He didn't dwell long on whether he had the makings of a Dark Soul Master kingpin.
Chu Chengzhou opened his skill panel.
"Huh?"
He stared at the Nine Breath Qi Absorption technique—now glowing in full color—freed from the third AFK slot and displayed in the active skills section.
His gaze drifted to another skill, also colored—but dimmed, faded, almost lifeless: Elemental Fusion.
'Wait… did I… invent a Supreme Divine Technique myself back then?'
A wave of stunned disbelief washed over him.
Did I really have this much talent?
Was I more than just a little cheat-user named Little Chu?
He paused, lost in self-congratulatory thought.
And then—he understood.
When he first created Elemental Fusion, his original vision had been to fuse all eleven fundamental elements.
And if such a fusion could be perfected… wouldn't that deserve the title of Supreme Divine?
But because the technique was incomplete—fragmented, unfinished—that's why it appeared dimmed on his panel?
The system: You dream the idea. I handle the execution.
Then came the question:
If the system could upgrade a Gold-Tier technique into a colored Supreme Divine Technique…
Why couldn't it complete a Supreme Divine Technique that was already colored—just faded?
Was his system's current version capable of upgrading golden to colored… but not repairing a broken colored technique?
He shook his head, dismissing the thought.
No point overthinking it now.
He dragged the Soaring Divine Light technique into the newly freed AFK slot.
Roads appear where there are no paths. He'd know the truth when he reached Titled Douluo.
He glanced down at the bowl in his hand—only a few spoonfuls of whale brain taken.
He hesitated… then sealed it away.
I've got the Absorption Technique now.
I have Nine Breath Qi Absorption—a technique that converts any energy into soul power.
Why bother eating this?
Tomorrow, I'll just absorb soul rings. Isn't that better?
As for the risk of unstable foundations or corrupted soul power from over-absorption?
This was a Supreme Divine Technique. Was it really that crude?
Besides—absorbing soul rings was like how dual-martial-soul masters boosted their levels by attaching high-year soul rings to their second soul. He wasn't gaining the soul ring's abilities or its spirit—only its pure energy.
And with Absolute Control and Soul Cores in hand? He had zero concern about instability or impurity.
He looked up at the night sky.
Then left his estate.
Not to Yue Xuan.
To the Imperial Palace.
Qian Renxue had worn him out last night.
Tonight, he'd break her spirit.
He hadn't recovered yet—but she was worse.
If he didn't teach her a lesson now, she'd only come back stronger and torment him again.
For the sake of his future peace of mind—he'd endure the pain and ride into battle.
—
The next afternoon.
In the heart of the Sunset Forest, a figure descended from the sky into the small valley where the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well lay.
It was Chu Chengzhou.
He glanced at the spring—half blazing crimson, half milky white—clearly divided.
Then he raised his hand.
His True Spirit Flag martial soul manifested.
Eight soul rings blazed around him: Black, Black, Black, Red, Black, Red, Red, Red.
As the crimson fourth ring flared, a tiny, adorable golden-black bear—its size deliberately compressed—materialized before him.
"Big Bear," Chu Chengzhou ruffled its head. "Guard me, alright? Don't let anyone interrupt."
This morning, the fifth AFK slot had upgraded his fourth soul ring to a hundred-thousand-year rank.
He now had another hundred-thousand-year summoned spirit.
"Roar—"
Big Bear nodded solemnly, gave a low, cute growl.
"Tch~… Guess I'll need to find someone to teach you how to talk. A bear without culture isn't a good bear."
Chu Chengzhou muttered.
Big Bear: "..."
Ignoring his spirit, Chu Chengzhou sat cross-legged beside the spring.
Now, the real work began.
With Nine Breath Qi Absorption—capable of converting any energy into soul power—bottlenecks no longer existed.
He intended to form his remaining two Soul Cores… and do it using the Yin-Yang Complementary Method.
There were two methods for forming multiple Soul Cores:
One: Resonance.
Two: Yin-Yang Complementary.
The difference? Direction of rotation.
In Isotope Resonance, all Soul Cores rotated in the same direction.
In Yin-Yang Complementary, adjacent cores rotated in opposite directions.
Think of each Soul Core as a center point.
Resonance? It's like turning one center point into two or three.
All still compress and spin soul power—but now, the rotation isn't a single point. It becomes a circle, with the diameter formed by two or three points.
The center expands. The volume of soul power it can compress and hold? Multiplied.
That's why multiple cores vastly outperform a single one.
Yin-Yang Complementary? The opposing rotations cause the energies of adjacent cores to merge, collide, refine, and elevate.
The result? Soul force with extreme destructive power—and compressed to its absolute limit.
In short: Yin-Yang Complementary was superior to Isotope Resonance.
Chu Chengzhou suspected—even three Resonance cores might not surpass two Yin-Yang Cores.
And three Yin-Yang Cores? Unthinkable.
Of course, the greater power came with greater difficulty.
Yin-Yang Complementary was far harder to master.
But he had no doubt.
Though he was only a Soul Douluo, his soul power control and physical constitution were more than sufficient.
He could form three Yin-Yang Complementary Soul Cores.
This wasn't arrogance.
It was fact.
Soul rings didn't just grant soul skills or level progression.
They enhanced every aspect of a soul master's body.
The higher the year, the greater the enhancement.
His eight-ring configuration: four black, four red.
His body cultivation technique: Indestructible Golden Body—powerful.
His soul bones: four from fifty-thousand-year+, two from hundred-thousand-year.
His spiritual power? Equal to or surpassing a Level 95 Titled Douluo.
His soul power control? Beyond legendary.
With this foundation, forming three Yin-Yang Cores wasn't just possible—it was inevitable.
Yes.
He had once again performed the Soul Bone Swap Technique.
He'd replaced his two inherited Xingluo Royal soul bones—the one from his left thigh and the one from his torso—with the hundred-thousand-year Diamond Sea Clam torso bone and the hundred-thousand-year Golden Tortoise left leg bone he'd looted from Tang Yuehua's hunt.
Also, the strength of a Soul Core depended on the soul master's level.
Higher level = stronger core = greater pressure during integration.
Lower level = weaker core = less stress.
The lower your level, the stronger your body and spirit, and the better your control—the easier it becomes to form Soul Cores.
And if he ever found himself unable to sustain three Yin-Yang Cores?
He could simply remove and discard the third.
With his control? No problem.
But before forming his second Yin-Yang Core…
There was one thing he had to do first.
He had to remove the first neutral, attribute-less Soul Core, the one he'd already formed in his lower dantian.
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