Jue is going to get stronger again!
Yaoyao's heart jolted in surprise.
"Hmm~ Hmm~" (What about me? What about me?)
What benefits do these energies have for me?
Yaoyao gazed at Xu Yuan with hopeful eyes.
"Of course, there are benefits for you too," Xu Yuan said with a smile. "The reason my teacher was able to complete the full fusion of Little Red's spirit and the mech's essence by the Five Elements Lake was because of yin-yang."
"Yin-yang, yin-yang—within it lies the transformation between emptiness and reality. Yin represents emptiness, while yang represents reality. The alternation of yin and yang is the interplay of emptiness and reality. These energies possess both yin and yang, providing an opportunity for the ethereal spirit within the physical mech to fuse with the soul spirit. This allowed him to achieve a perfect fusion of the soul spirit with the entire metallic structure through the convergence of yin and yang."
Yaoyao's small eyes were filled with confusion.
Ding-dong. I don't understand.
I probably won't be able to grasp it either.
Is this really the path to becoming stronger?
Xu Yuan gently rubbed Yaoyao's spiritual form.
"It doesn't matter if you don't understand. I'm just explaining the principle to you. In truth, this kind of thing is more about feeling. All you need to know is that these energies will help you with the transformation between emptiness and reality."
As Xu Yuan rubbed Yaoyao, the latter swayed its head, seemingly understanding this statement.
"You're currently following my instructions, working on resonating the dreamscape with the external world, attempting to fuse with the external world and temporarily control it during your cultivation, right? When you cultivate, you can integrate these energies into the dreamscape—they'll help you with sensing and fusing."
Yaoyao's eyes lit up with understanding.
Now I get it.
Just tell me what to do directly!
Xu Yuan sighed.
A race known for their intelligence, and yet here we are.
Oh well, as long as it follows the training requirements, that's enough.
Other people's soul spirits being able to assist in battle already makes soul masters ecstatic. My soul spirits can cultivate—what more could I ask for?
"Perhaps it's because they haven't broken through to the ten-thousand-year threshold yet. Once they do, Yaoyao's cultivation speed might increase significantly."
Xu Yuan wasn't speculating out of thin air.
After Jue broke through to the ten-thousand-year mark, his efficiency in comprehending spear techniques, spear intent, and spear momentum soared—it was like night and day.
If this leap was due to his enhanced body, it made sense. But even Wan Nian Huan Xing, after breaking through to the ten-thousand-year mark, made rapid progress in mastering the Five Elements.
Although he hadn't yet completed the development of self-created soul skills like the Five Elements Divine Light Barrier as per Xu Yuan's requests, he had quickly adapted to and become proficient in controlling the Five Elements, which weren't originally part of his innate abilities.
This learning ability surpassed Yaoyao's.
And in terms of species, Yaoyao's Dream Demon race should excel at learning.
Moreover, Yaoyao had been consistently cultivating within the dreamscape according to Xu Yuan's instructions, while Huan Xing spent most of his time experimenting outside. There was also a significant time difference between the two.
Even so, Huan Xing's efficiency was better than Yaoyao's.
Clearly, the ten-thousand-year threshold was equally important for soul beasts.
"Intelligence doesn't seem to be the key factor. For soul beasts, breaking through the ten-thousand-year barrier seems to hinge more on learning—or perhaps comprehension. But what specific aspect does this correspond to in soul spirits?"
Xu Yuan was pondering deeply.
He currently had Yaoyao and Shan He undergoing transformations, and in the future, there might be new soul spirits that would also need to undergo similar changes. If he could thoroughly study this essence, it would make it much smoother for soul spirits to break through the ten-thousand-year barrier.
---
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, two months had passed.
In the subsequent matches, Xu Yuan and the others encountered the Eight Kings one after another.
Aside from facing Long Yue and Dai Yueyan, or teams that included them, Shrek Academy emerged victorious in all the other matches.
And today, the individual battles finally reached their most anticipated highlight.
Xu Yuan vs. Long Yue!
Their match would take place three days from now.
Surprisingly, they wouldn't meet in the finals but in the semifinals. The winners would advance to the finals to compete for the championship. However, anyone with clear eyes could see that whoever won this battle would essentially be the ultimate champion. As for the other two who managed to sneak into the semifinals by sheer luck, one of them could snag second place—a real stroke of fortune.
Xu Yuan's match against Long Yue was set for three days later, but Tang Wulin's match against Long Yue was happening today.
"Wulin, your task is to push Long Yue to reveal as much of his abilities as possible. Although I've gathered some intelligence on him, I still can't draw definitive conclusions about the extent of his capabilities."
Xu Yuan spoke to Tang Wulin.
He was genuinely worried that Tang Wulin might end up like in the original storyline—beaten half to death by Long Yue.
This time, there was no Mu Ye to sacrifice a lifetime's worth of rare treasures to heal him. If he were truly beaten to the brink of death, he might be completely ruined.
Although Xu Yuan knew that Tang San's divine consciousness was watching over him, ensuring Tang Wulin wouldn't actually be crippled, it would still disrupt many things Xu Yuan had planned.
Xu Yuan had worked hard to put Buddha to sleep. If Tang Wulin were to nearly die, Tang San might use one of his limited opportunities to unleash divine power to heal him. If even a fraction of that power leaked out to set up some schemes, it would complicate matters.
The life-saving force Tang San reserved might not necessarily be for enemies—it could also be used to heal Tang Wulin.
At the very least, Xu Yuan remembered that Tang San possessed the soul skill "Sea of Embracing Rivers," which could potentially devour vast amounts of vitality to heal any injuries.
And the remaining divine power—even a small portion—would likely be enough for Old Tang, who was now forced to slumber, to stay awake or act accordingly.
"Both competitors, prepare!"
"The match begins!"
Individual battles had no restrictions—you could use every ounce of strength at your disposal. Therefore, Tang Wulin immediately unleashed his mech.
Rather than calling it a mech, it was more of an aberrant mech-like soul-guided device. A pair of massive hammers materialized in his hands, while exoskeletal metal parts covered his back and joints, encasing his entire body.
An exoskeleton mech?
Xu Yuan watched Tang Wulin's display from the viewing box, somewhat surprised.
Every component was crafted from spirit-infused alloys, and each joint of the mech was tightly connected to him, amplifying his strength and helping him absorb impacts he couldn't otherwise withstand.
While there was no unified synergy between parts like in a mech or battle armor, each component was crafted to the standards of top-tier soul-guided devices.
The pair of hammers, in particular, were five meters long, with circular hammerheads two meters in diameter. Blackened with veins of lightning crackling around them, they exuded immense power.
Tang Wulin's blood essence surged, causing his physique to rapidly expand. His arms were covered in golden dragon scales, and terrifying muscles bulged across his body. Blood essence swirled around him, forming the vague silhouette of a golden dragon coiled around him.
With the assistance of the exoskeleton mech, he swung the two massive hammers, unleashing an overwhelming force.
Boom!
Long Yue frowned and dodged the attack. The hammer struck the ground, creating a massive crater in the arena. Cracks radiated outward from the impact, splitting the rare metal floor.
Tang Wulin spun with the rebound force, swinging the other hammer in a follow-up strike.
Hammer Technique: Chaotic Windsplitting Hammer
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