Swallowed Star: Holy Flesh

Chapter 123 Soul-Calming Golden Bell
If Wang Xiu remembered correctly, of the 100,100 people who passed the preliminary elimination rounds, except for the first place in each world region who could get the final spot, the remaining 100,000 people would need to fight in a group arena first.

In the arena group battle stage, 90,000 people will be eliminated, and the remaining 10,000 people will participate in the arena final battle.

The ring final battle is conducted in pairs, with a total of four rounds.

625 people who win all four rounds of battle will get the final spot.

As for the remaining 275 places, they will be selected from the round-robin matches of the losing group.

According to the points ranking, the top 275 will get the last 275 places!
The reason why it takes three years is mainly because the reincarnation war takes too long.

After all, those who can participate in the reincarnation battle are those who were classified as the loser group in the ring final battle.

Among ten thousand people, only 625 can obtain the final spot through the ring decisive battle, which means that there are as many as 9375 people in the loser group!
According to the rules of the reincarnation war, each of these 9375 people needs to fight one-on-one with the other 9374 people.

That means every 9375 person in the losing group has to fight 9375 games!
There are more than 9,000 battles. If we assume that each person fights ten battles a day, that would take more than 900 days.

That's about three years.

On Earth, it might seem shocking that a competition could last for three years.

But the universe is too big. Even though the Qianwu Universe Kingdom is only one of the 1008 universe kingdoms in the human race’s territory, it is still incomparable to the Earth.

For the Virtual Universe Company and the Qianwu Universe, it only takes three years to select the star-level geniuses in the entire Qianwu Universe, which is still within their acceptable range.

…………

Wuji Island, in the central area manor.

In the study on the third floor of the small building, Wang Xiu stood obediently aside, looking at Gu Fenghou who was sitting in his seat.

"Teacher." Wang Xiu asked respectfully.

"Well, have you finished spending time with your family?" Gu Fenghou looked at the young disciple in front of him and said with a smile, "Why didn't you spend a few more days with your family?"

Wang Xiu shook his head upon hearing this: "Teacher, although I don't have to participate in the subsequent arena battles, I will also miss out on the opportunity to fight against those true geniuses."

"In the remaining three years, I plan to spend all my time on cultivation."

Gu Fenghou looked at the disciple in front of him and nodded secretly in his heart.

Cultivation is actually a very boring thing.

Especially when you encounter a bottleneck in your understanding of the laws, you will stagnate for several years or even longer without any gain. This is an extremely cruel test.

Some people who are not strong-willed enough will begin to doubt themselves and wonder whether the direction they are taking is correct.

Without a tenacious heart, many people will not be able to withstand the boredom and loneliness in the process and eventually go astray.

Gu Fenghou was still very confident in his disciple Wang Xiu.

It's not just because of the other party's will, but also because of the state of mind that the other party usually displays. Sometimes, even as a teacher, he feels ashamed of himself.

"My disciple, it is a good thing to focus on cultivation, but don't neglect your family." Gu Fenghou thought for a moment and finally said, "You should know that with your talent, as long as nothing unexpected happens, it will not be difficult for you to become immortal and gain eternal immortal life."

"But your family may not have your talent."

"I know that many immortals, including my teacher, focused on cultivation when they were young and neglected their families. When they became immortals, they turned around and wanted to help their families cultivate, but found that it was too late and they regretted it in the end."

"Teacher doesn't want you to follow this old path. Teacher doesn't want you to leave yourself with regrets that are hard to let go because of cultivation."

Wang Xiu couldn't help but remain silent when he heard this, but he was deeply moved.

With Gu Fenghou's status, there was no need for him to say these things to Wang Xiu.

You know, Wang Xiu is not only Gu Fenghou's disciple, he is also a member of the Qianwu Secret Realm. To some extent, Wang Xiu carries the expectations of the Qianwu King.

That is what is called political pressure.

Normally, Gu Fenghou should have urged Wang Xiu to use all of his limited time in cultivation instead of persuading him to spend time with his family.

Gu Fenghou was afraid that Wang Xiu would have regrets in his heart, and that this regret would become a flaw in Wang Xiu's heart in the future.

A person with a flawed mind, no matter how strong he is, is a lamb to be slaughtered in front of a true soul master.

The fact that he could say such words showed that Gu Fenghou really had true feelings for him and truly regarded him as his disciple or even a relative.

Only for our loved ones can we truly consider their future.

"Teacher, I understand." Wang Xiu nodded heavily.

Although Wang Xiu was confident that with his speed of improvement, he would definitely be able to obtain enough resources to force himself to reach the immortal level before his family’s lifespan expired.

But there is no need to say such words.

Seeing Wang Xiu nod, Gu Fenghou couldn't help but nod, and then continued:
"I came here this time to hear your thoughts and reflections on participating in the preliminary knockout rounds."

"In this qualifying knockout round, although there aren't any opponents in your 66th World Region that are worthy of your full effort, some people's fighting styles are something you have never seen before."

"For example, that enchantress..."

Wang Xiu thought for a moment, then looked up and said with a smile: "Teacher, do you mean that I am still lacking in soul defense?"

"Yes." Gu Fenghou nodded with satisfaction, "Don't think that just because you have strong willpower, all the illusionists in the world are not worth mentioning."

"I told you that your goal should not be limited to our Qianwu Universe."

"The Universe's Top Genius Battle gathers all the star-level geniuses from the 1008 Universes. Can you guarantee that there won't be any illusionists from other universes who can shake your will?"

"Even if I can't do it now, what about later?"

"When you enter the Virtual Universe Company, the competition you will face is incomparable to that in the Qianwu Secret Realm."

"The competition within the virtual universe company is more brutal and bloody."

"You have to know that every genius who is qualified to enter the core layer of the virtual universe has the potential to become immortal in theory."

"But how many people can successfully break through and become immortal in the end?"

"Are the remaining geniuses lacking in talent and potential?"

"I tell you, they all died in one test after another! They died in one adventure after another."

"There are all kinds of dangerous secret places in the universe. You never know if you will suffer a great loss or even die from a soul attack one day!"

"As a warrior, you are originally at a disadvantage in soul defense. Although your strong will makes up for it, it is still not enough for a truly powerful illusionist. So you must start practicing the secret method of soul defense and strengthen your soul defense."

“Try to make yourself perfect. Only in this way can you live longer!”

Wang Xiu couldn't help but nod when he heard this. It made sense.

In a real life-and-death fight, my body is strong, and no matter it is close combat or long-range attack, it is ultimately physical attack, so I am not very afraid.

It can be said that my only weakness is my soul.

If there was a powerful secret method of soul defense, just like Gu Fenghou said, then I would really have no weaknesses.

Wang Xiu sat cross-legged in the quiet room with his eyes closed. An illusory golden ancient bell was faintly visible in his sea of ​​consciousness.

"Teacher, which soul defense secret method should I practice?" Wang Xiu asked respectfully.

There are also some considerations when choosing a secret method. A powerful secret method can naturally achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Although he didn't know whether the secret method of soul defense was good or bad, Gu Fenghou had lived for so many years, he must understand it.

Sure enough, Gu Fenghou nodded proudly.

"I have already chosen it for you." Gu Fenghou tapped his fingers, and soon, Wang Xiu realized that a document seemed to have been sent to his mailbox.

"It should be here." Gu Fenghou said with a smile, "Take a look, this is the soul defense secret method I practiced before I broke through to immortality. It's enough for you to practice now."

"The most important thing is that this set of soul defense secrets is highly compatible. When you have a better soul defense secret, you can directly replace it without worrying about rejection."

"In fact, the best thing is to find a soul defense treasure to guard the soul, but..." Gu Fenghou smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Soul defense treasures are so precious that even I, your teacher, don't have one."

"You can only figure it out yourself when you become stronger in the future." "Teacher, this is already very good." Wang Xiu said with a smile, "With this set of secret methods, I believe my overall strength can be further improved!"

"Well, go ahead." With that, Gu Fenghou's figure disappeared on the spot.

Seeing Gu Fenghou leave, Wang Xiu no longer hesitated and immediately entered the training field to begin studying this secret method of soul defense.

The secret soul defense method that Gu Fenghou gave to Wang Xiu is called "Soul-Calming Golden Bell".

The Soul-Calming Golden Bell is extremely powerful. If one cultivates it to the second level at the stellar level, one can be said to have invincible soul defense at the same level.

If there is a star-level person who can cultivate to the third level, then he can be considered to have truly invincible soul defense in the same realm.

Although this "Soul-Calming Golden Bell" is powerful, it is extremely difficult to practice, and the requirements for understanding the laws are ridiculously high.

Just to get started, one needs to step into the threshold of the origin law of gold.

At the second and third levels, practitioners are even required to have some understanding of the fundamental laws of space.

This is almost impossible for ordinary stars.

Perhaps this is the reason why Gu Fenghou only gave the "Soul-Calming Golden Bell" to Wang Xiu now. He did not want the "Soul-Calming Golden Bell" to slow down Wang Xiu's progress in understanding the laws.

After all, Gu Fenghou knew very well in his heart that for a cultivator, the understanding of the laws is the foundation.

Without sufficient understanding of the laws, no matter how powerful the secret technique is, it is just like rootless duckweed.

"Huh, with my current understanding of the laws, it shouldn't be a problem to successfully cultivate the second level of the Soul-Calming Golden Bell. As for the third level, I'll have to give it a try first."

After reading the outline of "The Golden Bell to Calm the Soul", Wang Xiu said to himself.

Without much hesitation, Wang Xiu immediately turned to the first level of "Soul-Calming Golden Bell" and began to practice.

Although Wang Xiu is a warrior, this does not mean that Wang Xiu has no telekinesis.

There is indeed a distinction between spiritualists and warriors in the apprentice stage, but that is because the apprentice level is too weak. Only those who are born with strong souls can become spiritualists.

After reaching the stellar level, even genetic warriors still have telekinesis in their sea of ​​consciousness.

But most people, even if they have reached the stellar level, have to work hard to absorb cosmic energy to practice. Only those who can directly absorb cosmic crystals for practice are wealthy people, not to mention directly increasing energy accumulation in the form of energy cabins.

For the vast majority of stars, it is already very difficult to cultivate genetic energy or cultivate genetic energy alone. It is impossible to cultivate both at the same time and make progress at the same time. They can only choose what they are best at as the main development direction.

But Wang Xiu is different.

As the number one star-level genius in the Qianwu Secret Realm, Wang Xiu does not need to work hard to absorb cosmic energy in his daily energy accumulation.

In fact, with the supply of the energy chamber provided by the Qianwu Secret Realm, Wang Xiu’s current mental power and genetic energy are both at the ninth level of the stellar level.

Not only Wang Xiu is like this, but all the people in the first genius area of ​​Qianwu Secret Realm are like this.

For people like them, what limits them is not the accumulation of energy, but their energy.

A person's energy is limited.

Psychics and genetic warriors have completely different fighting styles.

If you want to take both into account, it will inevitably slow down your overall cultivation progress.

In battle, there is no need for so many fancy moves. Whether it is close combat or ranged attack, there is no difference in superiority or inferiority. Just kill the opponent.

Everyone has different talents. Some people are born to be good at close combat, while others are born to be good at controlling telekinetic weapons and long-range attacks.

So everyone chooses the direction that they are best at.

Just like the immortal gods, even at the immortal level, there is no distinction between spiritualists and genetic warriors. The immortal divine power of every immortal can be transformed into telekinesis.

But those immortal gods still continued their previous fighting methods.

It is not said that a certain immortal was famous for close combat before breaking through to immortality, but after becoming immortal, he suddenly switched to long-range attacks or became a soul master.

So even though Wang Xiu had never fought with others as a spiritual master, his mental power had still reached the ninth level of the stellar level.

…………

In Wang Xiu’s sea of ​​consciousness, a small star lay across the middle, surrounded by nine bright asteroids.

And Wang Xiu’s soul is hidden in the middle star.

Suddenly, under Wang Xiu's control, countless torrents of mental power rolled out from the nine planets and the central star, turning into golden streams of light, flying around this small star system, and gradually constructing a complex and mysterious secret pattern.

Just when the secret pattern was about to take shape, the entire secret pattern suddenly trembled.

Bang!
The entire secret pattern collapsed in an instant, and then turned into a torrent of mental power and returned to the major planets.

"Failed?" Wang Xiu was stunned. "With my understanding of the law, it shouldn't be difficult to cultivate to the first level?"

Soon, Wang Xiu found the reason for his failure.

"Is it because I don't have enough control over my telekinesis?"

When Wang Xiu realized this, his mind suddenly dawned.

Yes, although his mental power has reached the ninth level of the stellar grade, that was also accumulated directly through the energy cabin by Wang Xiu with the idea of ​​"if you don't take advantage of others, you will be a bastard".

I have never used it before, so naturally my control is not strong enough.

Fortunately, Wang Xiu had a strong will and enough patience, and he quickly found the trick.

In addition, Wang Xiu's understanding of the laws was so high that he finally relied on his profound understanding of the laws and cultivated to the first level even though his mental power was not well controlled.

Looking at the illusory golden bell that was looming in his sea of ​​consciousness, Wang Xiu felt a little emotional.

“Tsk tsk, if I really practice this “Soul-Calming Golden Bell” to the third level, I’m afraid that by then I will be able to directly control the divine weapon to fight the enemy.”

Suddenly, Wang Xiu was stunned.

It doesn't seem impossible.

The Yanshen soldiers in reality still need to be run in, but the Yanshen soldiers in the virtual universe do not have this problem.

If your consciousness is strong enough, your understanding of the laws is sufficient, and your control over your mind power is good enough, you can use it right away.

Otherwise, would those spiritualists who used the divine weapons as their weapons still need more training in the battle of the top geniuses in the universe?

If that's the case, then it seems that I can really make it to the finals with the help of the Yan Shenbing.

"Hiss..." Thinking of this, Wang Xiu suddenly smiled, "Interesting."

…………

Three years later.

The secret realm of dry witches.

Wang Xiu sat cross-legged in the quiet room with his eyes closed. In the center of his sea of ​​consciousness, a slightly illusory golden and simple bell stood tall. Golden rays of light flowed on the illusory bell body, constantly changing, like some kind of mysterious secret pattern.

After a while, the golden light on the bell gradually disappeared into the bell body.

The golden light emanating from the ancient bell still illuminated the sea of ​​consciousness, but it looked as if the ancient bell body was a little more solid than before.

In the quiet room, Wang Xiu exhaled and slowly opened his eyes.

"After three years, I have finally cultivated this secret soul defense technique to the third level." Feeling the ancient bell in his sea of ​​consciousness that exuded an incomparably solid aura, Wang Xiu showed a satisfied smile on his face.

"According to the teacher, as long as you cultivate to the second level, you can be called invincible among the star-level. Almost no star-level can break through the defense of the Soul-Suppressing Golden Bell and attack your soul."

"And I have already cultivated to the third level. Coupled with my own state of mind and will, I am afraid that even the phantom demon Galesi, who is famous for his illusions, will not be able to do anything to me." Wang Xiu thought to himself.

……

(End of this chapter)