48: Chapter 48 Researching Soul Cores

Over the next few days, Bai Qi made no other moves, and Dugu Bo, just as he had said, seemed to have matters to attend to and did not come again.

During these days, every morning, Bai Qi would absorb the purple mist while sitting on a rock beside the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. After that time passed, he would close his eyes in deep thought, occasionally waking up to gesture on the ground with his hands.

Liu Erlong initially thought he was cultivating, but later she discovered that when he was awake, he would mutter to himself, as if thinking about something complex.

"What are you doing? You've been like this for the past few days."

Liu Erlong asked as she brought over the freshly prepared meal and handed it to Bai Qi.

After taking the meal, Bai Qi took a sip and replied.

"Thinking about something."

"What thing?"

"A Spirit Core."

Hearing this, Liu Erlong was stunned for a moment.

"A Spirit Core? What is that?"

Bai Qi thought about the principles of a Spirit Core and explained.

"Simply put, when Soul Power cultivation reaches a certain level, one can condense a core within the Dantian, compressing liquid Soul Power into a solid state. This way, the storage capacity of Soul Power is greater, and the circulation speed is faster. It can be considered... a higher level of cultivation method."

Liu Erlong frowned and replied.

"I've never heard of it. Where did you learn about it?"

Bai Qi smiled. After all, the current Douluo world really didn't have the setting of a Spirit Core; current Titled Douluo all reached that level through sheer strength. Still, he said.

"I figured it out myself. Just because predecessors didn't record it doesn't mean it can't be done. It might just succeed."

Liu Erlong glanced at him and didn't say anything more.

She discovered that Bai Qi's style of doing things was different from ordinary people; others followed the beaten path, while he blazed his own trail.

This way of thinking made her feel it was fresh, and also made her feel that this youth was different from everyone else she knew.

These past few days, besides researching the Spirit Core, Bai Qi had also thought a lot about Liu Erlong's eighth spirit ring.

After all, Liu Erlong was already at level eighty, and she was only one spirit ring away from becoming a Spirit Douluo.

Bai Qi knew that her Spirit was a Red Dragon, so the best spirit ring would be one that carried both fire and dragon attributes.

After these days of thinking, just as Liu Erlong arrived, with the idea of taking a break and clearing his mind, he said to Liu Erlong.

"Teacher Erlong, you've come at just the right time."

After saying this, Bai Qi took a piece of paper out of his storage ring. It was a list of Spirit Beasts that Bai Qi had thought of over the past few days that would be suitable for her spirit ring.

"Teacher Erlong, look, you're already at level eighty, right? I've been thinking about it for the past few days, here are some Spirit Beasts suitable for your eighth spirit ring."

After saying this, Bai Qi set down his meal and began to introduce them to Liu Erlong.

Liu Erlong also sat down, resting her chin in her hand as she listened, suddenly feeling a bit dazed.

In the past, she had always figured these things out herself, or asked Yu Xiaogang, the Wisdom Corner of their Golden Triangle.

Now, a teenage youth was sitting in front of her, clearly analyzing the pros and cons of every Spirit Beast for her.

A feeling she couldn't describe welled up in her heart; it wasn't gratitude, nor was it admiration, but a very strange sense of peace, as if with him there, she didn't need to worry about anything.

She hadn't even realized it herself, but that feeling had already quietly taken root in her heart.

However, thinking of Yu Xiaogang made her suddenly freeze for a moment, as if some image had flashed by, but looking at the youth in front of her, she immediately shook her head and continued listening.

Bai Qi pointed to the last one he had written and said.

"Teacher Erlong, take a look at this one: Earth Core Fire Dragon Lizard. It has both fire and earth attributes and can enhance the explosive power of your Dragon Martial Soul. This one is the most suitable for you."

Liu Erlong snapped back to reality, took a look, and nodded.

"Mm, this is good. How do you know so much?"

"Read it in books, plus my own deductions."

Liu Erlong looked at his profile. The sunlight shone on his face, and his eyelashes cast a small shadow under his eyes.

She suddenly felt that this youth was much more reliable than she had imagined.

"However, the Earth Core Fire Dragon Lizard is hard to find; they basically live underground and rarely come out."

Bai Qi added.

"After we leave here, I'll help you look for it together. If you don't want this one, we can also go to the Star Dou Great Forest and try our luck."

Liu Erlong opened her mouth, wanting to say it wasn't necessary, but swallowed the words back.

She discovered that she actually didn't want to refuse, so she could only nod silently.

Two more days passed, and Bai Qi was writing and drawing on paper again.

Liu Erlong walked over, took a look, and discovered he was drawing a complex diagram.

"What is this again?"

Liu Erlong asked.

Bai Qi said without looking up.

"The Dantian."

Liu Erlong leaned in to take a closer look.

Although she didn't quite understand those complex annotations, she could feel that behind this diagram was a great deal of thought and calculation.

"Is this what you've been thinking about these past few days?"

Bai Qi said.

"Pretty much."

Liu Erlong was silent for a moment.

She knew that some people were born thinking further ahead than others, and she felt that Bai Qi was such a person.

In reality, Bai Qi would say, I'm practically cheating.

She remembered the "Spirit Core" that Bai Qi had mentioned two days ago and asked casually.

"That Spirit Core you mentioned, does it have a relationship with the Dantian?"

Bai Qi nodded. He pointed to the Dantian on the diagram and said.

"I plan to fuse the liquid Soul Power here."

Liu Erlong looked at the diagram, and given her understanding of Bai Qi over the past few days, she suddenly asked.

"Can you only fuse one?"

Bai Qi was stunned for a moment, then smiled and teased Liu Erlong.

"Teacher Erlong, you certainly have ideas. However, based on the current situation, one is enough. In the future, it should be possible to fuse more."

He added in his heart.

Huo Yuhao could fuse three, so I can too.

Liu Erlong raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting that it really was possible to fuse more, but she didn't press for details. She said.

"You continue your research, I won't disturb you."

After saying this, Liu Erlong turned and walked back toward the tent, sat at the entrance, and rested her chin in one hand while watching him.

She watched for a good while, then suddenly realized she had been staring at Bai Qi for a long time.

She abruptly withdrew her gaze, her heartbeat inexplicably quickening a few beats. She didn't know what this feeling was called, just that when she was with him, time passed especially quickly.

As for Bai Qi, he read through the diagram from beginning to end once more, then closed his eyes to deduce for a while.

His theoretical framework was already set up; the only thing remaining was practical operation.

He stood up, walked to the side of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and lowered his head to look at the two pools of spring water.

The red and blue water reflected each other under the sunlight, like two rivers that would never meet.

But Bai Qi knew that they didn't truly never meet; deep within the spring eye, the red and blue water was fused together, it was just that the naked eye couldn't see it.

Staring quietly at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well for a while, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he muttered to himself.

"I can do it like the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, fusing the two extreme attributes of ice and fire into two small liquid spheres, then use Soul Power to fill the other parts, and then directly use Mental Energy to compress them into a core. This can serve as a second plan."

Saying this, Bai Qi took a deep breath, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes.

Seeing Bai Qi's appearance, Liu Erlong stood up and walked over to ask.

"Are you starting?"

Bai Qi nodded.

Liu Erlong didn't ask more, retreated a few steps away, and scanned the valley entrance with a vigilant gaze.

She knew that at this time he could not be disturbed; any small accident could cause Bai Qi's previous efforts to be wasted.

Bai Qi closed his eyes and focused his mind, sinking his consciousness into the middle Dantian, which was the location where Bai Qi intended to fuse it at this moment.