Douluo Continent: The Legend of the Gods

The next morning, before dawn, Yun Qinglin opened his eyes.

Soul Masters can use meditation to replace sleep, which is indeed quite convenient, and they won't feel tired after waking up. However, Yun Qinglin feels that he still needs to set aside one night each week to simply sleep and not cultivate.

The complete relaxation that sleep provides cannot be replaced by meditation.

The Star Luo Royal Academy was quiet in the early morning, the air damp with dew. After washing up, Yun Qinglin began to record books on the traditional Chinese medicine system. These were his valuable knowledge system, and it would be better to have them in writing.

Not long after the sun rose, Wang Xian'er pushed open the door and came in.

"You're up early! How did you sleep last night?"

"That's good, teacher."

Wang Xian'er nodded, turned around and walked out: "Come with me, I'll take you somewhere."

Yun Qinglin followed behind her, walking through several paths in the academy and deeper into the campus.

The further you go in, the denser the trees become, and the fewer buildings there are around.

He noticed that some stone pillars were starting to appear by the roadside, engraved with intricate patterns, resembling some kind of soul-guiding array. Every so often, two guards stood watch, bowing respectfully to Wang Xian'er.

"This is already the core area of ​​the academy. Normally, only members of the Hall of Offerings and core members of the royal family can enter here," Wang Xian'er explained patiently as they walked. "Your current status is that of a prospective offering member of the Hall of Offerings, so you have this authority."

"Preparing to offer sacrifices?" Yun Qinglin asked in confusion.

"Yes, these are some perks His Majesty has given you."

Yun Qinglin nodded without asking any further questions.

After walking for a while, a grove of trees appeared ahead.

The trees were very tall, but unlike ordinary trees, their leaves were silvery-gold, shimmering faintly in the morning light, like a thin layer of frost. In the center of the forest, a clearing could be vaguely seen.

Golden veins shimmered faintly among the silver leaves.

Wang Xian'er stopped and gestured for him to look inside.

"This is the core training ground of the Star Luo Royal Academy, called 'Star Abyss Pool'."

As Yun Qinglin entered the forest, he immediately sensed a rich vitality. Unlike the wild vitality of the Star Dou Great Forest, which carried the scent of grass and trees, the vitality here was gentler, as if something had been filtered out, leaving only the purest part.

Beyond its vitality, there is an even more peculiar aura.

He looked up through the gaps in the silvery-gold leaves. It was still early, and a few stars that hadn't yet faded hung in the sky, their light filtering through the leaves and settling in the center.

"You felt it?" Wang Xian'er walked to his side.

"Hmm. It has vitality, and... starlight?"

Wang Xian'er nodded: "There is a small life vein under this forest, which was discovered when the Star Crown Sect was founded. But life force alone is not enough, so the ancestor of the Star Crown Sect planted a grove of Star Trees here to draw down the stellar energy from the sky and merge it with the life force under the earth, which is how the Star Abyss Pool came to be."

In terms of concentration, it can't compare to Shrek Academy's Poseidon Lake, nor to the Lake of Life in the Star Dou Great Forest, but it has one advantage that other places don't have—the fusion of star power and life force provides nourishment to spiritual power that is unparalleled elsewhere.

Life-giving ley lines?

"It's a special kind of ley line formation, which you can think of as a place where life force converges." Wang Xian'er saw Yun Qinglin's doubts. "The land on it has an exceptionally rich life force, which can accelerate the growth of various plant-type soul beasts and also accelerate the cultivation speed of life-type soul masters."

It's somewhat similar to the Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire? But its effects are far inferior, yet it's still a rare and precious place.

The three great empires definitely have their own foundations, hmm... the Douling Empire might not be so, Yun Qinglin thought uncertainly.

Yun Qinglin took a deep breath and felt refreshed, as if his mind had brightened slightly.

He suddenly understood why the Star Crown Sect had remained standing since the Spirit Hall era, and why the Star Luo Empire had remained stable even after a change of royal family. With such a cultivation ground, every generation of the Star Crown Sect's successors had no worries about an unstable foundation.

"This place is indeed beneficial for your mental cultivation," Electrox said after experiencing it for a while.

"Let's go in and take a look." Wang Xian'er led him through the woods to the open area.

It was a small pool of water, its clear water shimmering with a faint silvery-gold light. Star trees grew all around the pool, their silvery-gold leaves swaying gently in the breeze. The sky above the treetops was exceptionally clear; even though it was morning, a few stars could still be seen twinkling.

"Actually, this place is more suitable for nighttime cultivation, but the star power is more concentrated at night, which will affect the absorption of life force. Your martial soul does not depend on the star power, so it is better to come during the day."

While Yun Qinglin was listening to Wang Xian'er speak, two people were already standing by the pool.

One of them was a little girl, who looked about the same age as Yun Qinglin. She was wearing a light purple dress and her hair was tied into two small buns. She was squatting by the pool, playing with the water with her hands.

The other was an elderly man with white hair and beard, thin in stature, but standing there like an old pine tree, completely still.

"Old Freak Xu".

The old man turned around, his eyes gleaming with a sharp, restrained light. His gaze fell on Yun Qinglin, scrutinizing him from head to toe. Yun Qinglin felt a slight tingling sensation where that gaze had swept over her, as if something had seen right through her.

"Excellent, exceptional talent."

Wang Xian'er stepped aside. "Qinglin, this is the Hall Master of the Offering Hall, Elder Xu Huai'ren, a level 98 Super Douluo."

Yun Qinglin bowed respectfully: "Junior Yun Qinglin greets Elder Xu."

Xu Huai-ren hummed in agreement and asked with concern, "Is there anything you're having trouble adjusting to in Xingluo?"

"No." Yun Qinglin shook his head. He had only been here a short time when Wang Xian'er took him in as a disciple, so there wouldn't be any fools trying to get close to him.

Hearing the sound, the little girl squatting by the pond stood up and turned around, looking at Yun Qinglin curiously. She was very beautiful, with big, bright eyes that seemed to reflect starlight in the pond.

"Who are you?" she asked. "I've never seen you here before."

Before Yun Qinglin could speak, Wang Xian'er answered for him: "Jiujiu, this is my disciple, Yun Qinglin. He will come here to cultivate often in the future."

The little girl's eyes lit up: "Grandma Xian'er's disciple? My brother said your martial soul is the Emerald Swan?"

Wang Xian'er smiled and nodded.

The little girl walked up to Yun Qinglin in a few steps, tilting her head to look him over: "My name is Xu Jiujiu. I heard that the Emerald Swan is the strongest healing-type martial soul on the continent, even more powerful than Grandma Xian'er's Healing Angel?"

Yun Qinglin felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze, but still politely replied, "Your Highness is too kind. It's just that my martial soul quality is slightly better. In terms of strength and experience, I'm still far behind."

Xu Jiujiu waved her hand: "Don't call me Princess, just call me Jiujiu. You seem much more sensible than me. My royal brother always says I have no manners and tells me to learn from sensible people."

She paused, then suddenly lowered her voice, "Are you someone my imperial brother sent?"

Yun Qinglin was taken aback: "What?"

Xu Jiu blinked: "It's the kind of genius that my royal brother found from outside, to be trained by the Hall of Offerings, so that he can help the Star Luo Empire in the future." She said this in a very natural tone, not like she was testing him, but as if she were talking about something very ordinary.

Yun Qinglin looked at her; this six-year-old princess was much smarter than he had imagined. Royal children, indeed, are never truly innocent.

"I am my teacher's disciple." He thought for a moment and chose the safest answer, "I will learn whatever my teacher teaches me. As for the future, we'll talk about that later."

She stared at him for a long time, then smiled, a smile that seemed to carry a hint of approval: "You speak so prudently. My royal brother would definitely like someone like you."

Xu Huai-ren coughed softly from the side: "Jiu-jiu, it's time to cultivate."

After a long while, he stuck out his tongue and obediently returned to stand by the pool.

Xu Huai-ren looked at Yun Qing-lin: "Qing-lin, come here too. Since you'll be cultivating here from now on, I'll take this opportunity to teach you how to utilize the environment of Star Abyss Pool."

Yun Qinglin walked over and stood by the pool.

Xu Huai-ren began to explain the cultivation methods of Xingyuantan.

He explained in great detail how to introduce stellar energy and life force into the body during cultivation, how to circulate these two forces through the meridians, and how to use them to nourish the martial spirit and spiritual power. He repeatedly emphasized the precautions for each step, especially the guidance of spiritual power, which he explained with particular care.

"The time you can absorb life force each day is limited. You must stop after at most one hour. You must both understand the principle that too much of a good thing is bad." Xu Huai-ren's tone suddenly became serious, and the two hurriedly agreed.

"Your Emerald Swan Martial Soul is naturally affinityous to life force, so perhaps it can last a little longer. Absorbing life force is not difficult for you, but you should also be careful to do it in moderation." Xu Huai-ren's voice suddenly entered his mind.

"Star power is different. Star power is somewhat similar to a form of spiritual power, which is beneficial to your second martial soul, but not very useful to the Emerald Swan. You don't need to deliberately absorb star power; just let it flow naturally through your sea of ​​spirit. Forcing it will only cause chaos."

Yun Qinglin was secretly surprised. He looked up at Xu Huai Ren and saw that the other party was looking at him gently and did not reveal the secret of his second martial soul.

Did Elder Xu know he had a second martial soul? He looked at Wang Xian'er, who nodded slightly, indicating that he could rest assured.

The better the talent her disciple shows, the more Xingluo will invest in him. This is a win-win situation for both parties. Moreover, Wang Xian'er also believes that she cannot provide good guidance for her disciple's second martial soul.

Although Xu Huai-ren's Star Crown Martial Soul is not a pure spiritual power Martial Soul, it is definitely not weak in spiritual power cultivation, and is sufficient to teach Yun Qing-lin.

After Xu Huai-ren finished speaking, he told Xu Jiu-jiu to practice first.

She sat cross-legged by the pool, closed her eyes, placed her hands on her knees, and a faint starlight gradually emanated from her body. The halo was similar in color to the stars and leaves, flowing around her.

Yun Qinglin could feel the life force in the pool and the star power in the sky converging on her at the same time, forming a vortex that was almost invisible to the naked eye above her head.

The Star Crown Sect's martial spirit indeed has a deep connection with the power of stars.

"It's your turn." Xu Huai-ren gestured for him to sit down.

Yun Qinglin sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.

Following Xu Huai-ren's method, he first released his spiritual power to sense the surrounding life force and stellar energy.

The vitality was easy to capture; it was like a group of docile little fish swimming around him. He only needed to guide it gently, and it would flow into his meridians.

Star power, on the other hand, is like invisible threads, floating above his sea of ​​consciousness, neither actively approaching nor repelling him.

He didn't force it, letting the star power flow naturally through his spiritual sea, focusing his attention on vitality.

The feeling of life force entering the body is very comfortable. It's not like the violent rinsing when absorbing a soul ring, but a slow and continuous immersion, like soaking in warm water, with every pore breathing.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he felt someone sit down beside him. It was Xu Jiujiu; she had finished practicing and came over to look at him.

"You absorb it so quickly," she whispered. "When I first started practicing, I couldn't even grasp a wisp of life force for half a day."

Yun Qinglin opened his eyes and smiled: "It's probably because my martial soul is more compatible with life force."

After a long pause, he nodded, then leaned closer and lowered his voice: "What you just said, is it true? That you'll just practice whatever Elder Wang teaches you, and we'll talk about the future later?"

Yun Qinglin looked at her: "It's true."

She stared at him for a few seconds, then smiled: "That's good. My brother always thinks things through very far ahead; sometimes I think he overthinks things. Don't take his plans too seriously; focus on improving yourself first."

Yun Qinglin couldn't help but laugh. Xu Jiujiu was more interesting than he had imagined.

"Alright." Wang Xian'er walked over. "Qinglin, it's time for your class. Old Xu, let's go first."

Xu Huai Ren nodded and instructed Xu Jiu Jiu to continue her cultivation. Wang Xian'er led Yun Qing Lin to the other side of the pool and found a flat rock to sit on.