Chapter 15 - A World

In the Spiritual Sea, a child and a worm faced each other.

"Surprised to find me here?" Daydream asked, swaying his body as if he were happy.

"Not really. My Spiritual Sea is the only place where your consciousness could manifest," I replied, shaking my head.

"It seems you know more than I expected." Daydream narrowed his eye slightly, nodding with satisfaction. "But your Spiritual Sea seems different from normal. By accessing it, I should have access to your memories, but I can't. And then there are all these physical objects—a Spiritual Sea shouldn't be able to sustain them." Daydream floated around the Spiritual Sea, clear surprise on his face.

"Hehe, that's because I'm a bit different from other humans. Brother Daydream, with all your strength, why did you choose to become a conscious Soul Ring?" I asked curiously, not recalling much of Daydream's story.

Daydream assumed a serious expression and raised one of his legs. "That's a good question. Let me tell you my story—a tale that moved the heavens to sadness and made demons feel pity."

"I was born in a land of extreme cold, located in the northern part of the continent. We Ice Worms are dual-attribute Soul Beasts, possessing ice and mental attributes. But due to our slow mobility, our combat power isn't great. We're considered average Soul Beasts. We have many predators and I was too weak my body wasn't even three inches long, when I was about 13 years old. And +900,000 years ago, I accidentally fell into an ice cave while hiding from predators. I thought it was my end. But who would have imagined I'd fall into a cave with ten-thousand-year-old ice essence?. After that, I entered a long slumber and that sleep lasted ten thousand years." Daydream began recounting his long tale, and I listened with interest.

"When I woke up, I discovered that the ten-thousand-year ice essence had been completely absorbed by me. From then on, I became a ten-thousand-year beast. I couldn't find a way out, so I stayed in the essence-filled cave, just eating and sleeping, until the first golden ring appeared on my body. This meant I had become a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast. Of course, I couldn't give up on this opportunity, so I kept pushing through difficulties and evolving until I finally became a nine-hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast." Daydream's eyes shone with joy as he told his story.

However, I couldn't help frowning at the sheer luck Daydream had. Just by eating and sleeping, he gained so much strength. If it weren't for the divine realm's restrictions, he might have become a god by now.

"Brother Daydream, you truly are a child of fortune," I sighed, amazed at his luck.

"Exactly, aren't I incredible?" Daydream puffed out his chest proudly, but then suddenly showed a depressed expression. "When I finally consumed all the essence, I managed to crawl out of the cave and found myself facing the ocean. The ocean is terrifying, so I fled back to the continent, heading south. Even though I was a nine-hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast, my combat power wasn't even close to that of a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast. Because of this, I was captured by a spiritual beast upon reaching the continent," he sighed in sadness.

"To escape, I had to use all my power to lure the strongest beasts in the area into a bloody battle. But unexpectedly, those bastards only fought halfway before negotiating and deciding to divide my power among themselves. During this time, although humans entered the Star Dou Forest, they couldn't defeat those Soul Beasts that had consumed my power and became the strongest on the continent." Brother Daydream was almost bursting with rage as he recounted this part of his story.

I couldn't help but wonder if Daydream's power had helped some Soul Beasts like Ah Yin, Xiao Wu's mother, and even Xiao Wu and her two brothers become hundred-thousand-year beasts.

"I didn't want to be trapped again, so after thousands of years of pondering and observation, I formulated a plan to escape: becoming a conscious Soul Ring for a human. I even tested this with a Titled Douluo, but my power destroyed him. After further reflection, I discovered I needed a human with a mental attribute and a way to restrain my power." By this point in the story, I was already aware of some details.

When my Martial Soul activates the Sharingan, it gains the Soul attribute, which also qualifies as a mental attribute. That's how I came up with the idea to contact Daydream.

"Based on my mental attribute, I'm confident I can maintain my consciousness and take revenge on those who harmed me." I nodded in agreement. I wondered which Titled Douluo had died and which Soul Beast had captured Daydream—I couldn't recall that part of the story.

"Meeting you was one of the luckiest things that ever happened to me. Your talent is extraordinary; with my help, we might even become gods," Daydream said with a hopeful gaze.

I approached Brother Daydream and gently touched him. "Brother Daydream, I'm certain that with your help, we will become gods," I said cheerfully.

"Brother Daydream, I swear on my name, Dai Mubai, Prince of the Star Luo Empire, that I will help you get your revenge and do everything to ensure we ascend to godhood." I stared at him seriously.

"For some reason, I feel my eyes welling up with tears, even though I can't cry. You're the first being to look at me without disdain and believe in me so deeply. I'm truly lucky to have found you," Daydream coiled around me as he spoke, his eyes shimmering as if he wanted to cry.

"Of course I acknowledge you—you're part of me now. From today on, you're my brother," I said with a bright smile, giving his worm body a gentle slap.

"Dai Mubai, you're incredible. I never imagined a human would treat me as a brother. I can't stay depressed—this brother here will do his best to help you reach the heavens," Daydream declared proudly once more.

"Brother Daydream, you mentioned you restricted your power when you became my Soul Ring," I asked curiously, recalling how he had sealed his power within Huo Yuhao in the original story.

"That's right. Right now, you're too weak to withstand all my power. So, I had to divide it into ten spheres of light and seal them within your body. Nine of them hold power equivalent to 100,000 years, while the tenth is just shy of that mark. Normally, these spheres would be unlocked as you grew stronger. However, upon observing your Spiritual Sea, I came up with a new idea—though I'm not sure if it will work," Daydream said, looking at me seriously, a hint of concern in his voice.

"What is this idea, Brother Daydream?" My curiosity flared immediately. This possibility had never occurred to Huo Yuhao; it was manifesting now because of the unique nature of my Spiritual Sea.

"Your Spiritual Sea is unlike anything I've ever seen. It can hold not only energies but even physical objects. Perhaps I could transfer all my power into your Spiritual Sea, creating a unique atmosphere. This might transform your Spiritual Sea into something akin to an independent world," Daydream explained, his tone tinged with excitement. However, his enthusiasm quickly gave way to hesitation.

"That's amazing, Brother Daydream! Why don't we try it right away?" My eyes sparkled with excitement. The creation of an independent world reminded me of advanced cultivation stages from various stories I knew.

Daydream, however, shook his head. "I'm afraid it might hurt you. I can't risk losing you," he said, his concern evident even in his aura.

"How about we test it with just one sphere of light first?" I suggested hopefully. "I trust your control over your power and the capacity of my Spiritual Sea."

After a moment of hesitation, Daydream nodded. "Alright... Let's try with a small portion of power."

I felt an overwhelming energy surge into my Spiritual Sea—far greater than the energy stored within the Grand Talisman Formation.

"This... The spiritual power is dissipating. It seems creating an independent world isn't as simple as we thought," I observed, a tinge of disappointment in my voice as I watched the energy gradually fade away.

"Actually, the energy isn't completely dissipating," Daydream corrected, letting out a disappointed sigh. "Some of it is merging with your Spiritual Sea, but most of it is being wasted. We're unable to fully harness it."

"Wait... I have an idea!" A flash of inspiration lit up my mind.

"Hm? Do you have a solution?" Daydream asked, intrigued.

"Brother Daydream, could you lend me a bit more of your energy? I want to create a formation to isolate my Spiritual Sea and prevent energy dissipation," I proposed as I floated closer to him.

"A formation? What's that?" He looked puzzled for a moment before smiling. "Of course! I'll gladly lend you my energy."

Using my advanced control, I directed the energy Daydream provided directly into the Grand Talisman Formation, specifically the Storage Rune. Instead of simply storing the energy, I used it to expand the rune itself.

While the Storage Rune theoretically has unlimited space to contain energy, our goal was different: to create an atmosphere within the Spiritual Sea. Containing all the energy in a small rune wouldn't help achieve that.

With the immense energy from Daydream—a mere fraction of his true power—I expanded the Storage Rune. It grew from the size of a book to encompass the entirety of my Spiritual Sea.

My Spiritual Sea is vast, comparable to the size of a city. Now, small runes were scattered throughout its expanse, allowing the accumulated energy to flow freely. The landscape of the Spiritual Sea took on a mystical appearance, with tiny runes floating everywhere.

"Brother Daydream, try again. Let's see if the energy still dissipates."

With a nod, Daydream released another portion of his energy. It floated through the Spiritual Sea like a gentle mist. This time, the energy was contained by the expanded runes and no longer dissipated.

"It worked, Brother Daydream!"

"Yes, it worked, Dai Mubai!"

We exclaimed together, filled with joy. I could feel Brother Daydream's enthusiasm radiating from his aura. We floated around each other in what felt like a dance, celebrating this breakthrough.

"Now we just need to figure out how much energy your Spiritual Sea can handle," Brother Daydream commented as he transferred more of his sealed energy into my Spiritual Sea.

"I'm quite confident in my Spiritual Sea," I replied, lightly patting my chest, trusting in the Storage Rune's absorption capabilities and the resilience of my Spiritual Sea.

Before long, the energy from one of the seals had been fully brought in. A thin mist spread throughout the space, intensifying its mystical aura.

"It seems your Spiritual Sea can handle more than a single seal. I'll keep transferring more energy. Is that alright?" Brother Daydream asked. I nodded in agreement.

Then, the energy from the second seal was transferred, followed by the third, fourth, fifth... all the way up to the ninth and tenth seals. Finally, all of Daydream's energy was contained within my Spiritual Sea.

The energy was so dense that the environment radiated an almost immortal aura. Although I couldn't directly use all this energy in combat, its constant presence rendered the Absorption Rune unnecessary, at least in the short term. Nonetheless, continuing to absorb energy would still be important—perhaps even to create an immortal realm in the future.

"Little Brother Dai Mubai, you're just as amazing as I am! With this much energy in your Spiritual Sea, I can protect you in any dangerous situation," Daydream said, swaying his worm-like body joyfully, his happiness contagious.

"It's a shame, though, that this formation only retains my energy. By itself, it doesn't help create an Independent World," he observed, and I nodded in agreement.

Indeed, the energy was merely flowing through the Spiritual Sea, not forming an ecosystem or sustaining anything greater.

"Brother Daydream, we're not finished yet. What I've done so far was just expand a Rune; the complete formation is still to come," I said with a confident smile.

Gathering all the materials I had accumulated thus far, I began floating through the Spiritual Sea, carefully tracing the cores of the new formation. Pillars adorned with intricate mystical designs began appearing throughout the Spiritual Sea, connecting to the Grand Talisman Formation.

Without realizing it, I worked through the entire night. Only when I completed the formation did I notice how much time had passed.

"Little Brother Dai Mubai, what is all this you've created?" Daydream asked, his curiosity piqued.

"This is the City Formation, an advanced model designed to create habitable zones," I explained, satisfied with the result.

The idea for the formation came from the knowledge gained through the "Grand Talisman Formation" reward. Despite being high-level, the formation was surprisingly simple, as it was commonly used to build cities in inhospitable places like deserts or demonic regions. Its primary function was to create an environment conducive to life, and I was betting on it to transform my Spiritual Sea.

"Brother Daydream, I'll need your help now," I said as I approached the center of the formation. I decided to use the Grand Talisman Formation as the core.

"Brother Daydream, I need you to go to the center and draw all the energy present in my Spiritual Sea to that point. This will activate the formation, concentrating and stabilizing the energy." Without hesitation, Daydream followed my instructions. All the mist permeating the Spiritual Sea began concentrating at the center, flowing through Daydream's body until it formed a radiant lake.

A deep blue liquid spread throughout the Spiritual Sea, flowing beneath the surface of the Spiritual Earth. The formations surrounding it began to glow intensely, with runes lighting up across the space.

Even in my spiritual form, I could sense the presence of oxygen forming. My Spiritual Sea had transformed, becoming much closer to a true world, with conditions conducive to sustaining life.

I let out a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, an intense fluctuation shook the lake. The deep blue began transforming into a radiant gold, and a powerful rumble reverberated through my mind.

Then, Brother Daydream's figure emerged from the lake, now much larger. Ten golden rings gleamed around his enormous body.

"Hahaha! Little Brother Dai Mubai, you're incredible! This formation has helped me surpass my limits. I am now a 1,000,000-year-old Soul Beast!" Daydream exclaimed with excitement. At the center of my Spiritual Sea, a golden Soul Ring appeared, radiating an incomparable strength.

"What?" I looked around, stunned by what had just happened.