"How did it go?" Golden Crocodile looked at Qian Daoliu. "Was it really as that woman Bibi Dong said? Does it help your Soul Power last longer?"
Azure Luan and the other Enshrined also looked over curiously.
Qian Daoliu smiled and nodded. "On this point, Bibi Dong was telling the truth."
"The Soul Power in my body now circulates several times, even a dozen or more times, faster than before."
"I'll explain the things you need to watch out for during condensation, then stand guard beside you."
"Just focus on condensing it. If you lose control of the Soul Power in your bodies, I'll step in and help you suppress it."
He paused, his gaze settling on Golden Crocodile. "Especially you, Golden Crocodile."
"If you can successfully condense a Soul Core, you might have a chance to break through to the realm you've always wanted to reach... Peerless Douluo."
Peerless Douluo!
Those words exploded in Golden Crocodile's heart like a thunderbolt.
His pupils abruptly contracted, and even his breathing stopped for an instant.
He had been stuck at Level 98 for decades. He was older than Qian Daoliu, yet his Soul Power had always remained one level behind.
Within the Worship Hall, rank was determined not by age, but by level.
That was why he called Qian Daoliu big brother and Great Enshrined.
For decades, he had dreamed of crossing that threshold, yet had always fallen just a little short.
"R-really?" Golden Crocodile's voice was somewhat tight as he sought confirmation again.
Qian Daoliu nodded. "There's a chance."
Golden Crocodile fell silent for a moment. His clenched fists loosened slightly, and he drew a deep breath.
"All right, I'll try."
Qian Daoliu looked around at everyone. "Then let's begin."
Azure Luan and Lion exchanged a glance, then each found a place to sit cross-legged.
Yet after saying this, Qian Daoliu suddenly added something else.
"I was also thinking, since condensing a Soul Core can make Soul Power last longer..."
"Could Spiritual Power also be condensed into a Spiritual Core?"
At these words, every Enshrined present froze.
Azure Luan raised an eyebrow. "A Spiritual Core?"
Qian Daoliu said calmly, "Soul Power can be compressed into a solid state, and Spiritual Power is also a form of energy in essence."
"If the theory holds, condensing a Spiritual Core might improve the strength and recovery speed of Spiritual Power."
The Enshrined exchanged looks, the shock in their eyes even greater than before.
One could only say that Qian Daoliu truly lived up to his reputation as the seasoned Great Enshrined, actually drawing further inferences from a single example.
Golden Crocodile grinned. "Big brother is big brother, all right. Your mind works better than ours."
"Once I've condensed my Soul Core, I'll think about this Spiritual Core business."
Qian Daoliu nodded slightly. "Let's begin."
Time turned back to three days earlier.
Not long after Bibi Dong left the Pope's Palace, she reappeared at the entrance to the main hall.
She was briefly taken aback to see Gui Yuan still standing inside.
"You haven't left yet?"
Gui Yuan chuckled. "I was waiting for you to come back, Teacher."
Bibi Dong cast him a sidelong glance. "You were afraid your teacher wouldn't go to the Worship Hall, weren't you?"
Even with his thoughts laid bare, Gui Yuan was not embarrassed.
Bibi Dong sighed. "I gave Qian Daoliu the detailed method for condensing a Soul Core. With their strength, they won't have any problems."
Gui Yuan chuckled. "That's good. It would be great if this could ease relations between the Pope's Palace and the Worship Hall a little."
"Then, as the Pope, you'd be able to mobilize more elders from the Elders' Hall, Teacher."
"That could also help relieve the pressure of being short-handed."
He looked at Bibi Dong with an earnest, innocent expression, the very picture of an obedient disciple thinking of his teacher.
At his words, Bibi Dong had already been about to say, "There's no room for reconciliation between the Pope's Palace and the Worship Hall," but forcibly swallowed it back.
For she saw nothing but concern in Gui Yuan's eyes. Everything her disciple had done was for her, his teacher.
Her gaze unconsciously softened a little.
In truth, Gui Yuan was thinking: If Bibi Dong could send other elders out to do things, wouldn't my eldest dad and second dad have an easier time?
Otherwise, they'd be like nuclear-powered donkeys. That was far too exhausting.
"All right, you may go," Bibi Dong said calmly.
Gui Yuan bowed and withdrew from the Pope's Palace.
After returning, Gui Yuan continued to cultivate diligently.
As for Yue Guan and Gui Mei, they could be described as inseparable over the past few days.
This did not refer to their usual daytime activities.
After all, that seemed normal to others. Unless there were special circumstances, the two rarely acted alone.
But things were different now.
Even at night, Yue Guan and Gui Mei stayed together, right in Yue Guan's sleeping quarters.
There was no need to misunderstand. They did not stay together at night to sleep together, but because one needed to guard the other as he familiarized himself with the process of condensing a Soul Core.
Over three days of repeated attempts, the two had already figured out the intricacies of condensing a Soul Core within their bodies.
They knew what to do to keep a failure from inflicting fatal harm on their bodies.
On the evening of the third day, the two sought Bibi Dong's permission, then returned to Yue Guan's room.
They began their seclusion.
The candlelight in the room was dim, and the doors and windows were tightly shut.
Yue Guan sat on the bed, looking at Gui Mei opposite him.
His expression held less of its usual delicacy and more seriousness.
"Old Ghost, you go first. I'll guard you from the side."
As he spoke, Yue Guan reached out. Their palms met, and their fingers interlaced, locking tightly together.
For them, this sort of behavior was already commonplace.
Over those three days, they had already mastered the rhythm. If one could not suppress the compressed Soul Power while condensing a Soul Core, the other could use Martial Soul Fusion to merge his Soul Power with his partner's and suppress it together.
Gui Mei nodded. "Then I'll begin."
He closed his eyes, and the Soul Power within him began gathering toward his lower dantian.
Yue Guan held his hands in both of his own and closed his eyes to sense the flow of Soul Power inside him. Soul Power slowly revolved within Gui Mei, forming a black vortex.
Compression, condensation, then more compression.
The process was far more difficult than it had been for Qian Daoliu and Bibi Dong.
For a Quasi-Titled Douluo in the era of Douluo II, condensing an Attribute Soul Core was a relatively simple matter, but that was because "Soul Core Theory" had already been thoroughly developed.
Now, however, Yue Guan and Gui Mei were actually pioneers themselves. Even with Bibi Dong's experience to draw on, it was still difficult for them.
By late the following night, the Soul Power Cyclone within Gui Mei had solidified to its critical point. One more step would bring it into a solid state.
But just then, something unexpected happened. The cyclone abruptly expanded, and its edges began trembling violently.
An out-of-control fluctuation of Soul Power surged from within Gui Mei, like a volcano about to erupt.
Yue Guan's expression changed. "Not good!"
With no time to think further, he immediately poured his own Soul Power through their tightly clasped hands.
The Soul Power of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum surged into Gui Mei's body, intertwining with the Netherworld Power.
The Soul Power of two different attributes mingled within Gui Mei's body, then began suppressing the rampaging cyclone.
(Manhua version of Yue Guan)