Chapter 272: Condensing the Second Soul Core
The Ice Empress and Snow Empress instinctively stepped back a few paces.
"Does it really feel that good…? What a freak…" the Snow Empress muttered, her expression complicated, old memories flashing through her mind.
Compared to the agony she'd endured while forming her own soul core, Ye Chen's expression of calm enjoyment was downright infuriating.
Without comparison, there would be no pain—but now she felt both.
Even so, behind her dismay stirred something new: anticipation and faint admiration.
With such talent, Ye Chen really might attain godhood one day.
At the very least, his chances of becoming a god far exceeded her chances of surviving the divine tribulation.
When Ye Chen had first captured her, she had been furious and uneasy, fearing he would do something strange—or worse.
But after these few short days, she had come to understand him.
Aside from being a little overbearing… and maybe a bit indecent sometimes… he wasn't as bad as she had feared.
He had even surprised her.
Despite being his "soul spirit," she could move freely, think independently, and even maintain her physical form. She simply lacked combat ability.
Ye Chen had never tried to restrict her freedom or force her into anything.
She couldn't help but look at him in a slightly new light.
Ye Chen, still focused entirely on fusing his soul core, paid no mind to their glances.
Energy ripples swept from him like waves, making the entire ice cavern tremble. The massive frozen walls groaned, unable to bear the resonance.
The soul core integrated flawlessly, without causing Ye Chen even the slightest pain or pressure.
Time flowed quietly by.
The blue glow that had enveloped his body faded, seeping beneath his skin until it vanished completely.
The aura of the black-hole-like soul core slowly disappeared into his dantian as though nothing had ever happened.
Were it not for the transformation of his aura—now vast and suffused with irresistible might—none could have guessed what feat he had just accomplished.
"Phew…"
Ye Chen exhaled slowly, his breath condensing into a fine icy thread that shot forward, striking the wall opposite and scattering into frost.
He opened his eyes.
Deep within his pupils spun two faint azure stars, serene and endless.
A power beyond words coursed through him—control, precision, completion.
"How do you feel?"
The Ice Empress asked eagerly, her golden eyes wide with concern.
"Better than ever," Ye Chen replied, satisfaction curling his lips.
His internal energy now flowed like a mighty river—endless and smooth. "My soul power circulation speed has increased tenfold, and its density and recovery rate have risen by dozens of times."
Ordinary Title Douluo, after condensing a core, often struggled with imbalance between solid, liquid, and gaseous states of energy, making cultivation painfully slow. Many gave up progressing and remained at level 91 for life.
Ye Chen's core, however, was a true Black Hole Soul Core—similar to Di Tian's and Huo Yuhao's.
It drew in the very energy of heaven and earth on its own. Even if Ye Chen slept for days, his cultivation would continue to rise, stabilizing naturally around level 90.
If he trained actively, the rate of progress would multiply even further, easily reaching ten times his past speed without any special technique.
And if he activated Resonance during cultivation, that speed might increase by dozens of times—perhaps a hundredfold.
Before, his bottleneck had been the limited natural energy around him.
Now, with the black hole core absorbing power from the void itself, his resources were infinite. His cultivation could, theoretically, accelerate without limit.
Of course, growing too fast had its dangers—especially when training alongside others.
Practicing with Xiao Xiao or Wang Dong, he could maintain a safe tenfold rate.
With Ma Xiaotao, perhaps twenty times.
And with Xian Lin'er… even thirty was sustainable, though the noise and energy surge made that unfit for academy grounds.
Such training would have to wait for open wilderness—or the Tang Sect base.
Feeling the steady pulse of his stabilized core and the still-surging lotus energy within his body, Ye Chen's mind wandered to a bold thought.
Forming one soul core… hadn't been difficult at all.
If his ice-element core in the dantian was now stable…
Then why not form another?
After all, two more positions remained—one in his chest, and one in his forehead.
His spiritual power was just as vast as his physical strength.
After absorbing both the Ice Dragon King's essence and much of the Fire Dragon King's, Ye Chen's mind had reached the late Domain Realm—matching that of a Limit Douluo.
In fact, he suspected that the grand elder Mu En's spiritual strength might even be below his own.
Beyond this stage was the Divine Origin Realm—the level of gods themselves—and Mu En certainly hadn't reached that.
The hardest part of forming a second soul core was controlling energy and enduring the physical strain.
But Ye Chen had both in excess—his spirit and body far beyond any Title Douluo's.
If one core had been as easy as breathing, perhaps… the second would not be much harder.
"Ice Empress, Snow Empress…"
Ye Chen's lips curved in a slight smile. "What do you think would happen… if I condensed another core?"
"What?"
The Ice Empress jumped as though shocked by lightning.
"Are you insane?!"
The Snow Empress's eyes widened, her tone sharp with disbelief.
Even with all she'd seen across eras, Ye Chen's words made her scalp tingle.
He had just completed a process that countless master-level cultivators struggled with their whole lives—so effortlessly—and now… he wanted another?
This wasn't genius anymore. This was madness.
Throughout history, forming even one soul core had been a life-or-death challenge. Success once was considered a miracle.
To even attempt a second was a gamble made only by peak Super Douluo seeking the title of Limit Douluo—most perished trying, their souls shattered beyond recovery.
Ye Chen was merely a Soul Sage. His body shouldn't even survive holding two cores.
"Ye Chen, please calm down," the Ice Empress begged, grabbing his arm. "One soul core is already tremendous. The second is far too dangerous—even Super Douluo struggle. Don't—"
"Relax." Ye Chen smiled, his tone gentle. "I'll only try creating it externally first. If it feels dangerous, I'll abandon it. I'm not stupid enough to fuse recklessly."
If things went wrong, he could simply teleport away.
Yes, the explosion might level everything within miles—but as long as he moved fast enough, he'd be fine.
With spatial teleportation under his control, danger had little meaning to him.
(END CHAPTER)
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