Eternal Thief

Ace was moving between red corridors of the Piercing Maze filled with suppressing fiery soul Qi when he suddenly frowned. 'Why do I feel this gloom all of a sudden? Did those demons suspect something?'

Uncertain, he slowed down his pace as if he was struggling, and kept walking toward the third environment, which was only a few hundred meters away.

He was already inside the piercing maze for one and a half days, only half the time left.

But it wasn't all for nothing. After crossing the Soul Ice Environment, Ace felt his soul core strengthen very little.

Although it was only tiny, this change was still good news for Ace because this means that Piercing Maze could also help him strengthen his heavenly soul core!

But he mused that only with the full power of this training facility could he experience changes with his true cultivation level. Yet, he couldn't, or those terrifying demons will personally come to check on him.

Furthermore, he didn't have the luxury of time to train like before. He needed to get on with his plan to enter the imperial domain and search for that elemental orb. The chain mission was no longer important.

Three hours later, Ace finally saw a corridor with a dark blue color and stepped in it without hesitation.

However, the soul pressure suddenly double as this was giving him the feeling of standing in the middle of the windstorm. It was the final environment; Soul Wind.

Ace felt like his Soul Gates cultivation wasn't enough to cross this environment in reaming time. Although he could endure it with his Soul Gates cultivation, it would make his pace like a snail.

However, this was also a chance to temper his soul, so he raised his martial cultivation to the third Qi gate stage and started moving again.

---

Inside the main hall of Special Instructor Quarters No.03,

The vibe of this place was completely solemn at this moment as all three special grade instructors' eyes were glued on the projection as they didn't want to miss even a moment.

"This? Why did the environment change from level one Soul Earth to level two Soul Wind?" The demon on the left exclaimed in astonishment.

"We clearly underestimated this little one, and it's clearly Master's doing to test him further. His soul talent is even more shocking than First Brother back then. It seemed Master really picked a gem this time for First Brother." The demoness presumed as a tingle of envy could be sensed in her tone at the end.

"Hehe, it seemed someone jealous, huh? Don't worry, you're not alone, though." The demons lament.

The demon in the center suddenly stood up at this moment.

"What happened?" They both looked at Clouse with confusion.

"I'm going to seek the Master to cancel his placement in the gathering training. He's more precious than that." Clouse coldly declared before he vanished from his spot.

"Well, it seemed First Brother is in love." The other demon joked.

"He's always protective of those close to him. If he considered this lad one of his people, then it's his biggest fortune to have the backing of the future leader of the Nightmare Demon Tribe." The demons said matter-of-factly.

---

On the 100th floor,

Bodach frowned his brows as he watched Archie still moving in the level two soul wind field.

Although his expression was pale and exhausted, he continued to move like he didn't know the meaning of rest.

'How could his endurance have reached the same level of peak platinum soul embryo realm? Did he suffer soul torture from a young age? Highly unlikely, unless his parents lost their minds, they won't do such a thing. So, is this his body tempering?' He contemplated.

At this moment, a masked figure appeared who was none other than Clouse.

There was a hidden stairway between the 99th and 100th floors, which could be used as long as they have given access by the tower master.

So Bodach wasn't surprised when he noticed Clouse.

"I know why you are here. But it's impossible now, I had already submitted the list already. Unless you convince Lord Principal, that brat's fate is sealed." Bodach sighed ruefully.

After seeing Archie's performance, even he was regretting sending him to the gathering training now. It would be far more convenient to train him in the tower.

Even if he had to make it obvious and alert Ampersand, he won't care because Archie's soul talent was even scarier than those of the Imperial Family!

Nevertheless, he also knew once the Imperial Domain found out about Archie's talent, they would defiantly approach him on their own accord.

"Look, I know this brat is a gem, and he met all your high standards. Even I want to make him my apprentice. But I won't stoop to the level where I stole my student's student. I had given my word, after all. In a sense, this might be for the best." Bodach stated.

"What if he didn't break into the soul realm within three years or someone forced him to do their bidding? We both know the battle for Fire Spirit is going to be fought among the younger generation first, and Archie's talent will naturally make those old ones greedy.

"Once they thought it would raise their chances of acquiring the fire spirit, they would stoop to any level to make sure Archie fought for them, just like those inferior breeds." Clouse retorted.

Bodach's eyes narrowed. "What do you think I'm here for? As long as the Fifth Prince didn't want me to side with the Fourth Prince, he won't dare to let anything happen to Archie.

"Besides, do you think that conniving brat would show off his abilities while knowing the danger of the Fiery Hell Realm?"

He suddenly chuckled, "He clearly didn't know about the piercing maze, or I can make a wager that he won't even pass the first element environment. Just have a little trust like I trust you guys.

"Teaching is not always about imparting knowledge or shielding your students from the wind. Sometimes, you have to let them go and experience the world, or they would only remain below you but couldn't surpass you."

Clouse lowered his head. "I was too disrespectful. Please punish me."

Bodach smiled kindly, "I know your nature. Just do as you wish. I'll always have your back. Oh, and don't tell that little scoundrel about the piercing maze for now. Just move according to plan.

"Tell your juniors as well. But teach him our house's secret art instead of the one we selected before in case he had passed the normal test."

"I understand," Clouse answered in affirmation and vanished, just like he appeared.

Bodach's smile suddenly vanished before an icy glint flashed past his eyes, 'Ampersand, if Archie really does not return, then there's no need for Daniel to exist as well!'

---

Eight hours passed since Ace was moving in the corridors filled with soul winds, and now even without his martial cultivation he could withstand the pressure of his Soul Gates realm cultivation alone.

He could feel his soul core was a little bit stronger, but the effect was still far from satisfactory for Ace.

After all, he had undergone two heavenly punishments already, so this much pressure wasn't enough to give him massive benefits.

But this also made Ace consider the possibility of strengthening his soul and body for the next heavenly punishment.

He clearly remembered that because he formed a Qi sea and opened the hidden manual of Heavenly Black Wind Soul, the system had warned him that the next punishment would be even deadlier than it already was.

Furthermore, he won't use Page 09 to withstand it as well because his sealed bloodline's unsealing also depends on him enduring the heavenly punishment head-on.

So, now that he knew where the elemental orb was and working toward the way to acquire it, he mused that it was time to find other things that could help him withstand the heavenly punishment without getting help from Page 09.

This soul tempering gave him a vague direction to help him achieve his goal.

The soul was always more venerable than the body, and he always feared the heavenly punishment for the soul the most.

'Since there are body tempering techniques out there, then there should be soul tempering techniques as well, right? The fundamental purpose of a tempering technique is to break it and then heal it again and again until it won't break again.

'But doing this with soul will be courting death, however…' Ace's eyes shone as he walked in the piercing maze while an impossible idea formed in his mind, which was akin to seeking his own death.

Nevertheless, he still needed some references to see if it was just fantasy, or not. He won't dare to play when it comes to heavenly punishment, or he won't have a life to play again.

As time passed, Ace finally reached the end of the passage. He made Archie look as miserable as possible. So, others thought he had just barely passed the test.

Ace finally crossed the brightly lit corridor and all the soul pressure on him vanished!