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The Eternal Lord, Austin Griffin, and Electrolux were discussing with Tang San the mysteries of mastering the Immortal True Spirit. Yet, in the end, they were all limited by their realms, leaving them with no choice but to accept the present situation.
Tang San had read many novels in his previous life, describing realms such as Taiyi and Da Luo, where one could traverse vast universes and roam across multiverses. However, reading these descriptions alone offered no real method for achieving such feats. The key was to tread one step at a time.
As for the "old enemy" that "Gu" had mentioned… neither Tang San nor the others could detect any trace of this foe, nor could they discern how "Gu" had vanished, as if he had never existed in the first place.
"All life in this world, from the moment it is born, is eternal..."
Though Tang San chose not to dwell too deeply on it, he committed this phrase to memory, pondering if it hinted at the essence of the Immortal True Spirit.
Matter can transform, energy can decay, memories may fade, and even the divine soul can shatter—yet only the Immortal True Spirit endures throughout eternity.
What, then, is the essence of this endurance?
Just then, Shen Hou scratched his head as he regained consciousness. He quickly stood up, apologizing to Tang San. "Forgive me, my lord; I actually dozed off."
"No worries, it wasn't your fault," Tang San replied, noting Shen Hou's apparent lack of awareness regarding "Gu's" presence. Curiously, he asked, "What did you feel during the martial spirit fusion?"
"My lord, you might laugh, but I felt like I just had the best sleep of my life—my spirit is incredibly refreshed." Shen Hou replied sheepishly.
"Is that so?" Tang San mused, waiting until the others awakened to ask each of them similar questions and examine their conditions. He found they all seemed unscathed, with even a slight increase in energy and vigor. Remarkably, each one had undergone a secondary awakening, enhancing their martial spirits, which now covered a larger part of their bodies.
For instance:
- Chou Niu's martial spirit had initially only covered his left arm; now, it encompassed both arms.
- Yin Hu's martial spirit had evolved from solely her right hand to both hands.
- Wei Yang's martial spirit had originally covered her hair and the outer neural network of her brain, but now it extended to her brain itself, along with the nerves within her hair.
In this way, the twelve martial spirits had become more complete—a likely "gift" from "Gu" as thanks for allowing him to return to the world through Shen Hou and the others.
However, Tang San chose not to reveal the details of "Gu's" appearance to Shen Hou and the others. Instead, he instructed them to perform the martial spirit fusion once more.
This time, the sixteen-foot, genderless figure was again formed, though it appeared more translucent than before, and its face was marked by a detached indifference, with dark, empty eye sockets that seemed listless.
Yet, the aura surrounding it was as awe-inspiring as a god's descent. Any spirit master who beheld this figure would be struck by its power; even divine beings would be moved by its presence.
"It lacks a conscious will…" Tang San noted. He then asked the twelve, "Try to make it move."
Shen Hou and the others exchanged glances, then focused their energy, straining with red faces to control the sixteen-foot figure. However, the effort yielded little success, with only the figure's arm barely shifting.
Unable to control it?
Tang San examined it using his primordial spirit and discovered that the twelve martial spirits forming the sixteen-foot body were each quivering, competing for dominance.
In particular, Shen Hou and Wei Yang's martial spirits were locked in fierce opposition. Shen Hou held an advantage in power, and his martial spirit, tied to the body's blood vessels and meridians, had become even more complete after the secondary awakening, now encompassing the body's blood flow. Shen Hou was, after all, the leader among the twelve.
However, Wei Yang's martial spirit had evolved from covering only her hair to encompassing her entire brain and nerves. Since the brain controls the entire body, it couldn't easily yield to the circulatory system represented by Shen Hou's martial spirit.
It seemed the sixteen-foot body should be governed by the brain.
However, Wei Yang still answered to Shen Hou. But as the brain of the sixteen-foot body, her martial spirit was its central command. How could it obey orders from the heart?
Wouldn't that be like a rebellion?
Thus, the sixteen-foot body lacked a unified, overriding presence to coordinate its organs—an entity with a cohesive will to guide it. This resulted in chaotic energy flows within, with each martial spirit vying to take control. Luckily, martial spirits weren't imbued with overly strong consciousness; otherwise, the sixteen-foot body might have morphed into a grotesque mass of organs—more akin to a nightmarish chimera.
"Alright, stop now," Tang San instructed. He realized that without "Gu's" guiding will, this sixteen-foot figure was merely an empty shell. Though it was formidable, the twelve Celestial Spirits couldn't fully synchronize their minds… They hadn't yet truly mastered their martial spirits. The fact that they managed to raise the figure's arm was already an impressive feat.
After all, they weren't controlling a puppet; they were managing a body composed of intelligent martial spirits! Imagine the challenge—twelve distinct minds trying to cooperate to move a single form. Such coordination would be incredibly difficult.
Perfectly controlling the sixteen-foot body would likely require an additional will, strong enough to unify the twelve individual minds of the Celestial Spirits.
As the twelve Celestial Spirits retracted their martial spirits, they were already panting, their soul power clearly depleted.
Tang San used his first soul skill to restore their energy, then said, "At present, you still lack the necessary rapport. To control the sixteen-foot body perfectly, your minds need to be as one, completely in sync. But people are bound to have personal boundaries, and in the future, each of you will have your own lives—true openness without any secrets between you is unrealistic."
"Even if you manage to successfully fuse, the sixteen-foot body is only an empty vessel without an independent guiding will. A collective consciousness… well, humans aren't like bees or ants."
"Alternatively, if someone were to join you as the primary consciousness, a strong will could direct the fused sixteen-foot form."
Hearing this, Shen Hou's eyes gleamed. "My lord, would you consider serving as the controlling will for the sixteen-foot body?"
You Ji added, "Whether we're able to bring out its full potential isn't important, so long as it benefits you."
Wei Yang chimed in, "My brain is yours to command."
Seeing the others preparing to chime in as well, Tang San quickly interrupted, "Enough with the flattery. I appreciate your intentions. As for the sixteen-foot body, I do have plans for it. However, I'm not looking to control it myself, but rather to study how energy and vitality circulate within the first human form as a reference point… At this stage, though, without a primary guiding will, the fusion of martial spirits is incomplete, with the inner energy oscillating between chaos and order, making it impossible to study in depth…"
Shen Hou asked eagerly, "So, does this mean you're interested, my lord?"
"I'm certainly curious—"
The existence of the sixteen-foot body was beyond anything Tang San had anticipated. If the opportunity presented itself, he naturally wanted to try it out personally. "But not now."
"There's another ship arriving from overseas…"
(End of Chapter)