Douluo Continent: On Becoming a God Through Science

Chapter 170 Return to the Mainland

About a month ago, after hearing Dugu Bo's arrogant words...

"Really? You old poisoner, then I'd like to see if your older brother really has such abilities!"

Sword Dao Chenxin unleashed his sword energy, surging into the sky, his fighting spirit ignited.

These words are no different from issuing a direct challenge.

Given Dugu Bo's personality, would he back down?

"Ahem. My elder brother is away on business trips all year round, battling the earth and the heavens, long since transcending the realm of fighting against man! Rather, he has come to understand a higher level of truth through his struggle against nature!"

A wise man knows when to yield; he quickly backed down.

"For someone like you, a mere swordsman, you're going to send him all the way back? Do you think you have a lot of face?!"

Dugu Bo coughed lightly, first giving a grand speech, then finally looked at Ning Fengzhi with a tough expression and coldly snorted, "Ning Fengzhi, you just need to know that just as you have someone behind you, I, Dugu Bo, am not without a background or anyone to back me up! Want to fight in the business world? No problem! But if you want to overturn the table and see who has the harder fist, don't blame me for not warning you beforehand!"

Dugu Bo's voice grew stronger with each word, and by the end, he was beaming with confidence: "Don't say I didn't warn you!"

He didn't forget to utter a harsh remark before leaving the scene with Grace.

Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin were left staring at each other, their expressions grave.

It's clearly impossible for them to accept everything without question and completely believe Dugu Bo's words.

However, to say that it was entirely a case of someone borrowing someone else's power would feel like an overreaction.

When in doubt, do some investigation first.

You have no right to speak without verification.

Then, they quickly discovered that there was no trace of Dugu Bo, the so-called big brother, in the entire Beast Soul Merchant Guild.

There really wasn't any.

This is only natural.

After the Beast Soul Merchant Guild was established, You Chen basically didn't get involved.

The Beast Soul Alliance's assassins also protected You Chen's information very well, so there was little chance of it being leaked.

The only trace that could be found in You Chen's activities was the transfer of cultivation resources.

However, this process was completed precisely during Dugu Bo's escort and transportation, making it impossible for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's spies to find out.

So, after a month of fruitless searching, they became even more convinced that Dugu Bo was just putting on an act!

You, Dugu Bo, also acknowledge that rules are made by the strong, right? Well then, our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School will now test whether you have any complaints about our rules.

At first, they only sent people to sabotage the branches of the Beast Soul Merchant Guild. Later, seeing that the Beast Soul Merchant Guild did not react excessively, they escalated the situation and launched an attack during one of Dugu Bo's transport escorts, stealing a batch of goods from the Beast Soul Merchant Guild.

Dugu Bo was furious. The other party didn't even bother to pretend anymore. How could he not recognize that the one who attacked him was Sword Douluo?

How can we tolerate this?

He immediately sent a distress signal to his older brother.

Actually, a month ago, after that meeting ended, Dugu Bo was also terrified.

He also realized that as the Beast Soul Merchant Guild grew stronger, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School could no longer hold back and wanted to start using force.

But as a titled Douluo, doesn't he have any shame?

Although You Chen had said from the beginning that if he encountered any problems he couldn't handle, Dugu Bo had agreed beforehand.

But the matter hasn't actually happened yet; it's still just speculation. How could Dugu Bo possibly say something as shameful as, "I feel like the other side is going to attack me. Big brother, come back and protect me quickly!"

Besides Dugu Bo, Grace also has a way to directly contact You Chen.

She naturally didn't consider the issue of losing face, and the reason she didn't report it was very simple and straightforward.

In Grace's view, the Beast Soul Merchant Guild was created to facilitate You Chen's cultivation. Since the problem has not yet escalated to a truly serious situation, how can she turn around and make You Chen waste his cultivation time, abandon his own cultivation, and come back to solve the Beast Soul Merchant Guild's troubles?

What is the purpose of their existence as beast-headed creatures, soul beasts, and messengers?

Isn't he just someone who holds the leader back?

Actually, Grace's idea wasn't entirely wrong.

However, even to the beast heads, You Chen did not reveal his entire plan. In Grace's eyes, although the Beast Soul Merchant Guild was different in size, it was essentially the same kind of organization as the previous Skynet.

Neither Dugu Bo nor Grace, the two main responsible persons, reported the situation immediately, which is why You Chen, on the other side of the sea, only learned about it about a week later.

"Oh dear, what a worrying little brother of mine."

After a brief communication, You Chen hung up the emergency communicator and let out a helpless sigh.

This emergency communicator doesn't rely on signal base stations and operates on a different principle than modern telephones or mobile phones. It's a revolutionary, cutting-edge technology product that's difficult to mass-produce. However, You Chen didn't plan to advance the technological level of Douluo Continent to the information technology era for the time being, so it wasn't a big deal; being able to make contact in such emergencies was sufficient.

Having learned about the Beast Soul Merchant Guild, You Chen finally decided to leave the North Sea.

It's certainly fine for him to continue cultivating in the North Sea until his physical body is fully developed before emerging from seclusion, but it's estimated that the Beast Soul Merchant Guild, which has finally gained momentum, will begin to decline.

Although it won't be a problem to reclaim the rightful share from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School in the future, it will still cause some trouble.

Anyway, I reckon the Beast Soul Merchant Guild's inventory of cultivation resources over this period of time won't be too small, enough for him to complete his subsequent breakthroughs.

The situation in Beihai has basically stabilized. There are now quite a few members of the Beast Soul Merchant Guild in this sea area, and there are also many newly built buildings on the islands surrounding Crystal Palace.

If there is a need for resources later, they can be transported back via sea trade routes, so this trip will not be a problem.

"Liya, I'm entrusting the North Sea to you. I've left a spiritual imprint of 'Mermaid's Guardian' on you. In case of an emergency, just activate it with your mental power, and I'll be back instantly."

You Chen's divine sense instantly invaded the Crystal Palace and connected with Liya, the current Sea Princess, who was working in the office.

Liya immediately stopped her work, bowed to the void, and responded spiritually, "Thank you for your concern. With your subordinates here, I will report to you monthly under normal circumstances, and I will not disturb you unless it is an emergency."

You Chen used his divine sense to look at the dignified and calm Liya. Seeing her stiff and restrained appearance, he couldn't help but have the urge to play with her.

With You Chen's current strength, there are few who can restrain or limit his thoughts; he can do whatever he wants.

With his profound spiritual power, You Chen directly condensed a large spiritual hand and fiercely attacked Liya.

The knowledge of mermaid bodies that had been studied from Lina came in handy, causing Liya's body to go limp.

"S-Sir..."

Liya blushed and felt weak, but said firmly, "If that's what you're looking for, I can do it anytime—"

"Lia, you're just too serious."

You Chen chuckled lightly, "I'm ruthless and strict with my enemies, but I'm naturally different with my own people and subordinates. After these two months together, you should know that I'm generally quite lenient with my subordinates, right? Do you really think you're working for me with the mindset that I might kill you and your compatriots at any moment?"

Liya trembled instantly, the blush on her face vanished, and her complexion turned deathly pale: "N-no! I would never dare! I absolutely did not have such a thought!"

Looking at Liya's posture from afar, You Chen felt somewhat helpless.

"It seems her psychological problem can't be resolved in the short term. We'll have to check on her again next time she comes back."

You Chen thought to himself.

You Chen has always been magnanimous towards his hardworking and meritorious subordinates.

He was still very concerned about Liya's mental health. Naturally, it wasn't hard for him to notice Liya's psychological problems.

In his view, with Liya working with this mindset, she might have a mental breakdown one day, or at the very least, her work efficiency would decline.

He's not like that idiot Lijing. How could he possibly sit idly by and ignore such a useful subordinate?

Unfortunately, before he could find a suitable opportunity, he had to leave Beihai temporarily.

After leaving the training room, You Chen looked at Poseidon, who was silently gazing at the sea in the living room.

He reached out and pulled Poseidon into his arms from several meters away: "Poseidon, it seems you've never set foot on land before, have you? Come on, this time your master will take you to see the world."

Upon hearing this, Poseidon trembled.

Landing on land undoubtedly means that her posture will be exposed to more people.

If it were two months ago, she would have been incredibly angry and hateful, and might even have been more assertive and directly berated You Chen.

But now, instead of feeling humiliated and angry, her body reacted before those negative emotions even arose...

"What...what's wrong with me?"

A look of bewilderment and unease appeared on Poseidon's face.

You Chen smiled slightly.

The fact that Poseidon wavered again was not something he deliberately planned; it was more of an unexpected surprise.

The reason he didn't keep Poseidon in the North Sea wasn't because he wanted a plug-and-play, untouchable person; he wasn't that dissolute.

The main reason is that during this period of recuperation, in order to educate Poseidon to the greatest extent, it was inevitable to give him a sweet treat or two, which helped Poseidon recover some of his energy.

Poseidon might recover from level 79 to level 80 soon.

Without needing to absorb another soul ring to break through the level barrier, her soul power would naturally reach the Soul Douluo level.

Without his supervision, Poseidon might have taken the opportunity to run away, making all the previous TJ efforts futile.

Poseidon wavered, but under You Chen's gentle stroking, she quickly forgot her fears and forced a smile: "Thank you, Master."

You Chen's deep eyes looked at Poseidon, as if he could see into her very soul.

Under You Chen's divine sense, the Sea God Martial Soul fluctuated once again.

During this period of time, You Chen still failed to fully grasp the basis for the fact that the Sea God Martial Soul was born under the influence of memes.

However, before that, while observing the structure revealed by Poseidon's martial spirit due to Poseidon's intense emotional turmoil, he inadvertently gained other insights.

"Such a perfect and stable structure seems to completely confirm my conjecture about the perfect level of control over the origin of a Martial Soul. Poseidon, the Sea God who almost certainly created the Sea God Martial Soul, undoubtedly achieved a perfect level of control over the origin of his Martial Soul."

Even if Poseidon herself could not achieve such a perfect state, like You Chen deduced, entering a state of spiritual burst without any loss, this passive state of perfection would still make the burden of the martial soul on the body and mind almost non-existent. According to You Chen's six-dimensional martial soul rating, it would reach a level of 6 points in terms of endurance, which is an exceptional level.

Poseidon's ability to directly manipulate the power of nature without a soul core is undoubtedly influenced by this factor. It's important to understand that controlling the ocean, or fluids with actual weight, is far more difficult than manipulating gas through a thousand streams.

The tsunami that triggered the "Wrath of the Sea God" was beyond the level of mortals. However, Poseidon was unable to condense the power, so the damage against a single target was still only at the limit level.

If the immense power of that thousand-meter-high tsunami could be concentrated to a high degree, even a god like Qian Renxue, who had just inherited her divine position and only possessed the strength of a high priest, would likely be severely injured.

If You Chen's assessment is correct, once Poseidon reaches the Spirit Realm level, she will likely leap directly into the Perfect Realm at an extremely rapid pace. Unfortunately, even in her battle with You Chen, she has not yet broken through the barrier of the Spirit Realm.

Previously, You Chen only had a vague concept of the power of the gods.

According to the original novel, Di Tian at the timeline of Douluo II definitely possessed the combat power of a god, but was defeated by Huo Yuhao, who was at most at the quasi-god level and wielded a super artifact.

This proves that the boundary between gods and mortals is not insurmountable.

The original work clearly states that in the timeline of Douluo Continent I, when Qian Renxue had just become a god, she had the combat power of a god.

After receiving the system's assistance, You Chen possessed power far exceeding that of others at the same level, enabling him to reach his peak combat strength much sooner than expected. Furthermore, it's foreseeable that his strength will continue to grow until he becomes a god!

In other words, even if You Chen ultimately fails to become a god before the original few who did, he still has every opportunity to contend with them when his soul power reaches its limit.

This gives You Chen more room for error.

This allows him to focus on building a solid foundation without being too hasty in his pursuit of godhood.

For You Chen now, the most important thing is no longer Bibi Dong and Tang San, but the opponents he may face in the future, who are at the level of first-level gods and god kings.

But if asked to pinpoint the exact difference between himself and those top-tier deities, You Chen found it difficult to give a precise answer.

The reason is simple—he mainly read fanfiction of Douluo Continent when he was alive!

He didn't read any of the side stories about the God Realm written by the original Douluo Continent author! Who knows how those gods are stronger than mortals or priests?

But now, there is another piece of evidence.

It's not a height that's completely unimaginable, but rather a level that's higher than my current self, yet still within my comprehension!

Even... gods weaker than Poseidon might not have reached this realm, and might only be at the Spirit Realm level like I am now.

Even if Poseidon stands at a level higher than the Perfect Realm, You Chen is confident that, given that he will soon reach the Perfect Realm, he is by no means completely unable to imagine Poseidon's level in terms of Martial Soul!

He himself, by learning from and exploring the perfect origin of the Sea God Martial Soul's natural operation, gained a clearer understanding of his own progress.

The past month or so of cultivation has made You Chen feel that he is getting closer and closer to that membrane barrier... Perhaps with just one exhilarating duel, he will be able to step into the perfect realm!

You Chen looked at Poseidon without saying a word for a long time, and this silence made Poseidon uneasy.

Just as Poseidon's unease was about to reach its peak and turn into panic, You Chen smiled slightly and gave her a gentle kiss: "What are you thinking about?"

Poseidon blushed slightly, her mood calming down once more. She replied somewhat shyly, "I was wondering what you were thinking, Master?"

You Chen pinched Poseidon's cheek and smiled, "I was just mesmerized by how cute you are, Poseidon."

"Ugh..." Poseidon blushed instantly and whimpered, falling silent.

With a faint smile, You Chen put one arm around Poseidon's waist, instantly activated his martial spirit, flapped his wings, and transformed into a white shooting star, disappearing into the distance.

For You Chen now, carrying people in flight is no longer a burden at all.

It took less than half a day to fly from the center of the North Sea back to the mainland and then to the north of Tiandou City.

However, You Chen did not directly enter Tian Dou City to meet up with Dugu Bo, who was currently in Tian Dou City. Instead, he bypassed Tian Dou City and flew directly towards the direction of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

He was going to take something from there that he had placed in the Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire for a long time.

"Alliance Leader!"

"Leader!"...

When You Chen landed at the Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire with Poseidon in his arms, all the members of the Beast Soul Alliance greeted him.

You Chen simply nodded in response, but his divine sense quietly swept over everyone.

Almost a year has passed since the establishment of the Beast Soul Merchant Guild and the relocation of many members of the Beast Soul Alliance to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well.

Although it has only been a year, the cultivation levels of these Beast Soul Alliance members have changed significantly.

The main armed force of the Beast Soul Alliance, the Soul Fighting Beasts, has gradually produced Soul Master-level powerhouses among its core or elite combatants.

As for the top combatants, they have all undergone tremendous changes in the past year since using the immortal herbs.

Amona and Kui, the two beast leaders, have both broken through to the Soul King level. With Dugu Bo helping them hunt for Soul Rings, the age and quality of the Soul Rings should not be too bad. Furthermore, their current Soul Power level is not too far from that of Soul Emperor, so they should be able to start acquiring their sixth Soul Ring within a year at most.

Most importantly, after using suitable immortal herbs, the Soul Master's aptitude is improved. When the Martial Soul undergoes subsequent sublimation, it's no longer a question of whether it can evolve to the top quality. With accumulated strength, the quality of the Martial Soul will inevitably far surpass that of ordinary top-tier Martial Souls.

You Chen had already learned about Dugu Yan's situation from Dugu Bo, the granddaughter of Dugu Yan, who was not present.

With encouragement from You Xing before leaving (without a doubt), and with the occasional dedicated guidance from Dugu Bo, he successfully broke through to the Soul Master realm. Compared to the Soul Fighting Beasts of the same realm that You Chen had carefully nurtured since childhood, he was now able to hold his own.

With the added aptitude and foundation strengthened by the immortal herb, and with the help of a powerful grandfather, his future achievements will naturally surpass most elite-level soul beasts. While the immortal herb cannot directly transform a useless person into a genius, it is enough to allow an ordinary genius to take another step forward. And at this level, every step is a world of difference.

However, Dugu Yan's most important improvement lies in the significant enhancement of her soul power control. If she continues to grow smoothly in this way, she should be able to condense a poison soul core and eliminate the hidden dangers on her body when she reaches the seventh ring.

You Chen didn't stoop to the old-fashioned idea of ​​letting Ye Lingling earn merit first before giving her the immortal herb.

He knew perfectly well that his prime years couldn't be wasted, and that any credit could be postponed for now.

Ye Lingling was naturally overjoyed and deeply grateful for such immense wealth.

Aside from not being able to delay a top-tier Soul Master like Ye Lingling, You Chen also wanted to see if Ye Lingling could, like in many Douluo fanfics, break the unreasonable quantity limit of the Nine-Hearted Begonia by absorbing the Qiluo Tulip, which was originally allocated to Ning Rongrong to make up for her martial soul's defects.

Nine-Heart Begonia Soul Masters are born with the ability to sense things based on their Martial Soul, so all they need to do is ask Ye Lingling for the answer, and the answer is obviously no.

For plant-type martial souls, the role of immortal herbs is definitely greater than that of other soul masters. Furthermore, the Qiluo Tulip also has the ability to suppress other plant-type martial souls, making its status among plants self-evident.

In addition, it possesses the ability to distinguish spiritual objects from the heavens and earth, and has a continuous source of vitality.

In addition to its ability to compensate for the defects of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, one can't help but wonder if it has other miraculous effects on compensating for the defects of a martial soul.

All of this proves that if one wants to break the "curse" rooted in the martial soul and bloodline of the Nine Heart Begonia, the Qiluo Tulip is the best choice.

However, while it did significantly enhance the martial soul essence of the Nine Heart Begonia, it did not cause a qualitative change in the martial soul, nor did it remove the curse.

This all proves one point—the Nine-Heart Begonia does not have any martial soul defects.

As a researcher, intuition and extensive theoretical knowledge allowed You Chen to make this bold judgment.

Not wanting to give the disappointed Ye Lingling unnecessary expectations, You Chen, who had made this deduction in his mind at that time, did not tell Ye Lingling his analysis and judgment.

He was preparing to find a suitable opportunity to use Ye Lingling to launch another research project.

However, this will have to wait until he completes his physical training and obtains his ninth spirit ring.

That's why he chose to remain silent to Ye Lingling for the time being, and simply gave her the knowledge and education that all the other soul beasts possessed.

Soul Beasts prioritize strength, but they are not without support-type Soul Masters. Although the Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul only has one Soul Skill, its power is undeniable.

In the past, Soul Masters who were not suitable for combat in the Soul Fighting Beast Organization would be assigned to the Beast Master ranks, but Ye Lingling, who has top-notch support abilities in combat, obviously cannot be said to be unsuitable for participating in combat operations.

Relying on her powerful abilities, Ye Lingling successfully integrated into the Soul Fighting Beast family within a year.

When discussing the changes in the cultivation levels of the various Soul Beasts, how could we forget Ignis, who has always had the highest cultivation level?

After consuming the 100,000-year-old Dragon Blood Immortal Herb, Ignis's dragon bloodline was greatly enhanced, and her soul power level also improved, making her subsequent cultivation much smoother.

Ignis is not far from the Soul Saint level now. In a year or two, she will be able to break through to the level of the true cutting-edge combat power in Douluo Continent.

Unlike the other Beast Soul Alliance members who simply greeted You Chen, Ignis immediately looked at Poseidon, who was being held in You Chen's arms, and frowned.

(End of this chapter)