Chen Deng's face was filled with shock.
The transformation of his visualization technique caused his own bloodline to stir, followed by a metamorphosis in his primal energy.
He broke through.
Ninth rank!
The commotion here wasn't small. It drew some Blood Masters from the Celestial Ape Holy Land to gather around. Upon seeing Elder Chen Deng, they respectfully bowed. However, Xu Yuan, this stranger, was closely watched by them.
Still, noticing Chen Deng's expression, they didn't dare to offend him but maintained a slight wariness.
"How is it? Is this enough?" Xu Yuan said indifferently.
Chen Deng's emotions surged as he deeply nodded.
This opportunity—this was enough!
Exchanging a heavenly-grade technique for achieving the ninth rank, was that a loss?
No.
At least, such a technique wasn't irreplicable. Every replication, especially of the visualization method, required certain resources.
But still, renewable resources couldn't compare with the breakthrough in his own cultivation.
Seeing this, Xu Yuan didn't continue deeper cooperation with Elder Chen Deng of the Celestial Ape Holy Land. Instead, he transformed into a streak of crimson light and flew away.
Chen Deng watched Xu Yuan disappear over the horizon in the blink of an eye and swallowed hard.
So strong.
That speed, that terrifying fluctuation of energy.
If there had been any conflict just now, Chen Deng felt he wouldn't have survived even a second.
Especially that one-finger enlightenment ability—it was simply monstrous.
Xu Yuan paid no heed to Chen Deng's thoughts.
He visualized the starry sky, and among the many resonating stars, there were some suitable for Chen Deng. Thus, he used a spiritual link to let Chen Deng experience the resonance of those nine stars.
This resonance directly connected with spirituality.
Therefore, even comprehension could be achieved through this.
It was equivalent to Xu Yuan helping Chen Deng briefly resonate with those nine stars.
The first soul skill of Xu Yuan's Brain Martial Soul, Spiritual Link, had never become obsolete throughout his cultivation.
The basic use of connecting minds for communication was just the most superficial application. Back when he obtained this soul skill, Zhen Hua had already helped test its true power—it could communicate with spirituality. In forging, it was like having a cheat code.
Now, after Yao Yao's breakthrough to the hundred-thousand-year mark, he further developed this soul skill to the point where he could perform "transmission of cultivation."
Of course, comprehension still relied on personal insight; otherwise, it would only be considered learning.
Thus, Xu Yuan merely synchronized certain feelings with others. What they could comprehend wasn't up to him.
Even so, this was still a god-tier skill for lower-rank soul masters.
At the very least, Xu Yuan's star visualization technique could allow almost any soul master to quickly grasp it. Of course, Xu Yuan wasn't that selfless.
Xu Yuan didn't leave the Tian Shan Mountain Range. He found a secluded valley, sat cross-legged alone, and began studying the Five-Element Celestial Technique he had obtained from Chen Deng.
"This Five-Element Celestial Technique is quite unique. Although it isn't built on the concept of cyclic generation, it's more suitable for cultivation, based on the five directions of heaven and earth. The Lord of Hell perfectly fits this technique. If the central demon bloodline were replaced with a Kirin, it might be even more perfect."
Of course, whether that was achievable was another matter.
After all, the Lord of Hell had only referenced the Five-Element Celestial Technique rather than using it as a foundation. His ability to accommodate five bloodlines relied on the compatibility of the demon bloodline.
If the demon bloodline were replaced, the balance between the five bloodlines couldn't be achieved.
"For me, this Five-Element Celestial Technique has aspects worth referencing. The core array, the Five Directions Grand Array, is important to me. As for the technique itself, I don't need to practice it."
After reviewing the Five-Element Celestial Technique, Xu Yuan had no intention of practicing the Blood Master system.
The Blood Master system cultivated bloodlines, which was something Xu Yuan was wary of.
Of course, he hadn't obtained this technique out of boredom.
"The Blood Master system focuses on bloodlines. I wonder if it can be adapted to spirit cultivation—using the Blood Master method to cultivate spiritual power, while replacing bloodlines with spirit souls."
If successful, the gains would be extraordinary.
Carefully studying the technique in his hands, understanding the Blood Master cultivation from it, Xu Yuan imitated it and began attempting to cultivate with spiritual power.
In his mind, the starry image had already become much more organized. Following the Five Directions Grand Array from the Five-Element Celestial Technique, the starlight flowed, becoming more condensed, and the entire starry sky appeared more like a unified whole.
"Still failed."
Three days.
Xu Yuan tried for three days, modifying dozens of details, but he couldn't even enter the basics. However, he did tidy up the starry image.
"It seems I'm still lacking guidance from the laws."
Every cultivation system was supported by the fundamental laws of its plane, especially systems with low universality.
For example, in soul master cultivation, to possess a martial soul, one had to be born on Douluo Star to receive the baptism of the laws and awaken their martial soul at age six.
If Douluo Star broke through, and the laws expanded further, then naturally, there would be more soul masters within the range covered by Douluo Star.
The Blood Master system was the same.
Xu Yuan wasn't born in hell. To directly cultivate the Blood Master system was impossible for him.
Moreover, he wasn't cultivating the traditional standard Blood Master system but adapting it to spiritual power cultivation.
"Shanhe"
Behind Xu Yuan, a massive scroll floated in mid-air. When it unfurled, a surreal world was projected within.
Beneath his feet, five soul rings emerged—red, black, black, black, black.
Prohibition Seven Techniques.
Xu Yuan integrated his essence, energy, and spirit into the surrounding space. His Blood Essence domain expanded, merging with other domains, bringing the surrounding heaven and earth under his control. Then he fused Shanhe with this space.
"Third soul skill, materialization!"
A monster's body was gradually shaped by Xu Yuan.
It was the same body that Huan Xing had used to defeat Tang Wulin before.
As Huan Xing's body was shaped, Huan Xing itself actively merged into it.
"Huan Xing, it's up to you."
Huan Xing nodded.
It activated the Five-Element Celestial Technique. The surrounding energy of heaven and earth rapidly gathered and was absorbed by it.
Success.
Xu Yuan smiled.
If the conditions weren't met, then he would use the laws of this world to reshape a body.
His mastery of the laws hadn't reached such a profound level, and he barely understood the laws of hell. What he achieved here was merely macro-level manipulation.
With Shanhe integrated into this world, the body he materialized naturally became a native body of this world.
Huan Xing operated this body, gaining the qualification to cultivate the Blood Master system.
However, it was a spirit soul, a soul beast.
Yet it was cultivating a human Blood Master technique.
Five elements, five bloodlines.
Xu Yuan gradually infused the five powers he mastered into this body, assisting Huan Xing in cultivating the Five-Element Celestial Technique.
In this world, Huan Xing was originally a ninth-rank existence. From this high vantage point, it possessed the qualification to swiftly contract five so-called bloodlines. However, Xu Yuan didn't give it blood beast contracts but instead provided it with the five powers he mastered.
In other words, at this moment, Huan Xing was essentially undergoing Blood Master system cultivation with Xu Yuan.
Only now, the roles were reversed. Xu Yuan provided it with bloodline-like powers, even shaping its bloodlines, while Huan Xing accepted everything.
Then, Xu Yuan took back the initiative, letting Huan Xing cultivate the blood beast part and establish a new contract with him.
With the previous contract, Xu Yuan seemed to be recognized by the laws of this side, smoothly establishing a contract with Huan Xing.
After establishing the contract and practicing the Five-Element Celestial Technique again, he finally entered the gate. However, Xu Yuan didn't need Huan Xing's bloodline, and Huan Xing, in its spiritual form at this moment, also lacked bloodline power.
What Huan Xing could provide to Xu Yuan was only the nourishment of spiritual origin.
Xu Yuan established contracts with his other spirit souls.
"Gathering the five elements of the Five Directions isn't difficult," Xu Yuan thought.
In the sea of spirit.
Five spirit souls appeared, each leaving a trace of their origin in the starry sky, merging with the imagined starry image.
"The fusion has become tighter."
Simultaneously, Xu Yuan felt his Brain Martial Soul advancing further.
His sea of spirit was inherently connected to his brain. This visualization image also merged with his Brain Martial Soul. Now, as the starry visualization advanced further, the Brain Martial Soul also broke through.
The soul power in his body boiled, surging without end.
The surrounding energy of heaven and earth gathered, forming a massive funnel.
Yun Ming ascended to godhood, and the accumulated star energy from the battle to open the underworld was fully refined by Xu Yuan.
Boom!
Level 98.
At this moment, his Brain Martial Soul was nearing its limit.
"The advancement of the Brain Martial Soul is almost at the expected level. The Heavenly Origin Five Elements Spear and the Heavenly Origin Brush still have a long way to go. I must find a way to boost them."
Xu Yuan wasn't worried about this.
His spiritual power was already at the Spirit Domain realm, without the limitation of spirit souls. He could continue adding new spirit souls to the Heavenly Origin Brush, though he hadn't yet found suitable ones.
"This Five Directions Grand Array makes the spirit souls of my three martial souls connect more tightly, indirectly increasing the compatibility between the martial souls."
However, Xu Yuan would gain new spirit souls in the future. This Five Directions Grand Array would need to include at least one more spirit soul.
So, who should be kicked out?
This was a headache-inducing problem.
Could the Five Directions Grand Array really fuse six spirit souls?
Time passed.
In the blink of an eye, Xu Yuan had spent more than half a month in the Tian Shan Mountain Range, solidifying his soul power cultivation.
"Huan Xing, endure a little longer. We'll break through after returning to Douluo Star."
That's right. After practicing the Five-Element Celestial Technique this time, besides helping Xu Yuan reverse-cultivate this technique, Huan Xing continued its own cultivation, fusing with the five elements and five powers, thus transforming its own race.
This time, it was truly going to undergo a racial transformation.
The fusion of the Phantom Beast with the five elements and five powers.
Xu Yuan was also looking forward to this evolution.
His three martial souls, though seemingly in different domains, actually expressed the various powers Xu Yuan mastered from different perspectives.
Five elements, stars, space, thunder...
"This time, I'll directly face the heavenly tribulation," Huan Xing said.
Xu Yuan understood Huan Xing's meaning and didn't stop it.
Normally, soul beasts that broke through to ten thousand years and experienced the lightning tribulation only had a thousand years of life. After that millennium, they would face their first heavenly tribulation—the ten-thousand-year tribulation, marking the beginning of a soul beast's path to becoming a ferocious beast.
In fact, even before enduring the twenty-thousand-year tribulation, soul beasts close to twenty thousand years could be called ferocious beasts because of this ten-thousand-year tribulation.
It was just that no one referred to such soul beasts as ferocious beasts. This was actually due to an initial cognitive deficiency in the Douluo soul master world.
"The heavenly tribulation holds no benefit for soul beasts, but it's different for you."
Huan Xing was about to undergo a racial evolution, not an evolution between upper and lower ranks but a transformation of racial form.
From Phantom Beast to a new species that fused with five other powers.
To perfectly integrate these five powers, it had to be done fundamentally, inscribing them deep into the bloodline and integrating them into the origin.
Lightning tribulation was an opportunity; heavenly tribulation was punishment.
Under the heavenly tribulation, the origin of a ferocious beast would manifest. This tribulation specifically broke down origins, and it was the opportunity Huan Xing sought to excavate its origin.
"It's fine, but you'll have to endure a bit more. We still have much to prepare."
Huan Xing emitted some spiritual fluctuations, appearing unconcerned.
Just endure.
I, Huan Xing, have fallen from the strongest to the weakest for so long. I'm not in a rush.
Once the oldest among Xu Yuan's spirit souls, he was now the last non-ten-thousand-year spirit soul of the Brain Martial Soul's three spirit souls and one of the last two non-ten-thousand-year spirit souls among the five.
Huan Xing was used to it.
Not in a hurry.
After this transformation, I, Huan Xing, will once again be the strongest among the five spirit souls!
And without Shanhe, I can still wield the five elements. The five elements, the stars—all are under my control.
Xu Yuan was unaware of Huan Xing's thoughts. At this moment, he arrived at the first Blood Tempering Pool again.
Na'er was in a critical period of seclusion, so Xu Yuan didn't disturb her. After leaving some information and advice, he turned and left the Tian Shan Mountain Range.
"This Hell Plane is nice. I'll come again next time."
Xu Yuan stepped into the Demon Gate and left the Hell Plane.
The trip to hell was quite fruitful. He learned Na'er's thoughts, devised a response strategy, and made further progress himself.
---
Sea God Pavilion.
"Why did it take so long?"
Ya Li had already recovered from the weakness period of fusing four-word battle armor and had even completed half of the core formation engraving inside the four-word battle armor. Only now did Xu Yuan return.
"What about Na'er?" Ya Li frowned, clearly dissatisfied.
She had assumed Xu Yuan would bring Na'er back this time.
"Teacher's wife, Na'er is currently in a critical period of seclusion, so I didn't bring her back. After resolving Gu Yue's issues, I'll go to hell to fetch her. By then, she should have completed her transformation."
"Transformation?"
Clearly, Ya Li didn't know Na'er's plans either.
Xu Yuan briefly explained.
"I see." Ya Li smiled bitterly. "Na'er grew up with you, so her ideas are more flexible than ours."
Xu Yuan chuckled helplessly.
How could this be blamed on him?
"Have you contacted Gu Yue?"
"The Spirit Pagoda has replied. Gu Yue is currently at the Spirit Pagoda headquarters. You can go directly to her."
"Alright."
Without hesitation, Xu Yuan left the inner court and flew toward the Spirit Pagoda.
---
Spirit Pagoda.
Gu Yue opened her eyes.
"He's here."
Looking at Xu Yuan outside the window, Gu Yue's gaze was incredibly complex.
He's grown stronger again.
This guy's rate of improvement was simply inhuman.
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