Douluo: Brains Over Bloodline

The middle-aged man looked at Xu Yuan, seemingly struggling to accept this sudden shift in his research.

"It's not that," Xu Yuan clarified. "I've made new progress in my research on Abyssal energy. While we might not be able to directly devour the Abyssal energy, we can still use it to accelerate the cultivation of our soul masters."

"Accelerate soul power cultivation?" The middle-aged man's expression shifted slightly.

Though he found it unlikely, he still led Xu Yuan deeper into the research institute and retrieved technical records about soul tool weapons.

Xu Yuan didn't waste any time. After obtaining the materials, he quickly began studying them.

Soul tool weapons were part of a larger system of soul tools, with intricate and systematic changes to their core arrays. Xu Yuan aimed to thoroughly understand these weapons while adding the ability to connect them to his dream space, as well as enabling them to receive and store stellar energy.

These two capabilities weren't simple, so Xu Yuan worked to simplify them as much as possible—down to the level of a mid-tier soul master's core array.

Whether it was designing and crafting Battle Armor or creating mechas, both involved studying core arrays. Courses on mecha design and production even touched on various types of soul tools.

With this knowledge, Xu Yuan wasn't completely lost when studying the core array of soul tool weapons.

Time passed.

A month had gone by since Xu Yuan last entered the Abyssal passage.

Over the past month, Xu Yuan spent most of his time researching and developing core arrays in the military camp. He and Jiang Wuyue visited the Abyssal passage several times to test the effectiveness of the core arrays he had developed.

"Fortunately, the key lies in connecting my dream space with these soul tools, rather than requiring overly complex architectures for the core arrays themselves." This was what Xu Yuan was most relieved about.

He could streamline the energy conversion between the soul tool and his dream space by tweaking the dream space itself, saving a significant amount of time.

"Wuyue, let's head to the Abyssal passage again."

"Alright."

After multiple trips together, Xu Yuan and Jiang Wuyue had developed a certain understanding.

"How's it going? Are you confident this time?"

"It's basically fine now. This trip is just for final calibration, then we'll start collecting materials. Honestly, these soul tool weapons will only be effective once they're widely distributed. For example, we could create designated training rooms within the camp to collect the energy gathered from the Abyssal passage using these weapons. We'd inject that energy into the repair chambers, where concentrated stellar energy would further accelerate soul power cultivation."

Of course, this meant that not every soldier would directly benefit from the stellar energy they collected.

But without a doubt, this approach would allow them to concentrate resources on cultivating a small group of elites.

And this group wouldn't remain static. As soldiers accumulated merit points, everyone would eventually have the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of the stellar energy training rooms.

"To be honest, if your idea works, the entire Blood God Legion will change. Our cultivation environment will improve by leaps and bounds." Over the past month, Jiang Wuyue had experienced the effects of the stellar energy Xu Yuan had refined. He fully understood how transformative these soul tool weapons could be if they were widely adopted.

Although the Abyssal passage suppressed soul power, having a high soul power level was still the foundation for the soldiers here.

Higher soul power meant stronger physical abilities, greater feedback from their martial souls, and improved resistance to the Abyssal suppression.

Every ten levels of soul power represented a title, and each title allowed one to venture deeper into the Abyssal passage. There was a clear difference in how far someone could go.

For instance, a soul master at Level 20 might lose the ability to use their soul power and release their martial soul as soon as they entered the Abyssal passage.

However, a Level 50 Soul King could still activate their martial soul after entering the passage. Depending on how deep they ventured, they might retain a sliver of soul power up to 100 meters in.

At the Soul Sage level, resistance to Abyssal suppression became even stronger. According to the Blood God Legion's data, a Soul Sage could maintain their martial soul activation up to a kilometer into the Abyssal passage!

Not just barely forcefully activating soul power, but maintaining full martial soul embodiment and using soul skills!

This highlighted the importance of reaching the Soul Sage level for soul masters. At this stage, essence, energy, and spirit began to unify. Gaining a true martial soul body wasn't just about acquiring a powerful skill—it signified entering an entirely new phase of cultivation.

If Soul Sages were already this impressive, there was no need to elaborate on the higher ranks like Soul Douluo or Title Douluo.

There were even rumors that Super Douluo-level experts could theoretically enter the other side of the passage and step into the Abyssal plane while still being able to use their martial souls and soul skills—as long as they avoided detection by the Abyssal Sage King and weren't specifically targeted.

As for Limit Douluo, even under the Sage King's special attention, they would likely still retain the ability to escape.

Of course, these claims remained speculative within the Blood God Legion's classified data.

It was unclear whether any soul masters at this level had attempted such a feat.

But Xu Yuan could provide an answer.

Cao Dezhi must have entered the Abyss multiple times to explore it.

Unfortunately, even someone like Cao Dezhi couldn't do much while inside. He had to conceal his identity and gather intelligence on the Abyss as discreetly as possible.

For example, much of the information the Blood God Legion currently possesses about the Abyss's 108 layers was personally obtained by Cao Dezhi during his expeditions.

Thus, soul power levels remained crucial.

It wasn't just soul masters like Xu Yuan, who wielded blood essence, who could maintain their combat strength in the Abyssal passage.

In reality, Jiang Wuyue and others could also sustain strong combat capabilities.

However, the unpredictable environment of the Abyssal passage and its considerable length—at least ten kilometers deep—meant that missions couldn't be confined to just the first hundred meters or so.

"We still need to solidify everything first."

Xu Yuan remained grounded.

He and Jiang Wuyue quickly arrived outside the Abyssal passage.

"What's the plan?" Jiang Wuyue asked curiously.

Over the past month, he had transformed significantly. His cultivation of blood essence made him calmer and more robust.

"Give me a moment to prepare."

Instead of immediately using the soul tool weapon, Xu Yuan first connected with his dream space using his spiritual power.

During the past month, while researching soul tool weapons, he had also used his visits to the Abyssal passage to construct this new dream space.

This dream space was crafted from Xu Yuan's spiritual power and pure stellar energy, without any reliance on soul power.

Xu Yuan anchored this primitive dream space at the entrance of the Abyssal passage. Its coverage was vast enough to encompass the entire Endless Mountain Range, but doing so would consume too much energy. Therefore, he limited its range to include only the Blood God Legion and the Abyssal passage.

Only areas covered by the primitive dream space could facilitate energy conversion via soul tool weapons, even if the user couldn't personally connect to the dream space.

After double-checking the primitive dream space, Xu Yuan opened his eyes.

"It's ready."

He informed Jiang Wuyue and stepped into the passage.

Less than thirty meters in, they were attacked by four-clawed bats.

Over the past month, the number of Abyssal creatures in the passage had noticeably increased. The appearance of Ba An a month ago wasn't an isolated incident—many soldiers had encountered Ba An or even Mo Mei near the entrance.

This wasn't good news.

Such occurrences usually had only one explanation:

The Abyssal Tide was approaching.

"When the Abyssal Tide arrives, Emperors from the Abyss's top ten layers often take action, causing massive losses. Each Abyssal Tide also results in a significant leakage of our world's origin energy," Jiang Wuyue explained gravely.

In truth, merely resisting the Abyssal Tide and preventing the Abyss's invasion was already difficult. Preventing the loss of origin energy was nearly impossible.

Jiang Wuyue's expression grew serious as he elaborated on the horrors of the Abyssal Tide.

"Based on our recent observations, the Abyssal Tide is expected to erupt within the next half-month." Jiang Wuyue watched as Xu Yuan swiftly dispatched the four-clawed bats, then glanced around before speaking.

"No worries. Our priority right now is to arm ourselves. Before the Abyssal Tide arrives, I hope my energy conversion array will be complete."

The so-called energy conversion array was essentially a mechanism derived from Xu Yuan's primitive dream space, but without the dream space's direct involvement. The amount of stellar energy brought in by Abyssal energy's return wouldn't match the efficiency of the dream space's conversion, nor would it reach the same profit margin.

Still, having such an array would minimize losses during each Abyssal Tide.

"Sigh, I hope your array works. If it proves useful, the Federation will surely invest heavily in researching it. By then, even if we can't reverse-devour the Abyss, we'll at least have a chance to stop gradually declining because of its existence."

"Be optimistic. Reverse-devouring the Abyss is inevitable—it's just a matter of time." Xu Yuan spoke calmly.

Using his soul tool weapon, he devoured the energy of the four-clawed bat in front of him.

Through his control of the soul tool weapon, Xu Yuan could feel the Abyssal energy rapidly dissipating, followed by the appearance of stellar energy in another storage area of the weapon.

Upon closer inspection, one would notice that the disappearance of Abyssal energy and the storage of stellar energy weren't perfectly synchronized. This was because the primitive dream space hadn't yet completed its closed loop. The Abyssal energy needed to return to the Abyss, a process driven by the Abyss's own forces—not instantaneous—and its return would continuously draw in stellar energy.

"Only by treating the enemy as prey can we find opportunities for victory in battle. Simply defending and enduring attacks will only lead to despair."

Xu Yuan gazed at the soul tool weapon in his hand and smiled.

Jiang Wuyue listened thoughtfully, his expression contemplative.

With soul tool weapons, hunting Abyssal creatures wasn't just about defending against their invasions. It also became a way for Blood God Legion soldiers to grow stronger and acquire 'resources.'

This would undoubtedly boost motivation.

One could imagine that in the near future, a wave of enthusiasm for hunting Abyssal creatures would sweep through the Blood God Legion.

"Let's keep moving deeper. This bit of energy isn't enough. We'll need to kill at least eight to ten Ba An."

The two spent an entire day working in the Abyssal passage before finally completing their task.

---

The Blood God Legion

"I've submitted an application through the Blood God Ring. I'll go meet with the Blood God shortly."

Xu Yuan bid farewell to Jiang Wuyue.

---

The Blood God Camp

Behind the command center, there was an inconspicuous courtyard. From the outside, it looked no different from other areas of the camp, but it housed the most elite forces of the entire legion.

Xu Yuan entered the courtyard. Inside, the barracks were narrow, with only an elevator available. Before stepping into the elevator, a beam of light scanned his entire body. When it passed over his Blood God Ring, the ring emitted a glow, transmitting his identification back.

The elevator doors opened, and Xu Yuan stepped inside. There were no buttons; after the doors closed, the elevator automatically began descending.

After about ten seconds, the doors reopened, and Xu Yuan stepped out into a circular hall.

This was the Blood God Camp—the core of the Blood God Legion. It was where the nine Blood Gods conducted their work.

The Blood God Legion derived its name and reputation from the Blood Gods. The title of Blood God held immense significance.

The legion had nine Blood Gods, selected through fierce competition. Only the strongest nine could hold these positions.

So far, none of the nine Blood Gods were weak—all were at least three-word Battle Armor Masters.

As Xu Yuan entered, he immediately drew attention.

"You're Xu Yuan, correct?" A cold voice rang out.

Facing Xu Yuan was a woman in her early thirties. She wasn't strikingly beautiful, but her demeanor exuded confidence. With fiery blue eyes, silver-white short hair, and a bold figure, she spoke bluntly.

"Reporting, Commander. I am Xu Yuan, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Research Institute, responsible for developing Abyssal energy absorption technology."

Xu Yuan saluted.

"We've reviewed your application. You claim to have made progress in your research on Abyssal energy?"

The woman gestured for Xu Yuan to follow her inside.

"There's no need to be formal. Outside, sure, but once you're here, you can relax."

This was where the Blood Gods worked.

Military etiquette was cumbersome, and while they maintained proper decorum outside, within the Blood God Camp, they were much more relaxed with each other.

"By the way, I'm Blood Eight."

"Little Eight, is Xu Yuan here?" A lazy voice called out.

Blood Eight's expression darkened as she glared at the source of the voice—a man in his late twenties with a languid demeanor.

"Blood Seven, I'll say it again—I'm Blood Eight. Don't call me Little Eight."

Blood Seven chuckled nonchalantly. "Alright, alright. We're all family here. No need to be so sensitive."

"Hmph!" Blood Eight snorted.

Aside from Blood Eight and Blood Seven, three others were present.

One of them, a woman in her fifties, looked at Blood Seven with exasperation. "I'd really like to see what happens when Blood Eight surpasses you someday. Will you still be so cocky then?"

Blood Seven grinned. "Isn't that my motivation to train harder? Third Sister, if that day ever comes, you'll protect me, right?"

Blood Three shook her head helplessly, then turned her gaze to Xu Yuan.

"Xu Yuan, we're familiar with your file. Relax—you're not in the regular camp anymore."

"Greetings, Commanders." Xu Yuan remained respectful.

Blood Three smiled. "I told you not to be nervous. I'm Blood Three. Over there are Blood Five, Blood Six, Blood Seven, and Blood Eight."

Blood Five and Blood Six were both men. Blood Five was tall, muscular, and dark-skinned, resembling a towering black iron statue. Blood Six, on the other hand, was short and unassuming, almost blending into the background, with a faint smile on his face.

"Xu Yuan, your report mentioned progress in Abyssal energy research and requested our approval to proceed with further studies and implementation?"

Blood Three got straight to the point.

"Yes. Over the past period, I've visited the Abyssal passage multiple times and developed a new method for utilizing Abyssal energy."

"Oh?" Blood Three, Blood Five, Blood Six, Blood Seven, and Blood Eight all looked at Xu Yuan with curiosity.

Under their collective gaze, Xu Yuan felt no pressure.

He retrieved the soul tool weapon he had used in the Abyssal passage.

"This is my modified soul tool weapon. Inside is my trophy."

"Oh?"

Trophy?

The Blood God Legion had always resisted the Abyss, recording kills via the Blood God Ring to distribute merit points.

Where did trophies come from?

The legion rarely spoke of trophies, as the enemies' bodies dissolved into energy and returned to the Abyss.

Curious, Blood Three took the soul tool weapon from Xu Yuan. It was a soul tool shield.

Its appearance wasn't important.

What mattered was that when Blood Three infused soul power into the shield's array, her spiritual power sensed the array's unique structure. She immediately directed her spiritual power into it and detected the storage area within the shield.

Feeling the concentrated stellar energy inside, Blood Three raised an eyebrow.

The other Blood Gods grew intrigued.

What's so interesting?

Let us see.

Especially Blood Seven, who eagerly asked, "Third Sister, what's so special about this soul tool weapon? What does 'trophy' mean?"

Blood Three took a deep breath, ignoring Blood Seven, and turned to Xu Yuan. "Are you saying this is Abyssal energy that's been converted?"

Xu Yuan shook his head. "Devouring Abyssal energy is indeed a step, but the stellar energy inside isn't directly converted from Abyssal energy. It's refined using Abyssal energy."

"Oh?" Blood Three leaned forward, clearly interested.

"The principle is simple. Devour Abyssal energy, leveraging its tendency to return to the Abyss. As it flows back, use its force to draw in stellar energy and store it. Through a series of steps, the stellar energy is refined by interacting with the Abyssal energy, making it easier to absorb."

Xu Yuan briefly explained the concept behind his modified soul tool weapon.

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