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The mechanism of matching could potentially be manipulated by human hands.
The key question was—
"Who is helping me obtain the soul spirit of this Phantom Beast?"
His uncle?
Xu Yuan thought about it for a moment, then dismissed the idea.
Although his uncle held the position of a Spirit Envoy and enjoyed high status, his influence was ultimately superficial. Lacking family backing, he only appeared powerful on the surface. The visible authority he could access was limited; the hidden powers remained out of his reach.
The highest positions in the Spirit Pagoda were the Tower Master and two Deputy Tower Masters, followed by the Four Great Spirit Envoys. But what about the previous Tower Masters and Deputy Tower Masters?
Those who sat in such positions inevitably left behind loyalists, and even the next Tower Master would often be someone closely tied to them.
Thus, within the Spirit Pagoda, there were more than just three individuals whose power and status rivaled or even surpassed Xu Shengqun's.
Moreover, Xu Shengqun was merely a Super Douluo.
Without reaching the Limit Douluo level, one could never truly hold the reins of power on this continent.
"Could it be my father?" This thought inexplicably surfaced in Xu Yuan's mind and refused to leave.
His father, Xu Zhi, like his uncle, seemed to hold a high position but lacked core authority and strength. On the surface, he appeared to have no opportunity to exert such influence—but in reality, he was a technical expert.
Good grief.
What a crafty move.
Had he unwittingly become a beneficiary of rule-breaking?
Xu Yuan silently thanked his father in his heart.
He knew that this precious Phantom Beast was most likely arranged by his father.
For just a sliver of possibility, his father had gone to such lengths to make these arrangements for him.
Xu Yuan didn't understand how his father had calculated so much or planned his future so perfectly. Nevertheless, he felt immense gratitude toward him.
"My brain-type martial soul… Could it be that Father, while researching body-type martial souls, sensed something beneficial for awakening body-type martial souls?"
Xu Yuan admired his father's intellect.
It was as if his father's brain itself was on the verge of becoming a martial soul.
Perhaps Xu Zhi had also realized this and believed his son might awaken a brain-type martial soul. Hence, he left this opportunity with the Phantom Beast.
"Little Yuan, your luck is truly extraordinary."
After observing Xu Yuan for a long while, Yun Ming couldn't help but sigh.
Even he felt that Xu Yuan's cultivation path had been exceptionally smooth, as if everything had been meticulously arranged. Coupled with Xu Yuan's monstrous talent, everything fit together perfectly.
"As for stellar energy, I haven't delved deeply into it myself. Among the Limit Douluos who've progressed far in this direction, Yu Guanzhi is one." Yun Ming sighed.
Indeed, all the pieces fell into place.
"Teacher, I won't seek tutelage under Yu Guanzhi just for the sake of it. That's not something I'd willingly do," Xu Yuan shook his head.
He had no intention of rushing to the military to receive Yu Guanzhi's guidance at this time.
If the opportunity arose in the future, he might consider seeking advice. But deliberately seeking tutelage solely for this aspect of cultivation wasn't something he wanted to pursue.
"No need to rush. Our Shrek Academy has records from past seniors who cultivated stellar energy. Their experiences have been preserved, so you can still find relevant materials in the archives."
Though written notes couldn't compare to live guidance, they weren't too far off either—especially when there were plenty of detailed records available.
Xu Yuan might look down on Shrek Academy from ten thousand years ago or even twenty thousand years ago, but he couldn't deny the richness of its teaching resources in this era.
"Yes, Teacher."
Today was the first time Xu Yuan had heard the notion that cultivating stellar energy could aid in breaking through the bottleneck to godhood.
Upon reflection, it made perfect sense.
What bound soul masters was ultimately the plane of Douluo Star itself. Soul masters who couldn't withstand the hundredth level relied on divine positions to achieve godhood in the past.
From what Xu Yuan knew, after consuming the Abyss, Douluo Star evolved into a god-level planet, allowing native soul masters to break through the hundredth level and ascend to godhood. This indicated that the plane's inherent limitations capped the potential of soul masters.
Thus, breaking free from the plane's constraints was the key.
Of course, up to this point, this was still just a theoretical cultivation path.
Yun Ming reiterated his advice to Xu Yuan.
So far, only the first half of this path had been verified—the benefits before reaching the godly realm.
It was undeniably difficult.
But as long as one possessed sufficient talent, those who walked this path generally broke through to Limit Douluo. Even without extraordinary opportunities, they could grind away at the bottleneck over time and eventually reach Limit Douluo.
Xu Yuan refrained from commenting.
However, Yun Ming's final words resonated deeply.
"Breaking through to godhood—this path may seem like bypassing the plane's constraints, but in essence, one must still forge their own path to godhood. What binds soul masters is the system itself. If the system's limits aren't expanded, even escaping the plane's constraints and venturing into the cosmos for cultivation will still require grappling with the hundredth-level cultivation rules of soul masters."
It was profound, but Xu Yuan understood Yun Ming's meaning.
"Teacher, rest assured. I won't squander the stellar attribute, nor will I overly rely on it because of its presence. My own path is the best, and stellar energy will merely serve as an aid."
"Mm." Yun Ming was satisfied.
Beside them, Na'er looked utterly bewildered.
Seeing this, Yun Ming reached out and gently ruffled her silver hair.
"Na'er, you don't need to worry about these things. Your talent is enough to compensate for everything. With your aptitude, if you focus solely on cultivation, you'll undoubtedly become a Super Douluo by the age of thirty. Even breaking through to Limit Douluo by the age of thirty-five is entirely possible."
Yun Ming was well aware of Na'er's extraordinary talent.
The Silver Dragon Spear in her hands wasn't a mere inheritance of some divine true dragon bloodline—it was a genuine divine artifact.
Her martial soul was inherently a divine artifact. Its sheer extraordinariness had deeply shocked Yun Ming back then, leading him to declare Na'er as his last disciple.
Unfortunately, Xu Yuan's compatibility with his teachings caused Yun Ming to selectively forget that Na'er was his last disciple.
Later, after spending time with them, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Xu Yuan was the senior disciple, Na'er the junior disciple. Was there anything wrong with Na'er being the last disciple?
Where lies the fault?
Yun Ming held the Heaven-Piercing Divine Spear. Who would dare say he was wrong?
"Hmph~ (Big guy, do you have a name?)"
In the Dreamscape, Yao Yao looked up at the ten-meter-tall spiritual form of the Phantom Beast and asked.
At this moment, aside from Xu Yuan, Yao Yao, the Five-Element Gun Spirit, and the Phantom Beast were present in this space.
The three soul spirits had gathered.
"No," the Phantom Beast grunted.
Yao Yao was surprised.
"Hmph! (You can speak human language!)"
"Mm, I learned after hearing it enough times," the Phantom Beast replied.
The tip of the Five-Element Gun Spirit's spear suddenly emitted a sharp beam of light.
(Envious)
"Hmph, neither of you has a name. I was the first to have one—I'm Yao Yao, named by Xu Yuan, so I'm the boss!" Yao Yao formed two tiny hands, placed them on her hips, and declared her dominance to the obedient Five-Element Gun Spirit and Phantom Beast.
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