Chapter 359: The Blade and Oneself, A Choice of Instinct
"The greatest difference lies in the laws."
Before Qian Daoliu could ask further, Han Li took the initiative to explain. He was an exception, but that didn't prevent him from answering. After all, when his "obedient child" completed its full assimilation, he hadn't been idle either.
The biggest distinction between reaching Level 100 and being a peak Title Douluo lay in the perception of laws. The Divine Realm imposed restrictions on human Soul Masters of Douluo Continent, but not as harshly as it did on soul beasts. To be precise, the process began subtly at the Super Douluo level.
The requirement for Super Douluos to comprehend their Martial Souls in order to advance was, in essence, a selection mechanism. By deepening their understanding of their Martial Soul, they could begin to touch upon the laws, which served as the key to ascension. However, due to the Divine Realm's constraints and the lack of prior guidance, most failed to recognize this fact. Even those who explored their Martial Souls did so to refine their traits and combat prowess, which ironically made their path even more difficult.
This explained why Guang Ling and Qing Luan, after adopting Han Li's concept of Martial Soul Elementalization, were able to break through so quickly. The celestial herbs played a role, but more importantly, Han Li's early insights into Martial Souls had inherently touched upon the laws, embodying a correct approach to cultivation.
It was only after reaching Spirit Sage and mastering the Ice and Fire origin that Han Li fully realized this truth an undeniable testament to the power of fate and destiny.
Qian Daoliu, deep in thought, nodded slowly. Thanks to Han Li's influence, he had already begun actively training in this direction, and it was not difficult to grasp. According to Han Li, even Qian Daoliu himself had a chance of reaching Level 100 through sheer effort.
Seeing that his mentor was lost in contemplation, Han Li did not disturb him. In his opinion, figures like Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi, who had served as High Priests, had a much faster path to comprehending the laws once they overcame their mental barriers.
They had both encountered and borrowed divine power before, giving them a deeper understanding than others. In fact, Bo Saixi had the greatest advantage of all.
Qian Daoliu was somewhat rigid in his thinking. His faith and devotion to the Angelic Martial Soul had shaped his understanding, making him lean toward justice and judgment. To him, divinity was synonymous with sacred light and righteousness.
But to put it bluntly, the Law of Judgment fell under the domain of the Asura God. "Justice" was merely a principle of conduct, not a fundamental law.
And for those new to the laws, concepts like judgment deeply tied to emotions and divine authority were far more difficult to grasp than elemental laws.
Bo Saixi, on the other hand, had been influenced by Poseidon, who specialized in the Laws of Water and Light.
But now? She had lost her opportunity.
"This armor is beautiful. I love this color," Ye LingLing's eyes sparkled as she admired Han Li's divine armor, reaching out to touch various parts of it.
Han Li's lips twitched as he removed the visor and handed it to her, letting her examine it to her heart's content.
In essence, divine armor was merely a manifestation of one's soul bones, refined and fused with their abilities, greatly enhancing defense. Its strength depended on the quality of the soul bones themselves.
Han Li's divine armor was not yet complete. He had only just condensed its initial form, infused with divine power. It had yet to receive the final enhancements from his divine position and the long term nourishment of faith. For now, it remained a semi finished product.
It was important to note that not all gods possessed divine armor or artifacts.
Divine armor was relatively common; if external conditions were favorable, its enhancement was modest. But divine artifacts? Their power varied tremendously.
And this was where high tier Tool Martial Souls had a massive advantage. They provided a perfect, evolving divine artifact that naturally harmonized with their users. Given enough time, they could be nurtured into formidable weapons.
For Beast Martial Soul users, however, things were different high grade divine materials weren't so easily obtained.
As for Poseidon… well, Han Li found it difficult to judge. Perhaps the god had outgrown his weapon, rendering it obsolete.
Whatever the case, before Han Li could even make a request, Poseidon had already severed his connection with the Sea God's Trident.
His divine artifact was gone. Unlike the original story where Tang San merely borrowed it during his inheritance, Poseidon had voluntarily discarded it. Naturally, this meant it had temporarily lost its growth potential and would only regain its power when Ye LingLing reestablished her bond with it.
But given Poseidon's previous willingness to leave his weapon behind in the mortal realm, he clearly didn't value it much. Han Li only hoped he wouldn't regret that decision later.
"I wonder what color my divine armor will be in the future," Ye LingLing mused, intrigued.
Han Li had already explained the process of forming divine armor on their journey, so her anticipation was understandable.
"Probably blue and pink, with hints of green and starlight embellishments."
Retrieving his visor from her hands, Han Li dismissed his armor and smiled.
This was his best guess based on her divine power attributes water, light, life, and starlight. Given her inheritance and Martial Soul characteristics, the final result wouldn't be far from this prediction.
"If that's the case, that would be wonderful," Ye LingLing replied with a pleased expression.
With everything settled, Han Li noticed that Qian Daoliu seemed to have gained some insight from his words. The surrounding law energy grew denser, so Han Li chose not to disturb him. Mimicking the spatial construction technique Gu Yue had once demonstrated for him, he created a small personal space and stored the corpse of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King inside.
Qian Daoliu soon emerged from his deep thought, visibly enlightened. Without hesitation, the three decided to return to the island.
On the way back, their mount, Xiao Bai, remained silent, lacking the excitement it had on the journey here. Witnessing Han Li slaughter the Deep Sea Demon Whale King as effortlessly as cutting vegetables, followed by his breakthrough, had left it in even greater fear.
They detoured around the Devil Orca territory, allowing Xiao Bai to tow the frozen corpse of the Devil Orca King. After another hour of swift travel, they finally arrived back at Sea God Island.
As soon as Qian Daoliu landed, he chose to leave alone, stating that he needed to digest his newfound insights.
Xiao Bai, meanwhile, dragged the Devil Orca King's corpse back to its clan.
As for Ye LingLing, she headed straight to the Sea God Temple at the mountain peak. Since her connection with the divine weapon had been severed, the only way she could now receive rewards was through the Sea God's statue.
Han Li was more than happy with this arrangement. Bidding farewell to everyone, he returned to his own room.
He needed a deeper discussion with the Plane's Will.
Re entering his spiritual space, Han Li observed everything happening across Douluo Star from a bird's eye view, an almost dreamlike experience.
As he casually took in the scenery, the Plane's Will enthusiastically explained the full extent of his control, now that it had been fully integrated. It was quite amusing.
Now, with a single thought, he could move mountains or overturn seas. Though this power was still limited to Douluo Star, it already surpassed the concept of deities in this world.
Having conversed with both Gu Yue and Poseidon, Han Li was well aware that other Plane Lords were nothing like him.
If they were merely system administrators maintaining the Divine Realm's rules, then in relation to Douluo Star, Han Li was a literal creator god.
He had even tested this. If he wished, he could manipulate the very laws of life within the plane and, by combining them with other laws, create a human being out of thin air.
Of course, the energy cost would be immense. Even if he exhausted all his divine power, it wouldn't be enough. He would still need to drain Douluo Star's existing energy, making it highly inefficient.
If it were something simpler, like lifeless plants, however, it was easy. Just moments ago, he had created a Blue Silver Grass and placed it in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
"Father, you could actually fuse your Divine Core with Douluo Star. This would allow the entire planet to assist in refining your divine power, reducing your reliance on faith energy and converted celestial energy while also enhancing the planet's energy levels."
As Han Li absentmindedly tapped his leg, the Plane's Will, which had been circling him tirelessly, seemed to have grown weary and landed on his shoulder, offering its advice.
"Hmm."
Han Li nodded. This was already one of his planned steps. More precisely, he was currently considering how to implement it subtly, ensuring the pace of progress was carefully controlled.
At present, most of the beings on the planet were continuously providing him with faith energy. And since it was being spread through cultivation techniques, his presence was deeply ingrained, making the efficiency far superior to that of the Angel God or Poseidon.
As a result, his spiritual strength and divine consciousness were improving at an exponential rate. However, even after absorbing the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's essence, his total divine power still lagged behind the celestial kings ruling high above.
Fortunately, due to the difference in time flow and the fact that those gods had been stuck in their realms for ages, catching up to them wasn't entirely out of reach.
A planet that constantly drew energy from the universe would always surpass the progress of gods who painstakingly cultivated on their own.
This was the energy conversion efficiency of an entire plane, equivalent to the Divine Realm's method of absorbing energy from the universe. Though Douluo Star might not yet rival the Divine Realm, it was far beyond the capabilities of any individual.
Han Li's advancement would inevitably trigger the evolution of Douluo Star, making an increase in energy density only natural. What he needed to do now was coordinate his own speed with the progression of divine trials, ensuring a balanced transformation rate.
His goal was to determine the shortest timeframe within his acceptable limits.
Moreover, once he left Sea God Island to deliver portions of the Deep Sea Demon Whale King's meat to others, he would enter a period of intense training to master more laws.
Then, he would wait for Bibi Dong to ignite the opening act of this grand play.
The laws he manipulated through the Plane's Will were not equivalent to laws he had fully mastered himself Han Li was acutely aware of this distinction.
What he wanted was for the Plane's Will to serve as his support system, providing logistics and energy resources. He did not intend to use it as a mech suit to confront the Divine Realm.
These were two entirely different concepts, and Han Li's belief was clear:
Between wielding the blade and becoming the blade itself he would always choose himself.
This was instinct.
(End of Chapter)
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