Xu Yuan retracted Huan Xing and approached Tang Wulin.
"Was that your new soul skill just now?" Tang Wulin asked.
"That was a self-created soul skill developed by Huan Xing, based on the Five Elements' energy," Xu Yuan replied without taking credit for Huan Xing's accomplishment.
The Five Elements Divine Light had always been Huan Xing's project. The results achieved were naturally Huan Xing's credit.
The Five Elements Divine Light Shield and the Five Elements Divine Light were entirely conceived and developed by Huan Xing. Although Xu Yuan occasionally provided some ideas, it was Huan Xing who turned those ideas into practical applications through research.
Tang Wulin stood in place, took a deep breath, his gaze somewhat dazed.
He wasn't foolish; he had basic logical reasoning skills.
He knew that Huan Xing was the second spirit soul of Xu Yuan's brain martial soul. It had already provided the fourth, fifth, and sixth soul rings to Xu Yuan, and even the seventh soul ring was granted by it. Therefore, logically, there shouldn't have been any new soul skills.
The Five Elements Divine Light Shield and the Five Elements Divine Light must have been acquired through other means.
Huan Xing was originally a Phantom Beast, which did not inherently possess the Five Elements' attributes.
Its ability to wield such power must be related to its unique body, different from ordinary Phantom Beasts.
Metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—these elements gave it the foundation to control the Five Elements' energy and the qualification to develop these new Five Elements-based soul skills.
The reason Tang Wulin still asked this question was simply because he couldn't accept it.
Could spirit souls really be used like this?
In Tang Wulin's mind, Xu Yuan's earlier statement kept echoing:
"This is a self-created soul skill developed by Huan Xing!"
Spirit souls weren't mere tools—they were also partners.
On the path of cultivation, soul masters weren't alone; they had companions.
He thought about his own spirit soul, Golden Light.
Although he and Golden Light had grown together from weakness, in reality, Golden Light had always benefited from his Golden Dragon King bloodline. As Golden Light grew stronger, the soul skills it granted his Blue Silver Grass also improved—but he had never given it much attention.
What he excelled at most was ultimately the power of the Golden Dragon King bloodline, outside of his Blue Silver Grass martial soul.
"Could it be that I've been walking the wrong path all along?" Tang Wulin reflected on his cultivation approach.
Xu Yuan treated his spirit souls as partners, allowing them to grow alongside him.
But he had only brought Golden Light along, always standing alone at the forefront.
"In fact, Golden Light has already shown me the way. It absorbed the power of the Golden Dragon King, perfectly fusing it despite its broken body by sheer coincidence. Relying on the Golden Dragon King's bloodline, it enhanced itself without any rejection or defects."
Tang Wulin's gaze became unfocused, as if he could see the path he had missed before.
"If I had realized this back then and worked with Golden Light to absorb more of the Golden Dragon King's power, perhaps my current situation with the Golden Dragon King seals would be completely different."
"Yes, this might be the path I should have taken."
"Blue Silver Grass inherently possesses the nature of devouring and consuming. Its outward manifestation is strong vitality, but in reality, it can grow in any harsh environment. As long as sufficient resources are provided later, it can adapt and transform barren lands."
Tang Wulin recalled a method used by the Federation to develop barren islands. In the vast ocean, there were islands of considerable size that were initially deserts. However, as the Federation developed them, they gradually became fertile, relying on the long-term use of Blue Silver Grass to transform their ecological environments.
Harsh living conditions?
Plant some Blue Silver Grass.
With minimal supplementation, it could quickly cover the entire island.
After laying the foundation with Blue Silver Grass, higher-level vegetation could be planted to gradually transform the barren island environment.
"Golden Light is the spirit soul of my Blue Silver Grass martial soul, bound to my martial soul. Now, Golden Light acts as an anchor point embedded within the power of the Golden Dragon King. As long as I support it, there's a high chance it can help me devour the power of the Golden Dragon King in return."
He recalled something Xu Yuan had said to him long ago.
"What belongs to you is the best."
Xu Yuan had said this more than once, but back then, he hadn't paid much attention.
He had thought that resisting the force of the Golden Dragon King's bloodline and digesting its power was akin to devouring it.
In reality, his method had been too crude.
His strength didn't rely solely on his body—it also included his martial soul and various spirit souls.
Yes, spirit souls!
Tang Wulin took a deep breath, feeling as though he had found a broad and clear path.
He looked at Xu Yuan and bowed deeply.
"Brother Xu, thank you."
Xu Yuan felt utterly baffled.
Ignoring Tang Wulin, Xu Yuan turned to the others.
"You all show me your recent cultivation results. I feel like each of you has a completely different aura compared to before."
Xu Yuan focused particularly on Fang Yuan.
Among the seven, apart from Tang Wulin, Fang Yuan's changes felt the most significant.
He had met Fang Yuan before, and at that time, Fang Yuan's soul power had been increasing rapidly. But now, upon meeting again, Fang Yuan's rate of progress seemed to have slowed down.
It was hard to judge just from their auras. Xu Yuan felt that engaging in combat with Fang Yuan would allow him to determine the answer.
After sparring with each of the six, Xu Yuan alternately sent out Shanhe, Star Lord, and Huan Xing. These three possessed well-rounded abilities, making them suitable for normal sparring.
As for Yao Yao, it would likely end in an instant victory.
There was no helping it. Yao Yao's abilities were too singular, and its attack methods relied on Xu Yuan's spiritual power, making its soul skills extremely violent. Pulling opponents into a dream space illusion was practically unbeatable.
Given the current level of realism in the dream space, few soul masters could forcibly break free, and none of the six present could prevent themselves from being pulled in.
After the sparring sessions, Xu Yuan gained a rough understanding of their changes.
Fang Yuan should be able to condense a soul core before reaching the seventh ring.
As for the rest, even the twin-martial-soul users Yuanen Yehui and Wu Siduo, it seemed they still lacked something and would need to wait until the qualitative leap after the seventh ring to condense their cores.
Condensing earlier naturally had its advantages.
For instance, their true martial soul forms could become stronger, and the integration of essence, energy, and spirit would likely proceed more smoothly.
Of course, there was no definitive data to confirm this.
But undoubtedly, Fang Yuan's changes were not as simple as they appeared on the surface.
After the trials, Xu Yuan prepared to take the seven to officially register.
During wartime, the Blood God Legion's rules had changed. It was no longer a five-year conscription system. Instead, one could join as a temporary soldier, fight as part of the legion, and leave freely without restrictions.
However, the benefits would be significantly reduced. For one, there would be no rapid promotion in military rank. They could only participate in the legion's merit calculations, exchanging points for meditation room usage time.
The eight members of the Shrek Seven Monsters exited the combat room.
Outside the combat room, Jiang Wuyue seemed to have been waiting for some time. Upon seeing the eight emerge, he immediately approached Xu Yuan.
"Senior Brother."
As soon as Jiang Wuyue spoke, everyone looked at Xu Yuan in surprise.
At first, they were astonished, but then they quickly realized.
Xu Yuan was not only a student of Shrek Academy and a disciple of the Pavilion Master but also a disciple of the Body Sect.
This burly man addressing Xu Yuan as "Senior Brother" must be a disciple of the Body Sect.
The moment Tang Wulin saw Jiang Wuyue, he felt something stir within him—it was the Tyrant Dragon spirit soul.
He looked at Jiang Wuyue curiously, wondering what about this person could cause his Tyrant Dragon spirit soul to react.
After finding Xu Yuan, Jiang Wuyue also felt a force attracting him and curiously glanced at Tang Wulin.
"Wuyue? What's the matter?"
Seeing Jiang Wuyue, Xu Yuan furrowed his brow.
Jiang Wuyue waiting for him at the entrance meant there was urgent business.
"Senior Brother, the people from Panlong Gate are demanding dedicated meditation rooms—at least one large dedicated meditation room for each Limit Douluo."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan immediately narrowed his eyes.
So-called dedicated meditation rooms existed only in one place within the Blood God Legion—Xu Yuan's own meditation room.
Panlong Gate was the sect of the Panlong Soul Master Cultivation Planning Co., Ltd. Though called a sect, it was essentially another identity of the company. All battle-armored fighters within the company belonged to this sect.
As the name suggested, the company's main business was planning cultivation paths for soul masters.
To engage in such a business, they naturally had intricate ties with the Spirit Pagoda. Moreover, the initial supporters of this company's establishment were the Qiangu family. Even the Limit Douluo within Panlong Gate were cultivated under the Qiangu family's sponsorship, and Qiangu Dongfeng held the position of Grand Elder within Panlong Gate.
The request by Panlong Gate to provide a large dedicated meditation room for each Limit Douluo was nothing short of absurd.
What was a dedicated meditation room? It meant unlimited access whenever desired.
Stellar energy, in theory, had to be exchanged for with merit points. But a dedicated meditation room allowed one to use stellar energy without any restrictions or need for merit points.
Xu Yuan had a dedicated meditation room, but he didn't lack stellar energy himself. He simply used the formation arrays in the room to gather and condense the stellar energy within his dream space for cultivation.
However, if Panlong Gate were given such rooms, they wouldn't use them like Xu Yuan did.
Moreover, what was the purpose of a large meditation room? How many people was it supposed to accommodate?
Did Limit Douluos really need large meditation rooms?
To put it bluntly, this was just an excuse to freeload on the slots for over a dozen soul masters to cultivate freely in the meditation room.
After all, Limit Douluos had already reached the pinnacle of soul power advancement. They no longer needed to cultivate their soul power. Even Yun Ming hadn't increased his soul power in a long time. Instead, he focused on enhancing his spiritual power and comprehending the laws of the universe, integrating those laws into his soul power. He hadn't advanced his soul power in ages.
So, why would Limit Douluos need a meditation room at all?
And under the guise of being Limit Douluos, they were likely trying to justify letting over a dozen soul masters absorb vast amounts of stellar energy daily in these rooms.
They were truly playing a clever game.
But Xu Yuan would never agree.
This was completely disregarding the lives of the frontline soldiers.
All that stellar energy was earned through the soldiers' hard-fought battles against Abyssal creatures. Just handing it over for free?
When Xu Yuan had initially deducted shares, it was because he had developed the technology himself. And even after deducting shares, the rewards from killing Abyssal creatures and obtaining stellar energy still satisfied the warriors.
By now, Xu Yuan no longer deducted shares because the efficiency of the soldiers' kills couldn't compare to him taking down a few Lord-level Abyssal creatures—or even a single Thunder Tribulation triggered by his Heavenly Forging, which contained far more energy than any soldier could gather.
Panlong Gate hadn't contributed anything yet, and here they were demanding dedicated meditation rooms. Their audacity knew no bounds.
Xu Yuan instructed Jiang Wuyue to take Tang Wulin and the others to register while he headed toward the command center.
---
Command Center
BANG.
Xu Yuan pushed open the door and entered.
Currently, there were eleven people in the command center.
Cao Dezhi, Zhang Huanyun, and Mu Ye—they were the three original Limit Douluos of the Blood God Legion.
Chen Xinjie represented the Hall of War Gods.
Leng Yaozhu and Xu Shengqun represented the Spirit Pagoda.
Zhuo Shi and Long Yeyue represented Shrek Academy.
The remaining three Limit Douluos represented major powers. Among them, the representative of Panlong Gate was an elderly man surnamed Jin, whose martial soul was the Scorching Sun, and whose title was also "Scorching Sun."
The other two representatives belonged to the Celestial Spirit Sect and the Mecha Alliance. Behind the Celestial Spirit Sect was the Celestial Spirit Mecha Design Company, which worked closely with the Mecha Designer Association. Behind the Mecha Alliance was the Mecha Pilot Association.
Shrek Academy had its independent sub-professional associations, but outside associations didn't have Shrek's backing. Each association represented enormous interests and value. Without strength, even self-preservation was difficult. Thus, while attracting societal members of the same profession to affiliate with them, these associations also built internal forces to ensure their safety.
The Scorching Sun Douluo turned to look at the entrance as Xu Yuan barged in.
"This is a meeting for Limit Douluos to discuss strategies against the Abyss. Who are you, and why have you intruded on this meeting?" The Scorching Sun Douluo spoke sternly.
"I am Xu Yuan."
As Xu Yuan entered the command center, he calmly introduced himself.
He brushed off some dust from his sleeves and glanced casually at the Scorching Sun Douluo.
"And who might you be?"
The Scorching Sun Douluo frowned. Naturally, he had heard of Xu Yuan's name, but some things still required testing.
Among those curious about Xu Yuan's true strength, he wasn't the only one—but he was the most eager to verify. So, the moment he saw Xu Yuan, his words were confrontational, preparing to challenge Xu Yuan to a duel and test whether this prodigy—rumored to possess Limit Douluo-level strength shortly after breaking through to Titled Douluo status—was genuine.
The previous battle had made Xu Yuan famous. News of him killing an Abyssal Emperor equivalent to a Limit Douluo had spread, but without details—no one knew how he had done it.
This was the result of Zhang Huanyun's control.
He wanted to save this card to establish Xu Yuan's authority at a critical moment, making it easier for the Blood God Legion to command various factions when they converged.
Now was the perfect opportunity.
Zhang Huanyun observed silently, leaving the stage to Xu Yuan.
Seeing that the Scorching Sun Douluo hadn't responded, Xu Yuan continued, "I am Xu Yuan, Minister of the Forging Department of the Blood God Legion. Who are you? Are you part of the Blood God Legion? I don't remember anyone like you. I heard someone requested a dedicated meditation room. Was that you? If you're not part of the Blood God Legion, demanding a meditation room from us—isn't that a threat to the Blood God Legion?"
Step by step, Xu Yuan approached, piling accusation after accusation onto the Scorching Sun Douluo.
In truth, he wasn't wrong.
The Scorching Sun Douluo's proposal of one large dedicated meditation room per Limit Douluo was already a blatant threat.
Any Limit Douluo would understand this. After all, they themselves knew they didn't need to further increase their soul power, so they didn't need a so-called dedicated meditation room.
The Scorching Sun Douluo's proposal was essentially leveraging his status as a Limit Douluo to threaten the Blood God Legion.
"We are all Limit Douluos, top-tier powerhouses on the continent, defending the Blood God Legion against the Abyss. If you don't offer us anything in return, we might as well leave."
Forcing a higher status for Limit Douluos, using this to set the tone and intimidate the Blood God Legion into building these dedicated meditation rooms.
"The Blood God Legion has guarded the Abyss for six thousand years, securing six thousand years of peace for the Federation. Now, someone dares to threaten us?" Xu Yuan looked at Zhang Huanyun and asked, "Is there anything in the Federation's laws addressing this? What punishment is there for threatening the Blood God Legion?"
Zhang Huanyun remained silent for a moment.
After a while, he finally said, "The Blood God Legion must not be insulted."
"Good. It seems the Federation's laws have flaws, but they'll likely be fixed after today," Xu Yuan said.
He looked at the Scorching Sun Douluo.
"Everyone under the Federation, from Limit Douluos to ordinary soul masters—excluding evil soul masters—has the duty to obey the Blood God Legion's orders to resist Abyss invasions."
"Any Federation soul master who threatens the Blood God Legion—kill!"
Xu Yuan roared, his soul power surging.
His Blood Essence Domain erupted instantly.
"How dare you!" The Scorching Sun Douluo's eyes widened in fury. With a roar, a blazing sun rose behind him.
He hadn't expected Xu Yuan to resort to violence so suddenly.
And in the command center, no less!
But Xu Yuan didn't care.
Before entering, he had already dismissed the surrounding soldiers.
As for the destruction of the command center?
With more and more powerful individuals gathering here, this old command center was too small anyway. Demolishing it to build a larger one suited his purposes perfectly.
BOOM!
The Blood Essence Domain exploded, and the surrounding area was instantly shrouded in a layer of blood energy.
Blood flames erupted from Xu Yuan's body, swirling around his right arm to form a vortex, condensing into a spear.
One by one, soul rings rose from beneath his feet.
Red, red, red, red, red, red, red!
Seven hundred-thousand-year soul rings appeared in succession, exerting immense pressure.
The Scorching Sun Douluo's breathing quickened.
Behind him, a blazing sun scorched the air, attempting to burn away the Blood Essence Domain surrounding him.
At his feet, nine soul rings were arranged: three purple, four black, and two red.
It must be said—he did have some strength.
Though his first three soul rings were still purple, they were deep purple, very close to black. He likely only needed a catalyst spirit companion to break through to ten thousand years, but he had never found the opportunity.
Even with two hundred-thousand-year soul rings, the Scorching Sun Douluo felt the overwhelming pressure closing in on him.
It wasn't just the seven hundred-thousand-year soul rings—it was the constant, oppressive force coming from the surrounding environment.
This young man before him might truly possess Limit Douluo-level strength!
Within the Blood Essence Domain, Xu Yuan was the absolute ruler.
With a thrust of his spear, the entire domain's power converged into a single strike.
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