Chapter 229: Qian Duoduo’s Counterattack
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In the third room, Bai Feng had entered deep meditation.
He was the last among them to reach this state.
After all, he was only eight years old, and his soul power was merely at Rank 19.
Three days after entering the Sea God Pavilion, Bai Feng broke through to Rank 20. He then secluded himself there for six months, meaning that roughly two and a half years after his martial soul awakened, he finally entered his first deep meditation.
Despite reaching Rank 20, he hadn't rushed to obtain a soul ring. Since he followed Su Yu's soul spirit cultivation system, Bai Feng had already developed a profound understanding of his martial soul, achieving a deep fusion with it.
At this critical juncture—where his martial soul needed a soul ring to advance—he seized the opportunity to enter deep meditation with the assistance of the Golden Ancient Tree.
It could be said that Bai Feng had perfectly aligned with the right time, place, and circumstances.
This deep meditation was undoubtedly one of the greatest opportunities in his cultivation journey.
Second only to becoming Su Yu's disciple.
During deep meditation, Bai Feng's comprehension of his martial soul deepened, and its fusion with his being intensified.
If the fusion between a soul master and their martial soul were measured numerically—starting from zero at the beginning of cultivation and reaching one hundred at full integration—then traditionally, advancing from a Soul Scholar to a Titled Douluo only increased fusion from 0 to 9.
From Rank 91 to 94, a Titled Douluo's fusion would increase to around 20.
At Rank 95, it would reach 25.
At Rank 96, it would rise to 35.
At Rank 97, it would reach 50.
At Rank 98, it would reach 70.
At Rank 99, it would exceed 90.
Before this epiphany, Bai Feng had already raised his fusion level to 5 by cultivating Su Yu's soul spirit integration technique, Hunyuan Gong.
After five months of deep meditation, his fusion level skyrocketed to 50!
This was equivalent to the level of a Rank 97 Super Douluo!
Compared to the strongest individuals in existence today, Bai Feng's martial soul fusion was already on par with Yan Shaozhe, the Dean of the Martial Soul Department at Shrek Academy.
Such a terrifying level of martial soul fusion was only possible due to the perfect alignment of circumstances in this deep meditation.
Moreover, during his meditation, Bai Feng comprehended the true essence of Demon-Slaying Intent, which naturally led him to grasp a state akin to Harmony Between Heaven and Man.
"Teacher's hypothesis was correct—true harmony with the world can be achieved through the gradual increase of martial soul fusion."
Perhaps 50% fusion was the threshold. But the higher the fusion, the easier it was to comprehend this realm.
As a martial soul fuses with the soul master, the soul master also fuses with their martial soul, gradually developing an enhanced perception of the world's natural forces.
The deeper the fusion, the stronger the soul master's ability to sense and connect with the world.
Eventually, they reach a state where they feel completely one with the world.
Comprehending and mastering this feeling is what defines Harmony Between Heaven and Man.
"It's time for me to seek my second soul ring," Bai Feng mused.
His first soul ring came from a Heavenly Star Swordscale Dragon, nearly five hundred years old, breaking the traditional limit for a soul master's first soul ring.
For his second soul ring, Bai Feng planned to follow the soul spirit cultivation system—integrating a soul beast's bloodline power into his martial soul to condense his own soul ring.
However, he had yet to decide on his target.
Bai Feng's potential was nothing short of extraordinary.
Whether it was his stellar attribute, his innate Demon-Slaying Sword Intent, or the exceptional quality of his martial soul, any one of these traits alone would make him an elite martial soul wielder.
Yet, he possessed all three.
Under Su Yu's guidance, he had already mastered his martial soul's abilities to near perfection.
"According to Teacher, mastering one's specialty is more important than broadening one's knowledge. Even if I seek versatility, I can always supplement it through runes. In martial soul cultivation, it's best to specialize."
Recalling Su Yu's teachings, Bai Feng gradually found his answer.
"My martial soul possesses the power of the stars and the Demon-Slaying Sword Intent, but at its core, it is still a sword!"
Therefore—
As long as I strengthen my sword, enhance its power, and elevate my understanding of the blade, I will be on the right path.
Sword techniques could be learned independently, so obtaining a soul ring that purely enhanced sword skills would be unnecessary.
Instead, he should focus on supportive enhancements—
Anything that could refine the quality of his sword, amplify its stellar attributes, or deepen his Demon-Slaying Intent would be worthwhile.
Bai Feng's thoughts gradually became clear.
"Versatility or specialization? That debate has nothing to do with me."
After carefully analyzing his options, Bai Feng realized that even if he wanted to incorporate all of his strengths when selecting his soul ring, he was still following a specialized path.
"I should start by adding a soul ring that enhances my Demon-Slaying Intent, which means choosing a spirit-type soul beast with a focus on destruction."
Having already comprehended the Demon-Slaying Intent, Bai Feng could integrate it into his sword techniques.
Now, it was time to expand this advantage—to develop his own domain based on this intent.
With the support of a domain, his combat prowess would rise even further.
"Teacher also said that domains are self-created and self-comprehended, and they can be continuously refined later. The earlier they are developed, the better."
As for his stellar attribute, Bai Feng had been steadily progressing in his understanding of the "Star" rune, thanks to his martial soul's innate affinity.
"I should wait a little longer. Your teacher is still in seclusion—who knows what he's comprehending, but it's taking quite a while," Meng Hongchen said to Bai Feng.
Bai Feng's deep meditation had lasted for five full months, something that truly made Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen view him in a new light.
At this point, Bai Feng was already on Xiao Hongchen's level.
As for Su Yu…
"If his final month of meditation gets interrupted out of nowhere, that'd be frustrating."
Meng Hongchen, Xiao Hongchen, and Bai Feng were all worried for Su Yu.
Having personally experienced deep meditation, they understood its immense benefits and the significant losses that would result if it were abruptly interrupted.
However, what they didn't know was that deep meditation wasn't all that rare for Su Yu.
For him, the most critical factor in cultivation wasn't the meditation itself, but rather the environment.
With his level of comprehension, Su Yu would often enter deep meditation naturally. However, since his insights came quickly and typically involved only minor bottlenecks, it didn't seem much different from a soul master's normal meditation.
---
One Year Later
In the blink of an eye, it had been a full year since the five of them had begun their cultivation in the Sea God Pavilion.
Without hesitation, Yan Shaozhe arrived outside Su Yu's room and abruptly woke him from his meditation.
"Hmm? Is it already time?"
Su Yu had been so immersed in his comprehension that he had completely lost track of time.
But since the time had come, there was nothing to be done.
Given the relationship between Sun-Moon Hall and Shrek Academy, he didn't mind being interrupted at the designated time.
After all, while they had been in deep meditation, Shrek Academy had made sure not to cause any disturbances from the outside world, which was already a show of respect.
Now, Su Yu was formally invited out by the elders of the Sea God Pavilion.
Outside the pavilion, Xiao Hongchen, Meng Hongchen, and Bai Feng were already waiting.
Seeing Su Yu emerge, they breathed a sigh of relief—it seemed he hadn't suffered any negative repercussions from being awakened.
As Su Yu observed the Shrek elders, he noticed something different about their attitudes.
Although they still seemed rigid, there was an indescribable shift—as if something was missing.
After a brief moment of thought, Su Yu arrived at a conclusion.
"Has Juzi's progress been this fast?" he frowned, sensing that things were ahead of schedule.
Logically, Juzi should have delayed the war's progress slightly—that would have given her the best chance for assassination.
However, something felt off today.
"Where is Qian Duoduo?"
Su Yu suddenly realized that Qian Duoduo's presence was missing.
---
"Xiao Yu, since you're out, let's get going," Xuan Ziwen called out.
He had been waiting at Shrek Academy for quite some time, but he hadn't wasted a single moment.
Over the past year, aside from studying soul tools in theory, he had dedicated himself entirely to cultivation.
Even though the inner courtyard of Shrek Academy wasn't quite as ideal for training as the Sea God Pavilion, it was still an exceptional cultivation ground.
After one year, Xuan Ziwen's soul power had reached Rank 94!
This put him at the peak of the Rank 9 Soul Engineer level, the highest standard in the Sun-Moon Empire's history.
With a bit more time to accumulate experience, and once he equipped himself with powerful Rank 9 soul tools, he would be able to unleash power comparable to a Super Douluo.
Given Xuan Ziwen's talent, if he created a set of soul tools tailored specifically for himself, he could potentially reach the same level as Jing Hongchen—achieving the Super Douluo power equivalent to a Rank 98 pure soul master.
Of course, all of this was based on the old system.
Now, with both the soul master and soul engineer worlds undergoing transformation, future evaluation standards would be entirely centered around combat power.
After all, the emergence of battle armor had completely intertwined the paths of soul masters and soul engineers.
A simple comparison between the two systems was no longer suitable.
These changes would eventually fall under Sun-Moon Hall's jurisdiction—its role was to lead the reformation by developing new quantitative assessment methods, turning everything into measurable data.
This was precisely what Sun-Moon Hall had already been working on:
- Testing soul masters' physical attributes
- Evaluating martial soul quality
- Measuring soul ring grades
Their research had already produced instruments capable of these analyses.
---
"Qian Duoduo is studying at Sun-Moon Hall?"
Su Yu's expression became strange as he listened to Xuan Ziwen's explanation.
He felt speechless.
So, in the end, the scene from the original story, where Shrek's people went to study at Sun-Moon Hall, still happened—
But this time, things were completely different.
It was a proper, aboveboard academic exchange.
During Xuan Ziwen's time at Shrek, Qian Duoduo had interacted with him briefly.
That short exchange had left Qian Duoduo in awe of Xuan Ziwen's soul tool theories.
Even though Qian Duoduo himself had received a comprehensive inheritance, it still couldn't compare.
Because ultimately, it was a matter of system structure.
No matter how complete his knowledge was, it lacked a coherent system.
That was precisely why he decided to pursue advanced studies at Sun-Moon Hall.
Three months ago, he even initiated a Sea God Pavilion meeting, where he provided his own analysis of the current continent-wide situation.
At the same time, he also raised a critical question—
What path should Shrek Academy take in the future?
In this crucial meeting, Qian Duoduo stood his ground and argued his case with unwavering conviction, ultimately taking control of the discussion.
Yan Shaozhe was left speechless, while Xuan Zi fell into silence.
Among the elders with the highest authority, Elder Lin and Elder Song, the latter—due to his daughter being the Martial God Douluo—leaned toward supporting Qian Duoduo.
Seeing this, Elder Lin also chose not to oppose him.
And just like that, Shrek Academy's course was officially altered.
Qian Duoduo's move to Sun-Moon Hall was now a natural progression.
Of course, Shrek had to pay a price for this shift.
---
Listening to Xuan Ziwen's account, Su Yu was dumbfounded.
"So even someone as honest as Qian Duoduo, when pushed to the limit, can pull off something this big?"
Without warning, Qian Duoduo had essentially seized influence over the Sea God Pavilion, altering Shrek's policies and even managing to secure a place for himself in Sun-Moon Hall.
While facing a time of crisis, he also took this chance to enhance his own skills.
By the time the war ended and he returned safely, he would bring back refined soul tool technology and advanced battle armor theories.
At that point, he would no longer be just an elder—he would be a driving force behind Shrek's future development.
A true reversal of fate.
---
"Wait here for me."
Leaving Shrek City, Su Yu instructed his five companions to stay put, while he went to retrieve his ninth-tier stationary soul-guided cannon.
Having planned for a year-long cultivation session, he had made sure his arrangements could last that long.
Even if he had left such a high-level weapon unattended in the wild, Su Yu had no worries about its safety.
Deep in a dense forest, Su Yu waved his hand, causing heaven and earth energy to surge.
A barrier of light materialized in front of him, runes swirling across its surface, subtly linked to the power inside.
With precise control, Su Yu manipulated the surrounding energy, embedding specific patterns into the runes.
The light barrier flickered, then vanished, revealing a ninth-tier stationary soul-guided cannon in standby mode, radiating an overwhelming aura.
Surrounding the cannon was a six-pointed star formation, stabilized by six eighth-tier soul-guided pillars.
These pillars were linked together, constantly absorbing and circulating heaven and earth energy, forming complex patterns in between.
The formation wasn't just for show—
The six eighth-tier soul tools were arranged in a runic formation, interlinked and self-sustaining.
They continuously absorbed energy, allowing the barrier to maintain a Super Douluo-level defense.
Even an Extreme Douluo would struggle to break through instantly.
If breached, the system would automatically trigger the ninth-tier cannon, launching its deadly payload.
Su Yu's precautions were flawless.
One by one, he dismantled the protective layers, carefully removed the cannon shell, and stored it away in his soul tool storage.
Finally, he took the cannon itself and proceeded to collect his other strategic setups around Shrek City.
Only after securing everything did he return to the city gates.
"Let's go."
And with that, the six of them departed.
---
As they left, back in Shrek's Sea God Pavilion, Xuan Zi finally let out a deep sigh of relief.
"He's taken the ninth-tier stationary soul-guided cannon away."
"Hmm."
The reason Qian Duoduo's arguments had silenced them wasn't just because his reasoning was logical.
It was also because of the constant, looming threat of the ninth-tier cannon shell.
This era was no longer one where soul masters alone could reign supreme.
At least, not purely traditional soul masters.
If Shrek refused to reform, if they clung to the past, they would only fall further behind.
And as for the ongoing war—
If Shrek insisted on blindly throwing itself into battle, thinking it could turn the tide, they would only destroy their own future.
"Sigh… Let's do as Qian Duoduo suggested. Shrek's outer court will no longer accept new students. Gradually, we will dissolve the outer court altogether."
Shrek Academy was never meant to be a mere training ground for students looking to boost their credentials.
Nor should it be a pawn, forced to adjust itself for the sake of political agendas.
Shrek was Shrek—there was no inner court, no outer court.
Its true legacy was never about how big or prosperous it became.
Shrek's glory was in its monsters.
It only trained monsters.
(End of Chapter)