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*****
The Holy Sons of the Radiant Sun and the Waning Moon wore expressions of visible embarrassment.
Following Su Wen's reminder, they were now a hundred percent certain that the high-ranking officials currently in the Scholar's Realm—who understood perfectly well how vital the Visualization Method was to drawing ten-thousand-year core formations—would undoubtedly rush to receive the inheritance.
After all, these Enshrined Elders had been waiting anxiously for nearly half a year. Even Lin Tian, who was stationed in Ninghai City, had been recalled several times just to be interrogated for every possible detail regarding the technique.
Unfortunately, the Visualization Method was centered on the will and a specific state of mind. Relying solely on a Soul Master's independent fumbling made it nearly impossible to grasp; while one might eventually realize it on their own as Su Wen once had, it was far from simple. To bridge this gap, Su Wen had isolated this mental state and prepared a specific "Visualization Map" to assist Soul Masters in entering that frequency.
In this state, a Soul Master could visualize their own Martial Soul with much greater ease. The higher the rank of the Soul Master, the faster they could master the basics. This was exactly why the few people Su Wen had personally taught were progressing so rapidly.
The higher the rank, the higher the degree of fusion between the person and the Martial Soul, making visualization a natural progression rather than an uphill battle.
In reality, visualizing a Martial Soul is an incredibly arduous task. One cannot simply sit in meditation all day; a Soul Master must still train their soul skills, cultivate their soul power, and maintain their physical vigor. They must experience the world tangibly without letting the Visualization Method interfere with these fundamental pillars of strength.
In short, the Visualization Method effectively doubled the difficulty of daily cultivation. This wasn't just the added burden of an extra technique; it was a multiplier that increased the mental strain of every other aspect of training.
For instance, in the past, a Soul Master might train soul skills for three hours until physically and mentally exhausted. After a three-hour break, they could push for another hour, and following a full night's rest, manage another two. This was currently considered the most scientific allocation of time on the Douluo Continent.
However, with the Visualization Method, one had to maintain an active, observing consciousness while training those same soul skills. Instead of three hours, they might hit their limit in ninety minutes, forced into early recovery.
This was the burden of the technique.
But with great burden came great benefit. The time saved from reduced physical training could be fully utilized for the sitting meditation required by the method. Essentially, the Visualization Method didn't compress other training times; it transformed them. Furthermore, running a cultivation technique while in the visualization state allowed for a faster recovery of soul power and mental state.
Moreover, training soul skills while in this state allowed a Soul Master to capture higher levels of detail. In other words, the efficiency increased so much that even with shorter sessions, progress remained steady—or, for those with high innate comprehension, actually accelerated.
The efficiency of the entire cultivation process was heightened!
Yet, the psychological toll was immense. Only Soul Masters with iron-clad willpower, capable of enduring a far more monotonous and grueling process, could truly integrate the Visualization Method without breaking themselves.
Mastering multiple cultivation techniques might rely on talent, but mastering the Visualization Method relied purely on grit.
For a normal Soul Master, mastering one technique was the limit. Those with better talent might manage two or three. If they were lucky enough to obtain the Myriad Law Record, they might even juggle four or five. But if that Soul Master also possessed the tenacity to layer the Visualization Method on top of all that?
Su Wen felt that if all these conditions stacked, it was entirely possible to create a Soul Master with the potential to reach Godhood.
Of course, the seats in the God Realm were fixed, and the number of gods willing to pass down their mantle was limited. Take the first generation Sea God, for example; he only began looking for a successor twenty thousand years after achieving Godhood. Even then, it was another ten thousand years before a suitable candidate was found.
Such a span of time was an eternity on the Douluo Continent—long enough for a soul beast to naturally grow to the ten-thousand-year level, or for a fortunate, self-cultivating beast to reach forty thousand years of cultivation.
"Unfortunately, divine positions are limited. To achieve Godhood through one's own power requires an immense amount of faith, and that faith is not easily gathered."
Su Wen calculated that he might need to collect the faith of the entire Douluo Star just to have a hope of achieving Godhood within his lifetime. For any other Soul Master, even finding a reason for the masses to offer them faith was as difficult as reaching the heavens.
The only other way was for Douluo Star itself to break its shackles, raising the level cap of Soul Masters beyond Level 100.
"The progression seen in the original history—swallowing the Abyss—is impossible for the current Douluo Continent. We must rely on the internal development of the Soul Master world."
As Soul Masters grew stronger, the Douluo Star would gradually be nourished in return. As more top-tier experts emerged, there would eventually be a genius who defied the heavens, striking against the limits of the plane and accelerating the world's evolution.
Returning to the present, the two Holy Sons exchanged an awkward glance. Their eyes seemed to say: How about you stay here and watch, and I'll go inside to take a look?
Just like that, the two top-tier geniuses had fallen behind on the very first step.
"The two of you understand the significance of the Visualization Method," Su Wen said.
They both nodded.
"The Academy is my foundation. I intend to establish the Academy here on the Sun Moon Continent. My visit today is specifically to discuss a partnership with the Cult."
The two Holy Sons were indeed high-ranking members whose voices carried as much weight as the Hall Masters, but at this moment, they were completely unable to make a decision.
A "Sacred Ground." To open a second Sacred Ground on the Sun Moon Continent was a direct challenge to the status of the Sun Moon Cult. The impact of such a move could be catastrophic or negligible.
At worst, "one mountain cannot hold two tigers," leading to suspicion, friction, and desertion. At best, if the two focused on different fields, the Academy might actually alleviate certain burdens of the Cult.
"Our apologies. We must wait for the Hall Masters and the Enshrined Elders to return before we can deliberate and reach a decision," the Radiant Sun Holy Son said with a hint of apology.
Su Wen waved a hand dismissively.
"Actually, the ones who truly make the decisions for the Cult have always been you two—or rather, the Beings behind you." Su Wen looked toward the two colossal statues at the summit of the Sacred Mountain.
The two Holy Sons turned pale.
"Do not be alarmed. I suspect They have already felt my presence. You only need to wait and receive Their divine decree."
The sheer density of faith Su Wen carried was no joke. Having gathered the faith of nearly the entire Douluo plane, he possessed a radiance that could potentially alert gods in the Divine Realm, even across worlds.
Under normal circumstances, a god wouldn't pay attention to this corner of the world and wouldn't notice him. But the moment Su Wen stepped into their place of inheritance, that concentrated aura of faith was enough to trigger their senses.
(End of Chapter)