The Dawn of the New World

It looked like an ordinary rock that would be all too common in the appropriate setting like that of a forest or a mountain. But within Hao Xuan's mind palace it stuck out like a sore thumb.

Hao Xuan looked to his left where the 200 orc teenagers were in the midst of their respective training in the corner. It seemed like none of them had moved in a long time, not even to eat.

At first glance they looked like starving orphans huddled together for warmth. Skin and bones held together by an indescribable energy that Hao Xuan had only felt from Gavril (CH 323).

But when examined closely, the faint wisps of pure white Qi were wrapped around their bodies, digging in and out like worms bringing with them fine black dust. These were the impurities gathered inside their bodies since birth.

And now by whatever cultivation method they were using, all these impurities were being slowly scraped out.

Rings made of this black dust had been formed around each orc as well. The smallest ring was just a few inches thick while the largest was more than a foot wide.

"Tsk, stop dirtying up my 'Mind'," Hao Xuan couldn't help but grumble looking at the mess.

Leaving them to their own devices, he walked up to the 'rock'. As he came closer, the rock shook faintly once before becoming still once again.

Hao Xuan stared at it for a few seconds but it made no moves whatsoever. Finally having waited on enough, he kicked it lightly.

"Oi, wake up. I know you can hear me. Stop pretending to be dead!"

Ten more seconds in silence before finally a crack appeared on the rock's surface. It's originally 2.5-meter long body started to expand and open up as multiple twig-like legs reached outwards.

*Crack*

Faint cracks came from its body as its legs turned and twisted in the air before finally lifting the main body into the air.

Hao Xuan couldn't help but appreciate the creature's body. Even under bright light it looked nothing like a spider. If it stopped moving, it would resemble an ordinary rock being held up by dead branches. There were no energy readings coming from it nor any signs of life.

In a forest, it would be next to invisible.

"Nature sure is amazing huh..." Hao Xuan muttered, astonished once again.

"Come here," he beckoned the creature.

Its injuries had healed entirely but the pain and fear they had caused were etched deep into the spider's psyche. Left with no other choice at the time, Hao Xuan had exposed the creature to his bare soul when it had tried to invade his mind.

And his soul which was powerful beyond his realm was like a miniature sun. It had set the creature alight with nothing but the intense and pure energy that was giving off.

Although Hao Xuan had done it unknowingly and in a much more rudimentary way, he had utilized his 'soul fire' to attack.

When a person's cultivation reached a certain point, pushing their soul beyond the limits of normal mortals, they would be able to affect the outer world through the power of their soul alone.

One such technique allowed cultivators to create and control a flame made with soul power. It's color and intensity depended on the cultivator's soul but one thing common between all of them was the raw power it held.

The soul is the concentrated essence of every living being. The longer a person lives, the stronger it becomes regardless of cultivation. So even a for non-cultivator, a soul would be their most powerful weapon, much like a glass cannon. It can be damaged much too easily.

Under normal circumstances non-cultivators will never be able to control their soul and use it as such.

What Hao Xuan had done was simply exposing his soul to the spider, which was extremely dangerous.

Slowly, as if being forced from behind, the spider came closer to Hao Xuan and lowered its head which was hidden beneath the outer rock-like exterior. It had no eyes so it wasn't easy to tell what it was feeling at the moment.

But seeing the constant tremble of its legs, it was an easy guess.

"Relax, I am not going to hurt you," Hao Xuan said in a coaxing tone of voice.

He placed his hand over the spider's head as it retracted its four bony fangs.

"Inspect."