Meanwhile, Phoenix Wang Chuan and Abyss Wang Chuan both wore expressions of delight.
Clearly, they too had gained enormous benefits from the shared connection.
Phoenix Wang Chuan's eyes gleamed.
"Abyssal Power..."
"Wonderful!"
"This is practically an accelerator!"
"With my Auspicious Beast talent, if I devour the Soul Beast essence and Heaven and Earth Vital Energy within the Ten Thousand Beast Platform, the time it takes me to reach ten thousand years of cultivation can be cut in half at the very least!"
Mutual devouring among Soul Beasts had always been one of the fastest ways to increase cultivation.
Abyssal Energy pushed the efficiency of that devouring to the extreme, and it was no longer limited to creatures of flesh and blood.
He could devour anything containing life energy to increase his cultivation!
Abyss Wang Chuan, meanwhile, let out a long breath, a relieved smile spreading across his face.
"Having shared your cultivation and talents, my current strength is probably equivalent to a Six-Ring Soul Emperor in your world."
"And Five-Element Manipulation, Energy Perception, even a trace of the ability to foresee fortune and misfortune..."
"Hahaha! I finally have the confidence to contend for the position of 'Monarch' of the 108th Abyss Layer!"
In the Abyss, where the strong preyed on the weak and those above could devour those below at any time,
he had always lived in constant fear. Now that his strength had surged and he had gained numerous powerful abilities, he finally possessed the capital to survive and climb higher.
He looked at Douluo Wang Chuan and Phoenix Wang Chuan and said with emotion,
"Honestly, I was constantly on edge before this."
"You know as well as I do that, according to the 'plot,' the entire Abyss Plane was nothing more than a super blood bag and advancement gift pack Tang San had prepared for Douluo Continent."
"So what if I somehow replaced the Abyssal Sage King?"
"Wouldn't I still end up leading the entire plane to be devoured by Douluo Continent, becoming a stepping stone for someone else's advancement?"
"That feeling of having my fate controlled by someone else, of being destined to become a sacrifice, was terrible."
"But things are different now. With you two, the three of us are one. Information, resources, and abilities are shared, and the future holds limitless possibilities!"
"I can finally see hope of escaping that predetermined fate!"
Douluo Wang Chuan could feel the weight and relief in his words. He nodded solemnly.
"That's right. We're all on the same side."
"If one prospers, we all prosper. If one suffers, we all suffer."
"We'll help each other and shatter this so-called 'script' together!"
"We'll help each other!"
Phoenix Wang Chuan and Abyss Wang Chuan spoke in unison.
His consciousness returned to his body.
Wang Chuan slowly opened his eyes. Feeling the surging power within him and his newly acquired Abyssal Devouring ability, his heart was filled with the joy of harvest.
Forty levels of Soul Power, Spirit Sea Realm Mental Power, and Abyssal Power...
His strength had already undergone an earth-shaking transformation.
Yet amid his delight, a practical problem surfaced as well... he still had not settled the matter of his Second Soul Spirit.
The Rainbow Dragon Soul Spirit was currently at the five-thousand-year level and could only provide three Soul Rings.
Only by raising it to ten thousand years could it provide an additional fourth Soul Ring.
And speaking of rapidly increasing a Soul Spirit's age...
A thoughtful gleam flashed through Wang Chuan's eyes.
It seemed that after reporting to Eastsea Academy and settling down, he would need to visit the Intermediate Spirit Ascension Platform a few times.
It was an excellent place to rapidly increase a Soul Spirit's age and hone practical combat experience.
However, figuring out how to explain his sudden surge in cultivation to Leng Yaozhu would require some thought.
Fortunately, he had never revealed the precise level of his Soul Power at every stage to Leng Yaozhu.
Thus, Leng Yaozhu only knew that he was extraordinarily talented and progressing at a remarkable pace, and that he was now a Three-Ring Soul Venerable.
A nine-year-old Three-Ring Soul Venerable was certainly astonishing.
But it was still within the realm of what could be understood as an "unparalleled genius."
If she learned that her disciple had suddenly become a nine-year-old Four-Ring Soul Ancestor...
the resulting shock would be far too great, and it might even attract unnecessary attention and danger.
Wang Chuan understood very well that once his absurd talent and growth rate were fully exposed, they would attract far more than envy and recruitment attempts.
Organizations like the Holy Spirit Cult had no bottom line when it came to coveting "high-quality materials" and "special abilities."
Even if the Spirit Pagoda's upper ranks had certain dealings with them, to Evil Soul Masters, so-called cooperation could be torn apart at any time in the face of enormous benefits.
To them, an unparalleled genius with a terrifying growth rate was likely far more tempting than any agreement.
"It seems that until I have enough power to protect myself, or find a reliable patron, I'll need to hide my abilities appropriately."
Wang Chuan gazed at the bright moon beyond the window and calculated silently.
Eastsea Academy might be a good place to serve as a buffer.
There, he could continue growing in relative secrecy while keeping close watch on Tang Wulin and Gu Yue's movements, preparing for the broader and more dangerous stage ahead.
Eastsea City.
The second-largest coastal city along the East Sea in the Sun Moon Federation.
An important port hub, marine transportation center, and major base for developing ocean resources.
Thanks to its uniquely favorable location and effective use of the boundless ocean's resources,
the city had accumulated astonishing wealth. With a permanent population of over three million, its prosperity ranked among the best of the Sun Moon Federation's second-tier cities.
When Wang Chuan and Tang Wulin followed the crowd out of the spacious, brightly lit Soul Guidance Train station, they were greeted by the distinctive bustle and vitality of this coastal metropolis.
"Big Brother Chuan, there are so many people here!"
"The buildings are so tall too!"
Tang Wulin's eyes widened as he looked around curiously, awestruck by Eastsea City's prosperity.
With Wang Chuan accompanying him the whole way, even though his parents could not come along on this long journey, the sorrow of parting in his heart was greatly diluted by novelty and anticipation.
Wang Chuan nodded faintly. As his gaze swept across the bustling scene before him, however, an almost imperceptible trace of melancholy passed through his eyes.
A few days before their departure, Na'er had finally recovered the memories that belonged to the Silver Dragon King.
That night, she left behind a brief letter written in childish handwriting and quietly departed.
The letter contained only a few words. She thanked her brother and parents for taking care of her, said she was going to find something she had lost, and told her brother not to worry.
But in truth, Wang Chuan had watched Na'er leave.
That girl had probably thought he was still asleep.
Before leaving, Na'er had turned back to look once in the direction of the Wang family home before departing under the cover of night.
He watched as she was taken away by several powerful, concealed presences that had long been waiting in the distance.
One of those auras was as deep as an abyss and carried pure, ancient dragon might. It belonged to none other than the Beast God, Di Tian.
Wang Chuan had concealed himself in the shadows at the time, doing his utmost to restrain his aura.
It was not that he did not want to show himself and see Na'er off.
But Di Tian's presence made him abandon that thought.
With his current cultivation, before a king among ferocious beasts whose cultivation neared a million years and whose Mental Power was unfathomable, hiding from his senses was almost impossible.
Once Di Tian noticed his true cultivation, given his deeply ingrained wariness and hatred toward humans...
the consequences would be difficult to predict.
Di Tian might temporarily restrain himself because of Na'er's circumstances.
But he would certainly observe Wang Chuan in secret and might even seek an opportunity to eliminate him, a human "threat" who could influence the Silver Dragon King and possessed talent that was far too frightening.
Wang Chuan knew that he was not the "child of Fate" of this era.
He did not possess that unseen blessing and protection of luck.
Any powerful variable that exceeded the original trajectory might bring unpredictable "accidents" and backlash.
Therefore, he had to be even more cautious.
Before you continue