But before he freaked out, the lotus started releasing a small amount of energy, nourishing his Sea of Consciousness, making it stronger passively.
Though the effect wasn’t apparent, in the long run, it would be massively helpful.
Shen Yuan calmed down and closed his eyes to feel the changes inside of him. His Sea of Consciousness was constantly getting nourished by the lotus flower.
He opened his eyes, which were filled with amazement as he muttered to himself, “This lotus…it’s fortifying my Sea of Consciousness passively. Even if the enhancement is minor, it will stack up until it will transform my soul qualitatively.”
The air around him seems clearer after having the lotus in his Sea of Consciousness, even his thoughts became clearer as he felt his comprehension level increasing.
He knew it wasn’t a one-time boost as the lotus had taken root inside of his Sea of Consciousness.
Just as he was about to rise from his lotus position, a faint glow appeared in front of him. It slowly formed into the shape of a small pagoda–miniature yet intricately detailed, with ancient symbols etched into each of its levels.
It was the very Pagoda that he had been inside of during his trials, but now it was resting on his palm in a miniature form.
“This…is the reward for clearing the trials?”, Shen Yuan whispered as he extended his hand forward, allowing the Pagoda to gently float above his palm.
A voice echoed inside the Pagoda, the same ancient voice that talked with him before, “This is my inheritance, it holds all the knowledge, technique, and treasures that I have collected throughout my life. Use it wisely, as it shall help you in your path towards achieving true freedom.”
Shen Yuan nodded his head heavily, not underestimating the weight of Pagoda Bearing Monarch inheritance. He had already made up his mind about what path to take, and this inheritance will only help him achieve his goals.
He took a deep breath and began the preparation to refine the Pagoda, he infused his blood essence into the miniature pagoda, and using his qi he started the refining process.
‘With this treasure alone, I should be able to create a sect of myself. Or even make a small elite force.’ he wondered to himself while refining the Pagoda
[You won’t be able to refine it completely at your level, it’s grade is higher than the mansion your mom gifted you. Put it in your dantian after forming a connection with it.]
Yue Lan, who had been silent all this while, finally spoke up as her voice echoed inside his brain.
Shen Yuan nodded, he closed his eyes and continued refining the Pagoda.
…
Soon after some time passed, Shen Yuan opened his eyes, looking at the Pagoda it felt much more familiar than before, as if it was a close companion.
He smiled lightly and took one last look at the miniature pagoda before letting it go so it can merge back into the Pagoda. He exhaled as he stood up.
“Haah… feels like forever since I left this Pagoda.” He said while glancing around the Pagoda, looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar sight.
He noticed formations engraved all over the seventh floor, making him curious as he took a closer look, “What are these formations?”
[This is the formation that utilized the power of the Soul Nurturing Lotus to give you a Dao Heart trial. But since you took away the Soul Nurturing Flower, it lost the majority of its effect, not it can barely show one life in the trial, which paled in comparison to what you had to go through.]
Her voice held a hint of admiration as she praised Shen Yuan’s indomitable Dao Heart.
Shen Yuan smiled softly receiving her praise and asked another question that was bothering him, “What about the transformation I felt in my soul? It felt as if an essential part of me had changed, but I can’t pinpoint it.”
Yue Lan’s admiration-filled voice echoed inside his mind,
[That is the transformation of the Dao Heart. The Dao Heart is one of the core things required to progress further in cultivation after one point. Most cultivators go through their Dao Heart transformation after the Tribulation Transcendent Realm, after having lived for thousands of years and withstanding major storms in life.]
She paused, materializing in front of him before pointing her paw at him and continued,
[On the other hand, you… you managed to achieve that feat in the freaking Foundation Establishment realm, even though the Pagoda and the Soul Nurturing Lotus helped you greatly, but without your own Indomitable Will, they would have only crushed you instead.]
She finished praising him as Shen Yuan continued looking at her silently, he knew she had more to say.
Yue Lan didn’t wait for long as she continued saying,
[Your Dao Heart was not this strong when you started the Dao Heart trial, it has become progressively stronger as you underwent numerous lives, some of them nearly breaking your Dao Heart, but you preserved and grew stronger from them. You really are something else.]
She finished speaking her mind as Shen Yuan also accepted her compliment with a slight smile.
“It wasn’t easy to withstand the test of time, some lives were filled with happiness, making me not want to leave them. Yet there were also lives filled with misery, where i ran like a dog to survive, where my closest friends and family betrayed me. I just wanted to die in those lives, but I preserved. Sigh, let’s not talk about the depressing stuff any longer.”
He finished speaking as he used his pagoda’s formations to teleport himself to the first level. The pressure vanished as soon as he came inside the first level.
Shen Yuan smiled lightly looking at how the pagoda was treating him, he walked towards the exit as the gates soon opened.
Outside, Huo Rong, Xun Shuren, and Han Qingyu were waiting with eyes flickering with pride, shock, and awe respectively.
Even though Huo Rong had full confidence in Shen Yuan being able to pass the Pagoda, she was still surprised when he actually managed to pass through it.
While Xun Shuren was completely shocked that someone managed to pass the Pagoda Trial. But she was also suspicious whether he truly passed the trial or just gave up on the last one and came out.
Han Qingyu’s thinking was much simpler since no one managed to do it in hundreds of thousands of years while Shen Yuan did it on his first try, this made him admire Shen Yuan even more.
Huo Rong and Han Qingyu moved towards Shen Yuan quickly, as if they couldn’t wait to meet with him.
But Huo Rong paused slightly after getting closer to Shen Yuan as she realized that something was off about him. But she couldn’t pinpoint what it was.
Shen Yuan smiled gently looking at the slightly stunned Huo Rong and the happy Han Qingyu, he pulled both of them with their hands.
They both got into his embrace and he hugged them tightly while whispering, “I miss you both.”
Han Qingyu blushed as she smelled Shen Yuan’s scent, feeling intoxicated with him even more.