The Sword Can Reach the Divine

"?"

Yu Xiaogang heard the commotion and turned to glance at Yu Yuanzhen.

Only to find that his old father seemed to have suddenly understood something, as if he had misunderstood something.

"Xiao Gang, this was indeed your father's oversight. We'll discuss it another day." Yu Yuanzhen closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and let out a long sigh.

It seemed his hope of holding a grandson in a few years could not be fulfilled.

Forget it, forget it. He would let the child do as he pleased.

So Xiao Gang did not like younger ones...

No wonder... no wonder...

"..."

Yu Xiaogang found it difficult to put into words.

Though he did not know what his old father had thought of.

It counted as good news.

Judging by his father's expression, he would at least not bring up this subject again for the next few years.

A misunderstanding was a misunderstanding. It spared him from having to keep answering and gave him some peace and quiet.

Though he had remained a virgin from his previous life until now, he truly did not understand—could love and romance really feel better than the strength gained through cultivation?

He did not think so.

Every increase in strength and every bit of accumulated foundation filled him with immense joy.

It meant his strength was greater and his foundation more solid.

His future achievements would be greater as well.

"The meat is done. Father, let's eat." Yu Xiaogang sprinkled on some seasoning, condensed his Soul Power into a knife, and elegantly sliced off small pieces to eat.

He could precisely and perfectly control every strand of Soul Power within his body.

Turning Soul Power into a knife was effortless for him.

"Why make it so refined?" Yu Yuanzhen's eye twitched.

His Soul Power attribute was lightning, but even he could not control his Soul Power as perfectly as Yu Xiaogang, forming a small knife without letting the slightest trace of aura leak out.

Even if he could do it, he would be the first one electrocuted if he used it to eat.

"I don't want to wash my hands a second time." As Yu Xiaogang ate, he chatted with his old father. "Father, whether it is you or anyone else, your control over Soul Power is far too crude."

"The first step in creating a Self-Created Soul Skill is gaining sufficiently precise control over your own Soul Power."

"Suppose a Soul Ring's Soul Skill is a switch. When you normally use a Soul Ring skill, its essence is simply injecting Soul Power into that switch as operating energy. Setting aside the Soul Skill's inherent strength and its age, its power depends on how much Soul Power you supply."

"Forgive my bluntness, but this method is far too... inefficient."

What he had actually wanted to say was something more direct and concise—training wheels.

Why were Self-Created Soul Skills so rare these days? Precisely because Soul Ring skills were too much like training wheels.

Creating a Self-Created Soul Skill required inspiration, foundation, and even more importantly, time.

Rather than spending so much time creating one, it was more practical to raise two more levels.

But if one could create Self-Created Soul Skills without falling behind in cultivation progress, it was equivalent to having one more Soul Ring slot than someone without them.

Moreover, the power of a Self-Created Soul Skill was not determined by its age.

It depended more on one's own cultivation.

"Hmm... that makes sense." Yu Yuanzhen thought it sounded reasonable. "Then should I also train this ability?"

"Of course. Even if you do not create Self-Created Soul Skills, it can still improve your combat strength and endurance."

"However, your cultivation is already too high. Starting now will be much harder than training it from the early stages."

He had also included this in Xie Yue and Hu Liena's cultivation plans.

With training time properly arranged, their cultivation would not fall behind too much.

Tired?

Did they still want to grow stronger or not? If they wanted strength, should they not work harder?

"Fine. Once we return to the sect, make me a training plan. I'll practice more in my spare time." Yu Yuanzhen truly found it difficult, difficult, difficult to raise his cultivation by even one level now.

Since he could not break through anyway, he might as well use his excess time to study other areas.

What if he suddenly had an epiphany one day? What if he broke through to Rank 96?

"Hiss!" Yu Yuanzhen suddenly slapped his forehead. "That's right! How did I forget this?!"

Yu Yuanzhen's eyes suddenly lit up as he stared intently at Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang had no idea what his old father was up to again, staring at him like that. "Father, if you have something to say, just say it. Stop startling me like this, all right? It's scary."

"Ahem..."

Yu Yuanzhen coughed lightly. "Xiao Gang, your father's cultivation has also reached a bottleneck now. Look..."

"?"

Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang helplessly slapped his forehead as well. "Father, you should have said so earlier."

"Didn't I forget?" Yu Yuanzhen defended himself somewhat sheepishly.

Why had he not thought of it before?

He was stuck at a bottleneck and did not know how to continue breaking through.

But was not the greatest authority standing right in front of him?

Who could understand these matters better than his own son, who had cultivated to Rank 99 and nearly become a god?

"You are Rank 95 now, correct?"

"Yes, that's right."

Yu Xiaogang cleared his throat. "Starting at Rank 90, why do we call Ranks 90 through 95 Titled Douluo, Ranks 95 through 98 Super Douluo, and Rank 99 Peerless Douluo?"

"Because Rank 95 is a dividing line."

"After Rank 95, merely stacking Soul Power becomes completely useless."

"What matters more is comprehending Laws, Profound Meaning, and Martial Soul Origin."

To help Yu Yuanzhen understand better, Yu Xiaogang even gave a specific example. "Father, you know Chen Xin of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, right?"

"Yes. Chen Xin is also stuck at Rank 96 and unable to advance."

Yu Yuanzhen was naturally familiar with Chen Xin.

"Why was he able to break through to Rank 96? Because he comprehended the Profound Meaning of the Sword Dao, or rather, sword intent."

"For the path of the sword, the clearest and most standard measure is whether a swordsman possesses a sword intent of his own."

"And Father, you likewise need to comprehend the origin of your own Martial Soul and comprehend Laws."

"For instance, the true meaning and Profound Meaning of lightning. As long as you can make a breakthrough in that regard, breaking through to Rank 96 will be as easy as taking something from your pocket."

Yu Xiaogang did not think this was particularly difficult. It was simply that most Titled Douluo of this era had yet to realize it.

The other Rank 99 Peerless Douluo would not possibly teach this to other Titled Douluo either.

In this era, very few people could come into contact with the threshold of Laws.

Many people did not even know what Laws were or what Laws existed.

Even some Super Douluo who had broken through Rank 95 might not understand the importance of Laws.

Yu Yuanzhen had another question. "Then why is Chen Xin stuck at Rank 96?"

"If you wish to continue breaking through, you must comprehend Laws to a deeper realm."

"Besides that, your foundation must also be solid. All the groundwork laid in the early stages is meant to pave the way for the future."

"Both aspects must meet the standard before you can continue breaking through."

"Otherwise, you will end up like Chen Xin, stuck at Rank 96 and unable to advance."

Yu Xiaogang took a sip of water. "To be honest, I do not know much about the Sword Dao, but I dare say that Chen Xin's Sword Dao has definitely not reached its limit."

"Why?" Yu Yuanzhen asked again.

"The sword can reach the divine. The limit of the Sword Dao is far beyond the realm of a Titled Douluo. The Great Dao is profound and mysterious; if you fully master any path, becoming a god will not be a problem."

"As for the specific reason Chen Xin is stuck at Rank 96, I am not Chen Xin himself, after all."

"What I said just now is merely a preliminary conjecture based on my understanding and experience."