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"Su Yu, if I remember correctly, you said your teacher's martial soul is Sun and Moon. I believe I'm the most suitable spirit soul for him," said the Beautiful Silk Tulip, exuding elegance and grace. Refined, it could absorb the essence of heaven and earth, as well as the Sun and Moon's brilliance.
Indeed, it was the most fitting spirit soul for Kong Deming.
Moreover, the Beautiful Silk Tulip's unique property worked on both of Kong Deming's martial souls simultaneously, further harmonizing their compatibility.
"Then come with me, Xiangxiang," Su Yu said with a smile.
"And me too!"
The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, brimming with longing for the outside world, seized the opportunity to leave. Its voice was tinged with hope, betting on a better future.
Living within the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye, it was bound by the fate of being cultivated. Of the group, most wouldn't survive the 200,000-year heavenly tribulation. The Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass would rather take a gamble than wait another 10,000 years only to face certain despair.
After weighing all his options, Su Yu ultimately decided to take the Nine-Rank Dragon Mushroom, Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower, Beautiful Silk Tulip, and Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass with him.
The Delicate Fragrant Immortal Tulip, also eager to join, highlighted its role as a poison neutralizer. Seeing its potential, Su Yu reluctantly agreed and stored it in the space opened by the Blade of Life.
When Elder Yi fused the Blade of Life into Su Yu's body, it created a space at his brow, perfectly suited to house these immortal herbs.
In addition to these herbs, Su Yu also gathered heavenly treasures condensed by other plants like the Water Immortal Jade Bone and Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid.
The various medicinal plants around the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye were harvested carefully—seeds were preserved and germinated using Su Yu's ultimate vitality, allowing him to take the original plants with him.
After Su Yu departed, the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye felt noticeably emptier and brighter.
Quietly, Su Yu visited the headquarters of the Wild Luck Guard Squad, leaving two rare herbs for Zou Yun and Feng Kuang before departing.
"Time to head straight to Sun-Moon," he decided.
Carrying so many heavenly treasures, Su Yu knew he needed to assimilate them as soon as possible.
As for traveling and exploring, that could wait until after a period of consolidation in Sun-Moon.
Without hesitation, Su Yu—now at the Soul Saint level—unleashed the wings behind him, fused with his intermediate battle armor, and sped toward Sun-Moon at an incredible pace.
---
Ten days later.
"Xiao Yu?"
Kong Deming was astonished. Su Yu's soul power fluctuations had undergone a massive transformation—he had reached the 73rd rank, and his vitality was as fierce as that of a ferocious beast.
Compared to the Su Yu who had left, this was a complete metamorphosis.
Moreover, after fusing his life-bound spirit ring, Su Yu's aura had deepened, resonating even more profoundly with nature.
Kong Deming could sense an immense change.
"Teacher, I had some fortuitous encounters this time," Su Yu said, smiling.
This much change in less than a year?
A fortuitous encounter?
Kong Deming listened as Su Yu recounted his experiences and the treasures he acquired at the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye. His astonishment grew with every word.
"Such a remarkable place as the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye holds so many unparalleled treasures."
The Beautiful Silk Tulip was among the rarest treasures Kong Deming had ever heard of, mentioned only briefly in the secret records of the royal family. It was the most compatible herb for the Sun-Moon Empire's royal martial souls.
To think Su Yu had found it there!
"Teacher, I've already retrieved all the useful herbs from the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye. As for the place itself, once the Sun-Moon Empire conquers the Heavenly Soul Empire, it can be secured afterward."
When war broke out, the Heavenly Soul Empire would inevitably fall to the Sun-Moon Empire first—a disparity in national power ensured this outcome.
Destroying such a spiritually rich place as the Ice Fire Yin Yang Eye would be a waste; it was a treasure that deserved to be preserved.
Moreover, it was the burial site of the two Dragon Kings. Su Yu had received grace from the Dragon Valley and would never act against it in such an ungrateful manner.
With that, Su Yu produced the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower and the Beautiful Silk Tulip.
Kong Deming activated an isolation array, cutting off all external energy fluctuations.
"So? Are you satisfied with my teacher's talent?" Su Yu asked, his tone confident. "Even without your help, my teacher has a high chance of becoming a god.
"But with your assistance, it would be as easy as reaching into one's pocket to grab it."
Kong Deming couldn't help but feel a twinge of nervousness at Su Yu's bold words.
He had no idea when his disciple had grown so audacious.
Every other sentence out of Su Yu's mouth was about reaching godhood.
Utterly absurd.
Seriously? I'm struggling to be confident about achieving Rank 99 as an Ultimate Douluo, and you're here saying I'll ascend to godhood as easily as reaching into a bag? Ridiculous.
However, since Su Yu was currently working hard to earn the approval of the two immortal herbs for their better integration, Kong Deming chose not to interrupt.
"Hmph, with my qualifications, becoming a god is merely a trifle," Kong Deming said with mock disdain.
After personally witnessing Kong Deming's potential, even at the age of 150, the two immortal herbs ultimately agreed to aid him.
Sure, 150 is a bit old, they thought, but his conditions are undeniably attractive.
Watching his teacher sign contracts with the two herbs and begin integrating them as spirit souls, Su Yu finally exhaled in relief.
Though he had spoken so confidently about godhood earlier, deep down, he lacked certainty.
The Douluo Continent was finite, and there couldn't be that many divine inheritances left to claim.
Some gods might need to pass on their positions to leave the Divine Realm, but not every god would feel the urge to depart.
One day in the Divine Realm equals a year in Douluo time. A single year there would mean over three hundred years here. Besides absolute geniuses, how many gods would want to leave after just one year—or even grow tired of it within a century?
A millennium ago, seven individuals had scoured countless divine inheritances, reportedly exhausting at least six secondary god-level inheritances.
Although Ma Hongjun failed the Fire God's trials, Su Yu had his doubts about whether the inheritance site still existed.
As for the other divine inheritance sites, Su Yu had no way of knowing if they had been completely plundered.
In short, Su Yu had never placed much hope in divine inheritances. His ultimate trust lay in himself.
If there were inheritances, great. If not, he would rely on his own efforts.
The mystery of godhood was something he constantly pondered during his cultivation, and every aspect of his training was aligned with this goal.
Since the herbs knew nothing about the specifics of divine inheritances, Su Yu freely exaggerated his claims.
The results were evident—his bold declarations left the herbs thoroughly convinced.
Of course, Su Yu hadn't completely deceived them.
The Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower boosted Kong Deming's soul power by one rank, elevating him to Rank 97.
Meanwhile, the Beautiful Silk Tulip didn't directly increase his soul power, but according to Kong Deming, its benefits were substantial in other ways.
"Xiao Yu, you can give the Golden Dragon Yam Fruit we prepared to Jing. As for Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, they're not ready for it yet. There's no need to hand it over now."
Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen were nearing a breakthrough to the Soul Emperor realm, but their sixth spirit rings, even with the herb sacrifices, were clearly beyond their current capacity.
It was a limitation they couldn't overcome.
"I'll inform Jing to supervise the two of them, ensuring they focus on enhancing their physical and spiritual strength," Su Yu replied.
The absorption of spirit souls placed immense demands on spiritual power. If one's spiritual strength was sufficient, it was possible to convert a spirit soul first without absorbing the spirit ring. The ring could then be added at a more suitable time.
However, it was clear that Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen didn't meet the necessary criteria yet.
Sun-Moon Hall
Holding the golden fruit with dragon qi swirling around it, Jing Hongchen solemnly thanked Su Yu.
"Xiao Yu, thank you so much this time."
"Hall Master, you've helped me a lot over the years, so this is the least I could do."
Jing Hongchen quickly delegated his current tasks, then entered his private laboratory and swallowed the Golden Dragon Yam Fruit.
A frog-shaped shadow appeared behind him.
As time passed, a faint yet unmistakable dragon might began to emanate from his body. His figure also began to change, growing more powerful and imposing.
A heavy, awe-inspiring aura filled the room.
"Xiao Yu, I really have to thank you for this."
Jing Hongchen's speed in refining the Golden Dragon Yam Fruit was impressively fast, almost as if he had done it a thousand times before.
The medicinal power inside the fruit quickly took effect.
Though his body was still hollow, with the aid of the fruit, his base, which had been lacking after reaching Rank 94, was now solidified.
His rank didn't break through—after all, he had been too far behind.
But with the Golden Dragon Yam, his soul power was now much denser than that of other soul masters of the same rank.
From being unstable, he had transformed into an outstanding figure at the same level.
The Golden Dragon Yam had brought his body and soul power to their peak effect.
Even without a breakthrough in rank, Jing Hongchen was extremely grateful to Su Yu. He was acutely aware of how much he had transformed in just three hours.
His Toad Martial Soul had always been one of the top-tier martial souls. However, due to excessive use of medicines, his soul power had been stagnating at Rank 94 for over ten years.
Now, he could feel that the barriers had disappeared.
Beyond his soul core, his meridians were filled with dense soul power.
The three states of soul power—gas, liquid, and solid—were all intertwined.
Once he organized this soul power into a perfect cycle, he would be able to break through Rank 95.
Moreover, his aptitude seemed to have been refreshed, leaving room for further improvement.
His future was looking brighter than ever. Jing Hongchen felt deeply moved, and naturally, he was filled with immense gratitude toward Su Yu, who had made all of this possible.
When he heard that his grandchildren had also received immortal herbs, Jing Hongchen nearly knelt down in front of Su Yu.
His eyes flashed with emotion as he stared at Su Yu.
"Xiao Yu, you're sixteen now, right?"
"Yes, Hall Master, I'm sixteen, but I haven't become a god yet."
With that one sentence, Su Yu completely interrupted the plan Jing Hongchen had in mind, leaving him momentarily stunned.
What nonsense is this kid talking about?!
Jing Hongchen's original thoughts were immediately interrupted by Su Yu, and he lost his will to continue speaking.
"Sigh, you can go out for now, I need some time to myself."
"By the way, the research institute has made new progress. Go take a look. Also, Xuan Ziwens' group seems to have made some new breakthroughs as well. After you return, rest for two or three months before heading out again, and use this time to digest your current realm."
Jing Hongchen, who had suffered from an unstable foundation, now passed on his experience.
Rising from Rank 67 to Rank 73 within a year was an astonishing speed, but it needed careful polishing. Otherwise, it would become a bottleneck preventing further progress in the future.
Su Yu might not face the same problem as Jing Hongchen, who was stuck at Rank 94, but what about Rank 98? Or the final step to become a god at Rank 99?
With Su Yu's potential, both he and Kong Deming had long since set their sights on cultivating Su Yu to reach that elusive realm of godhood.
After listening to Jing Hongchen's words, Su Yu headed toward the research institute.
"Director."
Su Yu entered the office and saw a large stack of reports on his desk. He called over Cheng Yun, who was responsible for organizing them.
"Please help me screen these reports."
"Understood."
For the next three days, Su Yu diligently worked at the research institute.
Now that he understood the usefulness of faith, Su Yu developed an interest in these foundational research projects.
Among all the research, the project on universal cultivation techniques stood out, as it had the potential to benefit nearly every soul master.
Su Yu reviewed the research outcomes one by one, then began evaluating them.
At the same time, the "Clear" and "Bright" symbols in his spiritual sea shone with purple light, as numerous ideas converged.
His insights into soul rings, martial souls, and soul power from his own training experiences were also integrated into the refinement of universal cultivation techniques.
He spent ten straight days designing and improving the universal cultivation technique.
"Finally, it's done."
Looking at the human model chart in front of him, Su Yu couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment.
This was the result of ten days of full immersion in research.
He had even incorporated some insights from his personal training process. The framework for the technique was now complete and capable of supporting a universal cultivation method.
Once the basic framework was finished, Su Yu distributed it to the research team for further refinement.
The framework was the most important part, as it involved the overall layout and integration of various aspects. It was the ultimate test of ability.
More detailed content might take longer to complete, but with a solid framework, it was just a matter of following a systematic approach to fill in the gaps.
However, true soul master training tests were still needed.
Su Yu didn't want to waste time on these tedious steps, so he left them to the researchers at the institute.
At this point, he was contemplating another matter.
The universal cultivation technique would benefit all soul masters, but what about civilians?
What about those who have no martial soul or those who have awakened a martial soul but lack soul power?
"Is innate soul power purely a gift, or is there a way to change it through later cultivation?"
The thought of universal solutions left him feeling a little perplexed.
Su Yu sighed. "I'll set this issue aside for now. Once we unify the continent, we'll focus on awakening people's martial souls first, then later consider improving the overall martial soul quality of the population."
After nearly half a month at the research institute, Su Yu finally emerged into the outside world again.
"Junior Brother, I hear your research has made new progress?"
Su Yu arrived at Xuan Ziwens' laboratory and inquired about the progress of the bone pattern system.
After thinking about the path to godhood, Su Yu felt confident that his approach was at least sound, and the key to it all lay in the three soul cores.
The foundation for gathering the three soul cores was the combination of spiritual power, soul power, and the middle dantian, which represents vitality.
Now, refining the Ice and Fire Dragon King's bloodline and gathering the vitality soul rings was the direction Su Yu had set, but he still needed to study the specific methods for vitality condensation and the inscription techniques for bone patterns.
"Xiao Yu? You're back!"
Xuan Ziwens seemed truly detached from everything except his research.
Even though Su Yu had returned half a month ago, it wasn't until now that Xuan Ziwens noticed.
Su Yu didn't blame him, but inquired about Xuan Ziwens' latest results.
"Hahaha, you're back at the perfect time. Just two days ago, we made another major breakthrough."
(End of Chapter)