The source of power in this world is not the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, but the boundless Soul Sea, vast and endless, that surrounds the entire plane. Every intelligent living being has a soul connected to a strand of soul silk deep within the Soul Sea. Each time a cultivator trains, they are essentially following their own soul silk to draw the “soul essence” that belongs to them from the sea.
The Soul Sea is not constant. It follows a major cycle of three hundred years, passing through four phases: “Rising Tide, High Tide, Calm Tide, and Turbulent Tide.”
Rising Tide: The Soul Sea slowly rises. Soul essence is thin but stable, making this a golden age for low-level cultivators to lay their foundations.
High Tide: The Soul Sea surges, and soul essence pours down like a torrential rain. Geniuses emerge everywhere, and great sects spring up across the land.
Calm Tide: The Soul Sea drops sharply. Most soul silk sinks to the seabed, and the difficulty of breaking through rises by ninety percent.
Turbulent Tide: The Soul Sea erupts into raging waves. Uncontrolled soul essence transforms into soul beasts that burst through the surface, and the mortal world becomes a living hell. This is the greatest catastrophe of every era.
