A Celestial Sword Sect disciple led Song Changsheng to the edge of the Stele Forest, where many square meditation chambers had been built, looking like a collection of matchboxes.

The disciple handed him a small, sword-shaped Jade Token and left without another word.

Following the directions on the Jade Token, Song Changsheng opened a meditation chamber near a corner. The room wasn’t large, only about a dozen square meters, and its furnishings were simple: a single prayer mat and an incense burner.

Song Changsheng placed the swaddled Little Lingyun on the prayer mat. He then walked to the incense burner, picked up an incense stick, and remarked in surprise, "Is this Soothing Incense? How generous of them."

Soothing Incense was a fragrance made from special Spirit Plants. When lit, its scent could calm the mind, banish distracting thoughts, and prevent a Cultivator from being assailed by Demon Fiends during their seclusion.

While the incense itself wasn’t particularly precious, leaving it out for anyone to use freely would amount to a massive expense over the years.

With a gentle puff of air, the Soothing Incense ignited without a flame, releasing thin wisps of blue-green smoke.

Placing it in the incense burner, Song Changsheng took out the Tai Chi Diagram, sat down cross-legged, and slowly closed his eyes.

When he next opened his eyes, he found himself on a vast ocean. Nothing but the boundless sea surrounded him, and the only sound was the churning of the waves.

The sky was split evenly into black and white. In the center of the white half was a dazzling sun, and in the center of the black, a bright crescent moon.

Suspended between the sky and the sea was a sphere of light, emitting ripples that were visible to the naked eye as they spread in all directions.

Beside the sphere of light floated a seemingly unremarkable Jade Scroll.

This was Song Changsheng’s Sea of Consciousness. Everything here was a construct of his Spiritual Power. In this fabricated Spiritual World, he was the sole sovereign, and any intruding Divine Soul would be suppressed by his power.

He was invincible here, unless an enemy’s Divine Soul was vastly more powerful than his own Sea of Consciousness.

But unlike others, his Sea of Consciousness contained two anomalies: one was the culprit behind his rebirth in the Purple Imperial Realm, and the other was a "parting gift" from the powerful patron he had just acquired.

Staring at the sphere of light, Song Changsheng muttered to himself, ’Master said one Restriction would be unlocked each time I break through a Great Realm. I’m at Foundation Establishment now, so I should be qualified to see the first layer’s contents, right?’

With this thought, he approached the sphere of light and tentatively reached out to touch it.

The instant he made contact, the sphere erupted in a brilliant flash. Song Changsheng felt a jolt, like an electric shock, and sensed something being transmitted into him.

’This is... a fragment of Master’s memory?’ A flash of realization struck Song Changsheng. The sphere of light actually contained a portion of the Heaven-Supporting Sword Immortal’s memories.

Song Changsheng quickly examined the memory fragment he had just received. His heart pounded with excitement as he finished viewing it.

The memory fragment was short, but it contained a crucial piece of information.

The Jade Scroll containing the Daoist Scripture was actually a Magical Artifact—and a high-grade one at that.

However, due to the immense passage of time and its endless wandering through the Star Sea, its Spiritual Light had been completely depleted, causing its Artifact Spirit to fall into a deep slumber.

The memory fragment left by the Heaven-Supporting Sword Immortal primarily detailed the method for awakening the Artifact Spirit. It stressed that if he could do so, he would become the true master of the Daoist Scripture.

Song Changsheng’s heart burned with excitement. After years of studying it, he knew full well that the Jade Scroll contained not just a single Daoist Scripture, but an entire, vast Scripture Pavilion.

If he could gain full control of it, how could the Song Clan possibly fail to rise?

But when he saw the method for awakening it, a giant question mark formed in his mind. The instructions consisted of only a single sentence: "It can be awakened by using items that nourish the Divine Soul."

It didn’t mention any specific treasures, grades, or even the required amount.

A flicker of confusion crossed Song Changsheng’s eyes. ’Does this mean it’s not picky, and the quantity required is unknown?’

"Sigh. Looks like I’ll have to start paying close attention to Spiritual Objects that can nourish the Divine Soul. Another Gold-devouring Beast on my hands," Song Changsheng sighed softly. ’Everything has a price; every gain and every loss is preordained.’

After setting the awakening of the Artifact Spirit as a long-term goal, Song Changsheng turned his gaze to the Daoist Scripture beside him. He hadn’t studied it since breaking through to Late-stage Foundation Establishment. ’I wonder what I’ll gain this time,’ he thought, filled with anticipation.

He sent his consciousness into the Jade Scroll. Golden characters flashed before his eyes, one after another, and he soon fell into a state of deep enlightenment...

The moonlight was enchanting, and a gentle breeze swept by. Song Qingxing sat cross-legged beneath the Sword Stele like a statue, a flicker of pain occasionally flashing across his brow.

At that moment, his consciousness was trapped in a confined space. It was pitch-black all around, utterly devoid of light or sound, save for a lone, arrogant man who stood before him, sword in hand.

Song Qingxing struggled to his feet. His body was covered in wounds, and blood soaked his robes, flowing silently onto the ground.

He had already lost count of how many times he had fallen and gotten back up. The man before him was terrifyingly strong.

Although they were clearly at the same cultivation realm, he felt as if his opponent was a towering mountain, while he was nothing more than a lowly hillock.

"You are the ninth person to make it this far, and you are also the weakest. Leave. You are not worthy of my inheritance," the arrogant man said with cold pride, his sword held ready.