Yuki's gradual, tentative progress toward genuine hope, achieved through Ah Jiu's patient, sustained presence across nearly eight months of continued, dedicated work, ultimately brought Nine Heavens' council toward a significant, critical decision regarding whether their broader mission should now attempt the considerably more ambitious undertaking of actually removing this ancient severance entirely, rather than merely maintaining limited, individual contact with Yuki alone."I believe Yuki's own progress offers genuine, valuable proof of concept," Ah Jiu reported, during a comprehensive strategic session convened to properly consider this significant, momentous decision. "Our compassionate methodology, properly adapted for this unprecedented combination of original trauma and subsequent, compounding isolation, appears genuinely capable of helping these severed souls achieve meaningful progress toward eventual healing and hope. I believe this success justifies at

The scale of continued work required to support this eighth realm's thousands of newly liberated fallen souls brought Nine Heavens' council toward recognizing, within weeks of Yuki's own historic success, that their existing resources and methodology would require significant, deliberate expansion to properly address whatever considerable need this realm's tragic, extended history had ultimately produced. "We cannot rely on individual guides working one soul at a time," Bai Yun observed, during a strategic session convened to properly assess this significant, ongoing challenge. "Even with our Academy's continued, expanding graduating classes, I believe properly supporting thousands of souls, each carrying centuries of accumulated trauma, would require decades of sustained effort under our current, established methodology." The observation prompted careful, urgent strategic reconsideration, Mei Chen offering a significant proposal dur

It was during this same extended period of dedicated work supporting the eighth realm's considerable population of previously isolated souls that Ah Jiu's continued, broader investigation into the mechanism's historical structure revealed a discovery that would ultimately reshape Nine Heavens' understanding of exactly how extensive this ancient, cruel practice of deliberate severance had genuinely proven to be."I believe the eighth realm may not represent an isolated, singular case," she reported, during an urgent council session convened following several additional months of careful, dedicated historical investigation. "My continued research into the mechanism's ancient conflict has revealed references suggesting the harsher, punitive faction conducted similar demonstrations across multiple realms, not merely the single instance we've already discovered and successfully addressed."The revelation carried genuine, sobering weight, Wei Lian rec

Ah Jiu's continued, careful engagement with this vast, merged consciousness within the ninth realm brought her into months of patient, uncertain effort, gradually attempting to identify whether any genuine, individual identity could be located and potentially separated from this troubling, collective merger."I believe I've identified something significant," she reported, during a strategic session nearly three months into this careful, ongoing effort. "A single thread of identity, somewhat more distinct than the surrounding, merged consciousness, suggesting perhaps this particular soul maintained slightly greater individual coherence throughout their centuries of shared, collective isolation."The revelation offered genuine, cautious hope, and the council's careful approval brought Ah Jiu into dedicated, considerable continued effort specifically focused on this single, more distinct thread of identity, understanding that successfully separatin

Mireille's historic, successful reckoning offered Nine Heavens' council genuine, valuable proof of concept regarding the ninth realm's particular circumstances, prompting careful, systematic development of what would become known as the Extraction Method — a specialized methodology specifically designed for gradually separating and recovering individual souls from this realm's vast, collective consciousness."I believe we should formalize everything Ah Jiu's pioneering work with Mireille has taught us," Bai Yun proposed, during a strategic council session convened to properly consider how their significant, historic breakthrough might best inform continued, systematic effort toward this realm's considerable, remaining population. "Careful, patient identification of individual threads, gradual separation without forcing premature emergence, and specialized support helping each recovered soul properly integrate genuine, individual emotional experience after their ow