Enlightenment, Longing, Spirit Pagoda

Xu Yue looked at the martial souls in his palm that represented the Authorities of two Herrschers and fell into deep thought.

Logically, he should have been happy to obtain power capable of overturning the world, or even the universe.

But was it really that simple?

As he pondered, he got up from the bed.

Sitting cross-legged, he followed the meditation method Mu Xi had taught him during the day and closed his eyes to focus.

In an instant, Xu Yue's mind sank deeply into the vast power of the two Herrscher Authorities, unable to pull himself free.

At the same time, an inexplicable ripple of consciousness descended soundlessly.

A moment later, Xu Yue abruptly opened his eyes.

"So that's how it is!"

In theory, like the protagonists of those old novels, he should first have gone through a period of being mocked by everyone before rising against the odds and proving them all wrong.

The reason for that was that the two Herrscher Authorities were simply far too high-level.

When he awakened his martial soul, he should have been like Yu Xiaogang twenty thousand years ago. Due to insufficient energy reserves, his Golden Holy Dragon martial soul would have been unable to complete its evolution and would have devolved into Luo Sanpao.

Likewise, because his Sun martial soul could not fully evolve into Eden's Star, it could only become a dead star and gradually transform as its energy was slowly replenished.

However, Tang Hao's reckless attack within the Origin Space had caused his and A Yin's divine bodies to be captured by the miniature black hole formed from the Authority of Earth. They had only escaped with their lives by detonating their origins.

Part of the divine body origins of those two god-level powerhouses had supplied the energy needed for his awakening, allowing him to fully awaken the twin martial souls that represented Herrscher Authorities.

Moreover, their origins had not been entirely depleted. A trace of Tang Hao's power was stored within Eden's Star, while A Yin's life origin had become a gentle stream that continuously nourished his body and soul.

But even after awakening the two Herrscher Authorities, he could not immediately command the winds and clouds across Douluo Continent.

First of all, Douluo Star—or rather, this entire cosmos—did not have an Imaginary Space to provide Herrschers with an endless supply of Imaginary Energy.

Therefore, unlike the Herrschers of the Honkai world, he did not possess the ability to destroy cities or even continents the moment he awakened.

Everything, whether it was the Herrscher of Earth's control over land and gravity or the Herrscher of Reason's reconstruction, required the Herrscher himself to supply the energy.

Second, the Authority of Reason was not an immediately combat-oriented power.

Before he truly mastered the Authority of Reason—or rather, truth itself—he could not directly reconstruct weapons through imagination alone.

He still needed a process of understanding and creation.

Put simply, he needed to study—study battle armor, study mechs, study every kind of knowledge that could strengthen him.

The Authority of the Herrscher of Earth was much the same.

Yet its logic differed from that of the Herrscher of Reason's Authority.

If Douluo Star were viewed as a massive corporation, then after becoming the Herrscher of Earth, Xu Yue, as a native of Douluo Star, could be regarded as the corporation's chief heir.

He could rightfully enjoy all the resources the entire corporation offered its heir.

He could move mountains, fill seas, and reshape the terrain at will.

But in reality, someone else had already taken the CEO's position in this corporation and would not allow him to use its power.

He likewise needed to grow step by step and, once he had sufficient strength, reclaim everything that was his.

During that time, the plane's consciousness would wait like a steward for the true heir, the one who should rightfully inherit the family estate, to claim it all.

"So this is the true Herrscher of Stars? With such status, the moment one descends, one becomes the heir to an entire planet."

"But unfortunately, this heir is a little too weak."

Xu Yue murmured as he looked at Eden's Star in his hand.

But he quickly shook his head and cast those thoughts aside.

"What I need to do now is cultivate properly. The higher my soul power level, the more powerful Authorities I can wield, and the better I'll be able to deal with anything."

With him as an unpredictable variable, he had no idea whether the day of the Abyss invasion would come earlier or later. But no matter what, that day was not far off.

"The Herrscher of Earth is also known as the King of Space-Time! Perhaps once I reach the Herrscher's complete form, I truly will be able to reverse time and space and bring them back."

With that thought, he closed his eyes again and truly entered meditation.

High above, countless stars glittered brightly.

Brilliant starlight shone through the glass window onto his body, as though draping him in a veil of silver.

The earth's magnetic field of Douluo Star also seemed to begin pulsating at that moment, welcoming the birth of the ruler of stars.

Feeling his cultivation speed suddenly increase dramatically, Xu Yue came to an understanding.

For the Herrscher of Earth, there was no better simulated cultivation ground than beneath a starry sky, upon the earth, and within a magnetic field.

Furthermore, with the affinity formed from the thirty percent authority over Douluo Star's plane consciousness that he had regained, his cultivation speed would undoubtedly surpass the imagination of ordinary soul masters with innately full soul power.

The next morning.

This time, Xu Yue did not wait for Mu Xi to wake him before slowly emerging from his meditative state.

His amber eyes opened, and a sharp glint flashed through them.

After an entire night of cultivation, he could feel that the soul power within him had become noticeably more abundant than when it had first awakened yesterday.

He quickly changed into fresh clothes and walked to the door.

Xu Yue's ears twitched as he sensed something. He suddenly pulled open the door.

The next moment, he saw a blonde girl outside, holding up a key as she stood there at a loss.

Her golden eyes widened, giving her a slightly adorable, dazed look.

"Big Sister Mu Xi, you came again?" Xu Yue smiled. "But you're a little late today."

"Ah!" Mu Xi suddenly snapped out of it. With Xu Yue's smiling eyes fixed on her, a blush spread across her fair cheeks.

"I... I just came to remind you. Don't forget that we're going to the Spirit Pagoda today."

After quickly finishing breakfast, Mu Chen drove Xu Yue and Mu Xi to the Spirit Pagoda.

On the way, Mu Chen looked at Xu Yue through the rearview mirror. "Xiao Yue, you have twin martial souls. Have you decided which one to cultivate first? Or do you plan to cultivate both at once?"

Because soul rings could now evolve, twin martial souls in this era were no longer what they had once been.

As long as one's spiritual power was sufficient, it was entirely possible to cultivate both martial souls simultaneously. However, doing so placed an enormous burden on the soul master himself.

Generally speaking, cultivating both at the same time was not recommended.

Hearing this, Xu Yue fell into brief thought, but he quickly made up his mind. "Uncle Mu, I plan to cultivate Eden's Star first."

After all, the limitations of the Authority of Reason were still quite substantial. Before he came into contact with auxiliary professions, it would be difficult for it to form effective combat power.

In that respect, it lagged far behind the Authority of Earth, that stat monster.

"Cultivating Eden's Star first?" Mu Chen nodded.

He was quite satisfied with Xu Yue's choice.