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Tang Wulin didn't dare, but Xu Yuan did.
After the battle with Nalundo, Xu Yuan had gained a deeper understanding of his own strength.
He was still very powerful.
Though he had suppressed Nalundo during their fight, in truth, it was due to a confluence of various factors.
Without Lan Muzi providing backup, no matter how many rounds Xu Yuan temporarily dominated Nalundo, he wouldn't have been able to defeat him.
That was unavoidable.
His explosive power ultimately couldn't match Nalundo's. The reason he managed to suppress him for a short while was entirely due to the Seven Forbidden Techniques and the force amplification inspired by the Chaotic Wind Splitting Hammer technique.
If the battle had continued, Nalundo would have gradually turned the tables on him.
Moreover, Xu Yuan had already forced out Nalundo's trump card—the explosive power granted by Alba's bloodline—by detonating the level-nine fixed-installation soul-guided missile beforehand.
Otherwise, in a normal fight, from their initial clash to Nalundo's sudden burst of power, Xu Yuan wouldn't have been able to withstand it.
Sometimes, even with the same techniques, the same base attributes, and the same explosive power, if the timing or sequence of execution was wrong, the outcome of the battle could swing drastically in favor of one side.
One side unleashing their ultimate move first, only to be countered perfectly by the other side's control and counterattack, versus the other side unleashing their ultimate move later and using it to disrupt the opponent's rhythm—these two scenarios would inevitably lead to completely opposite outcomes.
Thus, Xu Yuan's caution was justified.
However, one undeniable fact remained: through this battle, Xu Yuan had verified his own strength.
Under the right circumstances, he could suppress a Titled Douluo at around Level 93.
Under normal conditions, his strength was equivalent to around Level 92.
For a Soul King at Level 59, this was already an extraordinary achievement.
He had surpassed four entire ranks!
This made him arguably the first in the history of soul masters.
As for Tang Wulin?
Even if he fused another seal, he still couldn't be considered on par with Xu Yuan.
Because Tang Wulin relied on the power of his bloodline—the power of the Golden Dragon King—which, influenced by Tang San's seals, could almost be considered a separate martial soul cultivation system.
If he fused another seal, he could be regarded as a Titled Douluo outright, rather than a genius who remained at the Soul King level while possessing the explosive power of a Titled Douluo.
Xu Yuan, on the other hand, purely relied on himself to unleash Titled Douluo-level power with just Level 59 soul power.
These were two entirely different things.
In fact, this highlighted that Xu Yuan's potential for growth was no less than Tang Wulin's.
Even if Tang Wulin caught up in soul power now and reached Level 80, his overall strength wouldn't change significantly.
By the time he reached Level 99, the impact would still be minimal. What truly determined the upper limit of his combat strength was his fusion of the Golden Dragon King's seals—it was the key to whether he could achieve god-level strength at the pinnacle of his abilities.
On the other hand, as Xu Yuan's soul power increased to Level 80 or even Level 99, his growth would always be proportional—or even explosively exponential.
This gave him the potential to unleash god-level power at his peak.
And not just ordinary god-level power.
Since the beginning of his cultivation, Xu Yuan had followed a comprehensive path.
It wasn't that he didn't know he could make up for gaps later.
Take En Ci of the Star Luo Continent, for example. He didn't start learning supplementary professions until he reached Soul Douluo. He simultaneously mastered three supplementary professions, progressing step by step from beginner to master, crafting his own battle armor, nurturing and evolving it, achieving the pinnacle, and becoming a four-word battle armor master!
Xu Yuan could have done the same.
But he chose not to.
Because he needed unwavering confidence from start to finish.
After all, in this era of the Douluo Continent, without overwhelming, exaggerated strength at the same level as others, Xu Yuan himself couldn't guarantee whether he'd have the blind confidence to reach the Titled Douluo level and still stand a chance against Tang Wulin.
People need encouragement, and they need confidence.
On a path of invincibility, setbacks might occur along the way.
But if one truly never tasted defeat and ascended to the peak, they would become an insurmountable mountain in their era—a true pinnacle.
Just like Yun Ming.
The era when Yun Ming emerged wasn't inferior to Xu Yuan's time. A closer look would reveal that half of today's Limit Douluos came from Yun Ming's era, as did most of the quasi-gods.
Even among the quasi-gods who touched the realm of gods, several were also from Yun Ming's era.
Yet, in such an environment, Yun Ming rose to prominence, reaching the true pinnacle and earning the reputation of being the strongest on the continent.
Could it be said that his ability to create his own divine position wasn't rooted in the confidence accumulated throughout his journey?
Did he not realize the vast chasm between forging his own divine position and creating a divine realm versus simply becoming a god-level being?
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Xu Yuan stayed at the base for another day.
Finally, Na'er arrived in this dim world through the Demon Gate.
In this darkened world, her silver hair seemed to illuminate everything like a ray of light.
"Senior Brother!"
Upon seeing Xu Yuan, Na'er quickly ran over, hesitating for a moment before refraining from jumping into his arms.
She turned her head and glanced at Tang Wulin.
"So you're Tang Wulin?"
For some reason, Tang Wulin felt uneasy.
"Yeah, you must be Na'er, Master's other disciple, right?"
During the three months since becoming part of Shrek's Seven Monsters and entering the inner court for training, Tang Wulin and the others hadn't seen Na'er.
But they had all heard of her existence, knowing she was another prodigy of the inner court, second only to Xu Yuan—a non-human existence.
Unfortunately, she had been in seclusion the entire time, never appearing, leaving those who wanted to catch a glimpse of the inner court's "Dragon Spear Goddess," the number one beauty, quite disappointed.
Now that he saw her in person, she truly lived up to her reputation—one smile bloomed like flowers, dimming everything else around her.
A flicker of emotion passed through Na'er's eyes.
This Tang Wulin...
She hadn't completely lost all awareness during her seclusion.
When the Demon Gate opened and demonic creatures descended upon Sea God Island, she had sensed the fluctuations of the Golden Dragon Spear.
From the memories Gu Yue shared with her, she knew those fluctuations belonged to the Golden Dragon Spear.
Na'er's own body was formed from one of Gu Yue's ribs, and she could be considered the embodiment of the Silver Dragon Spear. Upon sensing the fluctuations of the Golden Dragon Spear, she couldn't help but harbor some thoughts.
What would happen if she took the Golden Dragon Spear and fused it with herself?
Tang Wulin was completely unaware that this goddess, whom he was meeting for the first time, had already set her sights on the Golden Dragon Spear in his possession—the only gift left to him by his sister.
"Na'er, why did you suddenly decide to come here for training?"
Xu Yuan pulled Na'er aside, curious.
From what he understood, Na'er had originally planned to meditate and upgrade continuously, with no intention of undergoing any trials.
"Of course, it's because this place is better for me." Na'er spread her spiritual power, forming a small barrier.
Seeing this, Xu Yuan released his own spiritual power, adding another layer of shielding to block outside interference.
He looked at Na'er, his expression puzzled.
"Senior Brother, you..." Na'er's gaze was complex as she hesitated before voicing the question in her heart.
"Do you... know my true situation?"
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