After the meeting, everyone dispersed. They all lived within the same building, each with their own room.
Yun Ze's room was located on the fifth floor, and its layout was simple. The only decorations were the numerous books neatly arranged on the bookshelf.
His room contained a vast collection of books—two full bookshelves, holding at least two hundred volumes in total. These books covered a wide range of topics, including soul beasts, martial souls, soul devices, mechas, battle armor, and the history of the continent.
Reading was undoubtedly one of the best ways to understand the world. Through years of study, Yun Ze had accumulated so much knowledge that he understood this world even better than its own inhabitants.
Over the past seven years, due to his inability to cultivate, he had spent most of his time reading. The rest of his time was dedicated to instructing soul beasts.
Now, he sat cross-legged on the floor, which was relatively spacious, and took out the purple Soul Spirit Orb.
Behind him, a phoenix emerged, spreading its wings and letting out a resonant cry. Flames roared to life, making the air distort from the heat.
However, Yun Ze controlled the temperature carefully, confining it within a half-meter radius around him to prevent the wooden furniture in his room from catching fire.
When he reached into the purple Soul Spirit Orb, he felt a warm, smooth sensation. The touch of the Blazing Nine-Headed Bird's soul spirit was akin to warm water.
As soon as it was released, the Blazing Nine-Headed Bird flapped its wings and hovered in front of Yun Ze. All nine of its heads were bowed low, its body trembling in fear.
Before the phoenix, the once-proud Blazing Nine-Headed Bird submitted completely, showing no sign of resistance.
With a soft cry, the phoenix inhaled, and the Blazing Nine-Headed Bird transformed into a mass of flames, flowing into its stomach.
As the energy entered his body, Yun Ze immediately began refining it with his soul power. The process was surprisingly easy—there was no resistance at all.
Not only did the Blazing Nine-Headed Bird not resist, but it actively cooperated with the fusion. Its 1,700 years of cultivation posed no difficulty for Yun Ze.
Half an hour later, he successfully fused with the soul spirit. Within moments, two identical purple soul rings rose from the ground.
With the appearance of the soul rings, Yun Ze's cultivation broke through immediately, advancing from Rank 20 to Rank 21.
This highlighted one of the drawbacks of breaking through using soul spirits—originally, the energy from two 1,700-year-old soul rings should have been enough to increase his soul power by more than two levels.
However, in reality, the total energy he obtained from the soul spirit was only 1,700 years' worth—the exact amount contained within the soul spirit itself.
This was understandable. After all, the soul spirit only had so much energy; it couldn't generate more out of thin air.
With a single thought, Yun Ze summoned a ball of fire in front of him. The flames shifted and morphed into the shape of the Blazing Nine-Headed Bird.
"Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!"
The moment it appeared, the now-miniature Blazing Nine-Headed Bird excitedly chirped at Yun Ze, expressing its closeness to him.
However, it dared not approach him recklessly. Instinctively, it feared the aura he emanated and kept a respectful distance.
After letting the Blazing Nine-Headed Bird remain outside for a while, Yun Ze reabsorbed it back into himself. He didn't rush to get up but instead focused on sensing the changes in his body.
At the same time, he attempted to circulate the "Immortal Phoenix Legacy Technique", his primary cultivation method—one of the Phoenix Clan's most powerful and secretive scriptures.
As soon as he activated it, the surrounding soul power surged toward him at an astonishing speed, pouring into his body.
The rate at which he absorbed soul power far exceeded that of an ordinary Rank 21 Soul Grandmaster. Even Soul Ancestors (Rank 40+) couldn't match his absorption speed.
After cultivating for ten minutes, Yun Ze paused and opened his eyes, his expression tinged with disappointment.
It was too slow.
The energy of this world was too scarce, which severely limited the effectiveness of the "Immortal Phoenix Legacy Technique."
It was like trying to use a hundred-meter-wide water pump in a nearly dried-up river—the pump's ability was formidable, but the water was limited. No matter how powerful the pump was, it could only draw so much water.
Furthermore, his soul power was too weak to fully activate the pump's capabilities, further reducing his absorption speed.
Right now, Yun Ze's "Immortal Phoenix Legacy Technique" faced precisely this predicament—an overwhelming power held back by an inadequate environment.
However, he quickly suppressed his disappointment. If the progress was slow, so be it. Reality was reality—he could only accept it.
"Hmm?"
Just as he was about to resume cultivating and stabilize his recent breakthrough, he sensed an unusual movement from within his heart.
"The Ancient Dragon Life Pearl!"
After a moment of focus, Yun Ze pinpointed the source of the disturbance.
He could clearly feel a warm current flowing from his heart, gradually moving toward his brain.
His first instinct was to stop it. However, after a brief hesitation, he chose to let it proceed.
The warmth spread through his brain, and suddenly, an overwhelming flood of information surged into his mind.
A sensation of swelling filled his head—it felt as though his skull was being forcibly expanded, as if it might burst at any moment.
Despite the excruciating discomfort, Yun Ze neither cried out nor lost his composure. His expression remained calm as he endured the swelling sensation.
Half an hour later, the feeling subsided.
Without hesitation, Yun Ze eagerly sorted through the vast influx of information.
It took him over an hour to fully process everything. When he finally did, his eyes lit up with excitement.
"The Chaos Ancient Dragon Sutra!"
The knowledge that had flooded his mind was an advanced cultivation technique—"The Chaos Ancient Dragon Sutra"—the highest and most sacred technique of the Chaos Dragon Clan.
Its rank was equal to that of his "Immortal Phoenix Legacy Technique"—both were among the Seven Supreme Cultivation Techniques of the Immortal Realm.
"I've finally obtained it!"
Even with Yun Ze's typically calm demeanor, he couldn't suppress his excitement.
Dragon and Phoenix in harmony, supreme across the cosmos.
Once he merged these two supreme techniques into a single, unified cultivation method, he would be able to create a technique that surpassed the Immortal Emperor Realm itself!
At that point, he would be able to transcend the heavens and achieve the ultimate realm—the goal he had pursued for countless years.
Previously, he had always been half a step away from this final breakthrough. But now, he had a chance to take that crucial step forward. How could he not be overjoyed?
But Yun Ze was Yun Ze—he quickly regained his composure and began analyzing the "Chaos Ancient Dragon Sutra."
The difficulty of comprehending this sutra was on par with the "Immortal Phoenix Legacy Technique." However, since he had already mastered the latter, understanding this one was significantly easier.
As a former Immortal Emperor, his comprehension abilities were unparalleled. Before long, he fully grasped the foundational techniques of the "Chaos Ancient Dragon Sutra."
To his surprise, he discovered numerous similarities between the "Chaos Ancient Dragon Sutra" and the "Immortal Phoenix Legacy Technique."
"Could it be that these two techniques were originally one?"
If they were truly one, then merging them would be much easier than he had anticipated.
With that in mind, Yun Ze began cultivating both techniques simultaneously. His perfect control allowed him to operate them in harmony without causing any conflicts.
Cultivation techniques also had their own levels of attainment, influenced by the practitioner's strength. Right now, his cultivation was too low for either technique to make significant progress.
Still, Yun Ze expected this outcome. He had long known that progress would be nearly imperceptible in this world, but he continued cultivating regardless.
His current goal was not to advance the techniques' levels but to deepen his understanding of them—to prepare himself for the day he left this world.
An unexpected benefit emerged: practicing both techniques at once dramatically increased his soul power absorption rate.
At this moment, Yun Ze's cultivation speed had already reached that of a high-ranked Soul King.
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(End of Chapter)