Deep within the heart of the Great Star Dou Forest.
The morning light bathed the area in an unusual stillness. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in ancient trees that had stood for thousands of years, refracting into a mesmerizing glow within a cave laced with veins of green-gold ore.
A silvery-white dragon coiled in the darkened space, each scale shimmering with the brilliance of stars.
With every long breath she took, the glowing patterns on the ground rose and fell like waves. The surrounding green-gold ore veins radiated light, as if the entire forest resonated with this ruler who had slumbered for millennia.
Half of the Dragon God's—Silver Dragon King.
She opened her cold vertical pupils, sensing changes in the world.
"The Child of Nature."
Her divine-level spiritual power probed the plane's essence, detecting new information. Among the seven elements she commanded, four visualization images had emerged: wind, water, fire, and earth.
As the four elemental visualization images reflected in her vertical pupils, the Silver Dragon King's long tail unconsciously swept across the ground, stirring ripples of elemental energy.
"The manifestation of fundamental laws."
She felt her dormant god core tremble unexpectedly. Seven-colored elemental particles condensed from the void into a rainbow bridge, only to abruptly shatter before touching her dragon horn.
Intense pain spread from the shattered god core throughout her body, forcing the proud dragon monarch to suppress her aura and cease using her powers.
However, with a single scan using her god-level spiritual power, she memorized the insights of the four visualization methods. The four foundational elements subtly resonated, hinting at the formation of an entirely new and powerful visualization image.
Simultaneously, the divine dragon visualization image, which represented her identity more profoundly, showed mastery upon first glance, expertise after two, and perfection by three looks. It surpassed the four-elemental visualizations, dominating the spirit realm.
"This is called a visualization method? Simple and direct, yet it pierces straight to the essence of the laws. The stronger and more prosperous the plane, the greater the power unleashed by the visualization method. Was this cultivation method created by someone who then earned the favor of the plane, becoming the Child of Nature?"
The Silver Dragon King lacked the memories of the Dragon God, but even with her god-level insight, she could still recognize the extraordinariness of the visualization method.
As for the aspect of faith energy, being born as royalty, the Silver Dragon King was unfamiliar with it and thus didn't discern its significance.
"Can I create my own visualization method to harness the plane's essence and aid in my recovery?"
The Silver Dragon King activated her extraordinary wisdom and decided to give it a try.
Even though she wouldn't benefit as much as the original creator of the visualization method—the Child of Nature—it might still alleviate her injuries. Moreover, she doubted anyone could surpass her in creating new visualizations faster.
She summoned Di Tian and instructed, "Find the Child of Nature. With its help, my injuries can heal rapidly."
---
On a throne woven from Blue Silver Grass, Gu La's eyes flickered slightly. A vast surge of spiritual power burst forth, stirring a gentle breeze within a hundred-meter radius. The Blue Silver Grass bent as if bowing to the lofty throne.
"The Abyssal Plane—deep as an abyss, spanning heaven and hell."
Gu La hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise. Communicating directly with the Plane Consciousness and confronting the evolution of laws caused his spiritual power to break through the threshold of formlessness, reaching the level of a Title Douluo.
He used Psychic, focusing on a three-meter-high boulder in the distance. With a thought, the fifty-ton rock floated up like a feather, soaring a hundred meters into the air in an instant.
"There's still more."
Gu La murmured softly, scanning the surroundings. There were no larger stones nearby.
Using psychic energy as an attack, the rock formations shaped by millions of years of geological evolution suddenly cracked all over, breaking into hundreds or thousands of pieces that rained down like hail.
"Not enough."
Gu La's lips curved slightly upward. In the distance, a century-old iron birch tree twisted into a spiral shape, the brittle snapping of wood fibers startling a flock of birds into flight.
Looking at the destruction he had caused, Gu La sighed, "No wonder everyone craves opportunities. The progress I've made in a single day surpasses what I achieved over three years of cheating."
"With this power, even a Title Douluo would need to be cautious unless they prepared defenses beforehand. They'd have to watch out for me potentially snapping their necks. This can serve as a small trump card. Perhaps my next plan can be a bit more aggressive."
Just as his spiritual power had advanced remarkably, so too had his Aura abilities, closely linked to his mental strength. He gained roughly eighty percent improvement, allowing him to sense life Auras within a kilometer radius. In the forest, the status of the Child of Nature extended this range tenfold.
Sensing someone approaching, Gu La realized the disturbance he caused was significant. Within his mind, the fiery visualization image blazed brightly, infusing his spiritual power with a red glow that resonated with external fire elements.
His spiritual power scanned the vicinity like radar, igniting flames wherever it passed, burning away the chaotic Blue Silver Grass.
More Blue Silver Grass surged with vitality, sprouting roots that burrowed deep into the ground, concealing all traces.
Gu La stepped into the spatial rift and vanished.
A minute later, Sword Douluo and Ning Fengzhi appeared on a patch of scorched grass, followed by Dugu Bo and several other Soul Douluos from Tian Dou City.
Chen Xin's Seven Kill Sword remained sheathed, yet it carved a three-zhang trench into the ground. He frowned at the radiating patterns of flattened Blue Silver Grass on the scorched earth:
"Elemental disturbances show at least four residual attributes, but… there are no traces of that colored pillar."
As his fingertips brushed the cut edges of the grass, emerald-colored soul power suddenly dissipated automatically. Chen Xin's pupils contracted: "These plants are actively erasing traces!"
Dugu Bo looked warily at Sword Douluo. "Lord Ning, do you know what those towering colored beams were earlier?"
Ning Fengzhi scanned the area meticulously, not missing any detail. However, the flames had erased all evidence, leaving him with nothing.
Shaking his head, he replied, "I don't know. By the time we arrived, the area already looked like this. No signs of battle, suggesting someone deliberately concealed their tracks."
Dugu Bo's chilling laughter sent shivers down their spines. "When did Tian Dou City produce such a figure?"
Behind him, the phantom of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor manifested. The corrosive sound of poison mist on the scorched earth echoed, but otherwise, there were no changes.
Ning Fengzhi subtly retreated half a step, his gaze falling on the scattered rocks. His intuition told him these fragments should hold clues. But after Dugu Bo's interference, no one could easily retrieve the toxic stones—certainly not a Title Douluo personally picking them up.
Thus, the group gathered around the potentially clue-laden stones, engaging in alliances, negotiations, and compromises.
Unaware that a group of soul masters had mistaken his telekinetic experiment's rocks as treasures, Gu La returned to Shrek Academy. He sent his clone out to wander while he seized the remaining inspiration to document his findings.
"By leveraging spiritual power to manipulate elemental forces, one can enhance the external influence of spiritual power, akin to how tool-type martial souls comprehend intent. From this, one can grasp the essence of the elements."
---
Three days later, the preliminary rounds of the Soul Masters Tournament reached their most intense phase. The Spirit Hall Newspaper published the perfected formula for the Bone-Fortifying ointment.
Overnight, the price of daylily root, used for harmonization, skyrocketed a hundredfold. Numerous herbal merchants frantically stockpiled herbs, and major factions initiated a new round of trade balancing.
Standing on the fourth floor of the Tian Dou Commerce Guild, Qian Renxue watched the bustling officials below, her expression contemplative. "A single paper has set the entire continent in motion. What exactly is Oak's purpose?"
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