Achieving Soul Venerable in three years—this rapid progress was, in reality, due to the benefits gained from absorbing soul rings beyond his conventional limit.
His first soul ring boasted a thousand-five-hundred-year lifespan, far exceeding what an ordinary Soul Master could initially withstand.
The immense soul power feedback from absorbing it directly propelled him up three levels.
His second soul ring was even more astonishing, with a six-thousand-year lifespan. When he absorbed that second soul ring, he endured tremendous suffering, a searing pain that felt as if it would tear his body apart, pushing him to the brink of unconsciousness.
Ultimately, with the aid of his second martial soul, the White Flower, he gritted his teeth and persevered. The reward was substantial: this soul ring also boosted him up three levels. All in all, he had effectively gained fourteen levels in these three years.
Not only did his soul power level increase rapidly, but in terms of practical combat experience, Lu Jingming had finally moved beyond theoretical discussions.
Over the past year, he had spent almost all his spare time immersed in the Simulated Universe. In this virtual world, he engaged in fierce battles with various simulated opponents.
Every fight was a struggle for survival; some simulated enemies were incredibly fast, like phantoms, while others possessed astonishing strength, each attack shaking the ground.
Through his battles with them, Lu Jingming constantly summarized his experiences and honed his skills. From his initial clumsiness to his later effortless movements, his combat ability underwent a qualitative leap.
Over the past year, the Douluo Continent was anything but peaceful; undercurrents surged, all stemming from the sudden emergence of the Simulated Universe.
When this novel and shocking phenomenon appeared in the Soul Master world, and with Shrek Academy endorsing it, the entire Douluo Continent was like a calm lake hit by a massive rock, unleashing tumultuous waves. Ripples quickly spread in all directions.
Countless Soul Masters instantly became addicted after personally experiencing the Simulated Universe.
The Douluo arenas, once favored by Soul Masters, suddenly became deserted. The reason was that the Simulated Universe was simply too real. In that virtual world, Soul Masters could unleash their soul skills to their heart's content, engaging in fierce combat with opponents.
That exhilarating combat sensation was something absolutely impossible to experience in the restrictive environment of the arenas.
Compared to the relatively fixed and limited opponents in the arenas, the Simulated Universe was simply a treasure trove of infinite possibilities. It could provide all sorts of strange and varied opponents, and even figures who only existed in legends, revered and celebrated by later generations, could be vividly simulated.
Dueling with these legendary figures, even though they knew it was virtual, the thrill and sense of accomplishment from challenging historical powerhouses drove countless Soul Masters to madness. They flocked to the embrace of the Simulated Universe like moths to a flame.
Even more appealing was the fact that defeating enemies in the Simulated Universe yielded tangible rewards.
Although the spiritual power increase obtained each time was minuscule, almost imperceptible, as the saying goes, "without accumulating small steps, one cannot travel a thousand miles; without accumulating small streams, one cannot form rivers and seas." Through countless victories, Soul Masters' spiritual power would subtly but significantly improve without them even noticing.
In just one year, the Simulated Universe spread like wildfire, rapidly sweeping across the entire Douluo Continent. This craze even crossed national borders, extending to the Sun Moon Empire. And Haiyuan City, through the Common Alliance, sold the Simulated Universe login devices to the Sun Moon Empire.
Unlike the Soul Masters of the original three Douluo nations, who simply enjoyed the combat experience the Simulated Universe offered, the Sun Moon Empire harbored deeper ambitions for this miraculous virtual world.
Their greatest desire was to research the underlying principles of the Simulated Universe and understand how this virtual world was created.
After all, how could the Sun Moon Empire, which had always been at the forefront of technology and soul tool research, tolerate the existence of such a technology beyond their comprehension while remaining completely ignorant of its workings?
Thus, the Sun Moon Empire assembled its top-tier level nine soul engineers, forming a luxurious research team to conduct in-depth studies on the Simulated Universe soul tool device.
When they confidently disassembled the device, the sight before them instantly plunged them into confusion. The core soul tool crystal was like a mysterious enigma, inscribed with runes and patterns they had never seen before, their complexity far exceeding imagination.
When Herta created the Simulated Universe, she left no countermeasures to prevent it from being deciphered. Even with the entire sub-core of the Simulated Universe laid bare before them, these top-tier soul engineers were still completely clueless, unable to even begin.
After countless attempts and failures, the Sun Moon Empire's soul engineers ultimately had to reluctantly abandon their research into the Simulated Universe's principles.
However, just as they were about to accept this fact, an unexpected discovery once again caused a greater stir around the Simulated Universe in the Sun Moon Empire.
They were astonished to find that within the Simulated Universe, various soul tool materials could be virtually produced. This discovery was like a beacon lit in the darkness, showing the soul engineers infinite possibilities.
In the world of soul engineers, this profession had always been known for "burning money." Researching soul tools required consuming large quantities of precious soul tool materials, and the prices of these materials had always been exorbitant.
For a soul engineer to grow, they often needed strong financial backing, as countless soul tool materials were turned to dust in repeated experiments.
But the emergence of the Simulated Universe completely changed this situation. Here, soul engineers no longer needed to frantically search for scarce soul tool materials or rack their brains over them.
Nor did they have to worry about going bankrupt or losing everything due to failed soul tool creations.
When this news spread, it instantly shocked the entire soul engineer world of the Sun Moon Empire. It was as if, overnight, the Simulated Universe became the most precious treasure in their eyes.
To possess a Simulated Universe login device, the Sun Moon Empire's soul engineers became almost maniacal. Even though a single login device cost a staggering one hundred thousand gold soul coins, they didn't hesitate, even going as far as selling their most valuable possessions, to find a way to buy one.
After all, the Simulated Universe saved them not only immeasurable resources but also countless precious hours—these were the rarest and most valuable assets on their path of soul tool research.
As the Simulated Universe continued to sweep across the continent, Herta's name, like a brilliant star, rose in the soul engineer world, becoming a legendary existence.
For a time, rumors spread across the continent. Some whispered that Herta had reached the legendary level ten soul engineer realm, her achievements far surpassing those of the Sun Moon Empire's three great soul engineers.
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