Chapter 734: Universe Center

The Martial Dao focuses on forging the body. The Soul Dao focuses on forging the soul.

As the Great Octopus explained, two completely new fundamental cultivation systems of the universe gradually unfolded before the gathered Great Sages, who listened in rapt attention. Previously, they had all been groping their way, but now it felt as if their cultivation foundations were complete, having received systematized knowledge. These two foundational practices were remarkably simple and refined, having been honed by countless powerful individuals and improved over hundreds of millions of years. They represented the most core, fundamental cultivation methods.

"So that's how it is?" Yuan Qinghua mused, feeling his horizons broadened. The other side's world appeared far more ancient and enduring. It was likely a transcendent world comparable to the Three Pillar God civilization. Listening to the descriptions of these two cultivation methods, he sensed a profound simplicity, like "a heavy sword without an edge, great skill needing no elaborate work," completely devoid of ostentation.

"Is that all? Galway Union, you disappoint me. Are there no higher-level secret techniques?"

Yuan Qinghua, in the form of a lush green tree, paced back and forth with his hands clasped behind his back, scoffing, "You shallow-minded creatures! You always cling to your paltry possessions, hiding away such low-level cultivation methods and feeling smug about it! Do you truly believe we'd stoop to stealing your inferior techniques? Preposterous!"

The Great Octopus quickly responded, "This truly is the only cultivation method. It has undergone hundreds of millions of years of refinement and has gained the approval of time itself. The weakest practitioners use it, and the strongest also cultivate it. In my inherited memories, every creature without a bloodline talent cultivates these two fundamental methods; there are no exceptions. Only civilizations with special bloodlines possess cultivation techniques tailored to their specific racial heritage. These specialized methods are advanced techniques, evolved from the principles of the Martial Dao and Soul Dao, making them even more powerful and customized to their respective bloodlines."

"Is this the origin of transcendent bloodline cultivation methods?" In the Underworld, Xu Zhi sat quietly in the Reincarnation Hall, listening, and was slightly taken aback. Upon reflection, it was clear that these two fundamental cultivation methods were indeed the origin of all transcendent bloodline techniques.

"In fact, the Witch Clan's Dantian Qi-blood method, where the Dantian furnace permeates the entire body's meridians, and even the more advanced Nine Revolutions Profound Art built upon it, all fall within the concept of the Martial Dao." Xu Zhi stood up and began to pace. "Similarly, the various meditation methods used by immortals to cultivate their Sea of Consciousness, or by mages to enhance their mental power, should also be classified under the Soul Dao, as they are all methods of soul cultivation." Xu Zhi felt a profound sense of enlightenment.

Looking around, he realized that every bloodline cultivation method within his transcendent worlds, as if by some unseen design, had evolved from these two fundamental, non-bloodline cultivation practices. "The reason I didn't quickly discover the Martial Dao and Soul Dao concepts was the sheer abundance of bloodlines! I utilized the players' 'hairline' to evolve various races with transcendent potential, endowing all creatures in the sandbox with diverse transcendent bloodlines—this is an advantage of the Zerg... Through evolution and mutation, they directly sought out bloodline-specific cultivation methods, thereby bypassing the concept of fundamental, non-bloodline practices." In retrospect, each of them was a prodigy, possessing powerful transcendent bloodlines.

"This is quite interesting... The Soul Dao, much like the Martial Dao, is likely impractical for us. While it delves directly into the essence and has no transcendent bloodline prerequisites, allowing even ordinary people to cultivate it, its cultivation speed is slow and demands immense resources..." From the Reincarnation Hall, Xu Zhi gazed into the distance, already foreseeing the future of this cultivation method. "It likely won't become widely popular, similar to the Martial Dao. However, for wealthy, powerful cultivators who possess abundant resources and wish to master an additional technique or two, it presents a viable option, just like the Martial Dao."

Xu Zhi, for his part, felt quite pleased. From the Great Octopus, he instantly gained a vast amount of fundamental information about the universe's civilizations, and the laws governing the world became perfectly clear and complete. The path to an Eighth-tier Deity involves traversing the spacetime of thought. The path to a Ninth-tier Deity requires the fusion of soul and body. Both types of deities have their own bloodline descendants. Their offspring inherit a portion of their parents' life essence, inherently born as incomplete high-dimensional beings. Meanwhile, ordinary races in the universe who lack bloodlines cultivate both the Soul Dao and Martial Dao. Any specialized bloodline techniques found in advanced transcendent civilizations are improvements based on these two fundamental laws. A Ninth-tier being is truly a cosmic overlord, a high-ranking figure! The Ninth-tier path involves the complete fusion of soul and body, a grand synthesis of the Martial Dao and Soul Dao, the two foundational cosmic cultivation methods. Such a being can distort laws and create their own transcendent world. This seemed to subtly align with a predetermined destiny. Upon closer thought, the transcendent civilizations Xu Zhi had previously theorized now formed a complete, filled circle.

"I had been working in isolation before, but the transcendent achievements of civilization I've developed are truly impressive! The various transcendent bloodline systems are remarkably powerful." Xu Zhi felt a profound, exhilarating joy. What had once been hazy was now confirmed, and he was naturally delighted, viewing the Great Octopus as his personal good luck charm. "The knowledge shared by this cosmic creature has completely filled in the gaps in my understanding of the world and the universe," he thought. These mischievous players, with their many tactics, had truly baffled the cosmic octopus.

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

After listening, Yuan Qinghua's expression grew solemn. Like a charlatan manipulating a gullible NPC, he addressed the Great Octopus: "What about your race and your civilization? This is a tremendous opportunity. Perhaps you could seek refuge with an ancient Ninth-tier entity. A cosmic war involving an entire galaxy is about to erupt, and it's a time when personnel are needed. You could contact them to come here." He was utterly shameless, already contemplating how to exploit the Great Octopus's kin.

The Great Octopus looked touched. This creature, with its benevolent expression, seemed truly concerned for it, unlike the arrogant, powerful Great Sages whose gazes were filled with contempt. "Our race lays eggs on planets in space," it explained. "We never see our parents from birth. However, as my bloodline strengthens, if I break through to a Deity, I will establish a faint bloodline connection with my parents."

Yuan Qinghua paused, feeling a touch of regret. It would be difficult to locate the parents of such a nomadic race. "Could it be that this race knows it's too lucrative a target and fears being completely eradicated?" Yuan Qinghua fell into thought, finding it highly plausible. After all, under the Dark Forest theory, no one willingly reveals their coordinates. For instance, the Lava World and the Seven Realms had engaged in conflict precisely because their coordinates were exposed, whereas the Mini-Universe remained unaffected, its location undisclosed.

Then, Yuan Qinghua clasped his hands and addressed the Great Sages: "Presently, the Soul Dao and Martial Dao, these two fundamental cultivation methods, are extremely resource-intensive. However, our world is not lacking in resources, so cultivation is feasible." Yuan Qinghua continued, "If cultivated to completion, one could master five major systems concurrently: Martial, Soul, Buddhist, Dao, and one's innate talent essence! This isn't merely an additive increase; it's a geometric progression of power. Great Sages, you could achieve truly world-shaking, terrifying levels of combat prowess!"

The Great Sages, upon hearing this, became visibly agitated. Cultivating five major systems concurrently, if perfected, could indeed defy natural laws, leading to extraordinarily exaggerated combat power. Of course, this demands exceptional personal aptitude and talent. Most individuals struggle to fully master even a single system, let alone reach the Heavenly Emperor perfection realm! However, they also fell into deep thought. Why was the Lord of Reincarnation so confident in enhancing their strength? Was it a genuine display of faith in his own combat prowess? Concurrently, intercepting and subduing this colossal, terrifying monster felt like snatching food from a tiger's jaws, seizing a formidable entity. Could it mean their world was about to face an invasion?

"Currently, there are the Three Pillar God Arcane World, the All-God Clay World, and the Seven Realms of the Primeval Heavenly Court," Yuan Qinghua couldn't help but explain. "Now, I will briefly describe their powerful beings and civilization systems. Our world, at this moment, doesn't even possess deities, so naturally, we are the absolute weakest."

"First, consider the Pillar God World. Their world differs from ours; they have no reincarnation, and the dead cannot be reborn. However, there is an unseen Heavenly Dao. The Three Pillar Gods can foresee the future of their entire world hundreds, even thousands, of years ahead. For the inhabitants of that land, the moment they are born, the trajectory of their eventual demise is already written..."

As he continued to explain, the surrounding Great Sages listened in utter shock, their faces revealing profound horror. "This... how is this even possible!?" "A Heavenly Dao!?" "Fatalism?" "A Demonic Core Virus?" "Insane evolution?"

Even the Great Octopus couldn't help but roar and shriek in disbelief. "The Three Pillar Gods, deducing past and future, acting as the unseen Heavenly Dao of their civilization, and then using all living beings as cells to converge into a Ninth-tier entity?" As it continued to listen, its mind felt as if it would explode. "Emperor Qi, how can such a terrifying figure exist? An entity of that caliber is truly fearsome! To repel a weaker Ninth-tier being with his own power? That's inconceivable!" "And the All-God Race, they've actually lowered the threshold for reaching the Ninth-tier! Ninth-tier beings are being born in their world, as numerous as the stars..." To its limited understanding, the All-God Race appeared the most terrifying of all. While each civilization possessed dreadful advantages, ultimately, the strong reigned supreme, and the advantages granted by reaching the Ninth-tier were paramount. This race's bloodline was utterly unheard of throughout the cosmos! The ability to mass-produce Ninth-tier beings, allowing countless creatures to cross that threshold, was unprecedented!

"The center of the universe!" The Great Octopus's face turned scarlet as it roared with excitement. "This place... it truly is the center of the universe!" "What incredibly terrifying worlds are waging war against each other! My heavens! What have I stumbled upon? I, Galway Union, have actually had the chance to encounter something so terrifying!" "No wonder they said it would affect the star I cultivate on. This situation could even impact an entire galaxy spanning millions of light-years! Such a war would be earth-shattering, an unimaginably terrifying high-dimensional galactic conflict!" It was ecstatic. "I've actually entered a high-level civilization at the universe's heart, within a world where a Ninth-tier remnant perished! What an unimaginable stroke of luck!"

A gust of cold wind swept past. Xu Zhi sat on the rooftop, observing the entire orchard in the Dongxiang countryside. This very orchard was what the cosmic Great Octopus, Galway Union, longed to believe was the "center of the universe."

"The Three Pillar Gods and Emperor Qi are still incredibly reckless," he murmured, taking a slow sip of tea as he surveyed the vibrant red soil of the orchard from the rooftop. "I don't know how many tens of thousands of light-years across the vast cosmos will be affected, or how many mid- and low-tier civilizations will be destroyed. But this war... it's already caused my own orchard to be devastated several times." He stood up, paused for a moment, then turned and headed downstairs. "This time, let Emperor Qi clean up his own mess."

Ultimately, the world's top Great Sages departed, their minds far from settled. The cosmic octopus, meanwhile, was completely awestruck. It was terrifying! Unimaginably terrifying! After hearing everything, it was left bewildered and trembling.

After the Great Sages departed, the entire valley was sealed off, now serving as a prison for the colossal, terrifying soul of the cosmic octopus, which completely filled the space. Seeing that only the tree remained, the Great Octopus couldn't help but ask excitedly, "Didn't you say you were going to correct my cultivation method?"

"Naturally." Yuan Qinghua calmly replied, "I never go back on my word. Since you've shared insights on the Soul Dao, I will now explain its various cultivation forms and different ways it can be recorded... Wait for me to return in half a day."

The Great Octopus quivered with excitement, its face alight with anticipation. This truly was a terrifying, mysterious high-dimensional world; its time flow alone was proof enough! The beings here even slept in high-dimensional spacetime. How could ordinary individuals dare to waste life in such a manner?

Half a day later, Yuan Qinghua returned. From his hand, he produced a black, tablet-shaped device. "Nuclear energy... no, I mean, an ancient Buddhist artifact powered by Buddha's light," he corrected himself, "it can also be driven by true qi." The Great Octopus was visibly excited, its face full of anticipation. "Is this some kind of machine from a technological civilization?" it wondered. "No, it's not purely mechanical; it's a hybrid psychic device." Yuan Qinghua handed it over, saying earnestly, "Study it thoroughly. It contains several types of knowledge for cultivating and tempering the soul, which will make you progressively stronger."

After Yuan Qinghua departed, the Great Octopus eagerly began to examine the device. To its surprise, it found a collection of daunting mathematical problems and equations detailing various cosmic operational parameters, with the peculiar words "Physics and Chemistry" inscribed on them. "Learning knowledge can train the soul? Are there any other methods?" It paused, then looked at a section labeled "Thought Soul Exercises" in the corner. Clicking on it, it surprisingly found an image of two octopuses intertwined and interacting. Seeing creatures so similar to itself, it instinctively blushed, yet it began to observe intently. "This," it mused, "might very well be the secret to cultivating the Soul Dao."

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

The entire online forum was abuzz. Previously, the sudden opening of the instance had been so urgent that there was no time for communication. Players had merely managed to take screenshots and post titles to inform everyone of the unfolding events. Now that things had calmed, the players involved could finally emerge and describe the course of the intense war, along with their current gains and circumstances. The entire "Wizard Community" online game section was in an uproar. This was a historic moment. A new expansion pack had fully launched. As a significant part of the "online game world," their game had finally fully integrated with the transcendent realms of other elite, solo players from "Spore Evolution." What did this signify? It meant that, from now on, their status as players was about to become incredibly significant!