"How can there be faith in my Sea of Consciousness?"
Su Ming reacted, feeling very puzzled.
"I just completed the Spirit Soul transformation at the Douluo 2 timeline point. It makes sense that my Douluo 3 self can benefit from the faith related to Spirit Souls, but why is there Faith Power on me now?"
Su Ming attempted to use his spiritual power to touch the Faith Power within his Sea of Consciousness, sensing the aura within it.
"It's different from the future faith; it wasn't transmitted to me across the timeline from the future. Moreover, the faith within feels largely unrelated to Spirit Souls."
He carefully sensed it, his eyes growing increasingly confused.
What kind of faith is this exactly?
As for the specific origin of this faith, Su Ming was baffled; he simply couldn't find its source.
However, he knew its origin: his Douluo 1 self.
"Even to gather faith, one must possess the corresponding status and need time to condense faith into Faith Power. What my Douluo 3 self absorbs is the faith accumulated over ten thousand years on the Douluo Continent. That faith had long naturally converged into natural Faith Power. Due to the influence of my current self, my Douluo 3 self gained the corresponding status to absorb that Faith Power.
But my current self definitely holds no status. Even if I did, I haven't had the time to condense faith, let alone absorb it so naturally. There can only be one reason for this situation: my past self has influenced the present!"
Su Ming's heart was shaken.
Can the past still change the present?
According to the rule he previously summarized—'The past is irrevocable, the future can be changed'—his Douluo 1 self shouldn't be able to influence the Douluo 2 and Douluo 3 eras. His actions shouldn't affect the future, and he himself shouldn't be able to leave any record in history.
Every time he gained an understanding of the timeline, he would enter a state of sudden enlightenment, observing through the perspective of the River of Time. And when he comprehended 'The past is irrevocable, the future can be changed,' he also, in that moment of enlightenment, witnessed a phenomenon on the River of Time.
That one time, a phantom appeared on the cross-section of the river where the Douluo 1 node Su Ming was located. At that time point, the cross-section manifested an illusory scene, completely detached from the main body of the river, existing in a form.
Could it be that the status from within that illusory history can also be used?
"But, with just that one fragment, it should be impossible to obtain any so-called status, right?"
Su Ming was skeptical.
While it seemed he had only created Spirit Souls now, in reality, all current changes would evolve with the timeline. Even the fool Su Ming, unaffected by Su Ming's main will, could, under the influence of Du Busi, Su Can, and others, spread Spirit Souls and establish his status as the Ancestor of Spirit Souls.
But why would his past Douluo 1 self have it?
He only created Spirit Souls; he hadn't gained the status yet.
"Unless..."
Su Ming had a guess.
And as his guess formed, the familiar sound of flowing water faintly echoed around him again. A long river spanning time appeared before him. Upstream, at the Douluo 1 node, the illusory double image that appeared due to the influence of the past Su Ming had expanded!
Originally just a cross-section, the illusory aspect of that node had now become a segment with its own timeline!
"From the moment that illusory node split off until now, several months have passed. That illusory cross-section continuously overlapped, becoming a segment of illusory history."
Su Ming took a deep breath, his gaze heavy.
Because this wasn't all the change upstream.
Below the node where his Past Self resided, illusory history was also evolving.
This meant the Past Self now influenced not just a point, but a period of time with a future, even if this future was illusory from the very beginning.
"Within that evolving segment of illusory history lies the key to establishing a certain status for me."
Su Ming breathed a sigh of relief.
By now, he had mostly figured out the changes within himself.
The point he was still curious about was the aspect of the Faith Power on him.
"Is it related to Spirit Tools? Or Spirit Souls? Or perhaps the Body Sect technique?"
Su Ming was deep in thought when he was interrupted by his future self.
"Damn it! Don't just eat that randomly!"
Just as he was about to switch to the future perspective to check, he heard Du Busi's voice.
"Did something go wrong absorbing the Spirit Ring?"
He then remembered that two people were waiting outside and that he had been studying alone for a long time after his breakthrough.
Opening his eyes, Su Ming said, "Master, I'm fine."
Du Busi and Su Can both sighed in relief.
Although Su Ming had successfully absorbed the Spirit Ring and the Spirit Core condensation proceeded without incident, the issue with the array earlier was real. They were worried that Su Ming's prolonged unconsciousness meant something had gone wrong.
"Xiao Ming, what happened with the array? Were there any problems absorbing the Spirit Ring?"
"Master, Grandfather, there was indeed an accident during the Spirit Ring absorption, but it's a good thing." Su Ming relayed the prepared explanation: "The soul of the Star Tree was unexpectedly preserved and formed a contract with me. It didn't dissipate directly but instead stabilized using the Spirit Ring it left on me, becoming a special spiritual entity."
A special spiritual entity?
Du Busi and Su Can looked at each other, surprised.
Su Ming released the Star Tree Spirit Soul.
The Star Tree Spirit Soul was currently dormant. Su Ming still needed to find a way to wake it up and get it willing to assist him with Spirit Refinement.
It was the first time Du Busi and Su Can had ever seen a Spirit Soul. They found it novel and examined the Star Tree using various methods.
"It's alive," Du Busi said.
As soon as he finished speaking, they saw the Star Tree's trunk tremble slightly.
"If your Spirit Skills aren't affected, having an extra Spirit Soul might even help share some of your mental load. This is a good thing," Su Can said.
"That's exactly it. Not only are the effects of my Spirit Skills unaffected, but they are perfect. The Spirit Power amplification is tremendous."
"Oh?" Both Du Busi and Su Can looked at Su Ming, waiting for his explanation.
"The passive effect of my first Spirit Skill alone provides a thirty percent amplification of my Spirit Power in every aspect. Activating it actively can further increase everything by another fifty percent."
Su Can nodded.
He was the one who helped Su Ming hunt for this Spirit Ring, and its effect was top-tier.
While the numbers might seem like just thirty and fifty percent, this represents simultaneous amplification in all three aspects of Spirit Power amplification: total amount, quality, and reduced consumption. These three effects stack multiplicatively!
The effect of this Spirit Skill can't do without the quality of the Spirit Ring, but even more so, it can't do without Su Ming's Martial Spirit.
Now, having absorbed a second Spirit Ring beyond his level and even creating a Spirit Soul, what Spirit Skill did Su Ming gain?
"My second Spirit Skill also has both passive and active forms. Passively, my Spirit Power gains another fifty percent amplification. Of course, the active effect isn't about amplifying Spirit Power anymore. When actively released, it can draw upon Stellar Energy, bathing in starlight, to imbue my Spirit Power with stellar attributes, while also using starlight to accelerate my Spirit Power recovery."
...
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(End of Chapter)