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Xu Yuan awoke.
Slowly opening his eyes, he was greeted by a sea of curious faces.
His lips twitched slightly.
Xu Yuan had already anticipated that his recent actions might have caused quite a stir, so he wasn't startled in the slightest.
"Little Yuan, what just happened?" Yun Ming, as both his teacher and the Master of the Sea God Pavilion, voiced the question on everyone's minds.
"I entered a white space where I met an elder who called himself Elder Tree. He said my martial souls were still lacking."
Xu Yuan recounted the events that transpired within that space truthfully.
There was nothing secretive about it.
"Indeed."
Yun Ming murmured softly.
Xu Shengqun stood outside the crowd, refraining from speaking.
The situation involved the very foundation of Shrek Academy—it even seemed that the vitality of the Sea God Pavilion itself had been drained into his nephew. Xu Shengqun understood the gravity of the moment and maintained his composure.
Even for his own nephew, this wasn't a time to pry with priority.
Hiding in the corner, Xu Shengqun lowered his presence while keeping his ears open to listen to the conversation between Xu Yuan, Yun Ming, and the elders.
"What about the fourth soul ring of your Heaven Origin Five Elements Spear?"
Although Yun Ming had seen the first three soul rings turn black, he still asked for confirmation.
He wanted to verify whether it was a gift from the Golden Ancient Tree or if it had naturally formed due to Xu Yuan's spirit soul breaking through.
"It was my spirit soul breaking through to ten thousand years, combining with that surge of vitality to form the fourth soul ring."
It wasn't entirely a gift, nor was it entirely self-generated.
In fact, the third soul ring of Xu Yuan's Heaven Origin Five Elements Spear hadn't been naturally derived by Jue but had emerged after fusing with the Dark Golden Terror Claw. Similarly, the fourth soul ring was also generated by Jue, triggered by the vitality of the Golden Ancient Tree.
As he spoke, Xu Yuan summoned his Heaven Origin Five Elements Spear martial soul.
Gazing at his four unique black soul rings, his expression grew complex.
No green-gold soul rings—so he wasn't the Child of Nature.
Though relieved, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of disappointment.
However, he quickly recovered his cheerful mood.
"My Jue's body is forged from Jade Silver. When that surge of vitality merged into my body, it felt like a new metallic material had fused with it, blending seamlessly with Jue."
Metallic material?
Vitality?
The others present exchanged subtle glances, their expressions shifting slightly.
They all had a good guess as to what it was.
Life Gold!
Indeed, the Golden Ancient Tree had expended a full twenty percent of its vitality earlier—enough to condense Life Gold.
A metal spirit soul infused with LifeGold…
The implications of such a boon needed no further explanation.
Especially since Xu Yuan's Five Elements Spear Spirit was the core of his Blood Qi Martial Soul. With Life Gold as its foundation, there was now no barrier between it and his blood qi.
From this point forward, it was a pure Blood Qi Martial Soul!
Realizing this, Yun Ming revealed a gratified smile.
"Do not speak of today's events to outsiders. As for the earlier disturbances, you may say that it was due to my cultivation breakthrough."
"Yes, Master."
"Little Yuan, keep up the good work."
"Yes, Teacher."
After the elders departed, Xu Yuan didn't immediately leave the meditation chamber. Instead, Yun Ming asked him to stay behind to test the changes in his soul skills.
"The Heaven Origin Brush has gained a life attribute. Among the three soul skills granted by the paper spirit soul, Manifestation and Replication now possess life attributes, making them even more potent. Targets created through Manifestation will be more vibrant, enhancing combat effectiveness. Meanwhile, the effect of the fourth soul skill, Replication, has increased from sixty percent to seventy percent. If I raise my spirit soul to the ten-thousand-year level, I'm confident this ratio can reach eighty percent."
After a brief assessment, Xu Yuan didn't experiment with the four soul skills of the Heaven Origin Brush here.
The focus now was on testing the fourth soul skill of the Heaven Origin Five Elements Spear.
He switched martial souls, summoning the Heaven Origin Five Elements Spear.
Four extraordinary black soul rings rose in succession.
Each soul ring displayed patterns formed by the interweaving of life energy (green) and blood qi (crimson) on a black base, shimmering with starlight.
At this moment, the four soul rings were completely uniform in color, confirming Xu Yuan's claim: though the fourth soul ring wasn't entirely self-derived by Jue, it had been bestowed upon him after Jue absorbed the Life Gold.
Xu Yuan activated his fourth soul skill.
Outside his body, emerald flames erupted.
The aura of life burned fiercely, radiating intense heat.
Yun Ming's expression changed drastically.
"Hurry and stop!"
It was a soul skill that consumed life force.
This wasn't something to be tested lightly.
But Xu Yuan smiled, reassuring his teacher: "Teacher, don't worry. Have you forgotten the origin of this soul skill? I've fused a piece of Life Gold. Though it wasn't particularly large, it wasn't small either, and it contained an immense amount of life force."
He paused, then continued: "Moreover, after fusing with the Life Gold, my own life force can recover at a faster rate after being consumed. Under the influence of this soul skill, I seem to be able to draw upon the ambient life energy of heaven and earth to replenish myself."
At this moment, the burning life flames weren't consuming Xu Yuan's own vitality—they were solely drawing upon the life energy of the surrounding environment, triggered by the soul skill.
Yun Ming let out a sigh of relief.
"In that case, this soul skill of yours is truly remarkable."
A soul skill that burns life force could unleash astonishing power.
Almost all such abilities could reverse the tide of battle.
And yet, this soul skill consumed almost nothing.
This meant that Xu Yuan's normal combat state could rival others' desperate all-out efforts.
The combination of life force and blood qi explosions made Xu Yuan's potential even more terrifying.
"The soul skill is impressive, but you must practice extensively. Mastery of the skill is the ultimate goal," Yun Ming cautioned. "Just like how you train with the Five Elements Spear Technique—make the soul skills of your Heaven Origin Five Elements Spear second nature."
The Spear Devil's Overwhelming Body, the Piercing Spear, and this new soul skill, the Flame of Life—all must become instinctual.
Only then would his cultivation during the Super Douluo stage be smoother.
At the same time, it would allow him to organize his abilities in advance, preparing for surpassing limits.
Everything was interconnected.
"Yes, Teacher."
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After leaving the Sea God Pavilion, Xu Yuan returned to his dormitory and briefly summarized the situation for his uncle.
"As long as your martial soul split went smoothly, my mind is at ease. Your aunt and I will head back to Tianhai City. I've been away for two and a half years, and there are bound to be complications waiting for me. I haven't even returned home since coming back to the continent."
"Alright, Uncle." After hesitating for a moment, Xu Yuan added, "Uncle, I'll need to frequently enter the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform moving forward. Could you help me secure more entry passes?"
"Your uncle's resources are nearly depleted thanks to you. I can arrange the passes, but you'll have to cover the costs yourself—I'll only act as the intermediary." Xu Shengqun replied with a hint of exasperation.
"No problem." Xu Yuan patted his chest confidently.
"Take care."
"Farewell, Uncle."
After seeing his uncle off, Xu Yuan returned to the meditation chamber and retrieved two boxes from his storage soul tool.
Both boxes were crafted from exquisite jade, themselves far from ordinary.
Especially the one Xu Yuan's gaze lingered on—the jade box emanated a dense aura of life energy.
The treasure stored within was undoubtedly extraordinary.
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