God Realm, Yuan Chen Divine Palace.
Yu Yuanchen was in no hurry to absorb and cultivate. With a thought, a small, primitive cauldron with three legs and two ears, chaotic in color and engraved with patterns of the Sun, Moon, and Stars, as well as mountains, rivers, birds, and beasts, flew out from between his brows. It grew rapidly in the wind, transforming into a size of about a zhang, and hovered before him.
This was none other than the Super Divine Artifact—the Heavenly Dao Cauldron!
Obtained from the Planar Spirit of the Saint Demon Continent, this cauldron combined offense and defense, while also possessing many marvelous functions such as suppression, refining, and storage. Yu Yuanchen formed seals with both hands, and Yuanchen Divine Power surged into the cauldron. Instantly, the body of the cauldron shimmered with flowing light; the engraved patterns seemed to come alive, and a vast, invisible suction force emerged from the mouth of the cauldron.
Whoosh—
Like a giant whale swallowing water, the surrounding Immortal Spiritual Qi, thick as syrup, transformed into milky-white torrents, pouring endlessly into the Heavenly Dao Cauldron.
The interior of the cauldron contained its own small world, with nearly infinite space. The massive amount of Immortal Spiritual Qi flowed inside, where it was slowly compressed, purified, and stored by the chaotic air currents generated within the cauldron.
Yu Yuanchen's actions were not for immediate cultivation. At his current realm, if he were to unleash his absorption of Heaven and Earth Origin Qi on the Douluo Plane, it would place a significant burden on the Plane Origin.
It was like putting a giant whale into a small pond; while it wouldn't be drained instantly, doing so over a long period would inevitably destroy the ecological balance. This was one of the reasons why Spirit-level Experts usually chose to ascend to the God Realm.
Therefore, for Spirit-level existences like Yu Yuanchen, Qian Daoliu, and Tang Chen who remained in the lower realms, daily cultivation relied mainly on several methods: first, comprehending laws and polishing Divine Skills, which consumed very little Heaven and Earth Origin Qi; second, refining the Power of Faith gathered by their own Divine Positions; and third, as he was doing now, periodically "purchasing" Immortal Spiritual Qi from the God Realm, storing it, and bringing it back to the lower realms to slowly refine and absorb. The Heavenly Dao Cauldron was his ideal "energy reserve."
In just three days (God Realm time), the Immortal Spiritual Qi stored within the Heavenly Dao Cauldron was enough for several years of Yu Yuanchen's cultivation. Satisfied, he put away the precious cauldron and did not linger. With a single step, he passed through the stable Planar Passage and returned to the Douluo Continent.
Three days in the God Realm, three years on the ground.
When Yu Yuanchen's figure appeared at the Governor's Mansion in Purple Blazing Dragon City, three years had already passed on the Douluo Continent. The Federation remained prosperous and stable, the fusion of Martial Way and Soul Tool Technology had deepened, and the overall strength was steadily improving.
A few days after his return, he heard a commotion outside, mixed with the uniquely indignant complaints of a youth.
"Uncle! You're finally back! You have to judge this—how is this competition even supposed to be played? It's practically impossible!"
Yu Yuanchen looked up to see a tall, handsome youth with a rebellious and frustrated expression striding in. It was his second brother Yu Yuanzhen's eldest son, his eldest nephew—Yu Yunyao.
Having just turned twenty this year, his cultivation had already reached the sixty-third level Soul Emperor, and his martial soul was the pure-blooded Thunder Sacred Dragon; his talent was top-tier among his peers.
Following behind Yu Yunyao was another youth, equally sturdy but with a calmer temperament: Tang Chen's grandson, Tang Xiao, a sixty-second level Soul Emperor whose Clear Sky Hammer martial soul was fierce and powerful. Both of them had thick auras, clearly having made significant progress over the past three years, but their faces now bore a similar sense of unwillingness.
"Yunyao, Xiao'er, why are you so agitated?" Yu Yuanchen smiled slightly, gesturing for the two to sit and talk. He cared deeply about the growth of these juniors.
"Uncle, it's about the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament that just ended!" Yu Yunyao sat down and said indignantly, "The finals! Our Tianxing Team against the Martial Soul Team! Tang Xiao and I gave it our all, but we still lost to that guy Qian Xunji! It's so frustrating!"
Tang Xiao also nodded, his calm tone tinged with helplessness: "The special resistance brought by Qian Xunji's second-generation God Bloodline is too strong against non-Spirit-level energy attacks. When our Soul Skills hit his defense while he had his Martial Soul True Body activated, more than half the effect was negated. He was practically fighting with ease; we couldn't break through for a long time, and once our soul power was exhausted, we lost."
Hearing this, Yu Yuanchen understood immediately. The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament was the highest-level soul master competition held by the Federation after integrating resources. It took place every four years, concerned the reputation of various academies and the distribution of federal resources, and held immense influence.
The champions of previous editions were mainly produced among the "Martial Soul Academy" (formerly Martial Soul Hall Academy), which represented the peak level of traditional soul masters; the "Tianxing Academy" (with backgrounds from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and Clear Sky Sect), which fused martial arts with new Soul Tool Technology; and the "Federal Soul Master Academy" located on the Sun Moon Continent, which specialized in Soul Tools.
"Qian Xunji, that's the kid from Brother Qian's family, isn't it? Then it's no surprise." Yu Yuanchen recalled the little guy who had triggered the descent of the Angel God Light at birth; he should be twenty-two now.
As a son of a god, Qian Xunji was born with a trace of Angel divinity, which provided an extremely strong exemption effect against energy attacks below the Spirit-level. In battles between low-level soul masters, he was practically a bug-level existence.
Yu Yunyao thumped the table in frustration, "Uncle, you tell me, isn't this just infuriating? He relies on this move, and below the Soul Sage level, there are hardly any people who can break his defense! This ability is just too much of a cheat. I want to suggest to the tournament organizing committee that they add some restrictions for direct descendants of Spirit-level experts participating in the future!"
Yu Yuanchen shook his head with a laugh: "Within the rules, it is reasonable. The advantage brought by the God Bloodline is also the blessing of his father's hard cultivation and transcendence of the mundane.
Moreover, this advantage is not eternal; as the generations continue, the divinity will gradually dilute. By the time it reaches your next generation, the effect will be greatly reduced."
He paused, looking at the still-resentful Yu Yunyao, a trace of helplessness flashing in his eyes before he changed the subject: "However... Yunyao, do you want to learn a move? Although it cannot completely negate his divine resistance, it can make your attacks much easier to 'pierce' through that kind of defense of his?"
Yu Yunyao's eyes lit up instantly: "Uncle, you have a way? What move? I want to learn!" He had personally experienced how disgusting Qian Xunji's turtle-shell-like defense was. If he could find a way to restrain it, he would definitely wash away his shame in the next tournament!
Tang Xiao also showed an interested expression.
Yu Yuanchen smiled slightly and extended his index finger. A wisp of purple-gold lightning, extremely condensed and restrained in color but emitting a strange fluctuation that seemed capable of eroding and disintegrating all energy structures, quietly emerged from his fingertip.
"This technique is called 'Void Shattering Break'," Yu Yuanchen said slowly. "It does not directly increase the power of the attack, but rather compresses the force to the extreme, imbuing it with the characteristics of 'piercing' and 'decomposing' energy structures.
When practiced to perfection, the strike is silent and invisible, specifically designed to break all kinds of Body-Protecting Qi, energy barriers, and Soul Skill defenses. It is particularly effective against the kind of defense Qian Xunji relies on, like his Divinity Halo."
He briefly explained the method of exerting force and the key points of practicing "Void Shattering Break."
This was not some profound Divine Skill, but a force application technique he had created early on while studying the Thunder Law, specifically targeting the characteristics of energy defense.
It could be considered an upgrade he combined with his Thunder Dragon Shatters Void. It required extremely high Soul Power Control, but it was perfect for geniuses at the level of Yu Yunyao and Tang Xiao to practice.
Yu Yunyao listened, mesmerized, as if a door to a new world had been opened.
He was highly talented and quickly grasped some of the essence, dancing with excitement: "Thank you, Uncle! I'm going to practice right now! Next time we meet, I'll definitely make that kid Qian Xunji look good!" With that, he dragged the equally tempted Tang Xiao and ran off in a hurry to find a place to practice.
Yu Yuanchen watched the backs of the two excited boys as they left and shook his head with a smile. It was good to be young; a little competitive spirit could ignite infinite fighting will.
After sending away his excited nephews, the mansion returned to tranquility. Yu Yuanchen paced to the window and looked at the bustling scene outside Dragon City, but his thoughts drifted far away, returning to that meeting in the God Realm and the attitudes of the three God Kings—Goodness, Evil, and Asura—which appeared fair but actually harbored hidden agendas.
"A vote by all deities... a hundred-year buffer period..." Yu Yuanchen tapped the window lattice with his fingertip, his eyes deep. "Stalling for time and using 'public opinion' to suppress me is an overt strategy. But... is it just that?"
He absolutely did not believe that those veteran God Kings who had held the power of the God Realm for countless years would be satisfied with merely using a vote to restrict him. Especially since he had demonstrated the feasibility of the Path of Divine Spark and the trend of his alliance with Life and Destruction was obvious. They must have other cards to play, or rather, secret schemes.
"Asura..." Yu Yuanchen's gaze was particularly heavy. He recalled some information from his memories of his past life.
In the "original work," Tang San eventually inherited the dual Divine Positions of the Sea God and the Asura God, and there were clearly many calculations and twists in that process.
More importantly, according to the information he had gathered, the Rakshasa God Position, which seemed to have some kind of competitive or restraining relationship with the Asura God Position... was vacant in the current God Realm! Moreover, the inheritance authority of the Rakshasa God Position was held by the Asura God King!
Yu Yuanchen sneered in his heart, "The Rakshasa God Position is clearly vacant. According to the development of the 'original work,' Bibi Dong eventually inherited the Rakshasa God Position. If there was no tacit approval or even secret promotion by the Asura God King, this would be impossible. Why would he do this? What benefit does it have for him?"
He didn't know the specific calculations, but supporting Tang San to become a God King should be his plan. Although he didn't know what benefit this had for Asura yet, his future actions would likely be intertwined with this matter.
"Goodness and Evil, perhaps they initially just wanted to maintain balance and suppress my momentum. But Asura... he definitely has his own agenda. He will take this opportunity to bundle his plans with the demands of Goodness and Evil." Yu Yuanchen was almost certain of this.
And with the three God Kings joining forces, a hundred years was enough for them to complete their plans.
"A hundred-year buffer period... It seems this is not only for me, but also time for them to lay out their own plans." A cold arc curled at the corner of Yu Yuanchen's mouth.
Although he could not fully discern their specific plans, by piecing together fragmented information from the original story and speculating on the intentions of Asura, he could already roughly outline their potential course of action. They wanted to place a piece from the shadows, but why couldn't he, Yu Yuanchen, play along with their scheme?
"Very well, let the soldiers come and the generals block, let the water come and the earth cover. I would like to see how you intend to play this game of yours." Yu Yuanchen slowly closed his eyes, his mind sinking into the Yuan Chen Divine Spark to continue deducing and perfecting his own path.
At the same time, he split off a wisp of Divine Sense, sensing the flow of Destiny across the Douluo Plane and even the distant void, attempting to capture any trace of unusual fluctuation.
A storm was brewing in the God Realm, while the Douluo Continent remained as prosperous as ever. But Yu Yuanchen knew deep down that beneath this tranquility, an Undercurrent had already begun to surge. He had to seize this precious hundred-year period to further improve his strength and consolidate his foundation, so that he could seize the initiative in this game that would determine the future landscape.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: GodKun-Chan