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The six figures slowly emerged from the metal doors, observing Xu Yuan and Na'er without immediately launching an attack.
They appeared to possess intelligence, carefully studying Xu Yuan and Na'er's movements as if waiting for the right moment to strike.
Their intelligence was clearly not low.
Perhaps due to their nature as soul beasts, their IQs might not match that of adult humans, but they likely reached the level of a teenager in their mid-teens.
Approximately ten thousand years old.
Was the Phantom Beast's spiritual attribute talent really this strong?
Or, after becoming a soul spirit, had they spent so much time thinking that their intelligence continued to improve unconsciously?
No one knew how long these Phantom Beasts had been stored here as soul spirits.
The two energy-based replicas each had cultivation levels exceeding ten thousand years, with their soul power fluctuations indicating over fifteen thousand years. Could the main body of the Phantom Beast stored on this floor be twenty thousand years old?
Xu Yuan frowned.
Based on previous floors with multiple targets, the replicated soul spirits were slightly weaker than the originals when too many copies were made.
For example, the thousand-year Wind Wolves were replicated into hundreds of individuals, each with only decades of cultivation.
These two replicas had over fifteen thousand years of cultivation, so the main soul spirit should have reached twenty thousand years.
This was the twenty-first floor, and the difficulty would continue to increase.
If there was no suitable choice in the next floor, the one after that might start at thirty thousand years.
Absorbing a ten-thousand-year soul spirit for the fourth ring was already pushing the limits. Going up to thirty thousand years would be unbearable even for Xu Yuan's physical condition.
There was no way around it. Even though his blood essence cultivation was keeping pace, he still had to bear the soul rings of three martial souls.
Currently, he already had three five-thousand-year soul rings from Yao Yao, three six-thousand-year soul rings from the Tianyuan Five-Element Spear, and one six-thousand-year soul ring from the Tianyuan Brush.
That's right—Xu Yuan's first soul ring for the Tianyuan Brush and the Tianyuan Five-Element Spear had been separated. Though they still originated from the Five-Element Gun Spirit, they now counted as two separate soul rings in terms of the strain on his body.
The process of splitting martial souls was something Xu Yuan had been steadily exploring.
In total, Xu Yuan had already borne seven soul rings above five thousand years!
Even with his powerful blood essence, he couldn't choose a thirty-thousand-year or higher-level soul spirit for the fourth ring of his brain-type martial soul.
"This Phantom Beast is also quite good, but choosing it would mean setting a direction."
Xu Yuan knew that this tower run was filled with uncertainties. He could only try to choose the most suitable option, and his future development path for his brain-type martial soul would be slightly influenced as a result.
Upon recognizing the Phantom Beast, Xu Yuan quickly analyzed its compatibility with him.
The compatibility was high.
However, to fully utilize the value of this Phantom Beast, the future development path of his brain-type martial soul would need to shift slightly.
"Stellar attribute."
The initial variation of the Phantom Beast relied on stellar energy, and it also wielded stellar energy. By absorbing it as a soul spirit, Xu Yuan's brain might gain the chance to develop a stellar attribute.
Since many of the Phantom Beast's soul skills depended on stellar energy, it was one of the rare soul beasts capable of almost reliably granting a new attribute to a soul master.
And what a powerful stellar attribute it was.
"I'll take this Phantom Beast!"
Xu Yuan declared.
He looked at the six figures across from him.
"Your intelligence isn't low. I even suspect whether the two replicas are controlled by the same consciousness."
As Xu Yuan spoke, he noticed subtle changes in the eyes of two of the main bodies among the six figures.
Indeed, of the six figures, four were phantom clones, while the two main bodies were controlled by a single consciousness.
The wolf packs and Flame Demon Lions from earlier floors were simulations of intelligence, but these two Phantom Beasts were being directly controlled by the consciousness of true soul spirits.
"You should understand your situation. Choosing a suitable soul master is your best option, and I will be the most suitable soul master for you."
Unfortunately, Xu Yuan's persuasion wasn't quite effective enough.
The six crystal-like lions swiftly charged from two directions.
As they ran, streaks of light trailed behind them, creating a mesmerizing effect that wasn't an illusion but rather a natural interference caused by the movement of light, disrupting normal vision.
A claw struck down.
Xu Yuan held the Tianyuan Five-Element Spear horizontally in front of him, blocking the attack.
What tremendous strength!
Despite their appearance resembling delicate crystal sculptures, the Phantom Beast's power was unexpectedly immense.
Xu Yuan retreated, unleashing his blood essence to dissipate the force across his body. Simultaneously, two more Phantom Beasts attacked from his left and right.
He abruptly turned, thrusting out two consecutive spear strikes with the Tianyuan Five-Element Spear, forcing one Phantom Beast to retreat. Then, he retracted the spear to block another attack from a different Phantom Beast.
This was just a phantom clone, and though its strength was slightly weaker than the original body, it still forced Xu Yuan to step back.
The Phantom Beast that had just been repelled flashed its gaze. As Xu Yuan blocked this attack, its retreat halted, and it launched another assault.
On the other side, Na'er was also locked in a fierce battle.
Fighting against three opponents at once was challenging enough, but when those three worked together seamlessly, the difficulty skyrocketed.
Especially with these six Phantom Beasts—aside from the two main bodies, even the phantom clones, though unable to perfectly replicate the main body's strength, still posed a significant threat under the influence of soul power.
Though they weren't fully on par with true ten-thousand-year soul beasts, they weren't far off.
The more Xu Yuan fought, the more astonished he became. The Phantom Beast's combat intelligence was remarkably advanced, and its control of the six bodies showed no signs of synchronization.
Its performance could be interpreted as six independent individuals working together, yet they possessed a telepathic ability akin to Xu Yuan's first soul skill—a mental link allowing constant communication.
Was this a natural talent?
If so, such a capability would indeed suit his brain-type martial soul quite well.
Xu Yuan's gaze grew even more eager.
"Alright, it's time to show you my true strength." Xu Yuan's eyes gleamed with resolve.
If he wanted to subdue it and make it his soul spirit, he needed to win its complete submission.
"My brain surpasses yours!"
Xu Yuan's terrifying spiritual power surged outward.
The overwhelming spiritual energy caused all six Phantom Beasts' pupils to widen in shock.
Among Xu Yuan's various stats, his spiritual power was the most extraordinary.
The Lingyuan Realm of spiritual power was typically a realm only attainable after reaching the Soul King stage, and even then, most Soul Kings wouldn't achieve it.
For Soul Emperors and Soul Sages, possessing Lingyuan Realm spiritual power, especially with one or two techniques to harness it, could become a crucial advantage in battle.
Lingyuan Realm spiritual power was the baseline for peak soul masters.
In terms of pure spiritual power, Xu Yuan surpassed this Phantom Beast.
After more than an hour of recovery, Xu Yuan's spiritual power had returned to seventy percent of its peak.
Yao Yao materialized above Xu Yuan's head, forming two tiny hands that crossed her chest as she let out a couple of "hmph" sounds.
"Hmph! Hmph!" (Big guy, surrender quickly. Follow Xu Yuan, and you'll live a life of luxury!)
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