Chapter 24: Spiritual World

That bolt of lightning was the prohibition of the Divine Realm, a rule that shackled this world.

Weapons were a significant way to bridge the gap in power levels. But to be blunt, the God Kings of the Divine Realm—who monopolized even the godly thrones—would never allow the lower realms to casually forge divine weapons.

Before the timeline of Douluo Dalu 3, specifically before the Divine Realm was swept away by the turbulent flow of time and space, it was absolutely impossible to succeed in heavenly forging using the fusion of laws in the lower realms.

But such words couldn't be said to Huo Yuqing—after all, these matters were far beyond her current level. Sharing this information would do her no good.

So Wang Rui merely answered her second question, "The forging failed."

Huo Yuqing opened her mouth, remembering the resolute woman who had pursued a dream only to be reduced to ashes beneath the heavenly lightning. A pang of sorrow welled up in her heart.

The girl wanted to comfort Wang Rui but didn't know what to say.

"But it wasn't a complete failure either," Wang Rui added with a slight grin. The golden lion's face formed something akin to a smile. He rarely showed such emotion and found Huo Yuqing's reaction amusing.

"The final bolt of tribulation lightning was terrifying, but a benevolent soul, someone who valued talent, intervened. With their help, the Tiger Queen's creation wasn't completely destroyed by the tribulation lightning." He paused briefly before continuing, "Though heavenly forging didn't succeed, and the law of destruction within the tribulation lightning failed to fuse with the metal, the soul forging did succeed. The metal gained a soul, and it did faintly acquire a trace of destructive aura… though it's not very useful."

Huo Yuqing nodded in half-understanding.

There must have been extraordinarily powerful beings present at the time. If even they couldn't handle the tribulation lightning, then who exactly was it that saved the Tiger Queen's forged weapon?

The Tiger Queen was a super soul beast with cultivation surpassing 100,000 years. Huo Yuqing knew that a 100,000-year soul beast's strength was comparable to a human Titled Douluo. And if the lightning was so powerful that even those at the Titled Douluo level couldn't counter it, then the only possibility was…

She didn't voice her conjecture.

Huo Yuqing understood that compared to such powerful beings, she was still far too weak. Besides, Wang Rui probably wouldn't give her a direct answer.

Instead, she shifted the topic to another question she was curious about: "So, what exactly is the spiritual world you mentioned?"

"The spiritual world is essentially your Sea of Consciousness, a place where your spiritual power is stored. Physically, it corresponds to the brain. However, the body and the soul don't always correlate perfectly… Well, that gets complicated." Wang Rui patiently explained what was, to him, a simple matter. "Depending on the level of spiritual power cultivation, everyone's Sea of Consciousness appears differently."

"Because of the earlier attribute connection, your consciousness is currently in my Sea of Consciousness, in the form of a mental projection."

"There's a more common way of categorizing spiritual power levels: Spirit Origin Stage, Spirit Connection Stage, Spirit Sea Stage, Spirit Abyss Stage, Spirit Domain Stage, and the legendary Divine Origin Stage… However, this isn't how humans classify it today. Modern humans still have a rather rudimentary understanding of spiritual power."

"Actually, we don't bother distinguishing it that finely in practice. Broadly speaking, spiritual power can be divided into three levels: intangible and formless, tangible but insubstantial, and tangible and substantial."

"So, what level am I at?" Huo Yuqing asked curiously, intrigued by this information about spiritual cultivation.

"You have a spiritual-type martial soul, so you were born beyond the Spirit Origin Stage and directly at the Spirit Connection Stage. At this stage, your spiritual world should be a relatively blank space, which means it's intangible and formless," Wang Rui explained. "As you continue to cultivate, your spiritual power can form visible but intangible projections outside your body. In this stage, your spiritual world will condense into a true sea of consciousness. Beyond that, you'll eventually be able to manifest spiritual power into tangible entities."

Wang Rui thought for a moment before adding, "Kind of like creating something out of nothing? In any case, at that level, your spiritual world will have actual scenery, and once your spiritual power reaches a higher level, you'll be able to control your spiritual world freely."

"Like this."

Suddenly, the trees behind the three-eyed golden lion parted, revealing a distant, beautiful lake. The black surface of the water shimmered with golden ripples. On the opposite shore was a highland crowned by a black castle with spires reaching toward the sky. Moments later, the castle sank into the ground, replaced by a pure white palace supported by stone columns. The palace quickly collapsed, its fragments swirling in the air before reassembling into a statue of the three-eyed golden lion.

If you asked Wang Rui himself, he thought that the ability to manipulate the spiritual world at will was the most meaningful aspect of tangible and substantial spiritual power—after all, intelligent beings seemed to derive great joy from redecorating their homes.

Perhaps that's why most games include a home-building feature.

If Tianmeng Iceworm were here, he would surely roll his eyes and call it showing off—after all, Wang Rui would never do something so childish under normal circumstances.

But as they say, those involved are often oblivious. Neither Wang Rui nor Huo Yuqing noticed this detail.

"Will I be able to do that too?" Huo Yuqing asked excitedly.

"Of course. You have the most promising spiritual-type martial soul. Also, with the golden essence of life I used to open your third eye, your aptitude has improved to some extent, and your spiritual world will expand accordingly. However, as for the specific functions of the third eye, you'll have to figure that out on your own."

"Then how can I find you in the future?"

"Tianmeng Iceworm will tell you. When you need a soul ring, he'll bring you to me," Wang Rui said. "I won't overly restrict your life in the human world, but when Star Dou needs you, you must come."

"I'll definitely work hard to cultivate," Huo Yuqing promised earnestly.

"Alright, since everything's settled, let's head out."

Although it seemed like a lot had happened in the spiritual world, to Tianmeng Iceworm, it looked as though Wang Rui and the human girl had merely touched foreheads for a few seconds before separating.

"Oh my, Wang Rui, that was fast! Don't worry, five seconds is already a long time. No need to feel down!" The massive caterpillar wriggled around, cheerfully teasing Wang Rui.

"…" Wang Rui felt as though an invisible force of mockery had slapped him in the face.

With a single paw, he pressed down on Tianmeng's final segment, rubbing his claws into the thick, worm-like flesh. "You're getting bold, huh? Just because you're about to become a soul ring, you think you can say anything you want now? Do you believe I won't make sure you never get to see your friend up north again?"

"I was wrong, I was wrong!" Tianmeng squealed, eyes gleaming mischievously. "I shouldn't have said you were fast, and I definitely didn't imply anything about being… short or weak—"

Thud!

With a loud stomp, Wang Rui leaped up and stomped Tianmeng's head into the soft earth he had just burrowed out of.

A faint chuckle escaped, and when Wang Rui turned to look, he saw Huo Yuqing laughing so hard she could barely stand.

"You two really have a great relationship," she said, wiping the tears from her eyes, still giggling.

"Eh, it's alright," Wang Rui muttered, rolling his eyes. He hopped down from Tianmeng's head and kicked him lightly. "Let's start the fusion. I'll stand guard for you."

"Fine, fine…" Tianmeng mumbled lazily. He turned his large head toward Huo Yuqing. "Little one, are you nervous?"

Huo Yuqing blinked, then shook her head.

"Good, then I'm not nervous either," Tianmeng said, nodding his big head. "Alright, let's begin. Don't worry, I'll go easy on you. It won't hurt too much."

"Tianmeng Iceworm!" Wang Rui snapped, clearly annoyed.

"Okay, okay, I wasn't talking about you!" Tianmeng muttered under his breath.

A set of ten golden rings on Tianmeng's jade-white body began to pulse rhythmically. They glowed with life and slowly separated from his body, floating toward Huo Yuqing. Meanwhile, Tianmeng himself started to turn translucent, his form merging into Huo Yuqing's body.

In an instant, an overwhelming wave of spiritual energy spread across a hundred-mile radius, covering every inch of the forest. The powerful mental shock caused many of the weaker creatures nearby to fall into a momentary daze.

Wang Rui's Eye of Destiny opened, glowing blood-red. He focused his gaze on the sky above, his long tail unconsciously sweeping back and forth in tension.

Suddenly, the flow of fortune in the Star Dou Forest shifted dramatically, and the surrounding atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive.

"It's coming," Wang Rui murmured.

The previously clear and cloudless sky darkened without warning. Thunder rumbled ominously, and the light of the sun was completely blocked by an unnatural darkness. A tremendous, suffocating pressure descended from above.

"What's happening?!" Tianmeng Iceworm cried out, his voice filled with fear.

"Don't panic. Keep going," Wang Rui instructed in a low voice.

From the cloudless sky, a thin, terrifying stream of gray energy descended rapidly—it was the mental imprint fragment of the Necromancer God, the Plague of the Dead, Electrolux, from the Saint Demon Continent!

To Huo Hang, this was his third martial soul and the mentor who had taught him countless lessons and guided his growth.

But to soul beasts, Electrolux represented hope. The knowledge he carried from another world was the key to creating soul spirits and perfecting the bond system.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that Wang Rui had to seize.

"I'm sorry… I'll find a way to compensate you in the future," he muttered under his breath.

Golden flames, pure yet slightly illusory, rose from Wang Rui's body. His blood-red Eye of Destiny opened fully as he channeled all the surrounding fortune energy into a small vortex, attempting to guide the gray stream of energy.

However, it didn't work. The gray stream seemed entirely unaffected by the power of fortune.

Yet somehow, the gray energy paused in midair, transforming into a small gray orb that floated quietly above.

"Such a familiar aura… Is this divine light? How can it be imbued with the grace of the gods while also carrying the power of the Fire God? And why does it seem to possess a destiny ability surpassing any Seer I've ever encountered? This is… truly fascinating…" A puzzled, ancient voice echoed from the gray orb.

Without further hesitation, the gray orb shot down like a bolt of lightning, merging directly into Wang Rui's forehead.