"From what I understand, once a Limit Douluo wants to advance further, they begin delving into the laws of nature. Reaching godhood likely involves mastering these laws as well."
"Therefore, it's reasonable to infer that for soul masters to ascend to godhood, they must also master these laws. Moreover, they need to genuinely interact with these laws, not just rely on vague insights or chance encounters with fragments of them."
"The most critical aspect of the soul master system is still the martial soul."
"At the Limit Douluo level, theoretically, one has already merged completely with their martial soul, complementing and enhancing each other. Thus, we can imagine achieving godhood as extending oneself through the martial soul to touch the rules of existence."
Xu Yuan's theory was logical and backed by evidence, and Yun Ming nodded from time to time.
"Not bad—it's similar to what I've been thinking."
Yun Ming had similar ideas but hadn't articulated them as clearly as Xu Yuan had.
"In fact, Teacher, the final stage of soul master cultivation you mentioned—the so-called 'harvest' phase—isn't entirely accurate. Although I haven't personally experienced every change at that stage, if we reverse-engineer it based on the path to godhood I've proposed, the Super Douluo and Limit Douluo stages should focus on further integrating with the martial soul."
The harvest is about consolidating all the previous cultivation of the martial soul into oneself.
That much is correct.
But after consolidating it?
Self-breakthrough?
How difficult would that be?
If one starts forging their own path at Level 100, how could they even reach the threshold of Level 150?
It might be better to continue cultivating the martial soul.
"Continuing to cultivate the martial soul might align more closely with the path to godhood I've described."
"Before reaching Soul King rank, the martial soul is nurtured by blood essence. After reaching Soul King, soul power is used to enhance the spirit, and spiritual advancement in turn nurtures the martial soul's development. By the time one reaches Soul Sage and gains the True Body of the Martial Soul, the soul master essentially has a complete system—a mechanism for harmonizing essence, energy, and spirit to nurture the martial soul."
The existence of the True Body of the Martial Soul is one of the greatest highlights of the soul master system.
"Up until Level 94, natural nurturing can occur."
"After Level 95, soul masters must actively take charge of nurturing their martial soul—not simply absorbing its power into themselves but instead feeding all their skills back into the martial soul."
Should they continue refining their soul skills and expanding their repertoire?
Yes!
Should they continue developing their unique techniques, fusing multiple soul skills into one?
Develop!
Should they continue perceiving the laws of nature?
Perceive!
However, everything shifts—from using the martial soul as a tool to support the soul master, to perceiving the laws through the martial soul and then returning those insights to the martial soul.
An extra step is added, but it also extends the investment process.
"Return one's insights to the martial soul, allowing it to further evolve and grow. Then, nourish it with essence, energy, and spirit, control it, and use it as an extension of one's perception."
Xu Yuan calmly shared his newfound enlightenment.
He had no opportunity to put it into practice, but these theories felt intuitively reasonable. There was no reason to hold onto them and wait for future verification.
Time was limited. The threat of the Abyss meant that the growth of the Douluo Plane couldn't afford to be delayed. Advancements in the soul master system, as well as breakthroughs for top-tier combatants, needed to be achieved within the next decade.
Xu Yuan, Yun Ming, and Mu Ye—all of them had to push their limits to the utmost.
"I believe that as we nurture the martial soul, it will grow to a certain boundary—a boundary where the soul master touches the heavens and earth."
Yun Ming gazed at Xu Yuan, his mind brimming with thoughts.
Touching the boundary of heaven and earth?
This was one of the defining characteristics of the Divine Origin Realm.
A faint resonance with heaven and earth allows one to perceive many things beyond the reach of those below the god level.
In the current world of soul masters, the Spirit Domain Realm is considered the threshold for becoming a Limit Douluo. As for the conditions for ascending to godhood, opinions vary, but the most convincing one is achieving the Divine Origin Realm in terms of spiritual power.
But does advancement truly have to start with spiritual power?
According to Yun Ming's understanding, soul power, spiritual power, and blood essence are different cultivation systems.
They merely influence each other's strengths and weaknesses. If spiritual power improves without hindering the breakthrough to godhood, then why does it have to break through to the Divine Origin Realm first before promoting soul power's breakthrough and achieving true ascension?
Now, Xu Yuan's proposed theory resonated with Yun Ming's thoughts.
No need to reach the Divine Origin Realm in spiritual power.
Yes, breaking through to godhood might simply involve greeting the laws of existence.
Spiritual power at the Divine Origin Realm satisfies this prerequisite.
But spiritual power at the Divine Origin Realm isn't the only way to satisfy this prerequisite.
Now, Xu Yuan had offered another possibility!
"The martial soul as a medium?" Yun Ming fell into deep thought, pacing slowly as he reflected on everything Xu Yuan had just said.
Xu Yuan continued: "There's one more crucial point. After reaching Level 100, do we simply add a tenth soul ring?"
Yun Ming turned back, looking at Xu Yuan, waiting for his answer.
"Yes, and no," Xu Yuan said calmly.
"Soul rings are a focal point of our soul master cultivation system. Each soul ring's enhancement is critical."
"In fact, if there were a mechanism that could convert a soul master's insights into soul ring cultivation, then feeding a Limit Douluo's insights into the martial soul should be able to generate a hundred-thousand-year soul ring—or even a ferocious beast soul ring. Only a god-level soul ring might pose difficulties."
Yun Ming's eyes flickered.
He gleaned numerous inspirations from Xu Yuan's words.
"You're saying that the current soul master cultivation system is incomplete?"
Xu Yuan nodded.
"Precisely. Since soul rings are essential resources on the soul master's cultivation journey and a hallmark of the system, the absence of a method to nurture soul rings or actively compensate for their deficiencies isn't that a flaw?"
At this moment, Xu Yuan and Yun Ming weren't teacher and student—they were two seekers exploring the path of cultivation.
They discussed the existence of martial souls and soul rings.
In the will space, Elder Tree listened to their discussion and quietly released his power to form a barrier, isolating their conversation.
As he listened to them, a satisfied smile spread across his face.
This… is the future of soul masters.
"I understand your idea now. Nurturing the martial soul with one's insights promotes its further growth. Using the martial soul as an extension to merge with heaven and earth, thereby touching the laws of existence—this is the pivotal moment for breaking through to godhood."
"The key to god-level cultivation isn't adding a tenth soul ring but gradually transforming existing soul rings into god-level soul rings, refining their soul skills, and bringing them closer to the laws of existence."
Yun Ming finally summarized and concluded.
He exhaled deeply.
"Little Yuan, I've achieved enlightenment."
At this moment, Yun Ming felt ready to attempt a breakthrough at any time.
He was eager to enter seclusion immediately.
But the crisis posed by the Holy Spirit Sect's two Godslayer Missiles remained unresolved.
Thinking about this, Yun Ming felt a surge of anger.
Frustrating!
Right now, Yun Ming wanted nothing more than to scour the entire continent, rooting out all evil soul masters and exterminating them so he could focus on digesting his newfound insights in peace.
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Author's Note: Here it comes, haha—I'm analyzing cultivation again!
Don't call this filler!
Personally, I think this kind of content is fascinating. I've always enjoyed it, and my previous books included similar discussions. But some readers feel it's filler—perhaps it's just a matter of differing tastes.
My protagonists all share a distinct trait: they're deeply devoted to cultivation, almost like seekers of the Dao. I absolutely love writing these explorations of cultivation systems.
Reflecting on it, maybe in the past I lingered too long on these parts, dedicating several chapters in a row, which made some readers feel it was filler. This time, I kept it concise. Haha, next chapter, we'll push the plot forward again!
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