Kong Deming has been away for quite some time.
Su Yu misses him a lot.
The core array pattern simplification technology within the Fourth-level Soul-guiding Device is not difficult to understand.
But many of the techniques involved are still troublesome to explore.
It's like solving a complex calculus problem; Su Yu can find the solution, yet the process wastes a lot of time. It's faster to be guided by a teacher directly.
Moreover, many of the questions Su Yu is currently facing cannot be explained by the Level 4 Soul-guiding Theory.
The refinement of Condensation and Gathering Runes has thus hit a bottleneck, which is one reason he started constructing new runes.
"Elder Kong should be returning soon."
Mirror Hongchen hasn't seen Kong Deming for a long time. If it weren't for the occasional message from him asking Mirror Hongchen to monitor Su Yu's cultivation progress, he would have suspected Kong Deming met with an accident.
Su Yu nodded, feeling somewhat worried.
Kong Deming's safety is one thing.
After all, he is the divine needle of the Sun and Moon Empire; if something really happened to him, the entire Douluo Continent's situation could change.
Besides that, there's the Soul Fighting Competition.
The Shrek Academy's team leader is that Supreme Elder from the Holy Spirit Sect, which makes Su Yu uneasy.
If someone acts brutally on the arena, those shameless ones might actually make a move...
No, it's not just about acting brutally.
Perhaps because of your influence, Shrek might lose, their ten thousand years of glory destroyed in an instant, and they could indeed act out of anger...
Therefore, having someone who can provide a sense of security to lead the team to the competition is something Su Yu needs to prepare for.
His own teacher is naturally the first choice.
Though not an Extreme Douluo, nor even a Super Douluo, he is on the verge of becoming a Tenth-level Soul Guide.
The overall threat level is comparable to an Extreme Douluo.
If Kong Deming doesn't return, Su Yu would need to explain the pros and cons to Mirror Hongchen and ask him to take charge.
"Elder Kong told me before that if you have any questions about Soul-guiding Devices, you can ask me."
Mirror Hongchen thought Su Yu was encountering a bottleneck in his research on Soul-guiding Devices and spoke.
"It's just that we're going to the Land of the Far North this time, the journey is long, and we'll have plenty of time on the way; I'll help you clear up your confusion."
Su Yu did not act pretentious, nodding his head.
The refinement of cultivation technique and rune sketching are things that the sooner they are completed, the sooner one benefits.
"We don't know how much time we'll consume this time."
Last time Su Yu and Xiao Hongchen took nearly two months to search for Soul Beasts.
That was just in the Jingyang Mountain Range.
A round trip to the Land of the Far North might consume more than half a month.
Moreover, Soul Beasts in the Land of the Far North are even harder to find.
This trip might take longer than the last.
"The Soul Fighting Competition is in three months, the Academy just started the semester two days ago, and the selection of contestants will take place in a few days."
Su Yu and Meng were already given spots, so no worries there.
What's crucial is that if we are delayed this time, we will head directly to Xingluo City."
Mirror Hongchen said to Xiao Hongchen.
After everything was instructed, Mirror Hongchen, Su Yu, and Meng Hongchen left the Academy.
With Flying Soul-guiding Devices, they reached the edge of the Land of the Far North within five days.
"From here onward, we cannot use Flying Soul-guiding Devices."
The Land of the Far North is too harsh for traveling with Flying Soul-guiding Devices.
The three took off their Flying Soul-guiding Devices, put on the prepared warming Soul-guiding Devices, and continued deeper.
Another three days passed.
"We are now at the outskirts of the Land of the Far North."
"Meng's Vermilion-eyed Ice Toad has an Ice and Fire Attribute, making it hard to find matching attribute Soul Beasts, so the tentative target is still the Vermilion-eyed Ice Toad."
"Vermilion-eyed Ice Toads live on the outskirts of the Land of the Far North; I've used Mingde Hall's intelligence to pinpoint several areas where ten thousand-year Vermilion-eyed Ice Toads have appeared."
Mirror Hongchen took out a map, pointed at several marked destinations on it.
"The information on the Land of the Far North is scarce, and I only know this about the Vermilion-eyed Ice Toads due to purposeful collection and their survival on the outskirts.
From now on, you both must not leave my line of sight.
It's best to be ready to activate your Martial Soul for combat at any time."
The piercing cold winds of the Land of the Far North carried snowflakes, with pure whiteness everywhere. Standing still for a minute would see one covered with snowflakes.
In such conditions, practically any spot might have Soul Beasts in hiding.
The most crucial detail is that this is the Land of the Far North.
Many Soul Beasts maintain minimal life signs, resembling hibernation even in rest, making Soul Power auras hard to sense.
So, even if there's a Soul Beast sleeping under your feet, you might not even detect it.
"My spiritual power constantly covers up to a hundred meters around us to prevent such extremes, but caution is never a mistake."
Mirror Hongchen, a Titled Douluo, could withstand the weather here.
Meng Hongchen's Martial Soul was the Vermilion-eyed Ice Toad, providing ease in this condition.
As for Su Yu, he consumed a Ninth-Grade Snow Lotus, allowing him to still function normally.
Xiao Hongchen would have been a liability here, so he wasn't brought along.
"Grandfather, are you really talking about Soul-guiding Devices?"
Meng Hongchen couldn't understand the theories Su Yu and Mirror Hongchen discussed.
What exactly were they discussing?
Su Yu posed questions under the guise of Soul-guiding Devices, but the core issue was always the construction of runes.
His Rune Technique, akin to Void Inscription means, could ignore the inscription on Rare Metals, being more complex and without restrictions.
This delved into Meng Hongchen's blind spot.
Hence, many basic Soul-guiding Device pattern names, combined with unique concepts, became incomprehensible to her.
Moreover, Su Yu's Rune Technique still had differences from Soul-guiding Device core arrays.
The essence of the Rune Technique lies in the overall stability and cohesion of the final rune.
Every line drawn in the void interconnects, maintaining stability, each flow of spiritual power contributing to their stability.
This is the foundation of Su Yu's Rune Technique.
While addressing Su Yu's questions, Mirror Hongchen gradually formed a vague idea about Su Yu's research.
Su Yu also inquired about constructing array patterns involving spiritual power, making it evident to Mirror Hongchen that Su Yu aimed to use Soul-guiding Device core arrays to assist in spiritual power cultivation.
Even Mirror Hongchen's approach to Fusion Soul-guiding Technology originated from Su Yu's proposal.
Su Yu didn't obscure.
Mirror Hongchen largely guessed correctly, so Su Yu did not conceal the information.
"The thoughts of a genius."
Mirror Hongchen was simultaneously astounded by Su Yu's spiritual power level and admired his Rune Technique.
"Your Rune Technique, though having a high threshold, can be cultivated continually."
"Is your Rune Technique feasible for others to practice?"
After pondering for a while, Mirror Hongchen still asked.
The Rune Technique is significantly meaningful, especially for Soul Guides.
"The fire burns brighter with more individuals contributing, but it's not suitable for wide dissemination just yet."