After cultivating for five hours, Ace didn't feel any exhaustion. 

He felt full of energy but he has noticed something very serious, whenever he tried to use his soul qi he felt a little discomfort in his true soul!

'Is this why the system sealed my soul cultivation? It seems having a big gap between my body and soul is really not a good thing.' Ace thought.

He didn't feel like this before because the Qi River Realm was a major turning point for any cultivator; at this realm, one reveal their element and that almost decided what path a cultivator would take in the future. 

But Ace still didn't know what his element was but has some idea what it be. 

'Since the is the issue of the gap in cultivation why not just shorten it down?' Ace smirked and transmitted, "System how many experience points would I get after converting all the Pills and Medicinal Herbs inside my thief's space?"

Before he can't cross stages without understanding the realm but now that he was already equal to a Qi River Soul Cultivator, the bottleneck didn't exist for him anymore.

He was going to use everything he had to shorten the gap between his soul and martial cultivation.

=======

"[System is calculating…]

[All the herbs and pills in thief's space can be converted into 950,000 EXP]

[Did you want to proceed with the conversion?]

========

'I can only breakthrough into mid-stage with this much EXP. Well, it better than nothing.' Ace said without any hesitation, "Convert them all."

======

"[Conversion Complete!]

[950,000 EXP has been added to Host status]

[Congratulation host on reaching the Middle Stage of Heavenly Foundation Building]

[Host status has been updated]"

======

Swiftly, Ace felt a huge amount of Heavenly Qi pouring inside his body but not from the outside but the Dark Void!

He was shocked by this because whenever he used EXP, Ace knew the Qi came from the system but now Dark Void was providing it. He didn't anticipate such a change would transpire after he built the Heavenly Foundation.

He didn't have time to dwell on it because the huge amount of Heavenly Qi begins to circulate in his meridians.

After nine cycles the Qi retune in the dark void where it converts into the HD-Qi.

The tidal wave of inky Qi directly enters the nine dark foundation slates surrounding the dark void. Those dark slates begin to expand rapidly. 

When every bit of Qi was absorbed by those slates they have expanded by fifty percent! If those nine slates were fifty square meters before, now they were a hundred square meters.

This is the end of Ace's smooth breakthrough into the Middle Heavenly Foundation Stage. It was also Ace's first time witnessing the dark void in action and it's important to him! It has become his martial cultivation core.

Ace finally opened his eyes and a deep current flashed past them as he breathe out turbulent air. 

'I can now kill those Peak Qi Foundation Experts within ten moves and one hit if I sneak attack them.' Ace thought and even he was stunned just how overbearing his prowess was. 

But when he remembered about the elemental orbs and the heavenly punishment he frowned and thought it was extremely normal to possess such power when there was this kind of huge price to pay. He wasn't a naïve kid anymore.

"Status!"

======

[Status Panel]

[Host: Ace White]

[Race: Human {No Bloodline}]

[Heaven: 1st Mortal Sky Heaven]

[Martial Cultivation: Heavenly Foundation Building {Middle-Stage}]

{EXP: 450,000/1,000,000}

[Soul Cultivation: Orange Wind Soul Core]

{SP: 1030/100,000}

[Skills: 5]

[Stealth Basic: {Perfection} 

Silent Steps Basic: {Perfection} 

True & False Eyes Basic: {Perfection} 

Pick Pocket: {Perfection}

Treasure Opening Hands [Basic Art]: {5th Form}]

[Cultivation Technique: 2]

[{Heaven Stealer Technique Volume 1}, {Dual Shadow Swords}]

[Thief Points (TP): 1095]

[Mission(s): 1]

[Job Mission: Host has to do honorable thievery at a city lord's mansion of the No.1 City in the Low-Level Lands. (Lands of cities)]

[Rewards] 

{Thief Panel will be unlocked}

{Shop will be updated}

{Other rewards based on Host Performance}

[Time: 10 months left.]

[Punishment on failing: System will stop working for 50 years]

========

Every time Ace saw his growing status he would always feel content but this time he felt gloomy instead. 

The first reason was the growing EXP especially SP that jump from thousand to one hundred thousand in one go! He clearly knew just how hard it was to find SP because he only encounters the Blood Rose that give him the option of 10,000 SP and that was also a grade one herb!

The second reason was of course the time left for the job mission. 

'I have to take risks now.' Ace sighed when he heard the system's voice again. 

"[Soul Probing 10% Power has been unsealed!]"

"Isn't this the ability name that I obtained after forming the Orange Soul Core and was sealed by the system?" Ace knit his brows while mumbling, "Is it open because I reached the middle stage? Doesn't this mean I can unlock more if I reached the higher stages!" 

Ace instantly grabs the crux of the matter and becomes eristic. 

"System what is this soul probing exactly?" Ace directly asked because he didn't have any time to waste on finding out about it right now.

"[50 TP]"

"Why don't you rob me directly??" Ace was rendered speechless seeing the system returning to its old ways and become even more ruthless. 

"[System only asked for the compensation according to host question importance.]" System justified itself with an emotionless voice.

"Fine, you win! Take them and tell me." Ace knew he can't win this fight.

[Thief Points: 1045]

After receiving the TP system voice rang in Ace mind,

=====

"[Soul Probing: The ability to Prob someone's memories randomly without them even knowing. Only work on someone with a weaker soul than the host.]

[Warning: If the host use soul probing on someone with a whole realm higher or stronger soul, the host will experience a terrible backlash.]

[Currently, the Host can use only 10% of soul probing prowess that means the host can only Prob someone's soul at Qi Gate Realm for an hour. Any more and the host will experience a huge backlash and true soul would take direct damage since the host is not in Heavenly River Realm.]"

=====

Ace was truly alarmed by this new ability and stunned after hearing the grave warning of the system in the end. 

"I…Isn't it too overpowered if I can read someone's memories even at random?" Ace mutters as his eyes sparkled with excitement. "I just need this right now! System are you helping me while pretending to be ignorant?" 

He didn't receive any answer but didn't care about it either. 

Even with this one-hour limit, this soul probing was going to help him find that hidden treasury location, and he has already decided to whom he was going to use it. 

After Ace's big breakthrough in soul cultivation, he understands more what it truly meant to be a thief and he was going to do something big this time. 

This thing going to shatter the peace of entire Middle-Level lands and cause a ripple in the High-Level Lands! 

------

For the next fifteen days, Ace practice the soul probing on those two maids and didn't go around to search for the treasury anymore. 

He also heard the news about his own manhunt now and then, which was becoming intense day by day. 

However, no one was able to find any clues on that thief even after fifteen days and everyone thought that this little thief was long been fled from the lands of cities.

Some families even begin to search the wastelands but to no avail.

The most depressed of everyone was obviously not Vance Golden it was Zelda and her Aunt!

Vance on the other hand was feeling quite good seeing Zelda's depressed every day and enjoying himself in Jade Pavilion. 

He was dismal for a whole year and now seeing someone else in the same position, how could he not be happy? And that person was also the famous genius of Pill Flame Organization, Green Flame! This was just like having a cherry on the top of the icing.

At this moment inside Jade Pavilion,

"Aunt, do you think that thief has fled in the land of kingdom somehow?" Zelda ask eagerly from Layla who was sitting beside her while her eyes were closed. 

Lyla didn't open her eyes but said gravely, "Not possible. You know if that thief is born here he can't go outside no matter what without 'their' approval. And getting approval from 'them' is impossible without winning the hundred years trails."

Zelda clearly knew what Layla mean and retorted in frustration, "But that scoundrel isn't even in the lands of fallen! How can you explain this!?" 

Lyla finally open her beautiful eyes and a huge pressure appear all of sudden, "DON'T EVER SPEAK THAT NAME AGAIN!" 

Zelda's complexion turns ashen when she recalls what she just said in the moment of heat. "I… I-I understand. It was not on purpose." 

"Silly girl, don't lose your tranquillity like this in the future or our whole clan might get destroyed!" Lyla also didn't mention it again and said softly, "As for that little rat, I don't know which hole he was hiding in but we can't find any trace. We even scan every chicken in every city with Truth Seeing Mirrors."

Layla was also frustrated and know this time they have truly encountered a troublesome opponent and he was only fifteen or sixteen years old at that.

This was truly infuriating!