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"Really?" Xie Xie exclaimed excitedly.
So, there was a chance?
However, Xu Yuan's statement about the possibility of success only at the Soul Sage or even Title Douluo stage made his heart sink.
Even being in Shrek Academy didn't guarantee that he could become a Title Douluo.
The title of Title Douluo still carried significant weight.
Xie Xie wanted to fuse his martial souls to gain an advantage in the early stages, not to compensate for their shortcomings in the later stages. This revelation drained much of his motivation.
But Xu Yuan had also mentioned that the key lay in inducement.
"The characteristics of your two daggers are quite obvious—they both have dragon bloodlines, which is a common trait. Additionally, the daggers themselves have metallic soul spirits. So the factors for inducement are already clear."
He could either choose to awaken the dragon bloodline or enhance the daggers themselves by focusing on the metallic soul spirit.
"Both approaches have their pros and cons. It's up to you to decide," Xu Yuan said indifferently.
Whether it was more suitable for Xie Xie to awaken the dragon bloodline or continue strengthening the daggers as they were, Xu Yuan couldn't say for sure.
"Class Monitor, I understand. Thank you so much." Xie Xie bowed deeply and then left.
Watching Xie Xie leave, Xu Yuan didn't have any particular thoughts.
They had only exchanged a few casual words.
For Xu Yuan, he hadn't made any effort, and Xie Xie hadn't gained anything substantial.
But Xu Yuan had earned Xie Xie's gratitude.
This was the kindness of pointing someone in the right direction.
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Work-study Dormitory
"Wulin, I just spoke with the Class Monitor and asked him about my martial soul issue."
"That's great! What did the Class Monitor say? Is there a way to fuse your martial souls?" Tang Wulin asked curiously.
"Yes."
Xie Xie sighed and briefly recounted what Xu Yuan had said.
"Dragon bloodline? Metallic soul spirit?" Tang Wulin frowned.
With the former, he could help.
But after looking at Xie Xie's expression, he already understood that his friend had another idea in mind.
"Wulin, I've decided not to pursue the dragon bloodline path," Xie Xie sighed.
"I can feel that your bloodline power is very strong, and it's even inducing mutations in the bloodlines within my two martial souls. Over time, perhaps I could meet the requirements for awakening the dragon bloodline that the Class Monitor mentioned—fusing and mutating my two martial souls into a dragon form that carries light and shadow properties."
Xie Xie's gaze was resolute as he looked at Tang Wulin. "But, Wulin, I want to take a different path."
"Mm, I understand," Tang Wulin nodded.
In formal battles, whenever he unleashed the power of the Golden Dragon King's bloodline once, Xie Xie would be greatly affected.
This influence hadn't weakened with Xie Xie's cultivation, nor had it diminished due to adaptation. Instead, over time, the impact remained extremely intense.
This meant that the part of Xie Xie's martial soul influenced by his bloodline power was gradually making Xie Xie subordinate to him in terms of bloodline.
To be honest, Tang Wulin himself didn't like this kind of relationship.
Xie Xie was his companion, and he had no intention of viewing him as a subordinate.
If Xie Xie chose another path, he supported it.
"Wulin, do you know why?" Xie Xie sat on the edge of the bed, his gaze distant as if recalling something.
He continued speaking on his own. "It's not because I'm afraid of being suppressed by your bloodline, nor is it because I reject the dragon bloodline awakening out of fear."
"It's just... Wulin, I suddenly realized that Little Gold is too lonely."
"Little Gold is my first soul spirit. It has been with me until now, the longest companion I've had among my soul spirits. But because it started at the lowest point, I never nurtured a bond with it. I even treated it merely as a tool to provide soul rings."
"I was wrong."
"When I saw your Little Golden Light, watching it evolve step by step from a weak, incomplete soul spirit, I was truly shocked."
"When the Class Monitor pointed out the other path for my martial soul and mentioned my metallic soul spirit, it touched my heart."
"I want to try growing and improving together with Little Gold."
Tang Wulin was silent for a long time.
Golden Light had evolved alongside him, but if his martial soul hadn't mutated, the roles of Blue Silver Grass and Golden Light in formal battles would have been negligible.
Of course, there was no use in thinking about "what ifs."
His Blue Silver Grass had mutated during his last trip to Donghai City when he ventured into the deep sea and transformed into Blue Silver Emperor on a small island.
With a stronger foundation, the effects and utility of the soul skills granted by Golden Light finally caught up to his current strength, no longer serving as mere embellishments.
"Xie Xie, I support you!"
"Wulin, let's live separately from now on."
"This plague curse... the more I study it, the more fascinating it becomes."
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Dreamscape
Xu Yuan stared at a streak of green light before him, his eyes glowing faintly green.
This was the curse that the Plaguebringer had used to retaliate against Xu Yuan during the final assessment of the first semester of the first academic year in Tiandou City.
Xu Yuan had turned this green light from a physical form into an ethereal one and brought it into the dreamscape.
At first, studying it wasn't easy.
This plague curse was strange—it used spiritual power as a catalyst to affect the body of a soul master.
If Xu Yuan hadn't brought it into the dreamscape, the curse would have corroded his spiritual power. If he couldn't cure the "plague" affecting his spiritual power, his body would have been corrupted as well.
It would constantly hinder his cultivation.
Moreover, if the plague continued to spread and remained unresolved, Xu Yuan's life would have been in danger.
After briefly researching it and understanding its characteristics, Xu Yuan had initially discarded it in a corner of the dreamscape.
However, after learning about the essence of cultivation post-Soul King stage, he picked up the green light again.
Through the induction of spiritual power, the body undergoes mutations. What was the medium through which this occurred?
There was a connection between spiritual power, blood energy, and soul power, which served as the medium, allowing the effects to spread from the spirit to the body.
Using the existence of the green light, Xu Yuan was studying this medium. Through it, he aimed to promote his own soul power cultivation.
Through his research on the green light, Xu Yuan also began to change his perception of evil soul masters.
"The strength of evil soul masters doesn't come out of nowhere."
Did they exploit a bug in the martial soul system?
No, they must have triggered some special factors.
Take the Plaguebringer, for example. His plague power was linked to essence, energy, and spirit, and may even have activated certain properties related to the external world. By spreading the plague and killing more people with it, he could receive feedback from heaven and earth.
Evil though it was, the underlying principles were tempting.
Xu Yuan licked his lips.
The Plaguebringer was just a minor pawn among evil soul masters.
There were countless evil soul masters far more powerful than the Plaguebringer.
Images of bizarre evil soul masters flashed through Xu Yuan's mind—their abilities, their grotesque aspects—and he couldn't help but ponder which forbidden doors they had opened.
"I really want to capture all these evil soul masters for research."
"Hehehe, evil soul masters... they're a treasure trove!"
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