Douluo: Wuhun Qimen Formation, control everything!

Elder Song frowned slightly, his thoughts becoming more thorough: "Sect Master, if the Soul Refining Technique can truly be accomplished, it will naturally be a tremendous good thing. However, Di Tian has a fearsome reputation and is unpredictable, so we must be on guard."

“Yes, teacher,” Xian Lin’er echoed, “The Soul Beast race has always been xenophobic. The fact that they are willing to cooperate with us now is probably because they see the great benefits that the Soul Spirit Technique brings to them.”

Once they master this method, or feel we've lost our usefulness, they might very well abandon us after we've served our purpose.

Moon raised his hand, signaling them to calm down: "I understand your concerns."

He paused, then continued, "But the method of the soul is equally significant for us humans and for the entire continent."

If successful, Soul Masters will no longer need to hunt for Soul Rings, and the tens of thousands of years-old feud between Soul Beasts and humans may one day truly be resolved.
Besides, cooperation always requires a basic level of trust between the two parties, doesn't it?

"As for Di Tian..." A glint of light flashed in Mu En's eyes, "He wants the Soul Beast race to continue more than anyone else."

Zhou Xuan's method of using the soul is their only hope at present.

He dared not easily turn against them until the Soul Spirit Technique had truly matured and benefited the entire Soul Beast race.

“Moreover,” Moon added, “we have agreed with Ditian that the new organization will be jointly led by both parties, with a joint oversight committee to check and balance each other. It will be difficult for them to play any tricks, but this also checks and balances us. As long as the other party is not stupid, they will definitely not do anything underhanded in the early stages of cooperation.”

Elder Xuan pondered for a moment and said, "I still trust Zhou Xuan. However, this matter is of great importance, and we must be careful at every step."

“Of course.” Moon nodded. “I will personally oversee Shrek until the new organization is on the right track.”

Regarding personnel, Shao Zhe, you are responsible for drawing Soul Masters and Soul Instructors from within the academy.

"Yes, Pavilion Master."

"Lin'er, you will be in charge of liaising with the Star Dou Great Forest to discuss the specific charter of the new organization, resource allocation, and various matters related to the initial construction. Remember, we must not concede an inch on the agreed terms, but we must also show our sincerity."

"Understood!" Xian Lin'er nodded.

Mu En's gaze swept over everyone. "Although Zhou Xuan has achieved initial success, there will definitely be obstacles later."

As long as we uphold our bottom line and take peace between the two ethnic groups as our common goal, we may well be able to usher in a completely new era.

As soon as he finished speaking, his chest heaved violently, and he coughed violently, an unnatural flush rising on his pale face.

"Sect Master!" Elder Xuan rushed forward and grabbed Mu En's arm, his expression tense.

"Teacher!" Xian Lin'er and Yan Shaozhe exclaimed in surprise.

Moon waved his hand, finally managing to calm his breathing, but a trace of bright red blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

He casually wiped it with the back of his hand, but his voice sounded even weaker: "It's nothing, just an old ailment. The battle with Di Tian did take a toll on my health."

Looking at Mu En's forced composure, Elder Xuan felt a pang of guilt. If Mu En could advance to the Limit Douluo level, the Pavilion Master wouldn't have had to act this way.

Moreover, the backlash from the Pavilion Master burning his life force to confront Di Tian was far more than just "damaging some vital energy".

"Master, your health..."

“I know my body.” Moon interrupted him, his tone calm. “I can hold on for a while longer. The matter of the Soul Spirit Research Association must be settled as soon as possible. The longer it is delayed, the more variables will arise.”

Seeing the determination in Moon's eyes, everyone knew that persuasion was useless.

In the following days, Shrek operated with unprecedented efficiency.

A group of Soul Masters and Soul Instructors were secretly gathered and formed a team for Shrek Academy.

Large quantities of rare metals, experimental equipment, and related materials were continuously transported out of the college.

On the outskirts of the Starry Sky Forest, near Shrek City, a brand-new camp rose up in just a few days in an open area.

This is the location chosen for the "Soul Research Association".

Because this area was under Shrek Academy's jurisdiction and had been designated as a restricted zone in advance, no unauthorized personnel came. Even if they did, the teachers stationed around the perimeter had already persuaded them to leave.

A few days later, early in the morning.

Mu En and his companions arrived at this nascent camp.

Outside the camp, some spirit beasts could already be seen roaming the forest, using their physical advantages to help carry bricks.

You can also see the edge of the camp, where a huge dark gold dinosaur leans against a tree, idly picking at its fangs.

Because of the presence of Soul Masters and Soul Beasts, the construction speed was much faster than Zhou Xuan had imagined.

A few days later, a tall building rose from the forest and could be seen from any slightly elevated part of the city.

It was less a building and more a giant silver-gray metal tower, its surface covered with some unknown alloy that reflected a cold luster in the sunlight. Intricate patterns could be vaguely seen flowing across the tower, clearly engraved with soul-guiding arrays.

Accompanied by Zhou Xuan and Elder Xuan, Mu En stood in front of the tower with Di Tian and Bi Ji.

"Senior Di Tian, ​​teacher, let's go in and take a look," Zhou Xuan said.

The doors slid open silently, revealing a spacious main hall.

The floor was smooth, mirror-like black rock, while the walls were made of silver-gray metal, matching the exterior. The dome was extremely high, inlaid with huge crystals that emitted a soft white light, illuminating the entire hall as bright as day.

“Every piece of metal here is engraved with defensive and isolation arrays,” Xian Lin’er explained from the side, her voice sounding somewhat hollow in the hall. “It’s enough to withstand a full-force attack from anyone below the Limit Douluo level.”

The main reason is that Di Tian and his group were too willing to invest. Over the past ten thousand years, countless treasures have been left in the Star Dou Great Forest. As for how advanced their soul guidance technology is, it's not that high.
Actually, no, it's mainly because the materials are good.

Di Tian didn't stop walking and went straight inside: "Take me to see the core research area."

After passing through several heavy metal gates, the group walked further in, and transparent observation windows began to appear on the walls on both sides of the passage. Behind the windows were individual laboratories containing all sorts of strange soul-guiding instruments.

Previously, conditions were not good enough, so Zhou Xuan's experimental environment was rudimentary. Now that he has money, he naturally wants to do things in the safest way possible.

Moreover, Zhou Xuan made special plans for each area, and with the help of the academy's soul instructors, some of the imagined experimental soul tools were also made one by one.

This is inextricably linked to Zhou Xuan's reforms to the Soul Guidance System before his departure. Under Zhou Xuan's impetus, some Soul Guidance Masters abandoned their research on combat-type Soul Guidance Devices and turned to research on functional or other types of Soul Guidance Devices.

Moreover, due to the special reward and punishment mechanism, all research results are semi-public within Shrek Academy, and no one hides them.

"These are the preliminary soul power analysis room and soul fluctuation monitoring room," Zhou Xuan explained as they walked. "Most of the equipment is the latest development from Shrek Academy."

Di Tian stopped in front of a huge circular laboratory.

This laboratory is located in the central area of ​​the giant tower, occupying an entire floor. Its interior space is even more spacious than the main hall, with a huge circular platform at the center, surrounded by more complex and sophisticated soul-guiding instruments. "This is the core laboratory for the soul transformation ritual. The final soul transformation will take place here, and everything will be done here."

The circular platform was cast from an unknown dark metal, with countless fine gold patterns engraved on its surface.

Above the platform, twelve enormous crystal prisms float.

Zhou Xuan nodded: "These are 'Soul Gathering Crystals,' which can stabilize and guide soul energy. The array on them is a redesign I made based on my own research."

It can guarantee that even if the soul transformation and fusion fails, the lives of humans and soul beasts will be preserved, preventing them from dying on the spot. The only downside is the potentially high cost, but it can be further optimized later.

Upon hearing Zhou Xuan's statement, Di Tian raised an eyebrow.

For him, preserving the life of the soul beast was naturally the best thing, and he was pleased that Zhou Xuan had thought of this.

As for whether the expenses are large or not, it's not a big problem for him.

"That's right!" The Shrek members all nodded in agreement.

“In addition to the core conversion room, we have also set up several auxiliary areas.” Zhou Xuan led the group toward the other side of the passage.

They first arrived at a room filled with a pale blue glow.

Inside the room, dozens of transparent crystal containers were neatly arranged.

“This is the ‘Soul Temporary Storage Room’,” Zhou Xuan explained. “Those who voluntarily transform into soul spirits but have not yet found a suitable soul master can be temporarily placed here.”

These specially crafted 'Soul-Nourishing Crystal Boxes' can maintain the stability and activity of the soul to the maximum extent. As long as the soul power continues, these souls will not dissipate.

Di Tian walked to a crystal box and asked, "If a soul beast changes its mind during this period, or if its soul becomes unstable, what should be done?"

"The crystal box is equipped with an early warning mechanism, and we will be immediately aware if there are any abnormal fluctuations in the soul."

If a soul beast changes its mind, as long as its soul essence is not damaged, it can be returned to its original form through special means, but this will cause the soul beast to become weak to a certain extent.

"The word 'voluntary' is the premise and core of the entire process, so please rest assured. However, this method cannot be completely without losses. Not only does it consume a huge amount of resources, but even if the soul successfully returns to the body, it cannot be completely unharmed," Zhou Xuan said frankly.

Di Tian nodded slightly.

Afterwards, the group visited the "Data Hub".

There are no physical instruments here; the walls and dome are all huge soul-guided screens, where countless complex data streams refresh like waterfalls, and various simulated images constantly evolve and recombine.

This is an evolved version of the soul-guided computer that Zhou Xuan and his team had previously researched—the supercomputer.

With the foundation laid previously, and with several Level 6 Soul Masters leading the way, the development of Soul Guidance Computers can be described as rapid.

"All data on soul transformation and subtle changes in soul fluctuations will be summarized and analyzed here."

Xianlin added from the side, "This helps us continuously optimize the conversion process."

Although it is a fantasy world, Zhou Xuan believes that scientific research methods are essential in any world.

"Senior Di Tian, ​​the data hub's operation permissions are tiered."

The core algorithms and raw data are accessed by observers and technicians dispatched by the Soul Beasts with equal access rights.

Furthermore, all critical operations are triple-recorded, leaving a trace of any changes.

He pointed to several special seats in the corner, "Those are the monitoring seats reserved for the representatives of the Soul Beast race."

Mu En neither agreed nor disagreed with Zhou Xuan's arrangement.

Di Tian nodded in satisfaction.

After visiting the data hub, Di Tian's coldness lessened slightly, and he was somewhat satisfied with everything Zhou Xuan had shown him.

Zhou Xuan led everyone out of the data hub and to a platform with a wide view, from which they could overlook most of the camp and the distant, continuous Star Dou Great Forest.

“Teacher, Senior Di Tian, ​​the initial structure of the Research Association has been completed,” Zhou Xuan said. “But this is just the beginning. We must plan for the future.”

"Once the research on the Soul Spirit Technique matures, its significance will extend far beyond the Star Dou Great Forest and Shrek Academy; it will benefit the entire continent."

"By then, relying solely on this one tower will be far from sufficient."

"What else do you want, kid?"

Zhou Xuan took a deep breath and solemnly said, "My idea is that after the Soul Spirit Method is completely perfected and initially verified, we can build four more similar Soul Spirit Research Centers on the continent, making a total of five including this one."

"Five?!" Xian Lin'er was the first to exclaim in surprise. She was in charge of coordination and initial construction and knew all too well how much manpower and resources it took to build such a giant tower.

"Kid, you dare to dream!" Di Tian sneered.

Zhou Xuan stretched out his hand and outlined in the air: "Currently, this one stands in the center of the continent, radiating the Star Dou Great Forest and the surrounding area, and can be called the 'Central Tower'."

"In addition, four more research centers can be built in four directions to ensure coverage of the entire continent, thus connecting the east, west, south, north and center of the continent."

Moon slowly began, “Leaving aside the enormous resources and manpower required to build these four additional towers, the management and coordination alone would be an immense challenge.”

Moreover, Shrek Academy isn't the only human force on the continent, nor is Star Dou Great Forest the only habitat for spirit beasts. Would other spirit beast settlements accept this so easily?

Zhou Xuan said frankly, "Teacher, I understand your concerns."

Therefore, the establishment and operation of these five towers had to adhere to the strictest standards from the very beginning.

“Each tower should be like this central tower, with a management committee jointly established by humans and soul beasts, and a joint supervision mechanism in place to ensure checks and balances on power.”

Core technologies will be shared, but the conversion process must respect the wishes of the soul beasts, and any form of coercion or deception is strictly prohibited.

"As for other human forces," Zhou Xuan smiled slightly, "when they see the benefits brought by the Soul Spirit Technique, and when they see that Soul Masters no longer need to risk their lives to enter the forest to hunt, they can obtain powerful Soul Rings and Soul Skills, they will make the right choice."

This is an inevitable trend, and no single force can stop it.

And there was something else he didn't say: if the five towers were actually built, then whether or not they would agree to it wouldn't be up to them.

"This is not something that can be accomplished overnight; it may require decades, even centuries of effort. But it is a direction, a direction that will allow humans and spirit beasts to truly coexist peacefully." (End of Chapter)