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*****
A twenty-year-old with rank 20 Soul Power—this was not unheard of on the Sun Moon Continent. However, even in the eyes of the old man and those at the highest echelons of their society, such a person would be considered a top-tier genius of the Sun Moon Continent.
Yet, it seemed this very genius was currently acting as a receptionist?
And what did he mean by "outsiders"?
The old man's expression grew dazed. Within the Wanbao Pavilion, everyone—from the deacons and the Pavilion Master to the powerful experts surrounding Su Wen, and even the ordinary customers—had been pulled into this "Scholar's Realm" by Su Wen simultaneously.
Because of this, hundreds of people were now gathered in this space. These hundreds remained obediently still under the crushing pressure of the old man's Soul Power and spiritual might, though their faces were etched with panic. They had no idea where they were or what this place represented.
"Young friend, might I ask where we are?" The old man knew this was Su Wen's doing and intended to clarify the situation first.
On what basis did Su Wen claim the Imperial Family would agree to his cooperation? Was it based on this place? If so, it was all the more reason to investigate the circumstances of this realm thoroughly.
Lin Dong looked on with a hint of confusion, observing the old man and the crowd of Soul Masters and Soul Engineers from the Sun Moon Empire behind him. Suddenly, he seemed to receive a mental transmission, and a look of realization dawned on his face.
With a look of curiosity, Lin Dong carefully scrutinized these visitors from another continent. Truthfully, the humans of the Sun Moon Empire did not differ greatly in appearance from those of the Douluo Continent. The most striking distinction was their skin tone. The Imperial Family of the Sun Moon Empire possessed very dark skin; while not exactly as black as a lump of coal, it was a deep, brownish-black hue.
Aside from the Imperial Family, most of the other Soul Masters and Soul Engineers from the Sun Moon Empire also had darker complexions. Not a single person possessed snow-white skin.
Lin Dong did not observe them for long. Addressing the crowd, he said, "This is the Scholar's Realm. It was opened by Master Su for the Soul Masters of the world to communicate, research, and disseminate knowledge."
Although the Scholar's Realm was currently used for various purposes—including facilities like Soul Dueling Arenas—in the eyes of students like Lin Dong, its fundamental purpose was to provide a place for all Soul Masters on the continent to study and spread learning.
"The Scholar's Realm? Master Su?" The old man murmured, lost in thought.
Was the Scholar's Realm the "Sacred Ground" Su Wen had mentioned? And "Master Su"... was that how this boy addressed Su Wen? He certainly spoke with great reverence.
Master Su!
"Master Su is the teacher of all Soul Masters on the Douluo Continent. He spreads knowledge and theory, preaching that 'knowledge is power.' He established the Academy and opened the Scholar's Realm, sparking an unprecedented wave of Soul Master reform across the Douluo Continent!" Lin Dong spoke with a face full of adoration.
Seeing Lin Dong's expression, the old man felt a stir in his heart. This—this was even deeper than the worship the believers of the Sun Moon Cult held for their Holy Son. The members of the Sun Moon Cult worshipped their Holy Son primarily for his strength and status, but Lin Dong seemed to purely worship Su Wen as an individual!
Not only that, but as the old man observed his surroundings, he noticed that other people passing by also displayed looks of admiration upon hearing Lin Dong mention the name of Master Su. Their fanatical expressions were completely unconcealed.
For a moment, the old man even suspected this was some sort of illusion. If it wasn't constructed by illusionary arts, and if they hadn't been brainwashed, how could there be such fanatical followers? Was this Scholar's Realm established by Su Wen some kind of cult?
However, reflecting on what Lin Dong said about researching and spreading knowledge, the old man felt it likely wasn't a cult. He took a deep breath and continued to ask Lin Dong for more details regarding the Scholar's Realm.
The other Soul Masters and Soul Engineers from the Sun Moon Continent who had come with the old man listened obediently to Lin Dong's explanations. With the old man present, they did not dare to act out.
"No matter where you are, as long as you trigger the Soul Mark, you can enter the Scholar's Realm!"
"The Scholar's Realm connects the entire continent and has even spread into the depths of the ocean, with many Sea Soul Masters joining us."
"The Academy... the theory of absorbing Soul Rings beyond one's level... the theory of Martial Soul growth..."
Each revelation sent a shock through the old man's mind. Although he remained a firm believer in the supremacy of Soul Tools, he had to admit that Su Wen's actions on the Douluo Continent truly merited the title of "Master Su." He lived up to the adoration those Soul Masters felt for him.
The path of cultivation centered on the Soul Master had been pushed to its peak by Su Wen, far exceeding the current level of Soul Tool development on the Sun Moon Continent.
As they delved deeper, Lin Dong answered every question without reservation, which greatly surprised the old man. Was he truly not afraid of leaking too much intelligence about the Douluo Continent? Was this the current atmosphere of the Douluo Continent?
Though it was hard to believe, the old man had to admit that such a culture was truly enviable.
Upon further investigation, the old man discovered that the previous development of Martial Souls on the Douluo Continent had been roughly on par with the Soul Tool development of the Sun Moon Continent. However, with Su Wen's rise, the Soul Master world had undergone an unprecedented transformation. While the top-tier combat power might not have surpassed the Sun Moon Continent by a huge margin yet, at the middle and lower tiers, the Douluo Continent was not only stronger, but the total number of Soul Masters was also increasing significantly.
If things continued this way, the overall strength of the Douluo Continent would eventually far outstrip that of the Sun Moon Continent. This was true even if the Sun Moon Continent's Soul Tool development saw a new opportunity.
The old man knew that even if Su Wen handed over the technology for the ten-thousand-year core formation, and even if they acquired that technology to further develop and perfect their Soul Tools, they still wouldn't be able to keep pace with the Douluo Continent's current rate of growth.
There was no helping it; the effects of the Scholar's Realm were simply too powerful!
At this moment, the old man truly understood where Su Wen's confidence came from. The Scholar's Realm was his greatest source of leverage. No Soul Master and no organization would refuse to join. After all, from what he could see, the Academy had no ambition for hegemony; aside from developing the Soul Master world, it engaged in no other ulterior activities.
Even if the old man knew Su Wen couldn't possibly be doing this for absolutely nothing, the sheer significance of the Scholar's Realm meant the Sun Moon Imperial Family had to find a way to join.
Having reached this conclusion, the old man became even more serious as he toured the Scholar's Realm under Lin Dong's guidance. He even accepted the inheritance of a cultivation technique within the Academy section of the realm.
It wasn't just the old man; the other Soul Masters and Soul Engineers from the Sun Moon Continent each received at least one cultivation technique inheritance. Lin Dong did not require them to learn the same technique; essentially, among these hundreds of visitors, they had inherited almost every technique available in the Academy!
Of course, this wasn't considered a loss, as the techniques within the Academy were essentially public knowledge. The more precious ones had clearly defined methods for acquisition. Even the "exclusive" secret arts of various major powers had high thresholds and specific conditions, but there were still paths to obtain them.
This was the Academy, and this was the very reason for its existence.
Cultivation techniques emphasized quality over quantity. Learning a technique was an extremely difficult task in itself; not everyone was like Su Wen, capable of rapidly identifying the corresponding meridians and mastering a technique. One single technique was usually enough for a Soul Master to practice from beginning to end. Only geniuses could achieve the level of practicing both internal and external techniques.
As for learning them all? Currently, only Su Wen had achieved that.
The truly precious resource of the Academy was not the cultivation techniques themselves, but the Myriad Law Record that carried them.
(End of Chapter)