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Du Busi was now essentially on the verge of breaking through to Level 99.
In the face of life and death, his three types of power had completely fused, which also meant that Du Busi's martial soul had merged entirely with his body. With this integration as a boost, the formation of his second soul core was no longer a bottleneck.
One could say that forming a second soul core was the key bottleneck in breaking through to Level 99. However, it wasn't strictly necessary to grasp the technique of forming the second soul core in order to achieve the breakthrough.
There's no contradiction here.
Forming a second soul core is required to progress further because, by this point, a Super Douluo's soul power has once again reached its capacity. The soul power in their body has filled every meridian with liquid soul energy, and the dantian already holds the first soul core.
At that stage, only by forming a second soul core can one further elevate their soul power and thus increase their strength.
However, if one could find a method to undergo a one-time sublimation and temporarily attain the power of an Ultimate Douluo in advance, then forming the second soul core would actually become significantly easier.
This presents an opportunity.
The formation of a second soul core requires such an opportunity—one that allows the user's soul power to rise further and simultaneously coalesce into a second core.
In Du Busi's case, he had already gained a higher level of power, which meant he had bypassed this critical step. His soul power had already improved beyond that threshold, granting him the right opportunity to form the second soul core at any time.
"With the overwhelming strength of his martial soul, and now that Du Busi has his own battle armor, he's at least at quasi-Demigod level. If he goes all out without holding back, it's not impossible for him to unleash Demigod-level power."
Therefore, having the right battle armor is still crucial for Du Busi.
To craft custom battle armor for Du Busi, the first issue to resolve is the materials—specifically, spirit-infused metals at the Heavenly Refinement level.
Thinking back, it seemed it was only about a month ago that he had enlightened Kuang Tie.
"Sigh, I thought several months had already passed... it's only been a month?"
Su Yu felt like time had been moving slowly lately.
Maybe it was just that too many things had been happening recently.
Even with a month's time—although Kuang Tie had entered a state of enlightenment thanks to Su Yu, and even went into deep meditation for an entire day—it still wasn't guaranteed that he had perfected the Heavenly Refinement technique.
But in any case, it was just a matter of asking, not really a hassle.
Su Yu pulled out a soul communicator and contacted Kuang Tie. Back then, to conveniently stay updated on forging progress, Su Yu had left him a communicator equivalent to an eighth-level soul tool. As a dignified Soul Saint, Kuang Tie was perfectly capable of using the improved version that Su Yu had given him for basic communication.
After a brief exchange, Su Yu got a general idea of the current progress with Heavenly Refinement.
Apparently, Kuang Tie had already attempted a tribulation once—but failed in the end and had almost gotten injured in the process.
"Your soul power level is still too low. At only Soul Saint level, you're powerless against a tribulation equivalent to a hundred-thousand-year soul beast. You should first visit Elder Ma and have him craft a high-grade set of battle armor for you before attempting Heavenly Refinement again."
Su Yu could only give this sensible advice.
Without sufficient strength, a blacksmith has no way of assisting their own spirit-infused metal during the tribulation, making it impossible to pass through.
Improve your technique?
That's not an option.
Spirit-infused metals inherently possess very limited intelligence. To successfully withstand a tribulation, external assistance is still essential. Otherwise, relying solely on the metal itself to survive the tribulation would require it to be forged to near-perfection before the tribulation begins. Yet ironically, the very process of forging it to that level would already be enough to attract a tribulation.
Of course, refining one's forging technique is also necessary. Perhaps one could gradually identify the threshold—controlling the forging process in such a way that the final strike breaks through that boundary, while all prior steps focus on correcting flaws and reinforcing the foundation of the spirit-infused metal. This would allow the last hammer blow to push it past the threshold while making it as perfect as possible.
However, all of this first requires a successful case to establish a benchmark for what that threshold even is.
At the early stages of exploration, it's simply unrealistic to expect the metal to survive the tribulation on its own through perfect forging alone.
After advising Kuang Tie to first raise his own strength before attempting Heavenly Refinement, Su Yu also sent a report to Elder Ma in Heaven Dou City.
At the same time, he informed Elder Ma that, if possible, when Kuang Tie attempts the Heavenly Refinement again, he should set up soul tool arrays in the surrounding area to assist both Kuang Tie and the spirit-infused metal in enduring the tribulation.
With the matter of forging technique settled, Su Yu refocused his attention.
By now, Du Busi had already absorbed enough life force. His once-exhausted blood and qi had regained a vibrant energy, and his life force surged with renewed vitality. He no longer looked like someone who had just burned everything he had to the brink of death.
"Su Yu, I truly owe you for this," Du Busi said.
There was something different in his tone—lighter, as if a burden had been lifted. He no longer seemed like the same man who once stood opposite Su Yu in tense cooperation.
That former version of Du Busi had been forced into an uneasy alliance with Su Yu, an adversary turned temporary partner. But now, he had let go of everything.
This time, having pushed himself to the limit, Du Busi had fulfilled all of his responsibilities to the original three kingdoms of the Douluo Continent. He was no longer burdened with the heavy weight of those fallen empires.
Now, he was simply the Sect Master of the Body Sect.
And the Body Sect would no longer involve itself in the power struggles of the great factions.
"It was just a matter of mutual need." Su Yu didn't see himself as having "saved" Du Busi.
It was a mutual exchange—nothing more, nothing less.
"By the way," Su Yu said, shifting topics, "you must have formed a Spiritual Soul Ring back then, right?"
He was now ready to ask about the details of that spiritual soul ring.
In truth, based on his own talent, Su Yu was fully capable of developing a method to form spiritual soul rings on his own.
After all, he had already pioneered the creation of blood-essence soul rings and even developed a new soul cultivation system that merged the qualities of blood and spirit into a new type of soul ring. He certainly had the ability to design a method for forming spiritual soul rings independently.
"At that time, it was nothing more than my willpower pushing to its absolute limit," Du Busi said with a bitter smile. "Using your soul cultivation method as a base, a chain reaction was triggered by merging blood-essence and spiritual power into the soul ring."
He hadn't truly discovered a proper method for forming a spiritual soul ring—it was simply an explosive breakthrough at his limit, which triggered a reaction that solidified his spiritual power and fused it into a soul ring in an instant.
Su Yu wasn't disappointed by the answer. In fact, it was pretty much what he had expected.
In the Douluo Continent, soul masters rarely conducted theoretical research. Even when they broke through, it wasn't after thorough preparation or deep understanding of soul theory.
"All right, I understand," Su Yu nodded, not pressing further. Instead, he moved on to the next topic. "Now that everything's settled, will you remain at Sun-Moon Hall to break through to Ultimate Douluo, or will you return to Phoenix Flame Continent?"
Du Busi didn't hesitate in the slightest. "I'll return to Phoenix Flame Continent. After this breakthrough, I need time to sort through my cultivation and prepare to reach Ultimate Douluo. At the same time, I'll discuss with the sect disciples and work toward creating a new body-based secret technique."
Su Yu's expression turned to one of surprise.
It seemed Du Busi had truly gained some insight. During that explosive moment, he had likely grasped a deeper understanding of the mysteries behind blood energy, giving him the confidence to further refine the Body Sect's secret arts centered around vitality.
Su Yu didn't stop him from leaving, but still added, "The Abyss could establish a spatial tunnel to the Douluo Continent at any time. I'll try to inform you in advance. I hope, when the time comes, you'll be able to head to the Extreme North to assist us."
"If the safety of the entire Douluo Continent is at stake, then of course the Body Sect will not stand idly by."
"Oh, one last thing, Sect Master Du," Su Yu added, "regarding mechas—if you have the time, you might consider letting your disciples learn the forging arts. If any are interested, they can seek out Kuang Tie, the Sect Master of the Ironblood Sect in Heaven Dou City."
Du Busi cupped his fists in farewell and left Sun-Moon Hall.
Whether he had taken Su Yu's suggestion about forging to heart or not, Su Yu wasn't entirely sure.
"Well, that's one matter taken care of."
Xu Tiannan's death was only the beginning.
"Hall Master, it's time for Sun-Moon Hall to prepare for a busier phase. When it comes to confronting the Abyss, relying solely on top-tier combat power won't be enough. The enemy has vast numbers—we'll need our military forces to be fully armed."
Su Yu produced a set of blueprints and continued, "This is a soul tool array I originally designed for the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Please ask the Level 8 and Level 9 soul engineers at Sun-Moon Hall to help with the fabrication of its components."
He handed over the construction diagrams of the array's foundation to Jing Hongchen.
"As for the battlefield," Su Yu continued, "the Star Luo Empire lost five Titled Douluo and over a dozen Soul Douluo. On top of that, they no longer have support from the Body Sect. One month should be enough to bring this war to a close."
A month later, the war would end, and the discussion of a new regime would begin.
Heading to the rear mountains of the imperial palace, Su Yu invited his teacher to return and take charge—stabilizing the current state of the Sun Moon Empire and overseeing the continued progress of the war effort.
Though Xu Tiannan was dead, the Sun Moon Empire had not suffered any major losses.
From this, it was easy to see the naivety of the Star Luo Empire.
Their decapitation strike had failed to impact the morale of the Sun Moon Empire's hundreds of thousands of troops. On the contrary, they had incurred their own losses, while the morale of the Sun Moon army only surged higher.
When two armies face off, what matters most isn't the emperor sitting in the rear—but the strength of the army itself, and the clashes between generals on the front lines.
"The tasks just keep piling up…"
Su Yu went over the list of missions he had yet to complete, feeling a rising pressure weigh on him.
"I'll make a trip to the Star Dou Forest to inform Di Tian about the Abyss situation—and also let the Silver Dragon King know. If I can meet her directly, maybe my Ultimate Life attribute can offer her some healing."
Su Yu wasn't entirely confident.
After all, the Silver Dragon King operated on a level far beyond his own. For her injuries to be that severe, they likely weren't something Su Yu could completely heal.
Still, alleviating her pain should be within his capabilities.
In any case, even if she couldn't recover to her peak strength, the Silver Dragon King would undoubtedly be a tremendous ally.
Let alone Ultimate Douluo…
Su Yu's expectations for her were nothing short of god-level.
"While I'm at it, I also need to consult about the details and experiences involved in the fusion of complementary yin-yang soul cores."
After visiting the Star Dou Forest, Su Yu planned to make a trip to Dragon Valley as well.
Since he had decided to develop that place into a future training ground for geniuses, he needed to ensure the facilities there were properly set up.
As for whether he could enter Dragon Valley again, Su Yu had never been worried.
He knew from the original story that Gu Yuena, Di Tian, and others had once entered the valley. That could only mean there were flaws in Dragon Valley's entry restrictions.
There was a backdoor.
And if a backdoor existed, Su Yu refused to believe he couldn't find it.
Of course, it might take time. So, to avoid unnecessary delays—and also to steer clear of any direct conflict with the Silver Dragon King—Su Yu decided to visit the Star Dou Forest first.
"I wonder if Dragon Valley holds any worthwhile opportunities…"
In his ideal scenario, Su Yu would achieve his breakthrough inside Dragon Valley and successfully condense his second soul core.
With his upcoming plans laid out, Su Yu began his final preparations.
He collected a large quantity of rare metals from Sun-Moon Hall and also consulted Kong Deming to catch up on the latest in mecha and soul tool technologies.
Three days later, Su Yu departed from Sun-Moon. However, he did not head straight for the Star Dou Forest—his first stop was Heaven Dou City.
Heaven Dou City.
Ironblood Sect.
"Brother Kuang?"
Su Yu ran into a familiar face at the Ironblood Sect.
Next to Feng Kuang were two large men—one with extremely thick arms, the other unusually long-limbed.
The three were currently in the Ironblood Sect, personally being hosted by Kuang Tie. From the looks of it, they were learning the basics of forging.
Su Yu was surprised. Du Busi really did act fast.
He had only casually mentioned it at the end of their conversation, and Du Busi had left Sun-Moon just three days before Su Yu. Yet, by the time Su Yu arrived in Heaven Dou City, Feng Kuang was already here learning the craft.
"Sect Master Kuang, I want to learn forging techniques. I hope that's not a problem?" Su Yu said, catching everyone off guard.
Kuang Tie's eyes lit up the moment he heard Su Yu wanted to learn forging.
With Su Yu's boundless creativity, if he learned forging, he could very well elevate the art to an unimaginable level.
This was the same Su Yu who had revolutionized both the soul engineer and soul master cultivation systems. If he became a forgemaster too, it might raise the ceiling of the entire profession.
"Of course, of course!"
Absolutely, yes!
Su Yu nodded, unsurprised by Kuang Tie's enthusiastic reaction.
"My basics in forging should be solid. What I mainly want to learn are your spirit-infused forging techniques and your current knowledge about Heavenly Forging."
"Got it!"
Kuang Tie had no doubts about Su Yu's foundational skills. After all, any top-tier soul engineer would have full marks in both forging and component carving. And since Su Yu was undoubtedly already a Level 9 soul engineer, his forging fundamentals couldn't possibly be weak.
While soul engineers might not specialize in forging, their standards for the tools they used were just as high as those of professional blacksmiths—if not higher.
Kuang Tie assigned a Soul Emperor-level soul master within the sect to continue instructing Feng Kuang and the others in foundational forging, while he personally taught Su Yu everything he knew about spirit forging.
Ten days later, Su Yu left Heaven Dou City—leaving behind a Kuang Tie who now questioned everything he thought he knew about life.
(End of Chapter)