"Are you suggesting we develop the technology for ten-thousand-year Spirit Souls and artificial Soul Refined Metal simultaneously?"
Zhen Hua deduced Su Ming's meaning from his words.
The technology the Spirit Transmission Pagoda was currently focusing on was undoubtedly artificial Spirit Souls. This was the most crucial technology for the present and future, as Spirit Beasts on the continent were nearing extinction.
If they couldn't artificially recreate the vast variety of Spirit Beast species, the choices for Spirit Masters' Spirit Souls in the future would only become fewer, leading to a rapid decline of the Spirit Master world.
The technology for artificial rare metals utilized broken, failed artificial Spirit Souls. But where there were failed products, there naturally had to be successful ones.
Genuine artificial Spirit Souls could be directly upgraded using the spiritual energy from the Spirit Ascension Platform. Some, upon creation, were infused with massive amounts of spiritual energy to break through the upper limit of the artificial Spirit Soul's age.
Currently, that upper limit was nine thousand nine hundred years.
That's right, the technology for artificial Spirit Souls to break through the ten-thousand-year mark had not yet been developed.
Furthermore, the process of forging Spirit Metal could, in turn, nourish the Spirit Soul to help it break through.
"Completing Soul Refinement can nourish the Spirit Soul, allowing it to break through."
"But theoretically, only by integrating a ten-thousand-year Spirit Soul into the metal can it directly propel the metal to achieve Soul Refinement."
Zhen Hua understood that Su Ming wasn't unaware of this principle. However, research wasn't solely dependent on blacksmiths seeking technological progress; the Spirit Transmission Pagoda also needed to produce results.
These two contradictory processes could very well compromise with each other.
First, use forging technology to complete the reverse nourishment, creating a ten-thousand-year Spirit Soul. Then, use that ten-thousand-year Spirit Soul to develop the artificial Soul Refined Metal that Zhen Hua envisioned.
Seeing the change in Zhen Hua's expression, Su Ming said helplessly, "Teacher, the reason I'm saying this is purely because ten-thousand-year Spirit Souls are limited."
Zhen Hua indicated it was of no great consequence.
Su Ming contacted Zhang Tianyang and relayed his thoughts to him.
Soon, he received a response.
Just like that, the collaborative project between the Blacksmith Association and the Spirit Transmission Pagoda was upgraded, now including an extension project for ten-thousand-year artificial Spirit Souls.
After sending both his teachers off to work, Su Ming could finally focus on his cultivation in peace.
"Sea God Faith."
This was his first target.
During the Douluo 2 era, Electrolux had used Tang San's divine power to locate the Sea God Faith. Su Ming also directly performed a simple, copycat operation, sensing that strand of faith.
Although he had no connection to the Sea God Faith and could only sense its existence, it wasn't impossible to manipulate.
During the Douluo 2 era, Tang San was actively watching, so Su Ming naturally couldn't act recklessly.
But in Douluo 1 and Douluo 3, with no Tang San watching over things, he had some room to operate.
Of course, the Douluo 1 era had the original Sea God, who was also not a good character, so Su Ming certainly couldn't go to the Douluo 1 era to seize the Sea God Faith.
However, he could use the Douluo 1 era to obtain a "status" or "qualification" for himself.
An old trade for the Douluo 1 Su Ming.
The operation was simple. He just needed a tiny loophole, a way to avoid being rejected by the Sea God Faith, and then he could unlimitedly grind affinity.
Specifically, by granting some favors to Sea Spirit Masters in the Douluo 1 era, forging Spirit Alloys suitable for them, and hiring a group of Sea Spirit Masters to develop the metal ore veins in the ocean.
This way, Su Ming completed the initial erosion of the Sea God Faith.
The Douluo 1 him naturally couldn't use this to absorb the Sea God Faith.
But the Douluo 3 Su Ming was perfectly positioned to give it a try.
"Ubiquitous."
This was Su Ming's feeling towards the Sea God Faith.
Compared to other types of faith, the Sea God's faith undoubtedly occupied the vast majority of the proportion on the Douluo Planet.
If one were to aggregate the accumulated faith power over ten thousand years, they would find that the Sea God Faith accounted for seventy percent.
The remaining thirty percent was the sum total of all other deities' faith.
It was utterly exaggerated.
"So much faith, even Tang San himself can't absorb it all. I should help him out."
As he absorbed the Sea God Faith, Su Ming's perspective once again broadened.
He re-entered that white, hazy world.
This was the dimension where the Will of the Plane resided. He had entered here before when he dug out Tang Hao's forging faith foundation, witnessing Tang Hao asleep and seeing him shift from an advantage to a disadvantage, suppressed by the Will of the Plane.
Now, returning to this dimension, Su Ming saw more information.
"The struggling Will of the Plane and Tang Hao actually only occupied a small corner. Instead, the Sea God's influence was pressing down on them, forcing both sides to concede."
If divided by area, the Sea God's influence had already reached seventy percent.
This was the greatest impact Tang San had on the Douluo Continent.
The severe disconnect between the development of the ocean and mainland Spirit Master worlds was also related to this. Otherwise, with the technological leaps made so far in the Spirit Master world, the development of the oceans couldn't possibly be so backward.
"So, the reason I can enter here this time is because I've started merging with the Sea God Faith?"
Last time, Su Ming was like a termite from Tang Hao's side, here for a visit.
This time, Su Ming was a termite from the Sea God's side...
Of course, the termite damage last time was profound, hence the direct access. This time, it was probably also related to the previous instance. Otherwise, merely being able to absorb Sea God Faith likely wouldn't have allowed him to rise to this height.
"Tang Hao has fallen into an even deeper slumber. Now, the Will of the Plane has basically returned to its position."
The Will of the Plane only resisted instinctively.
Tang Hao was trying to devour it, so it resisted.
Now that Tang Hao was completely dormant, its focus on opposing Tang Hao lessened, and it began to deal with the pressure from the Sea God.
"I'm one of our own."
Su Ming didn't side with the Sea God just because he was absorbing the Sea God Faith. He wisely used the faith he had absorbed to support the Heavens and Earth.
Somehow, he felt as if he had received a certain blessing, making him even more adept at absorbing the Sea God Faith.
"Is this... the Favor of the Plane?"
Su Ming raised an eyebrow, surprised by this gain.
As he helped the Will of the Plane reclaim the authority encroached upon by the Sea God, a faint, indistinct call emerged from the depths of the Will of the Plane.
"Hao..."
Hearing this call, Su Ming shivered with a sudden chill.
Seriously? One confronts head-on, while the other sneaks in from behind?
He looked towards the area occupied by the Will of the Plane. Within it, concentrated green light coalesced, occupying the core region of the Will of the Plane.
He was relieved to see that, although the green light occupied the core area, A Yin's figure couldn't fully materialize. Only her faint call for Tang Hao could be heard.
"This should be part of the Life Origin, hence its occupation of the core. The Golden Ancient Tree is the Life Core of the entire plane, capable of influencing here. But A Yin hasn't fully mastered the Golden Ancient Tree yet..."
Su Ming pondered many things.
Including the events of the original story's Shrek explosion.
"A Yin hasn't mastered the Life Core because she and the Golden Ancient Tree are ultimately two separate entities. Therefore, she needs to break and then establish, destroy the Golden Ancient Tree's physical form, replace it herself, and successfully transform into the Tree of Life. Simultaneously, the destruction of the Golden Ancient Tree would also damage the Will of the Plane, allowing Tang Hao to fully control the plane and awaken for the final battle. Right, the growth of the Tree of Life also requires immense energy, and indeed, the original story followed this process."
***
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(Chapter End)