“Heaven truly does favor those who are reborn. The very first time I practiced soul cultivation, I stepped directly into the Object Manipulation Realm. This must be related to the fact that the soul in my current body is a fusion of two complete souls and one remnant soul—especially since Henry Clark was once a soul cultivator at the Split Soul Realm. Only this can explain how I leapt from a complete novice straight to a master of the Object Manipulation Realm.”

After figuring out the reason, William Carter could no longer contain his curiosity. With a thought, his soul body—unseen by ordinary eyes—did not float out through the open window, but instead headed straight for the wall.

Then, William Carter only felt the pressure around him suddenly increase, but in the blink of an eye, that pressure vanished, and he found himself outside in the courtyard.

“The soul really can pass through walls!” William Carter stared at his own body inside the room, a bit dazed, yet unable to suppress his excitement.

In another world, he had later developed ALS, losing even the freedom to move. Coming to this world, although he started out in a war-torn era with a fallen family, he had gained a freedom he never even dared to dream of in his previous life.

The freedom to soar through the sky and burrow through the earth, to pass through walls and mountains, to come and go like the wind!

Riding the wave of excitement, William Carter’s soul floated about half a meter above the ground, stepping on the wind as if riding the waves, leaving home and drifting toward the direction of the county city.

The bright moon hung high, its light like flowing water.

William Carter traveled on the wind, growing more exhilarated the farther he went. Suddenly, a line of poetry came to mind: “I long to ride the wind and return, yet fear the jade towers and crystal palaces, for the heights are too cold.” Curiosity piqued, he stepped into the air, flying toward the bright moon.

But the higher he flew, the more strenuous it became. The cold wind made him feel as if he would freeze and be blown apart.

At about a thousand meters up, William Carter felt he could no longer withstand the cold wind, so he quickly stopped and descended back to the ground, continuing to drift toward the county city.

During this time, William Carter also tested the speed of his soul flight, discovering that the faster he went, the more he felt as if he couldn’t breathe, and even as if his soul would fall apart.

Later, when his soul had left Anhe Village by about four li, William Carter could no longer sense his physical body. A nameless fear welled up in his heart, as if if he went any farther, he would become a wandering ghost, lost in the world.

William Carter didn’t dare go any further and turned back.

On his way back, in the darkness, he saw a group of people and horses heading toward the Xu Family Fort outside the city.

Each member of the group was shrouded in a bloody aura, especially a tall man riding a clouded leopard horse. The blood energy around him was so intense that, in William Carter’s eyes, he was like a torch in the night—strikingly conspicuous, radiating a fiery heat that made William Carter instinctively feel he would be burned if he got too close.

Naturally, that group could not detect William Carter, and soon left, while William Carter continued back to Anhe Village.

“According to Henry Clark’s fragmented memories, there are not only true soul masters in this world, but also spells that can suppress and kill souls. Even martial artists with vigorous blood energy can, by virtue of their own vitality, shake and destroy souls. It seems this is true. Although I can now barely manipulate objects, since I didn’t reach this realm through hard cultivation, I’m probably not a true Object Manipulation Realm cultivator—at best, I’m at a half-step into the realm. My soul is still rather weak; whether it’s the speed, height, or distance of soul flight, there are still many limitations. Moreover, my physical body is even weaker compared to my soul. Once the soul leaves the body, the body loses its central command and becomes feeble.”

“It seems that unless necessary, I must use soul arts with caution, and I need to quickly improve my physical cultivation. The body is the vessel; only with a strong body can the soul reside in peace and continue to grow.” After his soul returned to his body, William Carter felt mentally exhausted. Only then did he realize that although the path of the soul is mysterious and profound, it has many limitations. In fact, using it is extremely draining, and if the body is separated from the soul for too long, William Carter would start to feel weak. Recalling what he saw on the way and the fragments of memory in his mind, William Carter was not swept away by the excitement of his “new skill,” nor did he think he could act recklessly with his current abilities. On the contrary, he became more cautious, not daring to be the least bit complacent.

After a silent self-warning, William Carter calmed his mind, visualizing himself sitting cross-legged in the vast star river, with starlight pouring into him, his soul growing ever stronger.

As he continued to visualize, William Carter gradually felt waves of drowsiness wash over his mind, making it impossible to focus on the “Immortal Star River.” So he stopped cultivating and went to bed.

……

The next day, William Carter woke up feeling indescribably refreshed, with no trace of the weakness from yesterday’s blood loss.

After breakfast, William Carter took the meal that Yin Ranyue had prepared for him to eat at the martial arts school, and set off toward the county city.

Chapter 7: Cold Iron Palm Courtyard

The walls of Fangshuo County City stood twenty meters high, towering and imposing, like a giant beast crouched at the foot of the Wuyang Mountains.

Both the city walls and gates were patrolled and guarded by soldiers in armor, wielding swords, spears, and halberds, creating a strict and intimidating atmosphere.

At this moment, the sun had just risen from the distant horizon.