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*****
The allure of the Book of Imprinting ensured that Su Wen's Academy cooperation proposal was easily accepted by the four Holy Lands. As for Su Wen's ambition? Even if they sensed something was amiss, cooperation was inevitable, as the utility of the Book of Imprinting was self-evident. By acquiring it first, they could naturally research it, perhaps even uncovering ways to assist in developing similar technology. Even if they could not perfectly replicate it, they could at least master its most comprehensive applications.
Since Su Wen was capable of producing these books, the Academy would inevitably continue to disseminate them, making the Book of Imprinting a proprietary resource of the Academy. In the absence of replication, maximizing the efficiency of this resource became the utmost priority—much like the strategic utilization of manifestation scrolls or specialized manifestation masters.
As for Su Wen's ambition—the Academy potentially developing into a sixth Holy Land? This did not present a significant psychological obstacle for the four representatives. If it happened, it happened. The nature of the Academy was already laid out; if it truly became a Holy Land, its character would remain distinct from the existing five. Moreover, achieving the status of a "Holy Land" was, in part, a matter of reputation. To truly possess both name and substance, one would have to prove themselves through the trials of subsequent generations, and that would inevitably lead to confrontation with the Five Holy Lands. If Su Wen and Long Shiya could truly manage the Academy well, surviving and flourishing under the pressure of the existing Holy Lands, what harm was there in a sixth one?
Xue Aoying and the others were Heaven Emperors themselves; they were not shortsighted individuals lacking in courage. Of course, their passivity was driven more by the belief that it was unlikely Su Wen and Long Shiya could transform an organization of this nature into a true Holy Land, combined with the sheer, undeniable attractiveness of the Book of Imprinting. In truth, even the Shangguan brothers' perceived intensity regarding Su Wen's plans had been purely internal; they had taken no actual steps to obstruct him. This was the reason. If a sixth Holy Land truly did emerge, they would likely only begin to suppress it after it had fully established itself. If the Academy emerged as a Holy Land, its competitive nature would be significantly reduced, as it would not be a direct rival for resources. After all, Su Wen had already declared that members of the Academy were free to join other factions, and that those already belonging to other factions could join the Academy. He had even invited the Five Holy Lands to participate in the Academy itself.
Indeed, Su Wen had extended an invitation to the Five Holy Lands. Every Heaven Emperor present could choose to join. Thus, in the eyes of everyone, the Academy had become an institution akin to an alliance—an entity that might eventually serve to regulate the relationships between them. Following the initial negotiations, Su Wen and the four Holy Lands established a basic framework for cooperation.
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*Douluo Continent.*
Su Wen condensed a projection of his will through the power of faith, manifesting it within the Academic Realm. He summoned Ning Rongrong and Xiao Zhan to his presence.
"This is my recent harvest. Help me implement this across the Douluo Continent."
Streaks of golden light merged into their brows. An immense volume of information flooded their minds, leaving them stunned.
"Little Wen, you..."
"Incredible!"
Xiao Zhan widened his eyes, staring at Su Wen in utter shock. This boy is truly intending to fundamentally subvert the entire Spirit Master world. It was one thing for Su Wen to build an Academy, but now he was truly moving to strike at the foundation of all Spirit Masters: the Awakening of the Martial Soul!
In an era where whether or not one possessed innate soul power at awakening depended on luck and genetic predisposition, Su Wen intended to influence it artificially! This was an inspiration Su Wen had brought back from the Heavenly Bead plane. While developing methods to assist in the awakening of Heavenly Beads, he had drawn an analogy to the awakening of Spirit Masters.
On the Douluo Continent, everyone possessed a Martial Soul and could awaken it, but whether they could cultivate—or whether they possessed innate soul power—was a matter of chance. This was similar to the Heavenly Bead plane, where only those capable of cultivating Heavenly Power could awaken. The critical issue was the portion capable of cultivation.
Su Wen had disseminated methods for Heavenly Bead awakening on the Haomiao Continent, and now he was remotely notifying Ning Rongrong and the others, preparing them to help propagate a method for "Soul Power Awakening." To be more precise, it was a method for Awakening Soul Power. Compared to Heavenly Power, the cultivation of Soul Power was simpler—or, more accurately, the development of an awakening method for it was simpler and more thorough.
Su Wen had explored this himself before his own awakening, though he had been uncertain if his methods were helpful. His "external training" method required adaptation, and his specific movements—developed under his own heightened perception—allowed him to sense the flow of internal energy and nourish his body with every movement. However, every person's constitution was different. A standard set of movements suitable for Su Wen might be useless for others. This was why Su Wen had never disseminated his external training method.
Furthermore, there were other reasons: few children under the age of six could persist in such training. For the external training method to be effective, it required years of effort. Su Wen, aided by his own talent, had practiced for over two years, only barely improving his innate Level 1 soul power to Level 3. Even this was only a change in quantity; it had not altered the quality of his martial soul; his original soul essence remained at the innate Level 1 standard. This was why, when he first stepped onto the path of cultivation, he had focused so intently on the evolution of his martial soul's quality.
His first spirit ring had been chosen from a spirit beast that maximized the essence of his martial soul. Before absorbing that ring, Su Wen had even delayed himself for two full years to accumulate "Source Soul Power" based on a hypothesis. Fortunately, his hypothesis was correct, and it helped him achieve a transformation. His first spirit ring had not been absorbed beyond his limit, but it had achieved an effect that ordinary Spirit Masters could not attain even with higher-limit absorption. He had used his Source Soul Power to assist himself in completely refining the origin of that first spirit ring, comprehensively strengthening the foundation of his martial soul.
The method Su Wen had now developed was similar in effect to his external training. At most, it could be used on children before they reached the age of six to maximize their soul power upon awakening, giving them the chance to cultivate. Yet, it could not change their true innate soul power, nor could it alter the fundamental quality of their martial souls.
(End of Chapter)