his rekindled Dao heart.

Experience can guide the way, techniques can optimize the path, and resources can accelerate the process, but all of these seem somewhat pale in the face of absolute talent barriers.

If this continues, even if we refine the remaining materials, the time required to break through this barrier will far exceed expectations.

Time, that's what he lacks most.

Emerald Isle, Wizarding Academy, unknown challenges and opportunities.

The most pressing issue was that the fragments of divine consciousness hidden deep within his sea of ​​consciousness, which were constantly dissolving and strengthening his spiritual power, were also gradually pressuring his sea of ​​consciousness...

All of this was silently urging him on.

Staying here is not an option.

However, at this crucial moment, he felt an unprecedented stagnation.

"Too slow... This pseudo-spiritual root is more stubborn than I expected." He muttered to himself, a rare sense of irritation rising and falling like an undercurrent.

Having been a Nascent Soul cultivator in his previous life, he knew the hardships of cultivation, but he was also used to the rapid progress brought about by his exceptional talent.

The body's current aptitude is like its meridians filled with viscous gel; every step forward requires enormous mental and material effort.

The spiritual energy at Thunder Waterfall, a sacred cave, had become quite thin after he absorbed it for a month, so he continued to endure the hardship there.

Even if he refines the remaining three spiritual herbs, it is uncertain whether he can break through to the mid-stage (fourth level) of Qi Refining within half a year.

His fingers unconsciously rubbed against his waist.

There, beneath the lining, lies a soft armor made from the toughest scales of the Frostwater Serpent's neck, its cool, rough texture carrying the faint, fishy odor unique to magical beasts.

Memories of yesterday's trip to the port to sell furs and process scales resurfaced—the bustling docks, the towering masts, the heavy whistles of ocean-going sailboats, and the sailors shouting as they loaded and unloaded goods from unfamiliar lands…

A spark suddenly ignited in my troubled thoughts!

"A single spiritual cave has limited spiritual energy... but what if there are more than one similar place in this vast sea?"