Tang Wulin looked at the surrounding Pavilion Elders, shrinking back slightly under their intense gazes that seemed ready to devour him.
There was no helping it—it wasn't that the Elders had any personal grievances against him.
Even if they did have complaints, what could they do? Since the Golden Ancient Tree had made this choice, these Elders had no way to oppose it and could only silently accept it.
Their agitated emotions and expressions of frustration were purely a result of being deeply unsettled.
The first time, Xu Yuan absorbed two-tenths of the Golden Ancient Tree's power. This time, Tang Wulin had taken three-tenths of its remaining energy.
Between these two instances, less than half of the Golden Ancient Tree's power remained—just over five-tenths.
Energy accumulated over tens of thousands of years had been nearly halved in just a few short years.
Ten thousand years ago, the Dragon God Douluo Mu En of that era had managed to repel Di Tian simply by using the residual consciousness he left behind after death to harness the power within the Golden Ancient Tree.
The Golden Ancient Tree was Shrek Academy's ultimate trump card. In times of crisis, drawing upon its power could protect the entire academy.
For Shrek, the importance of the Golden Ancient Tree was self-evident.
It was precisely because of this that the Elders' emotions were so heightened at this moment.
"So you're saying you encountered Elder Tree, and after recognizing your Blue Silver Emperor bloodline, it bestowed this power upon you?" Yun Ming asked in a calm tone.
Tang Wulin nodded.
He didn't dare meet Yun Ming's gaze directly. Every time he faced the Pavilion Master, he felt a sense of unease.
"What is your fifth soul skill?" Seeing Tang Wulin's silence, Yun Ming didn't press further but instead inquired about his fifth soul skill.
When Xu Yuan absorbed two-tenths of the Golden Ancient Tree's power, he formed his fourth soul ring with the soul skill Life Flame, allowing him to burn his life force without hesitation to amplify his combat strength.
This time, Tang Wulin had absorbed three-tenths of the Golden Ancient Tree's power. What kind of soul skill had he obtained?
Tang Wulin scratched his head, releasing his martial soul and looking at his fifth green-golden soul ring. He felt both helplessness and excitement.
His frustration stemmed from the fact that despite suppressing his soul power levels, he had still advanced three levels under the direct infusion of the Golden Ancient Tree's power.
Didn't this mean that his efforts to suppress his soul power during those six months on the Star Luo Continent had been foolish?
If he hadn't suppressed his power back then, perhaps by the time he returned to Shrek, he would have already reached level 49. He wouldn't have needed to waste the Golden Ancient Tree's power just to raise his soul power level.
The feeling of regret passed quickly, and Tang Wulin became even more eager to see his fifth soul skill.
The green-golden soul ring.
He activated this soul ring, unleashing his fifth soul skill.
The soul ring glowed with a green-golden light, releasing a wave of life energy.
However, there was no immediate visible effect.
No—wait. As the green-golden light flickered, strands of green energy seeped into the bodies of the seated Elders.
"This light is filled with vitality—it has extended my lifespan by at least ten years!" Long Yeyue closed her eyes to sense it, then opened them again, her gaze flashing with astonishment.
Is this his fifth soul skill?
Extending lifespan?
Tang Wulin scratched his head and said, "This should be the leftover power from the Golden Ancient Tree that I haven't fully assimilated yet. It leaked out when I activated my soul skill. I haven't felt the true effect of my soul skill yet."
Long Yeyue nodded in understanding.
So that's how it was.
This was the power of the Golden Ancient Tree.
"Your soul skill..." Yun Ming frowned, looking at Tang Wulin with confusion in his eyes.
"Could it be that my soul power isn't sufficient?" Tang Wulin guessed.
Yun Ming nodded, stepped forward, placed his hand on Tang Wulin's back, and infused him with a surge of dense soul power through the Xuan Tian Gong technique.
"Activate your fifth soul skill again!"
---
While Tang Wulin's fifth soul skill was being tested in the adjacent chamber, Xu Yuan was immersed in profound contemplation, unable to pull himself away.
Even the massive disturbance caused by Tang Wulin couldn't disturb him.
At this moment, Xu Yuan was adrift in an ocean of spiritual energy.
Here, his consciousness was more focused than ever before.
"Is this... the space of the Golden Ancient Tree?"
Xu Yuan had entered here before.
Now, returning here once more, he sensed something unique about this space.
Last time, his focus had been primarily on Elder Tree, causing him to overlook the peculiarities of this realm.
A wizened figure materialized.
Compared to last time, Xu Yuan noticed that Elder Tree appeared even older now. Despite its vibrant aura of vitality, it gave off a sense of impending decline.
"Child, your growth has been remarkable. To achieve such accomplishments entirely on your own surpasses all soul masters throughout history."
A trace of satisfaction flashed in Elder Tree's gaze.
"However, it's still not enough. Compared to the other one, your advantage is shrinking."
Elder Tree didn't give Xu Yuan much opportunity to speak, continuing in a monologue.
"Child, make one final push. This is the last assistance I can offer you. Within ten years, achieve true godhood."
Xu Yuan was baffled.
What was Elder Tree talking about?
Achieve godhood within ten years?
Without any divine inheritance, how was he supposed to become a god?
Although Xu Yuan knew that breaking through to godhood without a divine position was theoretically possible, the limitations of the Douluo Plane ensured that he couldn't transcend the godly barrier.
The path of soul masters reached its limit at level 99. Beyond that, one either relied on a divine position to bypass the soul power cultivation system and directly cultivate divine power, walking the path of a deity—
Or one could only help the Douluo Plane itself break through.
As Xu Yuan inwardly grumbled, he gradually began to understand Elder Tree's words.
"You mean… for me to break through the limit of level 99, shattering the restrictions of soul master cultivation, thereby driving the evolution of the entire plane?" Xu Yuan asked cautiously.
Elder Tree nodded, clearly pleased.
"Precisely."
"Otherwise, I'd have no choice but to compromise…"
With that, he dissipated into nothingness.
Alone in this vast white space, Xu Yuan felt momentarily lost.
Gradually, a spark of clarity returned to his eyes as he began to process Elder Tree's meaning.
Any ordinary soul master might struggle to grasp what Elder Tree had said, but Xu Yuan knew the truth. Thus, he was able to silently speculate and piece together Elder Tree's intentions step by step.
"Elder Tree is the core of the plane. His mention of compromise likely refers to following the plans of Tang Hao and Ah Yin, helping them completely dominate the Douluo Plane, then devouring the Abyss to elevate the entire plane."
"But now, it seems he's holding firm again, urging me to help the Douluo Plane break through within ten years. Clearly, this is another path—the most orthodox one. From within the plane, a cultivator breaks through to godhood, driving the plane's evolution."
Numerous thoughts flashed through Xu Yuan's mind.
Could it be that the Douluo Plane's accumulation had long been sufficient, but due to the existence of the god realm, promising candidates who could potentially transcend to godhood were chosen by deities to inherit divine positions? As a result, no internal cultivators had pioneered the path to godhood for soul masters, preventing the plane from evolving internally?
But after the god realm disappeared, a new generation of exceptional soul masters emerged. Even the battle armor system appeared, bringing soul masters closer to godly strength.
Yet none of them could truly break through—or perhaps they could, but only for fleeting moments of achieving godhood.
Even a brief breakthrough was still a breakthrough.
But could such fleeting achievements really drive the evolution of the entire plane?
Or was the Douluo Plane's accumulation still insufficient?
Then what was the significance of Elder Tree's earlier words?
Or had he misunderstood?
Xu Yuan sank deep into thought.
------------------------------------------------------
Welcome our new Patron: Grey! Your support means the world to me <3 We are up to 'Chapter 387: The Asura God' on Patreon!
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)
40+ Chapters Ahead Guaranteed: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow