Inside the secret cultivation room of the Duke's Mansion, the originally chaotic spirit power fluctuations gradually became orderly.
Liu Yuan sat cross-legged in the center of the Soul Gathering Array, not in a hurry to throw all the solid spirit power in his body into the condensation process.
Following the insights from Di Tian passed on by Wang Qiuer, he first extremely cautiously withdrew a strand of solid spirit power the size of a hair from a corner of his Meridians.
This strand of spirit power crystal was heavy and sharp, attempting to break through the Meridians the moment it escaped suppression. Liu Yuan immediately mobilized his mental force, guiding this force to begin a slow rotation according to the micro-manipulation angles Wang Qiuer had described.
"One clockwise, one counter-clockwise, rotating to find the balance point..."
Liu Yuan controlled it with precision within his Sea of Consciousness.
The mental force on the left simulated the tidal rhythijm of Primal Kyogre, driving the spirit power to rotate to the left;
The mental force on the right injected the void attribute of Mega Rayquaza, forcing the other half of the spirit power to twist to the right.
When the two opposing rotational force fields collided in the center of the Dantian, the originally violent solid spirit power actually canceled out part of the impact at that moment, transforming into a tiny, spontaneously rotating vortex.
"It's feasible."
Liu Yuan's heart lifted.
After confirming that this method called "Vortex Guidance" was indeed effective, he then officially began the large-scale condensation process.
He no longer suppressed those heavy sapphire-like crystals but instead opened a gap, guiding them to converge orderly toward the center of the Dantian.
...
Time passed minute by minute in the silent cultivation.
Snow Empress remained on guard outside the secret room door throughout.
For the first few days, her expression had been tense, and the cold air of Extreme Ice even faintly flickered in her palms, ready to rush in for a rescue at any moment.
But as time went on, she keenly felt that the aura emanating from inside the secret room was no longer the kind of chaos that could explode at any second, but had become increasingly condensed and heavy.
By the fourth day, Snow Empress discovered an extremely stable suction force within Liu Yuan's leaking spirit power aura.
By the sixth day, the sense of blockage that had originally placed a huge burden on the Meridians seemed to have completely vanished, replaced by a majestic vitality like the undercurrents surging in the deep sea.
Snow Empress's furrowed brows finally relaxed, and she let out a long breath of cold air.
She knew that Liu Yuan had endured through the most dangerous stage.
In the blink of an eye, another seven days passed.
On the morning of the fourteenth day, the originally calm air above the Duke's Mansion suddenly vibrated slightly.
An extremely pure and profound pressure flashed and vanished, after which all fluctuations returned to nothingness.
Inside the secret room, Liu Yuan slowly opened his eyes.
Deep within his originally pitch-black pupils, a faint golden rim flickered—an outward manifestation of his spirit power purity reaching its limit.
He looked inward at himself and saw that where the messy Dantian used to be, a crystal-clear solid core was now suspended, rotating at high frequency.
As all spirit power passed through this core, it would be refined into higher-density energy and then fed back into his entire body.
"The first Soul Core... it's finally finished."
Liu Yuan whispered to himself.
He could clearly feel that the total amount of spirit power he could mobilize with every movement was now more than twice as strong as before.
"Boom!"
The secret room door opened at the sound, and Snow Empress rushed in like a blur.
Looking at the revitalized Liu Yuan, she asked urgently, "Did you succeed?"
Liu Yuan stood up without speaking, merely making a light grasping motion toward the void.
Buzz—!
A surge of spirit power as continuous as a great river instantly filled the entire secret room.
This power was not only heavy but also possessed an indescribable resilience.
"It's done." Liu Yuan looked at Snow Empress with a smile.
"The secret technique Wang Qiuer brought was indeed effective. Now all the solid spirit power in my body has been incorporated into the Soul Core cycle; the trouble is completely resolved."
Sensing Liu Yuan's formidable aura, a deep joy appeared in Snow Empress's eyes:
"With this, you haven't just resolved the risk of your body exploding; the increase in your strength has also far exceeded my expectations."
"Now, I'm afraid you could hold the upper hand even against top-tier Spirit Douluos without using your Martial Soul True Body."
"I also have to thank the key knowledge brought by the Auspicious Beast." Liu Yuan withdrew his spirit power, his aura once again becoming as restrained as jade.
As the two were talking, hurried footsteps came from outside the door.
A servant of the Duke's Mansion reported respectfully outside the door: "Lord Duke, Dean Jing Hongchen, Young Master Xiao Hongchen, and Young Miss Meng Hongchen have arrived."
"They heard you have been behind closed doors all this time and specifically brought gifts to visit you."
Liu Yuan and Snow Empress exchanged a glance.
"Is it them?" Liu Yuan smiled, then instructed the servant, "Please ask them to sit in the hall for a moment. I will be there after I change my clothes."
...
The main hall of the Duke's Mansion.
Jing Hongchen sat in the subordinate seat, fiddling with the tea lid in his hand with some worry.
Beside him, Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen were even more restless.
"Grandfather, do you think something really happened to Brother Liu Yuan?" Xiao Hongchen asked in a low voice. "Teacher Xuan said his state in the classroom that day was very strange, like he had suffered a Qi Deviation. It's been nearly a month without news."
Meng Hongchen also clutched her handkerchief, her tone anxious: "The guards at the Duke's Mansion are too strict; they won't even let us in. Brother Liu Yuan must be going through some difficult trial."
Jing Hongchen sighed. "If it really is that so-called 'Soul Sage Core Condensation,' even I can't say for sure how dangerous it is. As an elder, I must personally confirm his safety today no matter what."
While the three were discussing, a set of light and steady footsteps came from behind the screen.
"I really feel bad for making the Dean come here personally."
Liu Yuan had changed into a clean set of black martial attire and looked full of spirit.
He walked into the hall with a smile.
The moment Jing Hongchen saw Liu Yuan walk out, the greeting he was about to say got stuck in his throat.
He stood up abruptly, shock written all over his round old face.
As a level ninety-three Titled Douluo, how keen was Jing Hongchen's perception of spirit power?
Although Liu Yuan had done his best to restrain his aura, in Jing Hongchen's eyes, the youth before him was like a ten-thousand-foot abyss shrouded in mist.
That kind of perfectly natural, never-ending rhythmic sense was something Jing Hongchen had only seen in top-tier experts who had been famous for a long time.
"Xiao Yuan, you..."
Jing Hongchen's eyes widened, and he subconsciously took two steps forward, tentatively sending out a sliver of spirit power to sense him.
When he touched the layer of protective energy around Liu Yuan, which was as condensed as a physical entity, he cried out in shock:
"Your aura... how could it have become so heavy? Don't tell me you actually managed to form that thing without any guidance?"
Seeing Jing Hongchen's loss of composure, Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen also realized something and looked at Liu Yuan with faces full of disbelief.
Could it be that Brother Liu Yuan has created another miracle?
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