About two hours passed before Xu Jingyao finally brought his suddenly surging soul power into harmony.
There were two utterly different forces within him: the emerald green of the life divine core and the dark purple of the destruction core.
The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's vast, almost tyrannical spiritual origin had battered them somewhat out of balance. After all, that power of origin was strong enough that it was like a huge boulder suddenly crashing into two parallel rivers, sending waves splashing everywhere and nearly collapsing their banks.
Fortunately, balance was what he had emphasized most in his years of cultivation. Day and night, he had let these two forces fight in his meridians, merge, then fight and merge again, long since honing a rhythm of his own.
He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. Faint golden-purple motes of light actually drifted within it, flashing briefly in the tent's dim light before vanishing.
The soul power vortex had almost become tangible as it slowly revolved in his dantian, just one final step away from solidifying into a crystal.
Yet he did not dare take that step lightly.
Two soul cores, one of life and one of destruction, nourished and countered each other, yet had to coexist.
The slightest carelessness would end with his body exploding and his death.
His body was like a vessel. It seemed he really did need to visit the Body Sect.
Ordinary soul power might not even be able to hurt him, but this happened to be the power inside his own body.
He stood and stretched his limbs, his joints giving a series of faint cracks.
Hearing the movement outside, Shadow Douluo lifted the flap and poked half his head inside. "Pavilion Master, you're awake."
"Mm. Let's go to Shrek Academy." Xu Jingyao put his mask back on. Its golden patterns caught the morning light, making the design of a half-rotted tree and a sword look particularly cold and stern.
Once they had packed up, the two headed out along a forest trail.
The air on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest still held the dampness of dew, mingled with the fresh fragrance of grass and trees.
After roughly half an hour of walking, voices suddenly came from ahead.
Xu Jingyao paused and lightly raised his fan. Shadow Douluo immediately understood, and the two silently slipped into the shadows of the trees beside the trail.
In a small clearing ahead, three youngsters sat around a flat rock.
Bei Bei sat in the middle, gesturing with his hands. Huo Yuhao sat cross-legged opposite him, his face still somewhat pale and fresh bandages wrapped around his shoulder and arm, though he looked considerably more spirited than before.
Tang Ya sat beside Bei Bei, her chin propped in both hands as she blinked her large eyes at the two.
"Sink your breath into your dantian and keep your mind centered. The circulation route of the Mysterious Heaven Skill differs from ordinary soul power cultivation. It emphasizes an endless cycle of renewal. Your soul power must complete a circuit through your meridians; don't let it break." Bei Bei's voice was gentle and patient. As he spoke, he lightly tapped several points on Huo Yuhao's back. "Here, and here. Try to feel it."
Huo Yuhao kept his eyes closed, his brows slightly furrowed as fine beads of sweat seeped from his temples.
After a long while, he opened his eyes, a trace of delighted surprise appearing on his face. "Eldest Senior Brother, it seems... it seems I'm cultivating my soul power faster!"
"That's right." Bei Bei smiled and withdrew his hand. "The hardest part of starting the Mysterious Heaven Skill is the first circuit. Once you get that first circuit going, everything afterward is a matter of patient grinding. Your innate soul power is low, but gently nourishing the meridians is what the Mysterious Heaven Skill does best. Build it up slowly. You can't rush it."
Tang Ya clapped beside them and laughed. "My little disciple is amazing!"
Huo Yuhao scratched his head bashfully. "Thank you, Teacher. Thank you, Eldest Senior Brother."
Xu Jingyao watched the scene from the shadows, his fan half concealing his face, with little stirring in his eyes.
The Mysterious Heaven Skill, the Tang Sect's internal cultivation method, certainly counted as a decent technique on the Douluo Continent. It nourished the meridians and strengthened one's foundations, a lifeline for those with low innate soul power.
But to him, it was nothing special.
The two divine powers of life and destruction circulated within him on their own, who knew how many times more sophisticated than any Mysterious Heaven Skill.
He was just about to turn and leave when Bei Bei suddenly lowered his voice and said to Tang Ya, "Xiao Ya, I came out a little late this time because I heard from my great-great-grandfather that the Carefree Pavilion would be coming."
Xu Jingyao's fan stopped.
"The Carefree Pavilion?" Tang Ya tilted her head. "You mean the Carefree Pavilion that suddenly sprang up over the past few years, selling all sorts of novel soul tools and delicious food?"
"Yes." Bei Bei nodded, his expression growing a little more serious. "My great-great-grandfather said there's more to the Carefree Pavilion than meets the eye. Their soul tool technology is at least two or three generations ahead of the ordinary stuff on the market. And many of the ideas behind their products achieve the same marvelous results by different means as Tang Sect Hidden Weapons, only they're more... more geared toward civilian use."
He paused, seeming to weigh his words. "The Pavilion Master of the Carefree Pavilion is coming to Shrek Academy this time. My great-great-grandfather thinks this might well be an opportunity for the Tang Sect. We could cooperate with the Carefree Pavilion and combine the Tang Sect's hidden weapon technology with their soul tool technology. They have so many ingenious ideas. If those could be combined with the Tang Sect..."
Bei Bei did not finish, but his meaning was already clear.
Xu Jingyao gave a cold chuckle in the shadows.
Borrowing someone else's hen to lay their own eggs.
The Tang Sect certainly had its abacus clacking loudly.
When Tang San founded the Tang Sect back then, he had relied on memories from his previous life and his hidden weapon techniques to secure a place on the Douluo Continent. But however exquisite Tang Sect Hidden Weapons were, they were ultimately mechanical contrivances. Faced with the great tide of soul tools, they would be outclassed sooner or later. Bei Bei spoke of "combining," but what he had in mind was probably "taking."
Unfortunately, although he was curious about Tang Sect Hidden Weapons, he did not consider them particularly important.
Over the past few years, the Carefree Pavilion had rolled out soul tools for everyday life across the Sun Moon Empire. From lighting to heating, from cooking to communication, everything followed the path of mass production.
Tang San's hidden weapons-the Storm Pear Blossom Needle, the Peacock Plume, the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus-were certainly intricate, but could those things be produced in large batches? Could they enter thousands upon thousands of households?
No!
Besides, the Carefree Pavilion's soul engineers had long since reverse-engineered most of those hidden weapons' structures through defective pieces that had found their way onto the market. The core of Tang Sect Hidden Weapons was nothing more than trigger mechanism designs and poison formulas. As far as mechanisms went, the Sun Moon Empire's soul tool craftsmanship had long since left the Tang Sect several streets behind.
Xu Jingyao had not touched poisons for the time being, but all the poisons beneath heaven could not withstand the power of destruction, nor could they inflict damage faster than life force could heal it.
As for Tang San treating the Tang Sect's things as his forbidden preserve, which no one else could touch-
The corners of Xu Jingyao's mouth curled upward. He would touch them, and he would do it openly and aboveboard.
He had already had the Carefree Pavilion's soul engineers compile the finest elements of Tang Sect Hidden Weapons into manuals and incorporate them into the design blueprints for the next generation of soul tools.
They simply never mentioned it publicly. After all, saying it offered no benefit and would only leave them reeking of trouble for nothing.
"Pavilion Master?" Shadow Douluo called from behind him in an extremely low voice.
Xu Jingyao waved a hand, snapped his fan shut, and turned to walk in another direction. "Let's go. We'll go around."
Shadow Douluo asked no further questions, and the two silently took another trail around the clearing.
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