On the Douluo Continent, martial souls possessing time or space attributes were exceedingly rare.
Any martial soul that possessed either of these two attributes was, without exception, a top-tier martial soul.
Just like time flies for Cao Jinxuan.
That bizarre time-attribute soul skill granted him absolute top-tier control among control-system soul masters. It was only limited by his cultivation talent and the extreme scarcity of time-attribute soul beasts that his prospects were affected.
As for Yu Tianhuang's Golden Eyes martial soul, primarily a spiritual attribute, supplemented by both time and space attributes, it was truly astonishing.
No wonder Elder Mu had said those final words. A martial soul of this caliber could indeed be called divinely favored. In terms of potential, it was in no way inferior to the god-level martial soul Six-Winged Angel passed down in the Spirit Hall's Angel lineage ten thousand years ago.
Ever since Elder Mu learned that Yu Tianhuang's third soul skill could control the flow of time, he had harbored suspicions, only confirming them today.
However, what left both Elder Mu and Elder Xuan shocked yet exhilarated was that Yu Tianhuang's mastery over spatial power was already comparable to some Super Douluo.
At this rate, condensing a soul core would be almost impossible to fail.
Today, Yu Tianhuang might once again create a miracle, condensing a soul core at the Soul Emperor realm.
Elder Mu and Elder Xuan stopped talking and involuntarily fixed their gazes on the solid soul core in Xu Zihuang's hands, for the soul core Xu Zihuang was condensing had reached the most critical step.
On the surface of the soul core, deep spatial fissures grew stronger, space twisted and fluctuated; it was extremely bizarre.
As time passed, the spatial fissures on the surface of the solid soul power became as dense as a net. Spatial cracks continuously appeared, only to be swallowed and absorbed by the solid soul core. The rotation speed of the solid soul core reached its limit, and the surrounding space became completely distorted.
What Elder Mu and Elder Xuan saw was a strange mass of light that mixed with brilliant gold and black, containing an extremely vast amount of soul power.
It also contained dense spiritual fluctuations, the aura of spatial power, and yet another, even more divine energy fluctuation.
The space where the solid soul core resided seemed to have been completely severed from the rest of the world.
The soul core spun at extreme speed while the surrounding space appeared to have frozen. Extreme movement and extreme stillness coexisted without the slightest sense of dissonance.
"Elder Mu, this feeling… could it be the time attribute?" Elder Xuan couldn't help widening his eyes and transmitting his voice to Elder Mu. "A soul core with spiritual attribute as the main component, and space and time attributes as secondary?!"
Generally speaking, the main attribute of a soul core condensed by a Titled Douluo was the attribute of their own martial soul. However, during the condensation process, a certain amount of spatial power would inevitably be incorporated.
When breaking through to Limit Douluo and condensing the second soul core, one could rely on their comprehension of spatial power to condense a second, purely space-attribute soul core.
Elder Xuan was very familiar with the first two auras, but that final divine energy fluctuation felt somewhat foreign to him.
Before Elder Mu could reply, the solid soul core spinning rapidly in front of Xu Zihuang suddenly came to a halt.
Xu Zihuang only felt everything around him become blurry. His consciousness sank into a boundless starry sky filled with gentle yet strange spatial power. In addition, a brilliant golden river of time stretched across the entire starfield. When his consciousness immersed itself in it, it felt as though he had traversed countless eons.
But very quickly, his consciousness returned, and all the insights that had surged in his heart vanished.
Xu Zihuang opened his eyes and saw, not far in front of him, a solid black-hole-like vortex.
Just one glance gave him the feeling that his very soul would be sucked in. Inside the solid black-hole vortex lay endless darkness and profundity, as well as endless unknowns. He could not perceive how vast the soul power stored within was.
Yet he had a marvelous feeling he was connected to this black-hole vortex by countless invisible threads.
On the surface of the black hole, fine golden ripples spread outward, gradually gathering into a strange golden vertical pupil. The pattern within the pupil was precisely the combined pattern of the area surrounding the pupils of his Golden Eyes martial soul.
He had succeeded—he had successfully condensed his own soul core at the Soul Emperor level.
The soul power within his body and the spiritual power in his two spiritual seas had been almost completely drained. However, the speed at which the depleted soul and spiritual power recovered was now several times faster than before.
All of this was related to the soul core he had condensed.
Xu Zihuang had far too many insights. The transformation after his spiritual power reached the tangible and material realm, the four 100,000-year soul skills granted by the 100,000-year pure spiritual-type Evil Eye Tyrant soul ring and soul bone, and the deeper understanding of his Golden Eyes martial soul brought by condensing the soul core…
But at this moment, he could not spare attention for any of that. His most urgent task was to guide this soul core into merging with his body.
Before doing so, he raised his head and looked toward Elder Mu and Elder Xuan beside him.
The expression on Elder Xuan's face was extremely colorful, but above all, he was overjoyed that Yu Tianhuang had successfully condensed a soul core.
As for Elder Mu, whose life force was on the verge of exhaustion, an unhealthy flush appeared on his face. He raised his right hand, and a warm, pure golden light enveloped Xu Zihuang's body.
In an instant, Xu Zihuang's soul power and spiritual power were restored to overflowing.
"Good! Good! Good! Good child, you have truly brought us an enormous surprise. To witness you making history with my own eyes before I depart, I have no more regrets." Elder Mu's right hand once again rested on the arm of his recliner, his face filled with gratified smiles.
"Condensing a soul core at the Soul Emperor level means that in a relatively short time, you will reach the level 89 bottleneck. This is your opportunity. Although it will subsequently make breaking through to the Titled Douluo realm more difficult, I believe that with your talent, you will certainly be able to overcome it."
"Tianhuang, try to absorb it." Elder Mu's voice was calm, yet it carried an unquestionable convincing power.
He had already decided that even if it cost him his last strength, he would protect Yu Tianhuang until the soul core fusion succeeded.
Looking at the unconscious smile on Elder Mu's face, Xu Zihuang gathered his thoughts and solemnly replied.
"Yes, Elder Mu."
With Elder Mu and Elder Xuan, these two peak experts, guarding him, he knew this was the perfect opportunity.
With a thought, the solid black-vortex soul core was drawn toward him by his will.
As it approached, both the main body of the solid black-vortex soul core and the golden patterns on its surface gradually contracted. When it reached his forehead, it had shrunk into a brilliant golden vertical pupil that perfectly adhered to the center of Xu Zihuang's brow.
At this moment, Elder Mu and Elder Xuan both understood what Yu Tianhuang intended to do.
The human body has three places capable of housing a soul core: the brow, the chest, and the lower abdomen, corresponding to the upper dantian, middle dantian, and lower dantian.
Under normal circumstances, the easiest place to absorb a soul core is the lower abdomen, followed by the chest; the most difficult is the brow.
Because the brow is close to the brain, any mistake could easily threaten one's life.
However, the soul core Yu Tianhuang had condensed was primarily spiritual-attribute, and the position of his Golden Eyes martial soul was also close to the brow. Theoretically, this choice was indeed posed no problem.
But that was only in theory; no one could predict what unexpected complications might actually arise.
Elder Xuan's heart involuntarily rose into his throat. Fortunately, Elder Mu was here to oversee everything, allowing him to remain relatively calm.
The golden light adhered, and the soul core began to fuse. Xu Zihuang's Golden Eyes martial soul seemed to be triggered and released on its own. Three purple, two black, one red, six soul rings rose one after another around his body, expanding in circles.
Amid the pulsing of the soul rings, two beams of violet-gold light shot from his eyes.
At the same moment, the scale at his brow that had fused the bloodlines of the Golden Dragon and Silver Dragon was also activated.
Perhaps influenced by the soul core, the originally solid gold-and-silver dragon scale at Xu Zihuang's brow actually melted, transforming into overlapping golden sun patterns and silver moon patterns.
As the soul core merged, these patterns lit up layer by layer, extending from the brow outward until they soon covered his entire forehead. Because of these changes, his two spiritual seas surged as if injected with new vitality.
His head of long black hair rose without wind and fluttered upward.
No mishap that Elder Xuan feared occurred. Although Xu Zihuang's spiritual seas endured tremendous pain during the soul core fusion, it remained within the range he could withstand.
In terms of physical strength and spiritual power, he was stronger, not weaker, than an ordinary Titled Douluo. Coupled with the control over spatial power granted by his Golden Eyes martial soul, he was able to keep the soul core in a stable state the entire time.
Enduring pain was inevitable, but his willpower was sufficiently tenacious.
Of course, from Elder Mu and Elder Xuan's perspective, the reason Yu Tianhuang could fuse the soul core so smoothly was inextricably linked to the golden sun patterns and silver moon patterns on his forehead and brow.
"This is…?" Elder Xuan once again frowned because of the changes on Yu Tianhuang's body. He felt rather speechless—he realized that describing this kid as "uniquely blessed by heaven" was almost an understatement.
All kinds of opportunities gathered in one person; he was truly a child favored by the heavens.
"It is said that the Dragon God, born by absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, later split into the Golden Dragon and the Silver Dragon. The Golden Dragon inherited the brilliance of the sun, which gradually transformed into extreme strength, while the Silver Dragon absorbed the brilliance of the moon, gradually transforming into the ability to control multiple elements. These changes should be related to the external soul bone at Tianhuang's brow," Elder Mu said softly with a smile.
He and Elder Xuan shared the same view: Yu Tianhuang was the proud son of heaven of this era, destined to stand at the peak of this generation.
And for such a chosen son of heaven to appear in their Shrek Academy was truly Shrek's fortune.
What Elder Mu and Elder Xuan did not know was that although the golden sun and silver moon patterns on Xu Zihuang's forehead and brow were indeed related to that dragon scale, there was another extremely important factor.
That was Xu Zihuang's status as a direct descendant of the Sun Moon Empire's imperial family. Although part of his second martial soul originated from the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon martial soul of the Sun Moon Empire's imperial family, his body carried the pure Sun bloodline and Silver Moon bloodline.
His ability to absorb the bloodlines of the Silver Dragon and Golden Dragon was not unrelated to this.
Both the Sun and the Silver Moon were powerful martial souls passed down within the Sun Moon Empire's imperial family. However, the Silver Moon martial soul had been lost in the Sun Moon Empire for over a hundred years, and even Xu Zihuang himself was completely unaware of it.
Not only was he unaware that his father had always been extremely secretive about this matter. In any case, neither he nor He Caitou had ever known, from childhood to adulthood, that the inherited martial souls of the Sun Moon Empire's imperial family also included the Silver Moon.
It was precisely because of this that, even though he knew from his previous life's memories that Kong Deming and Shrek Academy's eldest senior sister Zhang Lexuan's martial souls were similar, he never connected the dots too deeply.
Time passed minute by minute. The golden sun and silver moon patterns on Xu Zihuang's brow and forehead began to spread across his entire body down his neck to his collarbones, chest, waist, back, and arms.
Even through his clothes, the patterns were clearly visible. In just a few minutes, his whole body was covered with golden sun and silver moon patterns.
Behind him, the faint shadow of a gigantic golden vertical pupil appeared and disappeared. The pattern in the center of the pupil was identical to the golden ripples that had appeared on the solid black-vortex soul core. A terrifying, attractive force emanated from it, frantically devouring the origin energy of heaven and earth.
Xu Zihuang's consciousness once again sank into that vast starry sky traversed by the brilliant golden river of time.
The entire Sea God Island, all the inner courtyard disciples and teachers, including the various elders inside Sea God Pavilion, were alarmed by the commotion caused by Xu Zihuang condensing his soul core.
On the open space in front of a row of wooden pavilions built along the lake on the western side of Sea God Island,
A woman who appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old stood quietly. She had smooth, long black hair that reached her waist, and her gentle, tranquil temperament was unforgettable for a lifetime.
It was none other than the inner courtyard's eldest senior sister, Zhang Lexuan. Several years had passed, yet time had left no trace on her face.
She slightly raised her head, gazing toward the direction of the Sea God Pavilion. The worry in her eyes dissipated, replaced by an inexplicable palpitation of the heart. Both her bloodline and martial soul showed signs of being stimulated.
A group of female inner courtyard disciples gathered behind Zhang Lexuan. If Xu Zihuang were here, he would recognize many familiar faces among them.
There were Xixi and Ling Luochen, whom he had interacted with before the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament; Wu Ming, the Golden Crow Saintess who had entered the Star Dou Great Forest with them to hunt soul beasts; as well as Tang Ya, Jiang Nannan, Ning Tian, and others. The now nineteen-year-old Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan had both grown into young women; even the usually cheerful and playful Tang Ya now appeared much more composed.
Ning Tian was the same age as Xu Zihuang and would turn seventeen in just over half a year. Her slightly curly platinum-blonde medium-length hair cascaded over her fragrant shoulders; because of her martial soul, she possessed a noble yet soft beauty.
Standing beside Ning Tian were two other young women, both of whom could be considered acquaintances of Xu Zihuang.
The girl on Ning Tian's right had fiery-red long hair; her exquisite yet icy countenance and explosive figure gave a cold and alluring impression.
The girl on Ning Tian's left formed a stark contrast. She had light green hair and gentle dark green eyes.
These two were Wu Feng and Nanmen Yun'er, who had recently entered Shrek Academy's inner courtyard and had both interacted with Xu Zihuang before.
There was one more person whom Xu Zihuang knew quite well, Xiao Xiao.
After Xu Zihuang went to the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy for the exchange and Wang Dong withdrew from Shrek Academy, among the students of Xu Zihuang's batch, the one with the highest talent became Xiao Xiao, who possessed twin martial souls. Entering the inner courtyard was only natural.
Xiao Xiao still looked underdeveloped, but she had grown nearly a full head taller than before. Her figure didn't particularly show feminine curves, yet as her features matured, her face had become increasingly beautiful.
Back then, she had harbored vague feelings for Xu Zihuang. After entering the inner courtyard, partly because of that, she had little interaction with Ning Tian and simply stood alone in another spot.
Tang Ya walked to Zhang Lexuan's side with worry on her face and asked sorrowfully, "Senior Sister Lexuan, is it Elder Mu?"
All the inner courtyard disciples knew that Elder Mu was about to pass away. As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's gaze fell on Zhang Lexuan.
Zhang Lexuan gently shook her head. She could confirm that the earlier disturbance had nothing to do with Elder Mu.
A similar scene occurred at the male disciples' dormitory area on the eastern side of Sea God Pavilion.
The familiar faces of Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, Chen Zifeng, Gongyang Mo, as well as Dai Huabin and Xie Huanyue, who had recently entered the inner courtyard, were all present.
Not long after they gathered on the open ground, Elder Xuan's heavy voice rang in every one of their ears.
Bei Bei abruptly clenched his fists, his body trembling uncontrollably, while Xu Sanshi silently placed his right hand on Bei Bei's shoulder.
Immediately afterward, all the inner courtyard students walked toward Sea God Pavilion in an atmosphere of gloom and grief.
There was only one mountain path leading to the Sea God Pavilion. The male and female disciples converged at the foot of the mountain, several dozen people in total. Bei Bei saw Tang Ya, and Xu Sanshi also noticed Jiang Nannan.
But in this situation, Xu Sanshi naturally could not pester Jiang Nannan as he usually did.
"Bei Bei?" Tang Ya called softly, taking hold of Bei Bei's arm, feeling a little at a loss. This was the first time she had seen the ever-gentle and refined Bei Bei, who always wore a faint, warm smile, show such an expression.
Bei Bei did not reply; he only gripped Tang Ya's hand tightly.
On the southern side of Sea God Island, another group noticed the commotion from Sea God Pavilion and the movements of Shrek Academy's inner courtyard disciples.
Leading them were precisely the siblings Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, along with the other eight exchange students from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. However, they were outsiders after all; Elder Xuan would not relay the news to them.
"Everyone return and continue cultivating." The leading teacher, Elder Ma, barked in a low voice. He had communicated with Elder Xuan and knew part of the situation.
The other eight students exchanged glances and, intimidated by Elder Ma's authority, could only disperse. Only Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, who had learned some of the truth from Jing Hongchen, remained standing there, their gazes distant.
"With this kind of incident happening, will you come back?"
Although the siblings cared about different things, their thoughts were surprisingly aligned.
Inside the Sea God Pavilion, Elder Mu gazed at Xu Zihuang, who had smoothly fused with the soul core, and spoke warmly with a smile, "It seems I won't be able to hold on until that time. Xuan Zi, after this, please convey my words to Tianhuang for me. Push me to the entrance of the Sea God Pavilion. Before that, I have some final instructions for all of you."
"Yes."
Elder Xuan answered, hurriedly moving behind Elder Mu and pushing the recliner made of Golden Tree toward the entrance. Overcome with emotion, even his messy white beard trembled.
To avoid disturbing Yu Tianhuang, who was fusing with the soul core, Elder Mu had deliberately prevented the various elders of Sea God Pavilion, including Yan Shaozhe and the four deans, from entering the hall.
At this moment, these elders, each at least Titled Douluo in strength, stood respectfully and sorrowfully outside Sea God Pavilion.
Behind the elders, rows of inner courtyard disciples sat cross-legged.
Zhang Lexuan sat at the very front, her eight fingers interlocked except the thumbs, thumbs touching, placed on her crossed legs.
Seeing Elder Mu, whose vitality had nearly vanished, being pushed out by Elder Xuan while lying on the recliner, two streams of clear tears slid down her perfect cheeks.
That year, it was Elder Mu who had avenged her and brought her to Shrek Academy to raise her. Toward Elder Mu, she harbored extremely deep feelings.
Elder Mu slowly opened his eyes. They were a deep blue like the depths of the endless ocean. The originally dim light in his eyes became exceptionally clear at this moment. His gaze slowly swept across every inner courtyard disciple, lingering longest on Zhang Lexuan and Bei Bei.
Zhang Lexuan's heart knot had been untied, and Yu Tianhuang had displayed such astonishing talent that he truly had no more regrets.
"Listen well, all of you. After I depart, Xuan Zi will inherit the position of Sea God Pavilion Master. With him present, everything is as if I myself am here." Elder Mu began his final instructions.
From Elder Xuan all the way to Yan Shaozhe, Xian Lin'er, Cai Mei'er, and Qian Duoduo, the four deans.
Meanwhile, inside the first-floor hall of Sea God Pavilion, Xu Zihuang had fallen into a peculiar state of deep meditation.
His consciousness wandered in that endless starry sky and the brilliant golden river of time, comprehending the mysteries of this world, for several months. Yet in reality, only an instant had passed.
Although fusing with a soul core was dangerous, once the dangerous period passed, completing the fusion usually only required half an hour to an hour.
The reason Titled Douluo secluded themselves for several months after breaking through was to enter deep meditation, comprehend the power of the soul core, and stabilize their realm.
Yet thanks to the special characteristics of his Golden Eyes martial soul and the tri-attribute soul core, Xu Zihuang forcibly reduced the time needed for deep meditation by countless times.
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