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Xu Yuan, of course, wasn't naive enough to think that thoroughly studying the refinement of raw stellar energy would allow him to devour the energy of the Abyss plane.
Over the past six thousand years, there had been no soul masters in the soul master community who had walked the purest path of stellar cultivation. But could it really be said that not a single soul master had managed to refine raw stellar energy?
That was impossible.
However, even if one could refine the most primal forces, it didn't mean they could refine the energy of another plane from afar—especially a plane like the Abyss, where its essence imprint was almost completely fused with its internal energy.
The Abyss was an energy-based plane; every wisp of energy within it was part of its essence, containing its very core.
Even possessing the ability to refine the rawest stellar energy wouldn't allow one to strip away the Abyss's essence. This was the greatest dilemma facing Douluo Star in its confrontation with the Abyss.
The Abyss could devour the ambient energy of the Douluo continent, but the Douluo plane couldn't reciprocate by devouring even a shred of the Abyss's energy.
This stalemate had persisted for a full six thousand years, and the Douluo plane had already declined to its limits.
Xu Yuan estimated that, without any changes, the Douluo plane itself would soon begin to regress.
This process was likely irreversible.
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Returning to the topic at hand.
Xu Yuan slowly stepped forward, receiving a warm welcome from the second-year teacher.
"Are you looking for someone, classmate?"
"Teacher, I've enrolled in the second-year mecha operation course. Is this where the class is held?" Xu Yuan presented the proof signed by Wu Changkong, politely asking to confirm if this was indeed the classroom for mecha operation.
Xing Yu's expression turned awkward.
This was indeed the classroom, though there were only three people present.
"You're just a first-year student. You could easily wait until next semester to study mecha operation. Are you sure you want to start early?" Xing Yu frowned, looking at Xu Yuan with serious concern.
Though he was delighted to have a new student attending his lecture and welcomed a junior interested in mechas, he couldn't help but remind this junior that graduation was the priority.
Wasting time on mecha operation as a newly enrolled first-year student might truly hinder normal cultivation.
Hearing Xing Yu's question, Xu Yuan sensed the other's helplessness.
Someone comes to attend your class, and you still have to worry about whether they'll become distracted and neglect their studies?
Was this the current state of mechas in Shrek Academy?
Although mech pilots were weaker compared to battle armor masters, on the continent, mech pilots had always been a significant force. Excluding those who possessed four-word battle armor crafted from heavenly-forged metals, the overall strength of mech pilots wasn't inferior to that of battle armor masters.
Without material constraints, mech pilots would only surpass battle armor masters in power.
Though these assumptions sounded ridiculous, they were also facts.
Mechas weren't devoid of higher development potential.
"Senior, if our teacher approved this proof for me, shouldn't you trust that decision?"
Xing Yu suddenly realized this point.
"Well then, welcome to the study of mecha operation. I'm the teacher for the second-year mecha operation course and also your senior. My name is Xing Yu, and I graduated from the inner court five years ago."
Five years ago?
"To be precise, I was in the same batch as your Teacher Wu. I'm three years older than him."
Being admitted into the inner court already marked one as exceptional, ranking among the top talents across the entire continent. After all, the requirements for the inner court were exceedingly strict: becoming a battle armor master before the age of twenty-five. Such talent, in any organization, would undoubtedly receive heavy cultivation and could potentially become the pinnacle of their faction's strength.
Xing Yu's admission into the inner court clearly meant he had become a battle armor master before the age of twenty-five. Meanwhile, Wu Changkong, who entered the inner court in the same batch, was three years younger than him, meaning Wu Changkong must have become a battle armor master before the age of twenty-two.
No, perhaps even earlier.
Because Xu Yuan could feel the powerful fluctuations of soul power emanating from this senior named Xing Yu.
This level of soul power surpassed Shen Yi's and even Wu Changkong's.
"Senior, may I ask what your current soul power level is?" Xu Yuan asked curiously.
Just three years older, yet Wu Changkong, who had merely slacked off for a while, had such a large gap?
Xing Yu didn't expect Xu Yuan to ask this and had no reason to hide it.
"I just obtained my eighth soul ring—I'm an eighty-first-level Soul Douluo," he said with a smile.
Xu Yuan clicked his tongue.
A Soul Douluo, huh.
Teacher Wu, take a look, take a look. Your classmate from the same batch is already a Soul Douluo, and you've only just broken through to Soul Sage.
Though three years older, Wu Changkong had entered the inner court at the same time as this Senior Xing Yu, despite the three-year age gap. Being left behind by ten levels meant he had indeed wasted too much time in recent years, allowing the advantage he once built up to gradually diminish.
"Senior Xing Yu, I'll be learning mecha operation from you going forward."
Xu Yuan didn't address him as "teacher."
Since he was essentially auditing the class, calling him "senior" instead wouldn't put him at a disadvantage and might even help build rapport.
A Soul Douluo, a mech pilot, and, as an inner court student of Shrek Academy, undoubtedly also a battle armor master.
These three factors combined proved that this Senior Xing Yu was no ordinary person.
Walking three paths simultaneously showed his immense talent.
"I'm very happy to have a new junior interested in mechas," Xing Yu said with a bright smile.
He suddenly remembered something and asked, "Junior, your name is Xu Yuan, right? I haven't asked—what's your goal in studying mechas?"
"Of course, it's to become a mech pilot and continue researching mechas in the future to become the most elite mech pilot," Xu Yuan replied earnestly.
Xing Yu nodded repeatedly.
Yes, that's right.
He turned back to the other two students and glared at them.
The two second-year seniors were speechless, shrugging their shoulders.
There was nothing they could do—they were just here for credits and planned to use mechas as personal transportation later on.
Mechas were far more convenient than soul-guided cars. Since their families weren't short on money and could afford to equip them with mechas, they naturally thought this way.
"Junior, don't you think studying mechas will delay your normal cultivation and battle armor crafting?" Xing Yu asked.
"No. A true genius learns more and finds connections between different fields, making them mutually reinforcing. I believe this applies to both mechas and battle armor," Xu Yuan said calmly.
Battle armor had evolved from mechas, with its true technology being a simplification of mecha design. However, battle armor had existed in rudimentary form even before the development of mechas.
Ten thousand years ago, the Mingde Hall had already possessed the ability to manufacture soul-guided armor, though its amplification was limited. According to the grading system for soul-guided tools at the time, the entire set of armor was capped at Level 6.
Moreover, the soul-guided armor of that time only provided pure amplification effects, completely lacking the modern integration of battle armor with a soul master's martial soul or its true equipping onto the martial soul.
But there was no denying that the prototype of battle armor was this kind of soul-guided armor.
At the same time, it couldn't be denied that battle armor was also a simplification of mechas.
Additionally, there was another point: the initial development of mechas had also incorporated relevant technologies from soul-guided armor.
In other words, battle armor and mechas had always been intertwined in their origins and development, mutually reinforcing each other.
"Well said!" Xing Yu smiled brightly.
What a junior with high ideological awareness!
"Junior, for saying that, you can come to me with any questions about constructing your mecha!" Xing Yu declared generously.
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