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"The Sea God?"
Su Wen smiled but said nothing.
It was true that the Sea God existed. Moreover, compared to the deities on the continent, the Sea God was remarkably unconstrained, spreading his faith across the entire ocean and demanding his name be exalted at all times.
In contrast, the faith of other gods tended to be implicit. Most current deities simply fulfilled their divine duties and garnered faith through their specific authorities. For instance, the God of War: though few soul masters explicitly worshipped him, the more intense the fighting atmosphere in the Spirit Arenas or the soul master world became, the more faith energy he harvested.
Of course, due to the constraints of their divine ranks, the range and efficiency of such collection were not particularly high.
The Sea God's faith, however, was flamboyant. His name circulated throughout the ocean constantly, providing him with a massive influx of faith energy. Perhaps this was why the Sea God possessed such abundant power, allowing him to dispense favors so liberally. After all, even the Rakshasa God—a fellow first-class deity—provided little direct cultivation help to her inheritors, offering only trials. Similarly, the God Asura seemed to grant little beyond the Deathgod Domain and the Asura Sacred Sword.
The rewards for the Sea God's trials, by comparison, were truly enviable.
Furthermore, the extreme inclusivity of Sea God Island toward sea soul masters was likely because the bulk of the Sea God's faith came from them, with the rest provided by sea soul beasts.
"The blessing of the Sea God is indeed logical," Su Wen nodded.
Hearing Su Wen's validation, Hai Da seemed quite pleased. "That's right. Lord Sea God protects our waters at every moment."
"Grandmaster Su, are you certain you wish to go to sea?" Xu Jiawei asked, a hint of worry in his voice.
The dangers of the deep sea were not like those of the continent. On land, if you encountered danger, you could retreat or maneuver. In the deep sea, once an insurmountable crisis struck—or if one simply made a minor mistake—the ship could be destroyed and everyone aboard lost.
In the ocean, "invincible" crises were far more numerous than on land. Any natural disaster could kick up waves ten thousand feet high, triggering a catastrophic chain reaction. Not even a Title Douluo could guarantee a vessel's safety against all forms of natural disaster. And if the ship's safety couldn't be guaranteed, the journey itself was inherently perilous.
Su Wen, however, did not share Xu Jiawei's concerns. Other soul masters might need to worry about their ships being destroyed, but he did not. With the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud in his possession, Su Wen at least had a reliable means of survival.
"I will make my final preparations. We set sail in three days."
"Understood!" Hai Da signaled that there would be no problem.
Su Wen declined Xu Jiawei's further invitations, spending those three days resting at the local branch of the Academy.
Under Su Wen's guidance, the Academy had begun a new phase of construction, with specialized "Cultivation Chambers" being a major project. Researching specific self-created soul skills might only benefit an individual or their direct successors, but researching formations was a contribution to the entire soul master world.
Su Wen possessed a high talent for formation research. On one hand, he had built a foundation through his study of soul power and Origin soul power circulation routes. The pathways of soul power—and the completely fluid routes of Origin soul power—shared a deep connection with formations. At the very least, Su Wen's formations were heavily influenced by these concepts.
On the other hand, there was the convenience of his Book Martial Soul. Using it to research formations and circulation routes was incredibly efficient. Of course, not every soul master with a Book Martial Soul could achieve what Su Wen had, but as he shared his techniques, many were beginning to master the skill.
Since most Book Martial Soul masters were scholars with unique achievements in various fields, the academic community was currently in a stage of intense discussion and exchange. Soon, they would likely form independent teams to apply for specific research projects.
Take Su Wen's old friend from the Heaven Dou City Spirit Sub-Temple, Bai Yuan, for example. When Xiao Zhan was cultivating in the past, he had his own plans, but many of the theories were developed alongside Bai Yuan, leading to a close relationship between them. It was Bai Yuan who had acted as the intermediary to find Xiao Zhan when Su Wen was first introduced to the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.
Su Wen used to be too busy to talk to Bai Yuan more than once a month, but with the current convenience of the academic world, they now engaged in scholarly discussions three or four times a month. In fact, it wasn't just Bai Yuan; a large group of Book Martial Soul masters had gathered around him as a core to exchange ideas with Su Wen.
Su Wen knew his current success relied on his creative "brain-holes" and a bit of talent. Learning from others was a necessity for him as much as it was for any other scholar. He remained firm in his belief that "knowledge is power," ensuring all theoretical research was aimed at being converted into actual strength. Combined with memories from his previous life, this approach had brought him to his current heights.
A head start isn't a permanent advantage. Su Wen needed to communicate with other scholars to gain more knowledge, utilize their results to strengthen himself, and find inspiration to further refine his own theories.
Su Wen had specifically discussed the issue of soul rings with Bai Yuan. Su Wen had long ago warned that the acquisition of soul rings would eventually become a crisis for the soul master world. Among the research projects he had pre-emptively set for the Academy was one regarding soul rings.
Coincidentally, Bai Yuan was fascinated by this area. Using the recording characteristics of his Book Martial Soul, he prepared to research soul rings and proposed the concept of "Inherited Soul Rings." He was already gathering other scholars to begin.
Currently, Cultivation Chambers were being built at every Academy branch, so Su Wen didn't need to oversee them personally. He had made his formation knowledge public—specifically the structures for his completed Spirit Gathering Array and Gravity Boundary—allowing local Academy personnel to handle the construction. This was his effort to support commoner soul masters.
Su Wen sat cross-legged in a small cultivation chamber. Wisps of killing intent permeated the air as a blood-colored power surged through his meridians.
What exactly is the God Asura thinking? Su Wen pondered while purging a portion of the killing intent from his body.
When he killed Tang Chen, he was merely eroded by Tang Chen's own killing intent. However, after Su Wen completely finished off Tang San, the erosion of killing intent within his body became significantly more severe. It was no longer a simple injury sustained in battle; it felt as though it was constantly regenerating and corroding Su Wen's body from within.
"Still, this 'Killing Intent Tempering' is quite effective."
Tempering his body with killing intent was Su Wen's method for consuming the excess malice generated within him. He didn't allow the killing intent to fuse with him—he wouldn't dare try that—but rather used the corrosive pressure of the intent to temper his physique, thereby increasing the efficiency of his physical refinement.
Three days later, Su Wen arrived at the shore.
The Pioneer had been moved to the pier by Xu Jia's family and a crew of sailors. It sat waiting by the water's edge.
(End of Chapter)