Chapter 69:New Ideas

"Essence Convergence Array… that name's actually pretty fitting," Dugu Xin muttered, scratching his chin as he stared at the glowing formation still lingering faintly on the dorm floor. "But how did you even come up with this thing?"

Chen Junting smiled faintly, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead. "Inspiration came after I studied the core soul guidance arrays. I just... connected some principles and worked out my own method." His answer was vague, deliberately skipping over the topic of magical runes. Some secrets needed to stay buried.

He pointed at several complex nodes in the formation—spots where soul lines crossed or pooled. They were the key to its operation, the places that made the whole thing tick.

Dugu Xin squinted at them, then waved dismissively. "Nope. Still don't get it."

Chen Junting chuckled. "Then just keep it a secret for now. I'll need to talk to the sect master and my teacher back home before spreading this knowledge further."

The morning sun spilled through the window, casting warm gold light over the floor. Chen Junting sat back, feeling the soul power in his body settle and swirl.

"Rules may be fixed," he murmured to himself, "but people make the rules."

A new level shimmered faintly in his spiritual sea—Level 40.

With the breakthrough came a rush of clarity. But also… an idea.

He glanced back at the array. "Why did it collapse after three hours?"

Electrolux answered from within his consciousness, "Because your spiritual and soul power foundation isn't strong enough yet. The structure holds—but barely. You're asking it to last longer than your body can maintain."

Chen Junting frowned thoughtfully. "Then… what if we engraved the formation onto a physical object? Like soul engineers do with components?"

He didn't have long to dwell on the idea. A groggy Dugu Xin rolled over and mumbled from his bed, "Did you seriously stay up all night again?"

"Had to," Chen Junting replied. "I wanted to test how long the array could hold. Turns out, not very."

He moved to pour some water, casually adding, "By the way, didn't Yuhao hit Level 20 over a month ago? Why hasn't the academy approved his soul ring application yet?"

Dugu Xin sat up, rubbing his temples. "Because there weren't enough applicants. They're waiting until more core disciples qualify before organizing the trip. Saves time and effort."

"Fair," Chen Junting nodded. "Still… if he's stuck too long, he might hit a wall."

After breakfast, Chen Junting strolled to class—but as soon as he walked in, he felt a familiar wave of pressure behind him. Turning, he sensed it clearly: Wu Feng.

She had broken through.

"You hit Level 30?" he asked.

Wu Feng smirked smugly, puffing her chest. "Of course! I'm not losing to anyone. The academy reward helped."

She paused, noticing something odd in Chen Junting's tone.

"Wait—you too?"

Chen Junting raised a brow. "I had some help."

She froze, hand still in midair, her eyes wide.

"…You're serious."

Chen Junting just smiled.

He stepped past her and took his seat, pulling out a blank sheet. With steady hands, he began sketching a new version of the formation—only this time, he envisioned it etched onto a durable surface, like the internal matrix of a soul tool.

Electrolux's voice echoed gently. "The path you're thinking of… that's correct. With your current strength, drawing on-the-spot formations isn't viable in battle. But pre-forged ones? That's possible."

Chen Junting nodded. "We'll need tests. And good material."

That night, he infused the newly revised Essence Convergence Array onto a mimicry soul guide surface, watching the glow settle deep into the metal lines. A perfect synergy.

Tomorrow, he would speak with Fan Yu in the Soul Guidance Department.

But for now, with a new idea born and Level 40 achieved, Chen Junting sat quietly beneath the stars.

Sometimes, the right idea is worth more than any soul ring.

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(End of Chapter)

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