Chapter 351: Xu Yuan's Inner Thoughts

Yun Ming didn't say it outright, but he gave Xu Yuan the answer.

Looking at the towering figure of the Golden Ancient Tree, Xu Yuan understood.

It wasn't that condensing a soul core in the Demon Plane would affect him.

In reality, whether he condensed his soul core in the Demon Plane or on Sea God Island, the only impact on Xu Yuan was the slight increase in difficulty during the process. Though the difference was negligible, there was still a tiny rise in difficulty.

As for the quality of the soul core and its future potential, there was no impact.

Condensing a soul core in either location affected the Golden Ancient Tree!

"Is this to further bind me to the Douluo Plane?"

Xu Yuan immediately had several guesses, the first being that this was to strengthen the bond between him and the Douluo Plane.

Similar to some theories about cultivators he'd read in his past life, practitioners essentially took energy from the world itself, creating a karmic debt with the plane.

The plane painstakingly refined external energy to strengthen itself, but when cultivators plundered that energy, a karmic relationship naturally formed.

However, Xu Yuan quickly dismissed this idea.

The Douluo World was far too low-level to have such concepts as karma.

Even if the term "karma" existed here, it was merely a concept—nothing more than an abstract idea.

"Or is it to make me give back more to the continent, allowing the continent to adapt to my contributions?"

While in the Demon Plane, Xu Yuan had already grasped the process of a plane's advancement.

A plane absorbed external energy to enhance its overall energy level. Cultivators within the plane drew upon that energy while also improving the plane's ability to absorb external energy, thus significantly accelerating the total energy growth of both the plane and its practitioners.

As long as a cultivator's energy remained within the plane upon their death, the plane effectively used the cultivator's existence to speed up its own development.

This process could aptly be called an investment.

Cultivators gave back to the plane. If Xu Yuan progressed step by step entirely within the Douluo Plane, his contributions to the plane would remain uninterrupted.

Could this amplify the stimulation to the plane when he broke through to the god level, thereby advancing the plane?

This was Xu Yuan's second guess.

But soon, he dismissed it.

After all, most quasi-gods born in the Douluo Plane likely achieved their breakthroughs entirely within the plane, even if there were rare exceptions of significant progress in small worlds.

Cao Dezhi and Chen Xinjie, for example, trained entirely within the plane and briefly broke through to the god level, yet they didn't push the plane forward.

"Or perhaps I'm special. I may not be the 'Child of Nature' or the 'Favored One,' but I am the spokesperson of the Golden Ancient Tree."

Xu Yuan felt that after two incorrect guesses, he was now close to the truth.

"Returning to Sea God Island to break through, not just returning to the Douluo Plane!"

Reiterating the conditions, Xu Yuan was now certain: this was a process of further binding himself to the Golden Ancient Tree.

Through this, his breakthrough would drive the Golden Ancient Tree's breakthrough, which in turn would elevate the plane through the tree's role as the core of the plane.

Everything was interconnected.

This was the butterfly effect!

Though his thoughts seemed complex, they flashed through his mind in an instant.

Such was the advantage of having a brain-type martial soul.

Xu Yuan turned around and found himself already pulled into Old Tree's consciousness space.

Upon entering the consciousness space again, the scene before him was indeed different.

This time, he saw a starry sky. Within the starry expanse, countless stars burned with intense light, their terrifying heat spreading as if ready to incinerate everything.

What was this?

Xu Yuan was momentarily stunned.

Was this Old Tree's consciousness space?

Previously, whenever he entered, it had been a vast white void.

Why did it change to this now?

Was this the consciousness space of a tree?

Nearby, Old Tree materialized, looking at Xu Yuan with a faint smile.

"This isn't my consciousness space—it's everyone's consciousness space."

Old Tree's simple statement carried a wealth of meaning.

Before Xu Yuan could ponder further, Old Tree continued, "I never expected that your deepest thoughts right now would revolve around the starry sky, particularly the changes in these stars."

His tone was filled with surprise.

Xu Yuan didn't deny it.

Since he was about to condense his soul core, it was natural to reference some phenomena from nature. This was called emulating nature.

It wasn't to reduce errors or mistakes but to align more closely with nature, making it easier to harness the forces of heaven and earth.

Deep within Xu Yuan's philosophy, the process most similar to condensing a soul core was indeed the birth and evolution of stars.

He also knew that under the Douluo Star's cultivation system, reaching the same energy level as a star might require far beyond Level 150.

But even if it wasn't achievable, it could still serve as a reference.

This was Xu Yuan's inner thought before condensing his soul core.

"For this breakthrough, I'll channel the abyssal energy from the other side of the passage. After purifying it with my power, I'll provide it for you to use during your breakthrough," Old Tree said with a smile.

Xu Yuan's eyes lit up.

This would be even more convenient than breaking through over there.

At the same time, he silently praised Old Tree in his heart.

"For this soul core condensation, try to prolong the process as much as possible," Old Tree instructed.

Xu Yuan nodded, taking note of this point.

"And…"

After numerous reminders, Old Tree sent Xu Yuan out of the consciousness space. Alone, Old Tree gazed at the starry sky, his eyes filled with endless emotion.

"To project the starry sky so clearly… His understanding of the cosmos, his understanding of stars, is truly profound."

At this moment, Old Tree couldn't help but acknowledge that the development of soul-guided technology had immense significance in aiding cultivation.

By using technology to analyze principles, it allowed cultivators to better comprehend the natural world.

---

Xu Yuan's consciousness returned.

Seeing that he had regained awareness, Yun Ming finally spoke: "Elder Feng is ready. For this soul forging, he will put forth his full effort. If nothing unexpected happens, this might become the best work of his forging career."

This wasn't something Elder Feng had said himself.

It was Yun Ming's judgment.

From various observations, Yun Ming could sense the subtle changes in Feng Wu Yu's spirit and demeanor.

In fact, Yun Ming himself felt a flicker of anticipation.

"Good."

Following Yun Ming, Xu Yuan left the Sea God Pavilion and arrived at a small plaza by the Sea God Lake.

By now, a large number of students had gathered around the plaza.

These were students whose secondary profession was blacksmithing.

Not only were inner court students present, but many outstanding blacksmiths from the outer court had also been notified by the association.

This time, Feng Wu Yu would demonstrate soul forging live, guiding them on their path.

Xu Yuan's arrival naturally drew a lot of attention.

Most senior students in the inner court already knew him.

Even among the outer court, his reputation was high. Though he had only spent two years in the outer court, his influence rivaled or even surpassed that of third-year students like Mo Jue.

Noticing Xu Yuan's arrival, Feng Wu Yu took a deep breath and finally prepared to begin.

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