It was a peculiar sensation, a lingering connection between my soul and body, as if by some unseen force, since my lifespan had not yet run out. It was like the pull of a magnet.
Even if I floated with my eyes closed, I could still locate my own physical form.
Before long, guided by my martial uncle and others, I was led into a tent.
My body lay there, still and silent within the canvas enclosure.
Its color was unpleasant, pallid, and swathed in bandages.
Without hesitation, I moved closer and lay down upon my own form.
My soul was instantly drawn into my flesh.
Following this, my vision went black, and I could see nothing.
After a while, I began to feel again, sensing my heartbeat, a dizziness, and the sensation of warmth and cold.
Only then did I try to open my eyes, little by little.
"Xiao Qin!"
"Qin Ze!"
"Old Qin, Old Qin..."
Old Mo shook me incessantly, practically beside himself with excitement.
Already feeling dizzy and disoriented, his shaking only made me feel worse, bringing on nausea.
With a hoarse and weak voice, I managed to say:
"You, you damn fool, stop shaking me. If you shake me any more, you'll actually kill me."
Upon hearing this, Old Mo finally ceased his vigorous motions.
Seeing this, everyone else erupted in laughter.
At the same time, Xia Qiuxi, ever thoughtful, brought me a little saline to moisten my throat.
News of my awakening soon spread like wildfire.
My performance in the cave with Old Mo had already become the talk of all the righteous sects.
The younger generation regarded me with nothing short of awe.
Fighting thousands of evil spirits and corpse monsters, consuming a blood pill, and slaying the Black Demon Right Emissary.
For the youngest generation, I was nothing less than a legend...
Before long, individuals from all factions arrived to offer their well wishes.
The first to arrive were Xiao Mei and Hu San Taonai of the demon race, followed by Grandmother Rat and the newly appointed elder of the Bottomless Cave.
My martial uncle had mentioned earlier that the Matriarch of the Bottomless Cave had already emerged and was on her way.
Then came Daoist Master Ju Cheng, and Yun Long and Yun Hu.
Later, the Alliance Leader, the Sect Master of Wudang, True Person Cang Song, and others arrived...
More people came in succession, some I knew, others I didn't.
In any case, many had come.
Eventually, my martial uncle stepped in, citing my need for rest as a reason to refuse further visitors.
I rested for a while, and my body recovered considerably.
Furthermore, my soul had integrated with the pure energy of the Mandara Hua, granting me immense soul power.
What I needed to do now was to fuse this power into my own body.
So, I began to meditate and cultivate.
However, as I began to circulate my energy, I was stunned.
I discovered that my Soul Palace had been further opened during my unconscious state these past few days; I had broken through.
At this very moment, I was no longer in the True Light realm, but had reached the mid-True Light stage.
While I felt a surge of excitement, it was understandable.
A desperate final attack, expending all my spiritual energy in a life-or-death struggle.
In such a perilous, near-death environment, breakthroughs and cultivation advancements were most likely to occur.
But this was far from the end.
With my strengthened soul, my cultivation and breathing techniques now allowed me to keenly sense spiritual energy and absorb it.
The energy fused within my soul was rapidly released, integrating with my own physical body.
My body began to heal at an astonishing pace.
And my own cultivation was soaring steadily, reaching the peak of True Light within half a day.
Such a terrifying surge in cultivation left everyone astonished.
Many fellow cultivators nearby were utterly bewildered.
How could I, someone who had been near death and unconscious for seven days and seven nights, experience such a massive leap in cultivation after waking up?
But my martial uncle, Old Mo, and Qiu Xi understood.
Besides my innate talent, the "specialty product" from the underworld my master had brought played a crucial role.
This item was unique in the underworld.
Its value was immeasurable, and a minor progression in my cultivation after fusing with it was mere pocket change.
Because, my cultivation advancement had not stopped.
Instead, it continued to skyrocket over the next two days...
Until, three days later, a powerful surge of *qi* suddenly emanated from within the tent I occupied.
With a resonant hum, it shattered the canvas enclosure.
The intense aura spread outwards in ripples.
Everyone around looked towards my location, sensing the immense power of the *qi*.
They all exclaimed in surprise:
"This aura!"
"Dao Body realm!"
"Someone has broken through to the Dao Body realm."
"Over there, that seems to be Qin Ze's tent."
"Holy crap, no way! Three days ago, he was at the peak of True Light."
"What kind of terrifying talent is this? Consecutive breakthroughs after escaping death?"
"No, this isn't even mid-Dao Body."
"..."
Countless people stared, mouths agape, unable to believe what they were witnessing in my direction.
And at this moment, I slowly opened my eyes.
The energy from the Mandara Hua causing my cultivation to surge was, of course, to be expected.
However, I had not anticipated such a dramatic increase.
It had elevated my cultivation by an entire major realm.
An entire major realm!
And to go from True Light to Dao Body, something many seniors found impossible to progress even a minor stage in their entire lives.
Yet, I, after seven days of unconsciousness and three days of secluded cultivation, had broken through a major realm.
How could this not leave the assembled cultivators utterly dumbfounded?