Xu Yuan felt as though he had gained profound insight into many of the bottlenecks he had previously faced.
"The advancement in my spear techniques, the transition of the dreamscape from illusion to reality, and the progress in the Seven Forbidden Techniques—perhaps all of these were influenced by this factor," Xu Yuan thought to himself.
Following the Light Dragon King's advice, it wasn't that time acceleration was impossible—it was just that excessive acceleration within the illusory dreamscape would distort fundamental laws, causing deviations in cultivation related to comprehension.
"From now on, except for organizing materials and studying, I'll use a tenfold time flow difference," Xu Yuan silently adjusted his habits.
Seeing Xu Yuan's reflective demeanor, the Light Dragon King knew his reminder had been effective.
"As for the Dragon Valley, you have the dragon soul imprint infused with the Dragon God's power. You can tap into the valley's strength at any time and sense its location. The nine of us working together can directly summon the dragon souls from within the valley, without needing to enter it each time to bring them out."
Xu Yuan nodded.
That was reassuring.
"By the way, you're probably interested in the Five Elements Qilin bloodline at the bottom of the lake, right?"
Xu Yuan looked at the Light Dragon King.
He hadn't restricted the nine Dragon Kings' perception—they could still sense the outside world.
Of course, if there were private matters, he could always seal off the dreamscape to prevent them from prying.
"The Five Elements Qilin's bloodline is impure but very strong," the Light Dragon King commented. "His Qilin bloodline seems to be a mutation. It's somewhat mixed and not the purest Qilin bloodline, but due to the mutation, its strength is exceptionally high, and its integration with the five elements is perfect."
Xu Yuan nodded.
The Light Dragon King's evaluation was fair and insightful.
"You're probably not interested in his Qilin bloodline itself but rather in his mastery of the five elements, right?"
Xu Yuan nodded again.
"And you're likely planning to use his bloodline to create another spirit soul to compensate for the origin of your first soul ring for that martial soul, correct?"
Xu Yuan nodded once more.
"In fact, I don't recommend doing that."
The Light Dragon King's words immediately caught Xu Yuan's attention.
With curiosity, Xu Yuan looked at the Light Dragon King, waiting for him to elaborate.
"Your cultivation is quite complex. Although I can see that your path is actually well-organized—with blood essence, energy, and spirit progressing simultaneously—the complexity remains real. It's not the order of your cultivation that's messy, but rather the overlap between different aspects of your training."
Xu Yuan adopted an eager expression, listening attentively to the Light Dragon King's advice.
"Your brain martial soul is actually cultivated best—it's the purest, focusing on spirit and star attributes, and it's developed very solidly. However, your other two martial souls, the Heavenly Origin Five Elements Spear and the Heavenly Origin Brush, are somewhat chaotic."
This was due to the fact that Xu Yuan's two martial souls had originally been one.
Both martial souls had received their first soul rings from the same source, so they both possessed control over the five elements. Both focused on cultivating the five elements, albeit in different directions.
"So, Your Majesty, do you think I should purify the direction of my martial soul cultivation, assigning the five elements to a single martial soul for specific development?"
The Light Dragon King shook his head.
"No."
Xu Yuan looked surprised.
"You've overly separated the two martial souls, and your development of the five elements has been focused on distinguishing two directions," the Light Dragon King explained. "In the Heavenly Origin Five Elements Spear, you've integrated the five elements into your spear techniques, primarily emphasizing the yang aspect—extreme hardness and yang energy. As for the Heavenly Origin Brush, you've focused on manipulating elemental forces, prioritizing spiritual development, starting with yin attributes."
"Of course, your spear techniques aren't entirely devoid of softness, and the element development of the Heavenly Origin Brush also includes yang aspects of the five elements. However, because you've deliberately separated the cultivation of the two martial souls, it creates a sense of fragmentation in your development of the five elements."
During the extended period when Xu Yuan had brought the nine Dragon Kings' dragon souls into the dreamscape after the Dragon Valley, the dreamscape had been accelerating, and Xu Yuan's consciousness had been fully immersed in cultivation within it. Thus, the Light Dragon King's deep understanding of him didn't surprise Xu Yuan.
"A sense of fragmentation?"
Xu Yuan repeated the key point the Light Dragon King had mentioned.
"Precisely. Each of the five elements contains both yin and yang, and they are inseparable. Naturally, it's best to cultivate them together as much as possible."
"In fact, it's not just the five elements. Your star attribute is the same. All three of your martial souls possess star attributes, but only your brain martial soul applies them to its cultivation. The Heavenly Origin Brush and the Heavenly Origin Five Elements Spear lag far behind."
"My suggestion isn't for you to further separate the three martial souls and make their paths purer. Instead, I advise you to integrate them as one—no distinctions between them."
"The five elements can also be incorporated into your brain martial soul."
"The star attribute can be developed across all three aspects."
"Most importantly, by unifying these shared elements, you can build a bridge toward eventually merging your essence, energy, and spirit."
Xu Yuan suddenly understood the Light Dragon King's meaning.
"You must also be researching the fusion of your three martial souls, right?" the Light Dragon King asked.
Given the short amount of time, he hadn't seen Xu Yuan work on this aspect, but he could guess that Xu Yuan must have been exploring it.
"Indeed, I am researching the fusion of my three martial souls," Xu Yuan admitted honestly.
"Mm. You might as well start with what I've suggested. Shared attributes create points of compatibility, and compatibility creates opportunities for fusion."
The Light Dragon King's understanding of martial souls was profound, so Xu Yuan listened attentively.
"Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty." He sincerely thanked him.
Moments ago, he had come with the intention of "recruiting" them for labor, but now he felt a bit ashamed.
Of course, the labor still needed to happen. The shame was fleeting, but the need was enduring.
Xu Yuan couldn't possibly develop artificial spirit soul technology on his own.
---
Leaving the layer of the dreamscape where the nine Dragon Kings resided, Xu Yuan returned to his own cultivation area.
"Huan Xing."
At his call, Huan Xing quickly appeared by his side.
"The task of cultivating the five elements within the brain martial soul will be entrusted to you. You occupy three soul rings of my brain martial soul, so your understanding of the five elements will undoubtedly have a significant impact on it."
Huan Xing stared at Xu Yuan with his dead-fish eyes.
"You've already mastered the basic control of the five elemental attributes. Moving forward, you won't need to independently develop those elemental soul skills. I'll try to communicate with Tong Yu at the bottom of the lake to see if I can receive his guidance."
Huan Xing's eyes regained a hint of liveliness.
"Jue, let's also adjust the direction of your spear cultivation."
Xu Yuan called out, and a streak of spear light surged forward, landing before him.
Jue's spear tip emitted a radiant glow.
It was clear that, unlike Huan Xing, Jue was full of vitality.
When it came to growing stronger, Jue was always serious.
Xu Yuan was deeply reassured by this.
"Jue, from now on, practice your spear techniques alongside Shan He and Yao Yao. Integrate abilities like spirit, illusion, and manifestation into your spear techniques. When the time comes, with one thrust of your spear, countless mirages follow."
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