"The current Simulation Star Creation Chart only has the first level of the cultivation method, which is also the safest level."
Luo Chen had not told the truth. The Simulation Star Creation Chart in his hands actually already encompassed all three realms.
It was just that the latter two held uncertainties, so he did not dare give them to these budding flowers of Spirit Hall.
"I've summarized the contents of this first level as the 'Stargazing Meditation Method.'"
Everyone in this world had a Martial Soul. The only difference was whether they had Soul Power.
"Based on my observations, Soul Power actually possesses attributes."
This was also why Soul Power could not directly heal others the way internal arts in martial arts novels could. Each Soul Master's Soul Power seemed attributeless, but actually possessed its own characteristics.
"For instance, Yan, your Soul Power has a fire attribute."
"Nana's Soul Power naturally carries a charming effect."
"Brother Xie Yue's Soul Power is particularly sharp."
Luo Chen pointed out the characteristics of everyone's Soul Power one by one, then continued, "Depending on your Soul Power's attributes, this 'Stargazing Method' can refine the Soul Power you absorb more quickly."
The first step of the visualization method was to visualize a star while meditating.
Luo Chen categorized these stars by attribute, such as metal stars, water stars, fire stars, wood stars, earth stars, and so on. The specifics were recorded in detail in the Simulation Star Creation Diagram: Stargazing Method.
Then, the Soul Master would use their spiritual power to imagine their Martial Soul as a star.
This star (Martial Soul) could independently refine the multi-attributed Soul Power absorbed from the outside world, refining it within the Martial Soul in advance into the one or several attributes better suited for absorption by the Soul Master's meridians.
This could greatly accelerate a Soul Master's cultivation efficiency.
"Through my observations, I discovered that the fundamental reason Soul Masters can only cultivate for a certain amount of time each day lies in the endurance of the human body's meridians."
The Douluo Continent had the concept of meridians, but no notion of acupuncture points.
Moreover, its understanding of the former was crude and utterly unsystematic.
So when Luo Chen drew on the human meridians and acupuncture points of his previous life to propose that cultivation time was directly proportional to meridian endurance, the assembled Reverends and elders all looked at him as though he were a monster.
"You can think of meridians as the pipes that transport Soul Power through the human body."
Luo Chen used Soul Power to draw a simple diagram of human meridians in the air. "Our cultivation process can roughly be divided into several stages: the Martial Soul absorbs Soul Power, then sends that Soul Power into the human body, where it circulates."
Soul Power continually expanded the meridians.
The stronger the meridians, the greater the amount of Soul Power a Soul Master could hold and release instantaneously.
This entire process was the essence of "cultivation."
"However, this cultivation process causes continuous damage to the human body's meridians."
"Everyone's physical constitution is different. Likewise, their meridians' tolerance for different attributes varies."
"Take Yan and Brother Wang Sheng as examples."
Luo Chen said, "Your Soul Power's attributes lean toward fire, and your bodies are also more compatible with fire-type Soul Power."
Martial Souls did not distinguish between attributes when absorbing Soul Power.
This meant that whenever Soul Masters cultivated, they were essentially taking all sorts of attributes into their bodies indiscriminately.
"I understand."
Qian Renxue was the first to speak. "Absorbing Soul Power with attributes suited to us can reduce wear on our meridians, thereby extending the time we can spend cultivating Soul Power."
"Yes."
Luo Chen nodded. "In addition, Soul Power of the same attribute expands the meridians more gently. They recover faster, and the results are better."
A Soul Master with a fire-type Martial Soul was almost incapable of releasing water.
This meant that this Soul Master's meridians had no need to train their tolerance for water-type Soul Power.
In fact, having or lacking that tiny amount of water-type Soul Power, which was little more than an impurity, made barely any difference.
It would be better to discard it and walk the path of specialization.
It was just like mages meditating to absorb free-floating elements.
If a fire mage absorbed all four elements of earth, water, wind, and fire at once, would they not still have to slowly refine them afterward?
In that case, why not absorb only fire elements?
Soul Masters had been unable to do this before because Martial Souls themselves had no consciousness and could not refine Soul Power in advance.
Likewise, they could not rely on spiritual power to capture only the elements they wanted while cultivating. That was far too complicated.
"So I thought of a possibility."
"Since there isn't one, why not build a filter ourselves, with our own hands?"
"Through visualization, we attach spiritual power to the Martial Soul. Over time, the Martial Soul will develop extremely simple mechanical memory, turning the process of refining Soul Power into instinct."
This was precisely what Luo Chen had developed by studying Yu Xiaogang's Luo Sanpao.
It was also to complete this step that Luo Chen had racked his brains for over half a month.
And this was the most difficult part of the cultivation method's first realm.
"You can all cultivate the first stage of the Simulation Star Creation Chart without worry. It has absolutely no side effects."
This was the conclusion Luo Chen had reached using his First Soul Skill's Elemental Resonance.
Luo Chen discovered that almost every Soul Master had varying degrees of wear in their meridians, except for Bibi Dong, whom he had evolved, and Qian Daoliu and Qian Renxue, who possessed innate self-recovery abilities.
But people like them were entirely individual cases and could not serve as references.
Even Mo Lan's Martial Soul had difficulty repairing this sort of wear.
After all, it was a form of growth, like growing an extra tooth. That was not an injury to begin with.
The wear on meridians would cause all sorts of problems.
For example, uneven meridian thickness, insufficiently smooth meridian pathways, blockages in certain meridians, or overlapping meridians, and so on.
"So... so our previous cultivation had this many drawbacks."
"Yeah. Without Xiao Chen, we wouldn't have known any of this."
Yan and Xie Yue leafed through the booklets in their hands, which contained a precisely drawn diagram of human meridians.
"There's more."
Qian Renxue had actually known about this cultivation method early on, but Luo Chen had never let her try it because of safety concerns.
Since Luo Chen had brought it out today, that meant he had thoroughly verified his theory.
"Look at this part farther back."
Qian Renxue turned a page and pointed to its contents. "Some of the human body's meridians are naturally blocked. Through cultivation later in life, Soul Masters can use Soul Power to open these places and create new Soul Power channels (meridians)."
"Achieving this not only allows our Soul Power to circulate more smoothly and freely within our bodies."
"It also allows it to flow endlessly, greatly increasing the rate at which Soul Power is generated as well."
That was right. This was the greatest benefit of the Stargazing Meditation Method, the foundational section of the Simulation Star Creation Chart Luo Chen had created.
As one continued cultivating, purified, single-attribute Soul Power would strengthen the meridians and open acupuncture points and meridians.
The eventual result would be the ceaseless, self-sustaining quality contained in the Mysterious Heaven Skill.
"S-so incredible."
Yan swallowed. When he looked at Luo Chen again, he felt that Luo Chen shone brilliantly, unlike a mortal.
Compared to Luo Chen, how could they call themselves geniuses?
They were practically fools.
"Yes, one month."
Although Qian Renxue had already heard about it from her grandfather, she still marveled. "Xiao Chen, you only took one month to accomplish something countless Soul Masters on the Douluo Continent couldn't achieve in tens of thousands of years."
Compared to her, who needed to undergo God Trials just to have a chance at becoming a god...
Someone like Luo Chen was the true genius with the makings of a god.
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm!"
The little fox had long since lost the ability to speak. All she wanted now was to pounce on Luo Chen and plant several fierce kisses on his face.
"Oh, right."
Luo Chen added, "I marked each of your names on the cultivation methods I gave you. Check whether you took the wrong one."
"Names?"
Everyone hurriedly checked and found that none of them had taken the wrong one.
"I tailored your cultivation methods specifically for you. They're also the methods best suited to your cultivation."
Over the course of a month, Luo Chen had already used Elemental Control to examine everyone's physical condition and knew the circulation of their Soul Power during cultivation like the back of his hand.
"All right, give them a try when you go back tonight."
"If you encounter any problems, come explain them to me as soon as possible."
Luo Chen said seriously, "Cultivation is a major matter. You must be careful and cautious, so don't worry about troubling me."
"If there's a problem, you must come to me. Understand?"
Seeing how serious Luo Chen was, everyone felt touched.
They secretly resolved to cultivate diligently and not let Luo Chen's kindness go to waste.
"All right, that's it for today."
"Go back and rest."
Luo Chen had indeed worked hard these past few days, constantly researching the Simulation Star Creation Chart.
Just as Luo Chen had said, the Stargazing Method was only the foundation, a benefit for the disciples of Spirit Hall Academy.
It had no threshold. Everyone could cultivate it according to the characteristics of their own Martial Soul.
But the second realm Luo Chen had developed on this foundation was where the true essence lay.
At the same time, this stage would form part of Spirit Hall's future reserves, a legacy that absolutely could not be leaked.
"The Star Forging Method... I wonder how Teacher and Grandfather's cultivation is going?"
The Star Forging Method was also called the Star Core Condensation Method.
Because of this level's uncertainties, only Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu were attempting it for now.
Na'er had given Luo Chen a great deal of help when he created this second level of the cultivation method.
Na'er told Luo Chen that the Soul Power of low-level Soul Masters was gaseous, while that of powerful Soul Masters was liquid.
To break through to the Titled Douluo realm, one needed to compress liquid Soul Power so that it existed in solid form within the Soul Master's body.
However, solid Soul Power could not circulate.
That was why one needed to use the three locations in the human body where Qi vortices could condense, storing solid Soul Power inside them and using the vortices' driving force to continuously absorb and release Soul Power.
Three Qi vortices?
Luo Chen had discovered this while cultivating Soul Power. Are they between the eyebrows, at the center of the chest, and at the navel?
These three locations corresponded precisely to the upper, middle, and lower dantians.
Yes. Master, you discovered them too?
Na'er said admiringly, As expected of Master.
Uh...
Luo Chen had felt somewhat embarrassed at the time. He did not explain further, instead working hard to understand the knowledge of Soul Cores Na'er provided.
Afterward, Luo Chen added some ideas of his own based on this theory.
Three Qi vortices, forging three Star Cores.
Then, using them as hubs, he would establish resonance between them, thereby constructing a miniature diagram of stellar evolution within the human body.
When Luo Chen told Qian Daoliu and Bibi Dong this idea, both were shocked by it.
Qian Daoliu, in particular, told Luo Chen that he had condensed what Luo Chen called a Star Core.
Bibi Dong also said that when she broke through to Titled Douluo, something resembling the Star Core Luo Chen described seemed to have formed within her body.
However, that Star Core's existence was extremely vague and indistinct.
So that was it.
Luo Chen knew Na'er was right.
Soul Masters could indeed achieve qualitative and quantitative changes in their Soul Power by condensing Soul Cores.
Thus, drawing on numerous Titled Douluo, Luo Chen proposed his theory for condensing the First Star Core.
He also proposed how to use the First Soul Core as a foundation and employ resonance and sympathetic resonance to condense a Second Star Core, or even a Third Star Core.
Yes, not Soul Cores, but Star Cores.
A multiple-source Soul Power system far more sophisticated, stable, and powerful than Soul Cores.
This method is better than the Soul Core condensation method in my memories.
Na'er thought extremely highly of the Star Forging Method Luo Chen had created. With my original method, one would have to wait until breaking through to Limit Douluo at the very least before attempting to condense a Second Soul Core.
But with your method, Xiao Chen, a Super Douluo might be able to do it.
And that was only for now. As Luo Chen's understanding of Soul Power continued to improve, he felt that the minimum threshold for this cultivation method's second stage could be lowered to Soul Saint.
The only pity was that Titled Douluo like Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo had difficulty comprehending Luo Chen's theory.
They could not understand the concept of the Second Star Core at all, in particular.
The Reverends and Bibi Dong, on the other hand, had varying degrees of insight into the Second Star Core.
Bibi Dong, especially, had felt the fog suddenly lift from her mind upon hearing Luo Chen's Star Core theory.
She immediately chose to enter seclusion, preparing to attempt to condense a Second Star Core.
Luo Chen had been somewhat worried at first.
But Bibi Dong truly lived up to being the boldest woman on the Douluo Continent.
Once she made a decision, she would never let herself be bound hand and foot, shrinking back in fear.
Teacher fought her way out of Hell Road. What was there to fear in a mere cultivation method?
Besides, this time, Bibi Dong was not merely trusting Luo Chen.
She truly sensed the Soul Power vortices Luo Chen spoke of and instinctively felt that his method of forging Star Cores would be of tremendous help to her.
Bibi Dong trusted her own judgment and was therefore willing to take the gamble.
"So there's a second realm too."
"Yes."
After the group meal ended, Luo Chen and Qian Renxue headed to the Papal Palace together to train.
Luo Chen nodded. "The three cores represent three stages of a star."
"The first stage is the main-sequence star."
On the way, he began teaching Little Angel the differences between the three star cores and how to condense them.
Qian Renxue had already shed her disguise by then.
When she was alone with Luo Chen, Little Angel still wanted to show a girl's gentle, playful side.
Well, mainly because this appearance made it easier to act coy with Luo Chen.
Little Angel discovered that as long as she acted cute, Luo Chen would be helpless against her and then indulge her willful behavior.
So at certain times, Qian Renxue not only seemed nothing like an older sister.
Instead, she was an adorable little sister who needed Luo Chen to take care of her.
(End of chapter)