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"Moreover, it's you entering these soul beasts' bodies, not them entering yours—you're not at a disadvantage."
Xu Yuan continued to persuade Huan Xing.
At this point, a thoughtful expression appeared in Huan Xing's eyes, and he nodded in agreement.
Right! I'm not at a disadvantage!
Upon realizing this, Huan Xing no longer looked troubled.
He gazed at the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear that Xu Yuan had manifested.
"This Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear is something I was able to manifest because of my fusion with the Dark Golden Terror Claw. The Manifestation soul skill does have its limitations. In theory, though, if developed further, I believe I could manifest any soul beast, or even tools. However, it all requires capturing the true essence of what I'm trying to replicate, not just its surface appearance."
The reason Xu Yuan could manifest this Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear was due to his prior fusion with the Dark Golden Terror Claw.
Currently, the things he could manifest were limited to everyday objects, the spirit souls he had fused with, and himself.
Of course, this was under the premise of manifesting entities with their respective characteristics.
If it were just an ordinary bear or a black dragon that looked identical to Di Tian, Xu Yuan could still draw them. However, the black dragon wouldn't possess Di Tian's abilities, and might not even have the presence of a true dragon.
What Xu Yuan had said about manifesting five soul beasts, each with one of the five elemental attributes, wasn't mere talk.
He had a foundational understanding of the five elements, and by integrating this knowledge into corresponding soul beasts, he could preliminarily manifest their abilities.
For example, the Flame Lion. Xu Yuan could sketch the form of a lion and then infuse it with his understanding of fire elemental power, thereby manifesting a lion capable of controlling fire.
However, this was merely a mechanical assembly of traits, not an organic combination. While it had basic abilities and the right appearance, it wasn't a true Flame Lion.
This limitation was quite significant.
But if Xu Yuan's fourth soul skill was taken into account, the significance of Manifestation increased greatly.
The greatest drawback of this soul skill was that the manifested creations were incomplete.
As for Replication, since it was a copy, it couldn't reach the level of the original, making it less useful in actual combat—essentially a wasted ability.
However, when the two soul skills were combined, Replication could be used for research purposes rather than direct combat, while Manifestation could achieve a "perfect" replication.
These were just Xu Yuan's initial thoughts on the third and fourth soul skills of his Heaven Origin Brush. He had many more ideas, but given the short time he'd had these soul skills and even less time to think, these were all he could come up with for now.
"Huan Xing, give it a try. Although it's not the same species, the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear's size, strength, and defensive attributes align well with you. You should be able to integrate easily."
With mixed feelings, Huan Xing approached the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear.
After hesitating for a moment, his expression conflicted, but then his gaze hardened.
What's there to fear!
As Xu Yuan said, I'm not at a disadvantage!
He transformed into a phantom-like spirit form and entered the body of the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear.
Through his connection with Huan Xing, Xu Yuan sensed his state.
His gaze flickered slightly, surprised.
The fusion was proceeding smoothly.
From Huan Xing's feedback, he could use the innate abilities of this body without any hindrance.
As long as they weren't acquired techniques, he could utilize them directly.
"Unfortunately, the reason I could manifest this Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear was due to the Dark Golden Terror Claw. The manifested bear only possesses the strength and physical toughness of the claw but lacks any soul skills."
Still, it was sufficient.
This was already good news.
"Very good. Soon, I'll be heading to the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform to absorb spiritual energy. When I encounter suitable soul beasts, I'll replicate them and attempt to develop the Manifestation soul skill further, finding your favorite body."
Huan Xing emerged from the body of the Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear and nodded in acknowledgment.
This body was decent; those claws were strong, but it was a bit cumbersome.
"You can control multiple bodies simultaneously, right? The Dark Golden Terror Claw Bear is one of the few beings with a metallic attribute. My lack of understanding and incomplete development are the only reasons it feels lacking. Once I have the chance to perfect this body, it will become your main battle form."
Huan Xing's eyes reflected deep thought as he nodded meaningfully.
So this was the benefit of becoming a human spirit soul.
In the past, Huan Xing had never imagined that he could improve himself in this way during his growth process.
"However, perfecting the body of a top-tier soul beast is difficult. For now, I'll try to find soul beasts with the five elemental attributes for you to manifest. You can use these bodies for practice."
Huan Xing immediately slumped.
So I still have to practice that Five Elements Divine Light Shield?
"Not just the Five Elements Divine Light Shield, but also the Great Five Elements Divine Light. We need to attempt developing these techniques. Otherwise, are we just going to waste soul ring slots to acquire these soul skills later?"
Xu Yuan's stern expression conveyed how precious his soul ring slots were—he wanted to save as many as possible.
There were only twenty-seven soul ring slots in total, and he had already used twelve, leaving him with just fifteen.
That was only two more than Wu Siduo.
"Moreover, my Heaven Origin Five Elements Spear martial soul won't be fusing with any other spirit souls. I plan to keep Jue as the sole spirit soul, fusing numerous abilities into it and deriving nine soul rings. That means I'll lose five more slots, leaving me with only ten."
Breaking it down further...
"All right, all right!" Huan Xing's mental fluctuations interrupted: "I get it! Stop calculating!"
Huan Xing indicated that his mind was already overwhelmed by Xu Yuan's constant calculations.
Xu Yuan nodded, feeling reassured.
Teachable student.
Casually sketching animals like tigers and lions that corresponded to the five elements, Xu Yuan assigned them the ability to control their respective elemental powers. After manifesting them, he had Huan Xing possess the five bodies and work together to study techniques like the Five Elements Divine Light Shield and the Great Five Elements Divine Light.
Of course, Xu Yuan didn't completely leave this task to Huan Xing. He would also help refine it.
For example, providing breakthroughs in thought processes and guiding the overall ideological framework—these were all under his direction.
---
Time passed.
It had been a month since the martial soul split.
Xu Yuan hadn't felt any discomfort.
However, the fundamental reason for this lack of discomfort was the vast infusion of life force Elder Tree had provided to stabilize him.
In reality, his two martial souls were still in the adaptation phase.
They were constantly undergoing changes, but these didn't affect his daily, simple cultivation.
Explosive usage was still somewhat restricted, but fortunately, Xu Yuan didn't currently need to rely on the full power of these two martial souls.
---
Class One, Grade One.
"Classmates, the first semester is coming to an end. Next up is the final exam you've all been looking forward to," Shen Yi announced.
The students exchanged glances, their expressions unimpressed.
Who would actually look forward to a final exam?
According to the rules, every year, ten students from the first-year classes of Shrek's Outer Court would be eliminated.
Under such immense pressure, they wished the final exams would come as late as possible. Who would look forward to them?
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