Chapter 104: Academia Is a Brawl
The Church of the Water God
Sunlight streamed through the exquisitely carved window lattices, casting fine, scattered motes of light across the study floor. Neuvillette slowly lifted his teacup and took a delicate sip.
Since Furina's departure, the pressure on his shoulders had not lightened by much. But thankfully—thanks to the various talents she had brought in, and the many functional departments that had been established one after another—there were finally people to share the bulk of the workload. He only needed to handle the most critical decisions. The rest could be delegated to his subordinates.
Even so, these days could not compare to the ease and leisure of his time in Fontaine. What left him quietly wistful, even more, was this: there were no Melusines here.
Neuvillette let out a soft sigh and returned his teacup to the desk, preparing to rest his mind for a moment before dealing with the remaining official matters. There was still ample time, and the affairs at hand were not urgent. Everything that needed to be arranged had already been set on its proper track. He only needed to make minor adjustments.
His mind had just begun to relax when a muffled boom suddenly erupted from beyond the window—like some kind of explosion, or perhaps a heavy object crashing to the ground.
Neuvillette didn't so much as twitch an eyebrow. He didn't need to guess to know: it was surely that bunch from the Research Department kicking up another ruckus. Either some experiment had misfired, or a debate had escalated into a martial soul brawl. Such scenes had long since ceased to surprise him.
Ever since Furina had set clear objectives for the Research Department, promised lavish rewards, and further stoked their motivation with the honors scholars yearned for most, that place had been boiling day and night. If they weren't arguing until their faces turned red, they were testing things until the heavens shook and the earth quaked.
"Lord Neuvillette," a capable subordinate strode briskly into the study and bowed in report, "the Research Department is at it again. Would you like to personally—"
"No need." Neuvillette raised a hand to cut him off. "Let them be. The new research building will be completed soon. We'll move them all out of the main compound then. So long as their research conditions remain adequate and their living environment unchanged, it makes no difference where they kick up their noise."
The subordinate understood at once. "Yes, sir. Understood."
"Dismissed."
The door closed softly, and silence returned to the study. Yet the faint clamor still drifted in intermittently, like the distant roar of the tide.
Just as Neuvillette had anticipated, the Research Department was, at this very moment, in a state of utter uproar.
Over this period, a number of individuals with outstanding research results and remarkable contributions had already been conferred the title of "Doctor" by Furina. And right now, nearly eighty percent of the Research Department was in complete chaos. With the exception of the Soul Tool Division, which remained relatively restrained, the Martial Soul Division, Soul Ring Division, and Soul Bone Division—the three departments most tightly interconnected and most deeply at odds—had been arguing themselves hoarse for ages.
It was practically a set-piece spectacle, recurring every two or three days.
Dr. Dayou withdrew his martial soul, the White Dragon. He swept his gaze around the room, his voice clear and resolute.
"Everyone, I believe your fundamental direction is wrong. According to my theoretical framework and experimental results, a soul master can, by reversing the process of soul ring absorption and relying on soul power compression and condensation, independently coalesce their own soul ring."
"This is not mere speculation. A member of our church, Shi Meng, recently broke through to rank thirty. Under my guidance, he successfully condensed his third soul ring. Though it was only of the white ten-year quality, this is sufficient proof that the path is viable. I believe that the guidance and coordination of spiritual power may also be required in the process."
He paused, and a note of pride crept into his voice.
"Shi Meng's martial soul is a defense-type, yet his physical constitution is weaker than the average soul master of his rank. Even so, he succeeded. Once I have fully grasped all the key elements and refined this method by using myself as the experimental subject, the system of self-condensing soul rings can be formally established. And what of you all? You have yet to produce any substantive results."
"In that case—the position of 'First Doctor' should rightfully fall to me. The opportunity to leave one's name in history is open to all, but my name must be ranked first, and it must be the most prominently displayed." He suddenly laughed—a laugh that seemed especially jarring in the abrupt silence. "Hahaha... If any of you disagree, then prove it with results."
The words had barely settled when an undisguised scoff rang out from across the room.
The laugh was short and sharp, like a small knife slicing through the oppressive air.
Dr. Damu pushed aside the mountain of experimental records piled before him and slowly rose to his feet. His movements were unhurried, exuding a sense of calm composure.
"Dr. Dayou. A tiny bit of progress, and you're already drunk on your own success? The standard for a third soul ring is the thousand-year tier. The gap between a white soul ring and a purple soul ring is a hundredfold at the very least. This so-called 'success' of yours is nothing more than a half-finished product."
He walked to the center of the room, stopping three meters away from Dr. Dayou, their eyes locked in a blazing standoff. "My vision is far more advanced than yours—and far bolder. As everyone knows, many beast martial souls resemble soul beasts in form. Yet Savage-Beast-level martial souls have almost never appeared in the world. However, when a soul beast mates with a human, their offspring can inherit its martial soul. The Thousand-Hand Douluo Tang San is the clearest proof: his mother was a hundred-thousand-year Bluesilver Emperor soul beast, and his first martial soul was precisely the yet-unawakened Bluesilver Emperor."
He swept his gaze around, noting that everyone was listening with rapt attention, before slowly continuing. "Then—if a Savage Beast were to mate with a human, could it produce offspring bearing a Savage-Beast-level martial soul? And taking it a step further—why must we necessarily have soul beasts mate with humans? Reversing the equation—if a human possessing a top-tier martial soul were to mate with a soul beast, could this directly give birth to the corresponding soul beast? For example—if a soul master with the Phoenix martial soul were to... copulate with a soul beast, could an actual Phoenix be born?"
An absolute, deathly silence blanketed the room. Some drew sharp, incredulous breaths. Others unconsciously took half a step backward. This line of thought was simply far too heaven-defying.
Dr. Damu was utterly oblivious to the shock around him—or rather, he simply didn't care. "In this way, we could obtain perfectly tailored, perfectly compatible soul rings from the corresponding soul beasts. We could even strengthen bloodlines and catalyze martial soul evolution. Is this not a far more promising path than bitter condensing a mere white soul ring within one's own body?"
Even Dr. Dayou was stunned for a long moment before he murmured, "This idea of yours... is far too horrifying. The former is somewhat understandable—after all, a soul beast that has re-cultivated into human form possesses a human body. But the latter... to do such a thing with a soul beast that has not yet transformed... it utterly defies all natural order. And besides, this would be paving the road for future generations. You yourself would hardly be able to enjoy the benefits."
"If it were only with soul beasts that had already taken human form, that might be one thing. But directly with a bestial-form soul beast... I don't even dare to imagine it."
Dr. X, standing nearby, spoke up thoughtfully. "Dr. Damu, how can you be certain that what would be born from such a union would be a soul beast, and not a human? The Thousand-Hand Douluo's mother, though not yet fully an adult at the time of birth, was already in human form. Furthermore, Tang Hao's martial soul was the Clear Sky Hammer, and the Bluesilver Emperor is a plant. Yet their union produced a human offspring bearing the Bluesilver Emperor martial soul. Producing a soul beast might prove rather... difficult."
Dr. Damu, however, shook his head. "No. That was precisely an exception. What I wish to explore are the universal laws. Of course, this experiment faces numerous difficulties. Would the soul beast be willing to cooperate? What form would the offspring ultimately inherit? How would the martial soul bloodline be transmitted?... But I have yet another idea."
A keen, cutting light flashed through his eyes.
"What if soul beasts were made to cultivate techniques like the Mysterious Heaven Technique? Could that also accelerate their cultivation growth? If so, the crisis of soul beast extinction might be alleviated. Only—if we were to hand human cultivation techniques over to hundred-thousand-year soul beasts, would they accept them? Would they see it as a trap? Would they pass them down to lower-tier soul beasts? What's more, our church currently has no true Titled Douluo in residence."
"Though the Four Protectors, fighting together, can contend with someone newly entered into the Titled Douluo realm, they would be hard-pressed to intimidate top-tier soul beasts. I'm afraid this plan will have to wait until Her Holiness returns, or until the Four Protectors break through to the Soul Douluo level, before it can be attempted."
Dr. Dayou, upon hearing this, couldn't help curling his lip. "After all that circling around—isn't it still just empty talk on paper?"
"At least I am looking forward," Dr. Damu shot back without yielding an inch. "Whereas you—you're merely spinning in circles."
"What did you say?!"
Just as the argument was about to escalate once again, the head of the Soul Tool Division—who had remained silent all this while—finally rose to her feet.
She was a young scholar who had only recently been conferred the title of Doctor. They called her "Dr. Mirror." She did not release her martial soul. She merely tapped the tabletop lightly with her knuckles. The crisp rapping sound made the clamor subside slightly.
"Esteemed Doctors," she said, her tone calm, "self-condensation of soul rings and experiments in soul beast-human interbreeding are both directions worthy of exploration. But the more pressing and practical issue at hand is this: the Research Department's funding, facilities, and safety protocols are all nearing their absolute limits. If we have another martial soul collision accident like last week's, I'm afraid this old compound will be demolished by our own hands long before the new building is completed."
She turned to Dr. Dayou. "Research on self-condensed soul rings requires soul masters with high spiritual power. I suggest we first screen and select a group of spiritually strong soul masters to participate. As for raising the age limit of the condensed soul rings—that will still have to be explored by you yourself, Dr. Dayou."
She then turned to Dr. Damu, her gaze carrying no judgment, only analysis. "And as for your idea, Dr. Damu—setting aside the ethical controversies for the moment, simply finding suitable experimental subjects is nearly impossible."
"Hundred-thousand-year soul beasts will almost certainly not cooperate, and hundred-thousand-year soul beasts that have re-cultivated into human form are rarer still. Ordinary soul beasts typically lack the intelligence for meaningful communication. It would be exceedingly difficult. Rather than indulging in fantasies, it would be better to start by systematically analyzing existing cases of twin martial souls and the patterns of martial soul inheritance."
Her pragmatic, grounded words eased the tension somewhat. Dr. Dayou and Dr. Damu exchanged a glance. Though neither was willing to concede, they ceased their quarreling for the time being.