He began to deconstruct the soul once again, using Qi particles shaped like drills to target the weak points.
This time, the pain was slightly worse than before, and it took him a bit longer to cleanly deconstruct the soul.
Afterward, he used his will to shape the soul into a more refined sphere—just slightly better than the last time.
Like that, two years passed.
Now, at the 29th iteration, his soul was far stronger than average.
Most with green-tier talent couldn't bear the pain beyond this point, but he had endured.
Luke was now five years old.
When he attempted his 30th iteration—on his birthday—his body trembled.
The pain felt like someone was punching his brain like a punching bag.
It was unbearable.
But he persisted with everything he had.
Finally, he managed to deconstruct the soul and willed it back into shape.
It took nearly three hours to reconstruct the spherical form.
This time, it appeared nearly perfect—though with focused observation, a few weak points could still be found.
He reached the Body Refining Realm at the age of three, and it was at that same age that he began refining his soul—a fact unknown to others in the family, except for his mother Sarah, his father Wilson, his father's friend and family doctor Gray, and his personal maid Mary.
Together, they maintained the story that he was suffering from a serious illness that required isolation for recovery.
This situation presented an opportunity for the other branch families and even the elders within the main family.
If the Raindal family's so-called genius, the City Lord's own son, couldn't cultivate due to illness and had to start late, then the branch families saw a chance.
If one of their children surpassed him in cultivation, they might just be recognized as the true genius and potential heir to the City Lord's position.
Because of this, he didn't need to attend birthday celebrations or other events he was expected to participate in.
His cultivation room was also unknown to others, as it was built privately at the City Lord's own expense, deep within the castle for his personal retreat intended to avoid potential traitors.
As a result, it had become the perfect place for cultivation, hidden from prying eyes.
If anyone in the family or beyond were to discover the speed of his cultivation, they would undoubtedly send assassins to eliminate him.
After the 30th iteration, he could feel that if he willed it, he could break through to the second level of the Soul Refining Realm but he didn't.
He didn't want to be just another average cultivator.
At this stage, persistence was more important than talent.
Even if a green-tier cultivator had more soul iterations than a so-called genius with a red-tier soul, the one with higher iterations would still have the advantage greater stamina in combat and a stronger foundation for future breakthroughs.
Following his 30th refinement, he could feel a massive Qi reserve within his soul, and he could now access Qi with ease and precision.
And for the first time, he sensed something new a faint awareness of a space that belonged solely to him.
It wasn't fully formed yet, but he was certain: the moment he broke through to level two, that space would be born, and he would be able to access it.
He ate dry food worth two days' rations to replenish the stamina lost during the breakthrough, then collapsed onto his bed and slept for two days straight.