"Hehe, Tianyang, do you know why it's so difficult to cultivate to become a Titled Douluo?" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm asked smugly, clearly pleased by Xu Tianyang's request for help.
Xu Tianyang shook his head, giving Tianmeng Ice Silkworm all the face he wanted.
Seeing this, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm nodded contentedly and explained, "The higher a Spirit Master's level, the more abundant the spirit power within him. It will gradually change from a gaseous state to a liquid state, and then from a liquid state to a solid state. The first two can flow within the body, but how can the latter?"
"The current Titled Douluo are actually incomplete. Our Spirit Beast race, like humans, will experience a change in spirit power when we break through to the 100,000-year mark. At this time, we will condense a special item—a Soul Core!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Tianyang understood. Tianmeng Ice Silkworm indeed knew the method of the Soul Core.
The biggest difference between Titled Douluo in Douluo I and Douluo II was the emergence of the Soul Core setting, which led to the Titled Douluo in Douluo II being far superior in both quantity and quality.
Currently, on the Douluo Continent, there are no more than thirty Titled Douluo in total, with only about ten Titled Douluo above rank 95.
This is far fewer than the number ten thousand years later.
Moreover, the Spirit Masters on the Douluo Continent who can become Titled Douluo now all possess top-tier Spirits.
Only with profound personal foundations and a certain amount of luck can they break through.
On the Douluo Continent, the first human to condense a Soul Core is impossible to verify, but for the Spirit Beast race, the cultivation of the Soul Core definitely predates humans.
"The spirit power within a Spirit Master's body, compressed from liquid to solid, will be stored in the Spirit Master's Dantian, becoming a Soul Core. As the Soul Core continuously rotates, it will absorb external spirit power through the Spirit Master, supplying it for the Spirit Master's use, greatly enhancing the Spirit Master's combat power and recovery ability."
"Furthermore, with a Soul Core, a Titled Douluo can freely circulate the spirit power within his body for cultivation, thereby breaking through to higher realms."
"Then, Brother Tianmeng, do you know the cultivation method for the Soul Core?"
"When I was cultivating, I overheard… ahem, I heard about the Soul Core cultivation method from those Spirit Beasts in the extreme north. Your parents are already Titled Douluo, so the most difficult hurdle has passed. It will be even easier for them to condense a Soul Core," Tianmeng Ice Silkworm guaranteed, patting his tiny hands.
Nodding, Xu Tianyang had no immediate plans to let his parents try. Wasn't there a ready-made experimental subject within the Sun Moon Empire now?
He believed that once he knew there was a method to improve his cultivation, he would be happy to try it, and he suspected that the other party already had a rudimentary Soul Core.
'You agree, don't you, Dugu Bo!'
Dugu Bo:???
After making his decision, Xu Tianyang found Dugu Bo, who was strolling around Ming City, the next day. For Dugu Bo, every part of the Sun Moon Empire was unknown, and he was full of curiosity about everything around him.
When he saw Dugu Bo again, he was watching a small hydraulic forging hammer at the Sun Moon Royal Academy with great interest, accompanied by Lin Fan, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
"Senior Dugu, did you sleep well last night?" Xu Tianyang didn't hide his presence. When he approached, the two had already noticed him.
"Hahaha, thank you for your concern, Your Highness. Every part of the Sun Moon Empire is very novel to this old man. Today, under the guidance of Director Lin Fan, I visited the Sun Moon Royal Academy, and it was truly an eye-opener." Dugu Bo was full of goodwill towards Xu Tianyang. He had already determined that he would lead this era in the future, so he planned to cling to him.
"That's good. This junior has some cultivation matters he wishes to consult with you about, Senior." Xu Tianyang nodded, directly stating his purpose.
Dugu Bo was a bit puzzled. The Sun Moon Empire was full of talents. As the Crown Prince of a nation, did he still need to consult him on cultivation matters?
Could it be about poisons?
Although he was full of doubts, Dugu Bo didn't hesitate. He nodded and said with a smile, "Your Highness, if you have any questions, this old man will certainly tell you everything he knows."
Afterward, Xu Tianyang led Dugu Bo away from the Sun Moon Royal Academy and walked towards the Crown Prince Residence.
Upon returning to the Crown Prince Residence, Xu Tianyang briefly explained the knowledge about the Soul Core to Dugu Bo, which left Dugu Bo repeatedly shocked.
"Did that Ice Silkworm tell Your Highness this method?" Dugu Bo looked at Xu Tianyang with a serious expression. This Soul Core method was very mature, practically pointing out the path of cultivation for the Titled Douluo realm, and it was definitely not something Xu Tianyang could have come up with.
"That's right, Tianmeng told me this. The Spirit Beast race has existed far longer than us humans, and top-tier Spirit Beasts naturally know more. Tianmeng said that any fierce beast that reaches the 200,000-year level has condensed a Soul Core." Xu Tianyang nodded. Dugu Bo had also witnessed him absorbing Tianmeng's spirit ring, so there was nothing to hide.
"Since that's the case, this old man is willing to try." Dugu Bo was decisive and immediately expressed his willingness to attempt it.
He was able to break through to Titled Douluo purely by luck, having found the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Otherwise, he would never have been able to break through in this lifetime. This also led to his extremely poor foundation, and after breaking through to rank 91, he had never made any further progress.
Now that he suddenly heard of a path to advancement, he naturally had to seize it firmly.
At the same time, this also served as a declaration of his determination to join Xu Tianyang.
"Tianmeng!" Seeing this, Xu Tianyang gave Dugu Bo a deep look and whispered in his spiritual sea of consciousness.
"Coming!" Tianmeng Ice Silkworm laughed excitedly, and a golden light mass flew out from Xu Tianyang's glabella and entered Dugu Bo's mind, containing all of Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's knowledge about the Soul Core.
"So that's how it is!" After Dugu Bo closed his eyes and digested the information in the golden light mass, he was repeatedly surprised. Places he couldn't understand before now seemed clear, and he fell into a wonderful state of enlightenment.
In this state, he slowly raised his right hand, and dark green spirit power flowed out from it.
Under the gaze of Xu Tianyang and Tianmeng Ice Silkworm, the spirit power in Dugu Bo's palm grew more and more, suspended in mid-air, rotating rapidly.
Above the Crown Prince Residence, the elemental power of heaven and earth actually formed a nearly materialized elemental cloud, converging towards Dugu Bo, who was sitting cross-legged.
The speed of the spirit power's rotation became faster and faster, then it began to compress, becoming increasingly viscous, solidifying.
In the next instant, it transformed into a funnel-shaped, dark green solid spirit power, with streaks of black belonging to spatial cracks faintly appearing within it. This solid spirit power was clearly devouring the spatial energy from those spatial cracks.
With Dugu Bo's strength as a Titled Douluo, condensing a Soul Core in reverse was much easier. In a short time, he condensed an elemental solid Soul Core prototype.
As time passed, the Soul Core prototype that Dugu Bo condensed remained very stable even after incorporating more spatial energy, showing no signs of collapse.
It looked as if he was about to pass the most dangerous stage.