Zhu Ziyang and Qian Lingyi did not linger in the seaside town. After resting for a night, they headed south, entering the Star Luo Empire.
However, just as Zhu Ziyang was thinking of finding the remaining two targets in one go, he received a message from Shrek Academy in Hualuo City, a major city in the northern border of the Star Luo Empire.
The content of the message was very simple, only two words: "Return immediately!"
Upon receiving such a letter, Zhu Ziyang immediately had a guess. Only in the most urgent situations would such a brief message be sent. The only urgent situation he could think of was that Mu En was in critical condition!
Without hesitation, Zhu Ziyang chose to abandon his southward journey, turned west, and began to advance at extreme speed.
Qian Lingyi did not understand the reason for Zhu Ziyang's urgency, but she still followed closely, her curiosity growing exponentially.
Zhu Ziyang, however, had no time to pay attention to her. After a day and a night, he returned to Shrek Academy and immediately ascended Sea God Island.
After arriving on Sea God Island, Zhu Ziyang didn't even have time to catch his breath before he was grabbed by Xuan Zi and taken to the Sea God Pavilion.
Inside the Sea God Pavilion, Mu En's aura was already extremely unstable, as if it would dissipate at any moment.
When he saw Zhu Ziyang, a clear smile appeared on his face, and the weakness in his voice seemed to solidify. He said, "It's good that I waited for you, Ziyang, to return."
"Grandmaster, why has your health deteriorated so severely again?" Zhu Ziyang was puzzled and saddened. He remembered Mu En saying before he left that he could last another year or so, but in just over a month of his absence, why had he suddenly become so ill?
"Haha!" Mu En showed a relieved smile and said, "Instead of painfully controlling my time, I might as well use my last bit of energy to do something for you!"
As he spoke, he took out a pure white, egg-sized Dragon Core from his embrace. The Dragon Core emitted a soft, warm aura with a faint majesty, and inside, a swimming dragon seemed to be coiling.
"Here!" Mu En smiled proudly and said, "This Dragon Core has finally been refined by this old man. I've been entangled with it for half my life, and now that I'm going to die, it can't stay either. Ziyang, your cultivation is already at level 68. Absorb this Dragon Core, use it to break through to level 70, and then condense your second Soul Core."
"Grandmaster!" Zhu Ziyang felt his throat dry and hoarse, an inexpressible sadness in his heart. He finally understood why Mu En's condition had suddenly worsened.
He knelt with a "thud" before Mu En's rocking chair, holding his withered hands, tears streaming down his face, a deep sorrow and emotion rising in his heart.
"Alright, you're an adult now, don't act like a child!" A hint of relief flashed in Mu En's eyes, but he feigned seriousness and said, "Your demeanor is no different from your Senior Brother's. How can I entrust the Academy to you? Do you want me to die with regrets?"
"Grandmaster, I…" Zhu Ziyang stopped his tears and sobs upon hearing this, looking at Mu En, unsure how to reply.
"Ziyang, your goal is the stars. Why care about personal affections?" Mu En said freely, "I, your Grandmaster, have long been prepared for Death. When you truly reach that step, be sure to tell me! Now, absorb the Dragon Core and condense your second Soul Core!"
"Grandmaster, I will!" Zhu Ziyang wiped away his tears, his gaze firm, and said. He took the Dragon Core that had been intertwined with Mu En for half his life, swallowed it without hesitation, then sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to refine it.
As a Dragon Core that contained the entire essence of a true dragon with over 500,000 years of cultivation, although its violent and overbearing aura had been ground away by Mu En, the immense energy it contained still surged out immediately, rushing into Zhu Ziyang's limbs, bones, and meridians, forcing him to immediately release the Pacifying Life-Reaping Scythe and fully refine and absorb this energy.
The Great Bright Art circulated wildly, the mental force Soul Core spun furiously, and Zhu Ziyang's spirit power also rapidly ascended. In just a few breaths, Zhu Ziyang's spirit power broke through the barrier of level 68, reaching level 69, and continued to surge towards level 70. In at most a quarter of an hour, this energy would carry Zhu Ziyang's spirit power to break through the shackles of level 70.
This greatly pleased Mu En and Xuan Zi, who were constantly monitoring Zhu Ziyang from outside, but their tense hearts could not relax. The improvement in spirit power was just an appetizer; the real difficulty had not yet begun. Although Zhu Ziyang had already condensed his first Soul Core, condensing a Soul Core was still a major hurdle for a Spirit Master, and there could be no slack.
Just as Mu En and Xuan Zi thought, Zhu Ziyang's spirit power quickly reached level 70. Six spirit rings, five black and one red, shimmered on the Pacifying Life-Reaping Scythe, and a seventh spirit ring was slowly forming.
First the spirit ring, then the Soul Core. Zhu Ziyang still chose this order. As the seventh spirit ring steadily formed, Zhu Ziyang, immersed in his mind, also raised his concentration to its peak.
For the second Soul Core, Zhu Ziyang had already made plans, so there was no awkwardness of starting halfway. He could follow the plan step by step. Even if he encountered some minor accidents, as long as they weren't fundamental major problems, Zhu Ziyang could resolve them.
His first Soul Core was a mental force Soul Core, a composite energy crystal that condensed his mental force, golden Power of Fate, silver Power of Fate, and the Power of Space-Time contained within both Powers of Fate. If he wanted to achieve the Three Powers United Soul Core Method, then the second Soul Core he condensed must also be a composite energy crystal, meaning the special powers it contained needed to achieve balance with the mental force Soul Core.
As the seventh spirit ring solidified, Zhu Ziyang's spirit power began to gather towards his Qi Sea, which is the narrow definition of the Dantian. This spirit power began to rotate and move at high speed. Unlike the condensation of the first Soul Core, the condensation of the second Soul Core needed to be completed within the body, which was a huge burden on Zhu Ziyang's physique. After all, the impact and destructive power of rapidly rotating spirit power were almost identical to a Spirit Master's own attacks.
This also meant that Zhu Ziyang was actually enduring his own attacks, and still needed to concentrate on condensing the Soul Core. Mu En and Xuan Zi's worries stemmed precisely from this point.
However, Zhu Ziyang's physique was incredibly powerful. With four Spirit Bones and seven 100,000-year spirit rings, he was not afraid of the impact brought by the high-speed rotating spirit power. He concentrated fully, squeezing this spirit power into his Qi Sea, and then began to compress it. The Pacifying Life-Reaping Scythe began to tremble, and the Ultimate Light and Power of Death were unprecedentedly restrained. They were attracted, guided, pulled, absorbed, and assimilated.
Within the Qi Sea, a similarly rhomboid crystal appeared. At first, it was only the size of a grain of rice, but as it rotated and devoured, it slowly grew larger, becoming the size of a jujube pit, then the size of a green plum, and finally, it became roughly the size of a pigeon egg, no longer changing.
With the appearance of a pigeon-egg-sized rhomboid crystal, the frantic spirit power within Zhu Ziyang gradually subsided, and Zhu Ziyang's highly tense mind also gradually relaxed. Mu En and Xuan Zi, who were outside, finally breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed their postures.
"Xuan Zi, go call everyone over!" Mu En's voice was incredibly weary, he said.
"Yes!" Xuan Zi's voice carried a hint of sorrow, but he did not disobey Mu En's command, turning and leaving the Sea God Pavilion main hall.
The most difficult and dangerous stage was over. Now, only one step remained: placing this newly condensed Soul Core in Zhu Ziyang's Dantian and integrating it into Zhu Ziyang's spirit power circuit. This was a step that required no special technique, because Zhu Ziyang's second Soul Core was a Soul Core in the true sense.
As the second Soul Core condensed in the Three Powers United Soul Core Method, this Soul Core resided in the Qi Sea, located at the lowest of the human body's three Dantians. Therefore, without a doubt, it belonged to the Earth Character Soul Core, representing the "Qi" aspect of essence, vitality, and spirit.
The so-called "Qi," in a broad sense, encompasses various energies of heaven and earth, such as primordial Qi and spiritual Qi. In a narrow sense, it specifically refers to spirit power.
Therefore, Zhu Ziyang's second Soul Core was the Light and Death Soul Core, which condensed his exclusive spirit power, the Power of Ultimate Light, and the Power of Death.
As the Light and Death Soul Core settled into place, a massive spirit power circuit instantly formed within Zhu Ziyang's body. From the mental force Power of Fate Soul Core at the crown of his head to the Light and Death Soul Core below his navel, after the connection of the Heaven and Earth Great Dao of the Three Powers United Soul Core Method, Zhu Ziyang's spirit power circulation efficiency immediately increased severalfold. Now, whether it was his cultivation speed, spirit power recovery speed, or Spirit Ability release speed, all received a significant boost.
He couldn't help but feel proud. A Spirit Saint at sixteen, with dual Soul Cores, and a Spirit Saint with five black and two red spirit rings—he was probably the only one in history!
Zhu Ziyang opened his eyes, and Mu En saw the excitement on his face, which caused ripples of joy in Mu En's somewhat lifeless heart.
But Zhu Ziyang's excitement would soon disappear. He looked at Mu En, thought of his Grandmaster who was about to die, and could no longer be happy.