Chapter 19: The Copper Coin’s Restoration

The Grand Final Tournament ended just like that, and the school announced the official start of the vacation. There was no clear word yet on when school would reopen, likely not until at least after the Beast Horde Siege disturbance had passed.

Yang Tong carried his trophy home.

His parents were extremely happy when they found out Yang Tong had won the championship of the Grand Final Tournament. They bought lots of good food and happily celebrated.

In the evening, Yang Tong stayed alone in his room, took out the Beast Crystals, and spoke to the Copper Coin with his thoughts: “Energy is here, absorb it.”

A single low-grade, high-quality Beast Crystal held in his hand was completely absorbed in just fifteen short minutes.

Yang Tong quickly swapped it for another one.

One and a half hours later, all ten Beast Crystals Yang Tong had obtained were completely used up.

The Fate-Altering Copper Coin jumped out from the top of Yang Tong’s head, emitting faint waves of purple light. It was clearly visible that the shallowest scar on the coin was gradually healing until it completely disappeared.

The instant the scar vanished, a purple light shot from the coin into the center of Yang Tong’s brow. Then, the entire coin transformed into a beam of light and drilled into Yang Tong’s Mind Sea.

From that purple light, Yang Tong received countless pieces of information and was currently digesting them. At the same time, the moment the Fate-Altering Copper Coin entered Yang Tong’s Mind Sea, it began to inhale and exhale a mysterious power, nourishing Yang Tong’s Mind Sea.

Yang Tong’s Mind Sea actually began to gradually widen.

If Yang Tong’s Mind Sea was originally compared to a large pond, that pond had now turned into a lake. The size of the Mind Sea determined the strength of a person’s mental power. To become a Mind Master, there was no doubt that those born with powerful mental power held a great advantage.

The noticeable change in Yang Tong’s Mind Sea was only one of the effects. After digesting all the information from the coin, Yang Tong awoke, a satisfied smile on his face.

This Copper Coin was exactly as Yang Tong had imagined—it was an Immortal Family treasure. Its true name was: Soul-Suppressing Purple Coin. Most importantly, it was only one-quarter of an Innate Spiritual Treasure. In an era of endless reincarnations from the extremely distant past, that treasure was severely damaged and split into four coins: Qing, Purple, White, and Yellow, each scattering and disappearing.

By a stroke of fate this time, the Purple Coin regained its spiritual awareness and recognized Yang Tong as its master, thus unlocking its power. The Soul-Suppressing Purple Coin, true to its name, was a Soul Defense Immortal Treasure. The six remaining scars on its body seemed to be six seals. For each scar repaired, and if the power the treasure master’s soul could bear was sufficient, a seal could be unlocked.

The first seal had been unlocked. This Soul Defense Immortal Treasure now activated the Soul Potential Development effect. It could increase its master’s mental power tenfold and condense soul power, making it easier to comprehend formidable willpower.

Besides the treasure’s own functions, some basic cultivation knowledge was also transmitted. For mortals to cultivate, they must proceed step by step; carelessness was not allowed at all. All living beings, regardless of kind, were divided into two major elements: the internal and the external—namely, the physical body and the soul.

Therefore, the path of cultivation revolved around cultivating these two elements. In the words of ancient Huaxia, one path was achieving sainthood through the physical body, another was the primordial spirit harmonizing with the Dao. Of course, there were also profound methods that cultivated both internal and external aspects simultaneously.

No matter which path one cultivated, they had to assist each other. It wasn’t that a cultivator focusing on the physical body had a weak soul, nor that a cultivator focusing on the soul had a weak physical body.

This comparison was relative. An Earth Ninth-Level Martial Spirit Master’s physical body was definitely stronger than an Earth Ninth-Level Mind Master’s. But an Earth First-Level Martial Spirit Master’s soul was absolutely much stronger than an Apprentice Ninth-Level Warrior’s.

From the cultivation knowledge within the coin, Yang Tong also gained insight into the mystery of Awakening. Whether for Martial Spirit Masters or Mind Masters, the foundation of their Awakening was determined by will. A person born with strong soul power would become a Mind Master after Awakening, while a person with average soul power would awaken as a Martial Spirit Master.

Both Martial Spirit Masters and Mind Masters used will to activate the latent power within their bodies, generating spiritual power before they could awaken. After awakening, whether one became a Martial Spirit Master or a Mind Master depended on that person’s own destiny.

The Novice Rank was the stage for mortals. At this stage, the three hun and seven po souls were scattered within the body and had not gathered. As one slowly cultivated and grew stronger, some would stand out, comprehending a strong will. Then, using that will, they would gather their three hun and seven po souls, activating the latent power within their physical body. This was Awakening!

The information Yang Tong received clearly indicated that this step was called by the Immortal Family: Transcending Mortality!

Yang Tong only received clear information about the Transcending Mortality stage. To get more information, he would likely need to unlock the second seal. Of course, on the Fengxuan Continent, Transcending Mortality was called Awakening.

Transcending Mortality, or Awakening, was like a shackle firmly imprisoning all living beings. Any being that sought longevity, power, or the Heavenly Dao first had to break this shackle.

One had to comprehend will to gather the soul; gathering the soul activated the spiritual power within the body, leading to Awakening.

But Yang Tong was different. He had already begun to gather his soul. It wouldn’t be long before his three hun and seven po souls could merge into one. Of course, simply gathering the soul didn’t mean Yang Tong could activate his internal spiritual power and finally awaken.

The soul was the foundation of a living being, but will was the reliance for a being’s strength. Without strong will, one could not become a powerful being. Will was like the Marshal; soul power and mental power were the generals and soldiers under the Marshal’s command.

So, in the end, the key to whether Yang Tong could Transcend Mortality still lay in will. However, Yang Tong being able to first gather his soul and condense soul power also had benefits. Only when the soul was gathered would soul power appear. With powerful soul power, one could broaden the Mind Sea. The broader the Mind Sea, the stronger the mental power. The stronger the mental power, naturally after awakening, one would inevitably become a Mind Master, and also certainly become a very powerful Mind Master with greater potential.

Therefore, gathering the soul one step earlier, while it couldn’t make Yang Tong instantly powerful, could increase his potential. A hidden dragon in the abyss, once the right opportunity arose, could transform into a flying dragon soaring across the sky.

The second seal could only be repaired after awakening. Then, there should be cultivation knowledge inheritance for after Transcending Mortality.

“Hmm, time to sleep!” Yang Tong forced himself to calm down and rest. The process of gathering the soul was slow; it couldn’t be done in an instant. After all, it wasn’t Awakening; there was still a gap.

Lying down on the bed, Yang Tong, with his excellent state of mind and composure, slowly calmed down and closed his eyes. “Tomorrow will be even better!”