Meanwhile.
The staff dormitories of Shrek Academy were somewhat dimly lit.
Yu Xiaogang sat alone on a hardwood bed, his legs crossed in the Five Hearts Toward Heaven posture.
After leaving the training ground, this master who had been tormented by his crippled Martial Soul for most of his life had begun frantically attempting the Five-Heart-to-Sky Cultivation Method, like a drowning man clutching at a lifeline.
He wanted to prove himself. He did not want to be useless for the rest of his life.
Suddenly.
"Pfft—!"
Yu Xiaogang abruptly opened his mouth and sprayed a mouthful of blood across the bedding before him, staining it a vivid red.
His face instantly turned deathly pale as he clutched his chest and coughed violently.
"How could this happen..."
Yu Xiaogang's breathing became ragged. A crazed look filled his eyes as he carelessly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve.
"I could clearly sense the Cosmic Origin Energy, and I was able to absorb it into my body according to the method."
"The Sky Screen said that once energy entered the body, it would strengthen the bones and cells. Why did the Genetic Origin Energy simply vanish after entering my body?"
Yu Xiaogang was drenched in sweat from the pain, unable to understand the reason.
"Not only did I fail to grow stronger, I was injured for no reason at all!"
He leaned against the wall, rapidly recalling every detail of his cultivation just now.
As a master of theory, his mind was exceptionally sharp.
"Logically speaking, energy cannot simply disappear. Soul Masters absorb Soul Power, convert it within their bodies, compress it, and store it. Cosmic Origin Energy should be no exception!"
"Unless it was absorbed by something else."
"But what in my body could absorb Cosmic Origin Energy..."
At that moment, a flash of insight struck Yu Xiaogang, and he thought of a possibility he had overlooked.
"Come out, Luo Sanpao!"
Enduring the pain in his chest, he activated the meager Soul Power within him.
A pale yellow light flashed, and a creature that looked both like a pig and a dog appeared in the cramped dormitory. It was Yu Xiaogang's failed mutated Martial Soul, Luo Sanpao.
The moment Luo Sanpao appeared, it fell onto the ground with its limbs in the air and let out a weak wail.
Visible to the naked eye, faint motes of Soul Power continuously drifted from Luo Sanpao's nose and mouth. It had clearly suffered grievous injuries.
Yu Xiaogang froze at the sight.
"So that was it..."
He muttered to himself, his voice filled with profound despair.
"The Cosmic Origin Energy I absorbed never remained in my body. It was all absorbed by Luo Sanpao!"
Cosmic Origin Energy was extremely violent.
Luo Sanpao, this mutated crippled Martial Soul, simply could not withstand the onslaught of such energy. That was why it had emerged severely injured the moment it was summoned.
"Luo Sanpao and I are one."
"Even though I did not summon it just now, it was hidden within my body and would still be harmed. And its injuries would be transferred to me without the slightest change!"
Yu Xiaogang collapsed weakly onto the bed, clutching his head in agony with both hands.
He had thought the Five-Heart-to-Sky Cultivation Method was a great path that could bypass the limitations of Martial Souls and allow him to grow stronger.
But this cruel result told him that it was precisely because of his unique mutated Martial Soul that even this new path had been completely blocked off.
He simply could not cultivate Genetic Origin Energy!
"No! How could this be?!"
In the silent room, Yu Xiaogang let out an unwilling growl.
However, Yu Xiaogang had endured countless hardships during the first half of his life and had long forged an unyielding will. After a brief bout of panic and despair, he took several deep breaths and forcibly calmed himself.
Then his mind began racing, deducing every possible explanation.
"Could it be because of the unique nature of an Externalized Martial Soul?"
Yu Xiaogang stared at the weakened Luo Sanpao on the floor, his brows tightly furrowed.
"A Martial Soul and the human body originate from the same source. Since my Martial Soul exists outside my body, when I have not summoned it, it exists within me. Does that mean the Cosmic Origin Energy I absorb automatically goes to strengthen this Externalized Martial Soul?"
"Does everyone with an Externalized Martial Soul transfer their energy to their Martial Soul when cultivating Five Hearts Toward Heaven?"
Yu Xiaogang did not dare to be certain.
There was only one sample at present. Even as a master of theoretical research, he could not determine whether this was an exceptional case unique to him or a shared flaw of all Externalized Martial Souls across Douluo Continent.
"I need more examples!"
"As long as I can identify the pattern and find the reason behind the energy transfer, I may not be unable to solve this problem!"
"As long as I solve this problem, I can still cultivate!"
"After finally gaining this tiny bit of hope, I absolutely cannot resign myself to fate like this!"
Spirit City, Pope Palace.
Bibi Dong abruptly rose from the Pope's throne, unprecedented brilliance erupting from her beautiful eyes.
All of her attention was focused on the black-haired young man and the flying knife gleaming with silver light.
"That was... materialized control through spiritual power?"
Bibi Dong's voice trembled, and she was still somewhat uncertain.
On Douluo Continent, spiritual power was normally only used for detection or creating illusions. Only a very small number of Soul Masters with spiritual-type Martial Souls could launch spiritual attacks.
Yet a method like this, directly using spiritual power to manipulate objects from afar and control weapons to kill, was unheard of!
Douluo Continent also had methods for cultivating spiritual power.
They existed to strengthen spiritual power so one could bear Soul Rings of greater age. Naturally, as Soul Masters increased their Soul Power and the number of Soul Rings they could bear, their spiritual power would also rise accordingly.
The spiritual power of high-level Soul Masters far surpassed that of low-level Soul Masters.
But even with her current cultivation of ninety-nine levels of Soul Power, she could not use spiritual power to control objects and kill people from afar!
"A method of using spiritual power to kill invisibly from a distance without relying on Soul Ring skills..."
Bibi Dong immediately realized the terrifying value of such a method on the battlefield.
If the Soul Masters of Spirit Hall could master this method of long-range attack, even low-level Soul Masters could become terrifying killing machines on the battlefield!
This was a method that could completely reshape the existing balance of war!
"Pass down my order. If anyone from Spirit Hall is among the next group chosen by the Sky Screen, they must seek out this method of using spiritual power to manipulate objects at any cost!"
Meanwhile, in the imperial court of the Star Luo Empire.
Dai Tianfeng's eyes were equally filled with fervor.
"Spirit Masters... that world calls people like them Spirit Masters!"
He had just heard that title from the shocked cries of the squad members on the Sky Screen.
"If my Star Luo Empire can produce Spirit Masters in batches and form an army, what would those heavily armored knights of the Heaven Dou Empire amount to?"
"And what would Spirit Hall's Soul Master legions amount to?"
"They would all fall before the Spirit Master forces of my Star Luo Empire!"
"Even if they cannot be cultivated on a large scale to form an army, they can still be trained in smaller numbers for assassinations, decapitation operations, scouting... their uses are endless!"
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