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The Jade Silver forged through Creation Spirit Forging had perfectly integrated into Xu Yuan's Heaven Origin Five Elements Spear, causing Jue to undergo a transformation.
In tangible terms, its age had noticeably increased.
Xu Yuan was astonished.
"Does a metal spirit soul have this kind of characteristic?"
Did it require only the perfect integration of Spirit-Forged alloy with an existing metal spirit soul, or did it specifically require Creation Spirit Forging?
Or were there certain limitations?
If there were no restrictions, Xu Yuan would immediately start forging again, creating seven or eight pieces of Spirit-Forged Jade Silver to integrate into Jue's body and further increase its age.
Carefully sensing the changes in Jue, Xu Yuan simultaneously focused on his own transformations.
"Creation Spirit Forging—is this the energy of creation?"
Xu Yuan remembered that before he began forging, Zhen Hua had explained to him that when blacksmiths performed Spirit-Forging or even Soul-Forging, they were essentially creating life. During this process, the universe bestowed a unique energy, which was incredibly miraculous.
At the moment Creation Spirit Forging succeeded, Xu Yuan had received life nourishment. This power originated from the energy of creation, so the increase in Jue's age should also be related to this energy.
It wasn't just the increase in age—Jue's sentience had been greatly strengthened through the fusion of its body with the Spirit-Forged Jade Silver.
"The only pity is that it hasn't truly reached ten thousand years yet," Xu Yuan muttered as he gazed at the faint black patterns appearing on the three soul rings of his Heaven Origin Five Elements Spear.
Over nine thousand years—but still not quite ten thousand.
Upon closer inspection, his three purple soul rings were profoundly dark, almost as if they were about to sprout traces of black at any moment.
They were already extremely close to ten thousand years.
"After this martial soul split, I should visit the Spirit Ascension Platform. For a long time to come, frequent visits will be necessary."
To elevate his spirit souls, absorbing vast amounts of spiritual energy was inevitable.
Even if one only considered accumulating years without accounting for the epochs required for these spirit souls to break through their limits, it would still take at least a year or two for all of Xu Yuan's spirit souls to reach ten thousand years.
In that sense, the three-thousand-year increase in Jue's age after absorbing the Spirit-Forged Jade Silver was a significant gain. After all, Jue provided Xu Yuan with three full soul rings.
To raise three soul rings at the Spirit Ascension Platform would require nine thousand years' worth of spiritual energy. This meant entering at least one Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform and staying there for about a week to accumulate enough.
Xu Yuan proceeded methodically with the final preparations.
Absorbing the paper spirit soul, gradually fusing the three soul rings, then pushing for Spirit-Forging, and finally evolving the Five Elements Spear Spirit.
All of this was preparation for the split.
Time flew by.
A month had passed since Xu Yuan absorbed the paper spirit soul.
The Sea God Pavilion.
Xu Shengqun and Ye Yuan accompanied Xu Yuan here.
"The Sea God Pavilion truly lives up to its reputation. The concentration of primordial energy here is nearly liquid."
To a certain extent, the density of primordial energy here surpassed that of liquid energy, though it remained in a gaseous state.
This was due to the unique influence of the Golden Ancient Tree, which caused the concentration of gaseous primordial energy to approach liquefaction.
Entering the Sea God Pavilion once more, Xu Yuan's experience was entirely different from the last time.
During his first visit to the Sea God Pavilion, he entered a state of enlightenment, refining the Devouring Heaven and Earth Technique to perfection. He directly grasped the essence of "devouring," elevating the technique to the level of an ultimate art in his hands.
Even now, Xu Lizhi had yet to replicate Xu Yuan's mastery of the Devouring Heaven and Earth Technique. He couldn't even achieve twenty percent of its effectiveness, but given his naturally strong digestive abilities, he was content.
Now, re-entering the Sea God Pavilion, Xu Yuan still sensed something different.
His essence, energy, and spirit naturally interacted with the surrounding environment. Within the Sea God Pavilion, this interaction felt especially wondrous, as if he were confronting the heavens and earth directly.
Xu Yuan, of course, understood why.
The Golden Ancient Tree was the core of the Douluo Plane. This place was where the true essence of the plane resided. Within the Sea God Pavilion, cultivation bottlenecks were significantly reduced. Moreover, the abundant life energy here allowed elderly individuals nearing the end of their lifespans to extend their lives by at least ten years simply by residing here long-term. If one grew up here, the cumulative effects could add decades to their lifespan.
"Let's begin."
Yun Ming led Xu Yuan to a secluded meditation chamber deep within the Sea God Pavilion.
"This is the room I use during my seclusion. The concentration of primordial energy here is the densest, and it has been most deeply influenced by me. You've inherited my Seven Forbidden Techniques. By integrating your essence, energy, and spirit with the surroundings, you'll be able to better harness the forces of heaven and earth," Yun Ming explained.
Following Yun Ming's instructions, Xu Yuan tested his connection to the surroundings. He found that his perception of the surrounding world became even deeper. With the fusion of his essence, energy, and spirit, his senses sharpened, and everything fell under his control.
Taking a deep breath, Xu Yuan took out five fruits brimming with the pure energies of the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. These were the Five Elements Celestial Fruits, each condensed from the pure forces of the five elements. They were cultivated on the Celestial Fruit Tree in a mutually nurturing cycle of the five elements, then split off as concentrated forms of pure elemental energy.
The five elements within these fruits complemented each other. When consumed, they would circulate endlessly within the body, generating a cycle of mutual reinforcement. For martial souls aligned with the five elements, their effects were no less than those of immortal herbs.
Xu Yuan simultaneously consumed all five celestial fruits.
The five elemental forces converged within his body.
The five elements mutually reinforced one another.
This manifestation of the five elements differed slightly from what Xu Yuan had previously mastered. Normally, he would have taken the time to study the differences and refine his understanding.
But now, his focus was entirely on splitting his martial soul.
There was no room for error!
Any mistake could lead to catastrophic failure.
Thus, Xu Yuan set aside his research into the five elements, focusing all his attention on the task at hand.
The five elemental forces formed a cycle within his body, penetrating down to the martial soul level.
With this, Xu Yuan officially began the process of splitting his martial soul.
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Meditation Space
The Heaven Origin Brush and the Heaven Origin Five Elements Spear floated separately, connected only by a faint thread and the Five Elements Spear Spirit.
Xu Yuan decisively severed this final connection.
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Outside World
Above Xu Yuan's head, the Heaven Origin Brush and the Heaven Origin Five Elements Spear appeared simultaneously. At first, they shifted between their two forms, but soon the Heaven Origin Five Elements Spear emerged like a shadow, detaching itself.
Xu Yuan's blood qi infused into it, and the Five Elements Spear Spirit also separated. The three merged together, solidifying into a tangible form.
"The fluctuations in soul power are quite intense."
Sensing the turbulence in Xu Yuan's soul power, Yun Ming frowned. He had already heightened his awareness to its peak. If Xu Yuan's essence were to suffer damage, he would intervene immediately.
Xu Yuan continued the split.
The two martial souls fully condensed.
Pfft!
A mouthful of blood spurted out.
Xu Yuan gritted his teeth and endured.
His essence was in turmoil.
Within the meditation space, everything was shaking, as if on the verge of collapse.
Both the Heaven Origin Brush and the Heaven Origin Five Elements Spear seemed to have lost their vital foundation, beginning to disintegrate.
At this moment, streams of the five elemental forces infused into the Heaven Origin Brush, stabilizing it as it threatened to collapse.
Rich blood qi permeated this space, merging into the Heaven Origin Five Elements Spear and repairing the cracks forming on its body.
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