It is said that Shi Lei refined a great number of Soul Crystals within the Ghost Cave Underground Palace. However, ever since his cultivation reached the peak of Foundation Establishment, they seemed to have lost all effect.
The Golden Core barrier that Shi Lei needed to breach was simply too thick. The more Soul Crystals he refined, and the longer the process took, the more he was overcome by a profound sense of powerlessness regarding his breakthrough.
Eventually, down by the Lava Lake, Shi Lei continued refining the Soul Crystals out of pure habit, though not with the frantic desperation of before. He was truly tired—weary in body, but most of all, weary in spirit.
Chapter 465