Douluo: Brains Over Bloodline

Welcome to our new Patron: Dawid Partyka!

------------------------------------------------------

"It's like this—I want to invite Sister Yue to help my uncle compete for the position of Tower Master of the Spirit Pagoda."

Xu Yuan got straight to the point without beating around the bush.

Yue Ruyue seemed to have anticipated this, as her expression only shifted slightly before returning to calmness.

"Little brother, you must understand that I don't represent just one person."

"I know that, but my uncle isn't just one person either. Let me put it this way, Sister Yue—I can already perform soul forging." Xu Yuan smiled.

Yue Ruyue's gaze sharpened.

She stared intently at Xu Yuan, enunciating each word as she asked, "You can already perform soul forging?"

"This is my work." Xu Yuan took out a piece of jade silver that had undergone soul forging.

Yue Ruyue's eyes locked onto the jade silver in Xu Yuan's hand, unable to look away.

Every blacksmith's forged metal was unique, especially at the spirit forging and soul forging levels.

Starting from spirit forging, the process involved awakening the inherent spirituality of the metal. Although it was about reviving the metal's original essence, every blacksmith inevitably left traces of their own influence in the process.

Soul forging was even more so—it directly transferred the blacksmith's abilities into the soul-forged metal.

From the jade silver in Xu Yuan's hand, Yue Ruyue sensed a familiar aura—moonlight energy.

Clearly, this piece of jade silver wasn't chosen at random. During its forging, Xu Yuan had infused it with his understanding of moonlight energy.

"With this alone, it's enough." Yue Ruyue took a deep breath and said, "However, I still need to inform the sect internally first."

"No rush. I have another matter I'd like Sister Yue to assist with."

"What is it?"

"This time, I plan to invite the Moonlight Sect and several other major factions deeply involved in starry sky research to form a Stellar Sea Alliance. Its purpose will be to explore outer space. For now, I'm preparing to make the Tian Ding (Heavenly Destiny) Starry Sky Soul Master Academy the main force, tasked with constructing a true spaceship for exploring the cosmos. The other factions will provide resources and technical support."

(T/N: Stellar Sea Alliance or Ocean of Stars Alliance? Both sound pretty good)

The Heavenly Destiny Starry Sky Soul Master Academy was ultimately an academy, making it a convenient platform for gathering experts from various factions.

Of course, these factions all had their own proprietary technologies. To get them to share, they first needed to see the benefits.

"The specifics of how to unite them will naturally be up to me to persuade. For now, I need Sister Yue and the Heavenly Destiny Starry Sky Soul Master Academy to help me establish contact with the various parties."

Yue Ruyue let out a sigh of relief.

But her relief was short-lived, and her expression quickly turned serious again.

"Little brother, you must understand—exploring outer space cannot be achieved overnight. It's a long-term investment. Even after ten, twenty, or even a hundred years, there may still be no results."

The universe was vast beyond imagination!

Xu Yuan also wore an expression of helplessness.

How could he not know this?

"Sister Yue, I understand. The universe is boundless, and finding another civilization or a planet suitable for life is incredibly difficult. But taking action sooner is always better. Besides, my enthusiasm is driven by a current goal."

Xu Yuan didn't expect this project to yield a new habitable planet anytime soon.

"My goal is simply to construct a spaceship capable of truly exploring the cosmos and sustaining itself independently."

Most importantly, it would provide soul masters with a normal cultivation environment and extended endurance.

"The spaceship can be constructed entirely from soul-forged metals. I can also supply all the necessary materials," Xu Yuan said.

This was a way of lowering the technical requirements through material quality.

Douluo Star, after all, had its limitations.

Even if Yun Ming had a clear path forward, he still needed to venture into space to attempt a breakthrough.

---

Regarding the spaceship's purpose, Xu Yuan didn't elaborate further but shared his needs with Yue Ruyue.

"Combining various technologies to create a true spaceship capable of exploring outer space should align with the aspirations of these major factions. It's just that there has never been a catalyst or sufficient incentive to bring them together. Now, I can serve as that catalyst."

Xu Yuan exuded confidence.

This was the confidence of a sixteen-year-old Saint Craftsman who could already perform soul forging.

Exploring the universe ultimately relied on spaceships. Spaceships, in turn, demanded high-quality materials, which meant relying on powerful blacksmiths—and he could meet those demands.

"Our Moonlight Sect can cooperate with you, but the specific details will still need to be decided between you and the Heavenly Destiny Starry Sky Soul Master Academy."

"Good."

Xu Yuan stayed at the Moonlight Sect for two days.

Using his understanding of starry sky energy, he helped refine the sect's Moonlight Array a little further.

Over those two days, Yue Ruyue finalized her decisions. She would support Xu Shengqun's bid for the Tower Master position and also handle the formation of the Stellar Sea Alliance. She had already contacted some researchers within the sect to head to Tianding City.

"You go ahead and take care of your matters. Come visit the Moonlight Sect when you have time."

After leaving the Moonlight Sect, Xu Yuan's next destination was naturally Tianding City.

However, he made a brief stop at Tiandou City along the way.

Blacksmith Association Headquarters.

It had been half a year since their last meeting.

After resolving the issue with the Dark Blood Demon, Mu Ye had prepared to enter seclusion for his final breakthrough.

Now, half a year later, his breakthrough had gone very smoothly.

"The last time you told me you were going to cultivate at Shrek for a while, I thought you'd settle down for at least two or three years. Yet here you are, running around outside after just half a year?" Mu Ye was speechless.

No, not half a year—it was only four months.

Xu Yuan had stayed at Shrek for just four months before leaving again.

Young people really lacked focus. Wasn't even a month-long cultivation period too short?

"Master, my progress over these past six months has been significant," Xu Yuan said with a slight pout.

Shouldn't focused cultivation be judged by the extent of progress rather than the length of time?

In just half a year, my spiritual power increased by at least 3,000 points, and my soul power broke through two levels.

Not only that, but the durations of all my soul spirits increased by nearly 40,000 years, significantly boosting the base stats of my various soul skills and substantially enhancing my overall strength.

Besides, times have changed.

After being targeted twice by the Holy Spirit Sect, Xu Yuan had been somewhat shaken. But after some time, he had recovered.

Moreover, his collision with the Dark Blood Demon confirmed the limits of his explosive power fueled by the Dragon Soul Mark, giving him a bit more confidence.

"And this time, I'm also working on ways to increase my strength."

Xu Yuan hadn't planned to return anytime soon. After handling the Stellar Sea Alliance matters in Tianding City, he would head to the Blood God Legion to focus on raising his soul power level.

Wasn't all of this for the sake of cultivation?

"These are some insights I gained during my breakthrough, along with new findings from your senior grandmaster regarding the fusion of martial souls."

Mu Ye handed Xu Yuan a set of documents.

------------------------------------------------------

40+ Chapters Ahead Guaranteed: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow

There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)