C18 Heaven Level Soul Weapon, Space Soul Ring.

Inside the chamber, Su Yun sat petrified on his bed, a voice echoing in his ears: "Heaven Level Soul Weapon forged successfully!" It took him a moment to snap out of his stupor, his gaze sharpening on the object at the center of the room—a milky-white jade ring, resplendent and suspended in midair.

Space Soul Ring!

The name resonated in Su Yun's mind as he swallowed hard. Despite having braced himself for an impressive outcome after the Hammer Spirit's briefing, he realized he had grossly underestimated the result.

Heaven Level! A Heaven Level Soul Weapon!

The mere thought sent a surge of exhilaration through him.

With a swift motion, he leapt from the bed and darted to the ring, snatching it from the air as if it might vanish at any moment.

"Buzz!" The ring flared with light the instant it met his grasp.

Blood Identification!

The message was crystal clear to Su Yun. Without hesitation, he sliced his finger and let a drop of blood fall onto the Soul Ring. Soul Weapons of Earth Rank or higher possessed a soul resonance, requiring blood identification to be wielded.

"Identification successful!"

The words flashed in his mind as the Soul Ring glowed, absorbing the blood. A profound connection formed between Su Yun and the ring, and a flood of information poured into his consciousness.

"Space Soul Ring, a space-type Soul Artifact, containing its own dimension..."

The brief snippet of information was enough to rivet Su Yun's attention, his spiritual consciousness flooding into the ring. A vast expanse unfolded in his mind.

"It truly is a Space Soul Artifact!"

He had speculated as much upon hearing its name, but the confirmation still sent a thrill through him. A Space Soul Artifact, by definition, was a Soul Artifact with an internal dimension capable of holding various items, even living beings—such as a person. Such artifacts were exceedingly rare; one would be hard-pressed to find another within the entirety of Yunhe City, let alone the vast Tiancang Empire.

The Space Soul Ring before him clearly held more secrets than met the eye.

New information surfaced in Su Yun's mind:

The Space Soul Artifact came equipped with soul skills:

Swap: The host can instantly exchange positions with any other creature within thirty meters using spatial transposition. This skill requires a half-month cooldown after each use, but the distance and cooldown duration will extend as the host's power grows...

Space Escape Concealment: The host can vanish into the Void Space, nullifying any active Soul Power. Without utilizing Soul Power, the host can remain hidden for up to fifteen minutes, with the duration increasing alongside the host's abilities.

Space Shatter: This skill awakens once the host attains the Sky Soul Stage.

...

Su Yun inhaled deeply, his gaze upon the ring in his hand now ablaze with boundless fervor.

A Soul Weapon with attached soul skills! And not just one, but three!

Such Soul Weapons were only mentioned in the ancient tomes he had read!

"Phew... That was terrifying!"

Just then, the Hammer Spirit's voice broke through, tinged with relief.

"What happened?"

Su Yun snapped out of his reverie, a look of confusion on his face.

"Master, the ring nearly triggered a lightning tribulation!"

"Lightning tribulation?"

Su Yun was taken aback, the recent thunderclap outside suddenly making sense. Astonished, he asked, "Are you saying that the thunder was drawn by this Space Soul Ring?"

"Indeed! It's fortunate that the ring absorbed some of the energy at the last moment, or we would have faced the lightning tribulation..."

Mid-sentence, the Hammer Spirit seemed to recall something important, "Oh, Master. That energy..."

Whoosh!

Before it could finish, the Divine Hammer, hovering nearby, burst into a blinding light and shot toward Su Yun.

"Holy shit!"

Caught off guard, Su Yun could only watch as the Divine Hammer merged back into his body.

In that instant, he felt as though a bomb had detonated within him.

"Ahhhh!"

A wave of Soul Power engulfed him, searing through his body like an intense flame. The agony he had only just tasted the day before was back, and his screams echoed relentlessly within the chamber.

This time, luck was not on his side.

Su Yun had no idea how many times he writhed in agony on the floor, but when the last traces of the fiery sensation finally faded from his body, the ordeal was over.

The sky outside had shifted from the deep of night to the first light of dawn.

"Huff... Huff..."

Su Yun lay on the ground drenched in sweat, gasping for air. A night of agony had left his body feeling more exhausted than ever before. He hadn't rested well the previous night, after all. Without realizing it, his eyes drifted closed...

He had no idea how long he'd been asleep.

"Thump, thump, thump..."

The sound of insistent knocking roused him from his slumber.

"Young Master, are you there?"

The voice from outside snapped Su Yun's groggy gaze into sharp focus.

"Yun Lih?"

He recognized the voice instantly, raising an eyebrow as he looked toward the door.

"Young Master, it's me!" came the reply.

Su Yun sat up, twisting his stiff, cracking body, and called out, "What's going on?"

Yun Lih's voice carried a note of urgency, "Young Master, please hurry. The Great Elder and the miss are waiting for you!"

"Waiting for me?" Su Yun was taken aback.

"You haven't forgotten, have you, Young Master? Today is the day of the High Sect Selection!"

"High Sect Selection?" Su Yun bolted upright, disbelief coloring his tone as he peered outside, "Damn, did I sleep for a whole day and night?"

"Ah?" Yun Lih sounded bewildered.

Su Yun didn't bother with an explanation. He quickly freshened up and strode out the door.

"I'm off!" he called to Yun Lih before dashing toward the mansion's main gate.

Yun Lih watched him go, dumbfounded. Could the Young Master really have forgotten such an important day as the High Sect Selection?

...

"Master, you've made a breakthrough!"

As Su Yun hastened out of Yun Mansion, the Hammer Spirit's voice echoed in his ears.

Startled, Su Yun took a moment to look inward and discovered that his realm had indeed advanced. He had progressed from the initial stage of the Soul Controlling Stage to the late stage!

"The suffering wasn't in vain!" he thought to himself, feeling the previous night's torment had paid off.

He continued his swift pace toward the gates of Yun Mansion, and within minutes, he was standing at the entrance.

The Yun Family's Great Elder, Yun Yan, along with the Second Elder, Yun Linguang, and other high-ranking members, had already assembled early on.

"Hmph, quite the early arrival!"

Upon his arrival, Yun Linguang let out a cold snort.

Su Yun paid him no mind, instead turning to Yun Yan and the rest with a look of regret, "My apologies for the delay."

"The Old Family Head is unwell and resting back at the mansion, so I'll be leading the team this time," Yun Yan declared, sparing Su Yun only a brief glance before addressing the crowd with authority, "Now that we're all present, let's set out!"

He strode out of the Yun Mansion, setting the pace, with the rest of the Yun Family in tow.

"Yilan!"

Su Yun made his way through the crowd to stand beside the figure he knew so well.

Yun Yilan gave him a complicated look but remained silent, quickening her pace instead.

Su Yun sighed in resignation and hurried to keep up.

...

The High Sect's selection event was taking place in a central square in Yunhe City.

By the time Su Yun and the Yun Family contingent arrived, the area was swarming with people.

Luckily, the square was encircled by a 'U'-shaped river, which kept the frenzied masses at bay on the opposite bank.

After identifying themselves, Su Yun's group crossed the bridge and entered the relatively open space of the square, where many had already gathered.

The majority were young men and women under the age of twenty, in accordance with the High Sect's selection criteria. Participants had to be no older than twenty, as the physical foundation of Soul Cultivators became fixed beyond that age, making any transformation exceedingly difficult.

In addition to these hopefuls, representatives from Yunhe City's various powers were present, including some familiar faces from the Lin family.

Su Yun immediately sensed a piercing, murderous gaze among them.

Who else could it be but Lin Zongshan, the Great Elder of the Lin family?

The enmity for the death of his son was a chasm too wide to bridge.

Lin Zongshan's eyes bore into Su Yun, ablaze with a fury that seemed ready to ignite at any moment.

His anger was palpable, fueled not only by his son's death but also by the fact that Su Yun had barely stepped out of the Yun Mansion after the deed was done.

He never imagined Su Yun would dare to be so audacious!

The moment he learned of the incident, his blood boiled with fury. Su Yun's actions were nothing short of a blatant disrespect towards him!

In response, he deployed a swarm of his men to stake out the Yun Mansion, and even he lay in wait nearby, ready to ambush Su Yun the instant he stepped out.

But Su Yun...

He never ventured out again!

Two whole days and nights he waited, his eyes reddening with the strain, yet Su Yun remained out of sight.

Seeing Su Yun now, how could his anger not flare anew?

But what incensed him even more was that Su Yun had indeed glanced over the Lin family members, only to skim past them and shift his gaze away.

He had been disregarded!

As if, in Su Yun's eyes, he was utterly insignificant!

"Damn that insolent brat!"

Lin Zongshan ground his teeth in rage.

Were it not for the inappropriateness of the setting, he would have struck Su Yun down without hesitation!