Axis Cult
Sunlight filtered through the exquisite carved window lattices, casting fragmented spots of light onto the study floor. Neuvillette slowly raised his teacup and took a light sip.
Since Furina's departure, the pressure on his shoulders hadn't lessened much, but fortunately, thanks to the various talents she had brought in and the many functional departments established one after another, there were finally people to share the bulk of the work.
He only needed to handle the most critical decisions; the rest could be left to his subordinates.
Even so, life now was not as leisurely as it had been in Fontaine. What made him even more secretly melancholy was that there were no Melusines here.
Neuvillette sighed softly, placed the teacup back on the desk, and prepared to rest for a moment before handling the remaining official business later.
In any case, there was still plenty of time and the matters weren't urgent; everything that needed to be arranged was already on track, and he only needed to make minor adjustments.
Just as his mind relaxed for a moment, a sudden muffled bang came from outside the window, like some kind of explosion or a heavy object crashing to the ground.
Neuvillette didn't even twitch an eyebrow. He didn't need to guess to know it must be those people from the Research Department making a commotion again.
Either an experiment had gone awry, or a debate had escalated into a Martial Soul brawl. He had long since become accustomed to such scenes.
Ever since Furina set goals for the Research Department, promised generous rewards, and motivated them with the honors scholars yearned for most, the place had been boiling day and night, either with red-faced arguments or earth-shattering experiments.
"Lord Neuvillette," a capable subordinate walked quickly into the study and reported with a bow, "The Research Department is fighting again. Would you like to personally go..."
"No need." Neuvillette raised a hand to interrupt. "Let them be. The new research building is nearing completion; at that time, we will simply move them all out of the headquarters. As long as the research conditions are good and their living standards remain the same, it's all the same regardless of where they make a fuss."
The subordinate took the hint: "Yes, I understand."
"Go on."
The door closed softly, and the study returned to silence. But that faint clamor still drifted in intermittently, like the sound of distant tides.
---
Just as Neuvillette expected, the Research Department had already fallen into a state of boiling excitement.
Over this period, a group of those with outstanding research results and significant contributions had been granted the title of "Doctor" by Furina. At this moment, nearly eighty percent of the Research Department was in chaos—except for the Soul Tool Department, which remained relatively restrained, the Martial Soul Department, Soul Ring Department, and Soul Bone Department, the three most closely related and conflict-prone departments, were already locked in an inextricable argument.
This was almost a fixed performance every two or three days.
Dr. Dayou withdrew his Martial Soul, the White Dragon. He looked around, his voice clear and certain:
"Everyone, I believe your direction is fundamentally wrong. According to my theory and experimental results, a Spirit Master can completely condense a spirit ring themselves by reversing the process of spirit ring absorption, using Soul Power compression and solidification."
"This isn't just a hypothesis. Shi Meng, a member of our cult, recently reached rank thirty and successfully condensed a third spirit ring under my guidance. Although it's only a white ten-year quality, it's enough to prove the path is viable. I believe it may also require the guidance and cooperation of mental force."
He paused, a hint of pride showing in his tone:
"Although Shi Meng's Martial Soul is of the defense system, his Physique is weaker than other Spirit Masters of the same level. Even so, he still succeeded. Once I've grasped all the key points and perfected this method using myself as an experimental subject, the System of self-condensing spirit rings can be established. And you? You haven't produced any substantial results yet."
"That being the case, the position of 'First Doctor' should naturally be taken by me. Everyone has a chance for their name to go down in history, but my name must be at the top and must be the most prominent." He suddenly began to laugh, his laughter sounding particularly abrupt in the brief moment of silence, "Hahaha... If any of you are unconvinced, then speak with your results."
Before he had even finished speaking, an undisguised sneer came from the opposite side.
The laughter was short and sharp, like a small knife slicing through the heavy air.
Dr. Da Mu pushed aside the mountain of experimental records in front of him and slowly stood up.
His movements were slow and composed: "Dr. Dayou, has a mere bit of progress made you lose your head? The standard for a third spirit ring is a thousand years; what is the difference between a white spirit ring and a purple spirit ring if not more than a hundredfold? This'success' of yours is nothing more than a half-finished product."
He walked into the middle of the group, facing off against Dr. Dayou from three meters away, his eyes burning: "My concept is more advanced than all of yours, and much bolder. As everyone knows, many beast Martial Souls are similar in form to Soul Beasts, yet Vicious Beast Martial Souls have almost never appeared in the world. If a Soul Beast and a human unite, their offspring may inherit its Martial Soul. Tang San, the Thousand Hand Douluo, is clear proof: his mother was a hundred-thousand-year Blue Silver Emperor Soul Beast, and his first Martial Soul was precisely the unawakened Blue Silver Emperor."
He scanned the room, seeing everyone listening intently before slowly continuing: "Then, if we let a Vicious Beast and a human unite, could we breed a Spirit Master with a Vicious Beast Martial Soul? Going a step further, why must we have Soul Beasts unite with humans? Conversely, if we let humans with top-tier Martial Souls unite with Soul Beasts, would it be possible to directly breed the corresponding Soul Beast? For example, if a Spirit Master with a Phoenix Martial Soul were to mate with a Soul Beast, could a true Phoenix be born?"
The room fell silent. Someone gasped, and someone subconsciously took half a step back; this idea was simply too Heaven-Defying.
Dr. Da Mu seemed oblivious, or rather, he didn't care at all: "In this way, we could obtain more suitable spirit rings through the corresponding Soul Beasts—custom-made, perfectly matched, and even enhancing the Bloodline to allow the Martial Soul to evolve. Isn't this far more promising than struggling to condense a white spirit ring inside the body?"
Even Dr. Dayou was stunned for a moment before murmuring: "Your idea... is a bit too terrifying. The former is understandable, after all, Soul Beasts take on human form after re-cultivating. But the latter... doing that sort of thing with a non-transformed Soul Beast is truly against common sense. Moreover, this counts as paving the way for future generations; one could hardly enjoy the benefits oneself."
"If it were just uniting with a Soul Beast that had already taken human form, that would be one thing, but if it were directly with a beast-form Soul Beast... I simply cannot imagine it."
Dr. X, however, mused: "Dr. Da Mu, how can you be sure that what is born would be a Soul Beast and not a human? Although the Thousand Hand Douluo's mother hadn't completely become human when she gave birth, she was already in human form. Furthermore, Tang Hao's Martial Soul was the Clear Sky Hammer, and the Blue Silver Emperor is a plant; the union of the two produced a human descendant with the Blue Silver Emperor Martial Soul. I'm afraid it might be difficult to give birth to a Soul Beast."
Dr. Da Mu shook his head: "No, that was precisely a special case. What I want to explore are general laws. Of course, this experiment faces many difficulties: will the Soul Beasts cooperate? What form will the offspring inherit? How will the Martial Soul Bloodline be passed on?...But I have another hypothesis."
A sharp light flashed in his eyes:
"If we let Soul Beasts Cultivate Cultivation Techniques like the Mysterious Heaven Skill, could their cultivation growth also be accelerated? If so, the crisis of Soul Beast extinction might be alleviated. However, if we give human Cultivation Techniques to hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts, will they accept them? Will they see it as a trap? And will they pass it down to lower-level Soul Beasts? Not to mention, our cult currently has no true Titled Douluo overseeing things."
"Although the four great protectors can contend with those who have just entered the Titled Douluo level by working together, they would find it difficult to intimidate top-tier Soul Beasts. This plan will likely have to wait until the Water God returns, or until the four Protectors Breakthrough to the Spirit Douluo Realm, before we can attempt to implement it."
After hearing this, Dr. Dayou couldn't help but curl his lip: "After all that talk, isn't it still just theoretical talk on paper?"
"At least I am looking forward," Dr. Da Mu said, refusing to back down. "While you are merely spinning in place."
"What did you say!"
Seeing that the argument was about to escalate again, the head of the Soul Tool Department, who had remained silent, finally stood up.
She was a young scholar who had only recently been granted the title of Doctor, known as "Dr. Jing." She did not release her Martial Soul, but merely tapped the table lightly.
The crisp tapping sound caused the clamor to subside slightly.
"Doctors," she said in a calm tone, "whether it's the research into self-condensing spirit rings or the experiments on the union of Soul Beasts and humans, both are directions worth exploring. But the more practical issue at hand is that the Research Department's funding, space, and safety standards have all reached their limits. If another Martial Soul collision accident like last week's occurs, I'm afraid this old site will be demolished by us before the new building is even completed."
She turned to Dr. Dayou: "The research on self-condensing spirit rings requires Spirit Masters with strong mental force; I suggest screening a group of Spirit Masters with outstanding mental force to participate first. As for increasing the age limit of the spirit rings, that is still for you to figure out yourself, Dr. Dayou."
Then she looked at Dr. Da Mu, her gaze analytical rather than judgmental: "As for your concept... setting aside the ethical controversies for now, simply finding suitable experimental subjects is nearly impossible."
"hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts will almost never cooperate, and hundred-thousand-year transformed Soul Beasts are even rarer. As for ordinary Soul Beasts, they usually lack sufficient intelligence and are difficult to communicate with; I'm afraid it will be very hard. Rather than daydreaming, it would be better to start with existing cases of twin Martial Souls and systematically analyze the laws of Martial Soul inheritance."
These pragmatic words eased the atmosphere slightly. Dr. Dayou and Dr. Da Mu exchanged a glance, and although they were still unconvinced, they stopped arguing.
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/DaoistRoeoNQ
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"