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Xu Yuan grinned, baring his teeth.
"I'll be heading to Donghai City soon. After I finish my tasks, you all should have returned to the academy by then. At that time, I'll need your help with something."
"What kind of help?" Tang Wulin pressed.
"For example, the key to this fusion technique is creating a bloodline martial soul through cultivation. Your bloodline energy is strange—it doesn't rely on a martial soul. So, I want you to try following my path as a reference template for my own cultivation."
Xu Yuan was truly shameless in his deception.
The moment he opened his mouth, Old Tang was fuming.
What nonsense!
Even without Xu Yuan's so-called fusion technique, Tang Wulin would naturally gain a bloodline soul ring after absorbing the power from the second seal!
Fine, now that this guy has spoken up, all the credit for Tang Wulin gaining a bloodline soul ring will go to him.
Still, Old Tang didn't doubt Xu Yuan's intentions.
In his view, Xu Yuan's logic made perfect sense.
Adding a reference template for his own cultivation? Using it as a benchmark?
Even Shen Yi and Wu Changkong found Xu Yuan's reasoning highly reasonable.
Shen Yi was aware of Xu Yuan's path. After hearing both sides discuss it at length, combined with her observations of Tang Wulin's performance during the match, she roughly concluded that Tang Wulin indeed had an unusually high compatibility with Xu Yuan's secret technique of developing a bloodline martial soul.
Not just high—extraordinarily high.
Compared to Xu Yuan's Tianyuan Spear, Tang Wulin's bloodline energy was even more suitable as a medium for fusing bloodline energy and generating a bloodline martial soul.
Was this why Xu Yuan proposed the idea?
Wu Changkong looked at Tang Wulin. "Well? Can you accept?"
"Not yet. Besides studying the changes in Tang Wulin's bloodline after practicing the secret technique, I also need his help with something else," Xu Yuan interrupted.
"What help?" Tang Wulin instinctively asked.
"Help me… forge something. Use your Golden Dragon Claw to assist me in a forging task."
Tang Wulin: ???
Tang Wulin was utterly confused.
Use the Golden Dragon Claw to forge?
If I just swing my claw once, the rare metal might get destroyed internally. How could I possibly forge anything?
"You'll understand when the time comes. It's not difficult."
"Alright."
"One more thing—this cannot be shared externally. This will eventually become a secret technique of the Body Sect. The only reason I'm trading it with you is because you can help me refine this technique, just like I did with Lizhi back then."
"Don't worry, Brother Xu Yuan. I won't reveal any details of the secret technique to anyone."
Xu Yuan glanced at Tang Wulin.
"The execution of the technique requires the support of a soul-guided formation. You won't be able to inscribe it yourself."
Tang Wulin stood there awkwardly, raising his right hand.
He needed someone else to inscribe the soul-guided formation for him?
This…
"You'll have to figure that out yourself. Or, if you prefer, you can skip the part involving external soul-guided formations and practice the technique alone. Given your situation, it's different from mine."
After the two left, Xu Yuan said to Shen Yi, "Teacher Shen, I'll also be leaving for a while. You can return to the academy first. I still have some matters to take care of here."
"Alright. Your family is here, so I'm not worried about you getting into trouble."
"That kid has thoroughly researched this. It's indeed a fusion technique for normal martial souls and blood and qi. And judging by how smoothly his bloodline cultivation is progressing, he must have succeeded." Old Tang reviewed the technique and offered his assessment.
"In your case, you can directly proceed to the latter half of the process. The soul-guided formation's assistance is optional for you."
At this moment, Tang Wulin felt a bit guilty.
He had just sworn not to show the technique to anyone, and now Old Tang had seen it.
But there was no helping it.
"Don't rush into practicing this technique. I need to make some preparations first. Otherwise, you might face danger after I fall asleep."
Tang Wulin assumed Old Tang was referring to the seals.
In reality, Old Tang was talking about another danger.
"Hmm?" Gu Yue opened her eyes.
Gone.
She wore a thoughtful expression.
"The divine consciousness protecting Tang Wulin… has disappeared?"
Has it been completely consumed?
Gu Yue was certain that the God Realm no longer existed. Even if Tang Wulin carried a divine consciousness left behind by a god, it couldn't possibly be replenished. Once depleted, it would vanish.
Thus, from time to time, she harbored murderous intent, seeking opportunities to strike at Tang Wulin. This would force the divine consciousness to remain alert, continuously consuming its energy at a high rate.
Standby mode?
No, wake up!
"Why did it suddenly disappear?" Gu Yue couldn't figure this out.
She needed to confirm whether the divine consciousness had truly dissipated.
"Hopefully, Bear Lord's intervention this time will reveal something."
Since everything had already been arranged, the disappearance of the divine consciousness at this moment would serve as a test to see if it was truly gone.
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By the next day, Xu Yuan had arrived in Donghai City.
Donghai City's Spirit Ascension Platform.
"Perfect. It's been a long time since I last ascended my spirit."
The entry tickets to the Spirit Ascension Platform were easily obtained by Xu Yuan, personally arranged by Xu Shengqun. He entered through a private room within the Spirit Ascension Tower, free from surveillance.
Once inside the Spirit Ascension Platform, Xu Yuan's goal was clear—he advanced toward the inner regions.
The deeper he went, the more high-year soul beasts there were, making spirit ascension easier. Additionally, the further in, the greater the chance of encountering the guardian.
Unlike his first visit to the Spirit Ascension Platform, Xu Yuan had far fewer reservations this time.
With his current strength, he could dominate the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform effortlessly.
Even the few thousand-year soul beasts posed little challenge for him.
Unfortunately, despite his ability to rampage through the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform, Xu Yuan had been searching for a long time.
After a full five days of hunting hundred-year soul beasts, the accumulated spirit energy had increased each of his three soul rings by 500 years of cultivation. (A/N: I actually forgot how dual spirit souls work—do all soul rings share the spirit energy across both martial souls, or only the one currently in use? If anyone knows, please comment so I can revise it later.)
{T/N: I thought it was split evenly based on the number of spirit souls regardless of martial souls? I don't think the original works addressed this lol}
To put it in perspective, the total years of the soul beasts he hunted amounted to at least 15,000 years!
In terms of hundred-year soul beasts, he needed at least 150 of them—or 30 five-hundred-year soul beasts.
Over five days, such an efficiency of hunting drove the Donghai City branch of the Spirit Ascension Tower mad.
It was one thing for Zero Class students from Donghai Academy to come every week to harvest spirit energy—but how did another unknown person suddenly appear, rampaging through the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform?
If you're that strong, why don't you go to the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform instead?
Xu Yuan paid no mind to the thoughts of those maintaining the Spirit Ascension Platform.
Having searched frantically for nearly five days in the innermost regions without finding the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear, he was growing increasingly frustrated.
"Aren't you supposed to be the guardian? If you don't show up soon, I'll sneak into the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform!"
Xu Yuan began to doubt the mechanism of the guardian.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, a furious roar filled Xu Yuan with exhilaration.
"What a powerful presence! This aura—it must be the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear!"
"Roar!"
A soul-guided train raced by, and five streaks of dark golden light came streaking from the horizon. Terrifying dark golden claw marks tore through everything in their path.
"Not good!" Wu Changkong's expression changed drastically. Sensing the overwhelming presence, he immediately shielded himself and the numerous Zero Class students with his soul power.
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