"Are these the stars?"
This state was very unique. Xu Yuan tried to keep his emotional fluctuations minimal to avoid exiting this condition.
Each star was a shining point of light, but upon closer inspection, they weren't just points of light—they were fluctuations.
Some points were bright, and Xu Yuan could clearly feel their vibrations. Others were dimmer, yet their fluctuations were not much different upon careful perception.
Especially within the clusters of glowing orbs, Xu Yuan could barely distinguish individual points.
The brightest points caught his attention as he analyzed their fluctuations, sensing their characteristics.
"These fluctuations… are they related to some nodes in my Star Map?" Xu Yuan's mind stirred, and he began activating the Star Map according to his thoughts.
Indeed, one by one, the nodes in the Star Map began to resonate with the points of light.
The Sea of Spirit
The Star Map erupted in dazzling brilliance.
Previously, the Star Map had hovered above the Sea of Spirit, radiating a faint stellar glow, but nothing as extravagant as now.
At this moment, the Star Map shone so brightly that it seemed as if the entire Sea of Spirit had been plunged into darkness, with its stars becoming the only source of light.
The starlight bathed the entire Sea of Spirit, imbuing every droplet of spiritual energy with a trace of starlight.
Spiritual power surged and transformed.
Xu Yuan spent the night lying on the shore of Hai God Island.
That night, he slept exceptionally soundly.
When he opened his eyes, his gaze was sharp, and his released spiritual power made the entire world seem different.
"The Star Map has been perfected, forming a resonance with numerous stars. Most importantly, my spiritual power has broken through—I should now be considered mid-level in the Lingyuan Realm."
Xu Yuan felt deeply satisfied at this moment.
With just a simple activation, he sensed how different the Star Map was from before.
Previously, the Star Map could be likened to ordinary Thousand Refinements metal, but now it was Grade One Thousand Refinements—truly imbued with spirit. The entire Star Map seemed to have come alive with vitality.
"The Star Map has truly resonated with the stars and, more importantly, has fully merged with my Sea of Spirit."
In simpler terms, the Star Map's effect on enhancing spiritual power had undergone a transformation.
---
Class 1, Grade 1
"Class dismissed."
"Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, Wu Siduo, Fang Yuan, Ye Xinglan, Xu Lizhi, and Xu Yuan—you seven come to my office later."
Wu Zhangkong left the classroom first.
The seven students named—except for Xu Yuan—all gathered at Wu Zhangkong's office with puzzled expressions.
"The academy will host an exchange program lasting a year, sending some students to the Star Luo Continent for study and interaction. After discussion, we've decided to send you seven from Grade 1."
"Exchange?" Wu Siduo frowned, showing reluctance.
Going to the Star Luo Continent for an exchange would likely delay their progress.
Wu Zhangkong wasn't particularly cold this time.
He explained the significance of the exchange program to those students who clearly showed signs of unwillingness.
"Don't worry. This exchange won't hinder your cultivation. On the contrary, traveling more can actually benefit your training. The Star Luo Continent differs from the Douluo Continent in both soul beast species and martial soul types. You'll have the chance to explore them. Additionally, there are unique resources over there that will aid your cultivation."
After hearing Wu Zhangkong's explanation, Wu Siduo and the others' expressions softened slightly—but only slightly.
"Xu Yuan, do you have any objections?" Shen Yi asked at this moment.
Xu Yuan shook his head.
"I have no objections. I can cultivate anywhere. I've heard that the Star Luo Continent offers unique opportunities. Moreover, the Star Luo Empire has established a 'Monster Academy,' modeled after ours, which trains prodigies. I'm curious about their level."
Xu Yuan's words immediately drew the attention of Wu Siduo and the others.
Shen Yi nodded approvingly.
She had intended for Xu Yuan to indirectly persuade Wu Siduo and the others.
"Monster Academy? Sounds interesting."
"I don't know the specifics of their current talented students, but I've learned that the Monster Academy is overseen by the Star Luo Empire's National Teacher—an Ultimate Douluo and four-character battle armor master. They've trained more than one Super Douluo, and their teaching quality is on par with top-tier institutions like the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy, which has thousands of years of history."
Tang Wulin listened with a skeptical look.
He couldn't help but think that the class president's information-gathering skills were too strong.
"If that's the case, it does sound more interesting." Wu Siduo and the others no longer opposed the idea.
"By the way, Teacher Wu, you mentioned earlier that we're the team sent from Grade 1. Are there participants from other grades?"
Wu Zhangkong glanced at Xu Yuan.
"Two students from Grade 2 will also participate in this exchange. You should be familiar with them—Yuanen Yehui and Le Zhengyu."
"The exchange will depart soon. Get ready."
The sky was a clear azure, and the bright sunlight lifted everyone's spirits.
Xu Yuan and the others arrived in Tianhai City.
The exchange team from Shrek Academy heading to the Star Luo Continent consisted of eleven people: seven from Class 1, Grade 1; two from Class 1, Grade 2—Yuanen Yehui and Le Zhengyu; Class 1, Grade 1's homeroom teacher, Wu Zhangkong; and the Outer Court Dean, Silver Moon Douluo Cai Yue'er.
They came to Tianhai City to meet up with the delegation from the Star Luo Continent.
The delegation from the Star Luo Continent had already been on the continent for some time and was now preparing to board a ship back to the Star Luo Continent.
Currently, advancements in soul-guided technology had made it possible to traverse the vast distances between continents via soul-guided aircraft, but this technology was only possessed by the Federation and not the Star Luo Continent.
However, the Federation couldn't risk exposing this technology by escorting the Star Luo delegation back to their continent.
The Star Luo delegation consisted of outstanding representatives from various fields. For example, Chang Gongyan, the representative from the forging community, was an eighth-rank Saint Craftsman and also an eight-ring Soul Emperor. In fields such as mecha design, manufacturing, and repair, there were ninth-rank experts accompanying the delegation as well.
With so many excellent representatives gathered, the Federation couldn't guarantee that its confidential technologies wouldn't leak.
The Federation's ability to consistently suppress the empires of the two smaller continents was due to its advanced soul-guided technology.
It wasn't just a matter of resource disparity.
"Everyone, eat whatever you want today—it's on me."
Being in his hometown, Xu Yuan naturally treated everyone to a meal again.
"These three can really eat."
Wu Siduo and the others watched Xu Yuan and his two companions devouring food with helpless expressions.
Cai Yue'er stared in disbelief as the trio voraciously consumed seafood like starving ghosts.
"Do they always eat this much?"
Cai Yue'er honestly didn't know this.
"They've always been like this. Tang Wulin has Elder Feng managing his meals, Xu Lizhi is usually more restrained, and Xu Yuan can support himself."
No wonder Feng Wuyu looked so relieved when he heard Tang Wulin was going to the Star Luo Continent for a year—he must have been afraid of being eaten out of house and home.
Cai Yue'er focused her gaze on Xu Yuan.
He eats this much and can still support himself?
Cai Yue'er knew that Xu Yuan's blood essence cultivation diet didn't consist of ordinary ingredients—they were all rare and precious.
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