He hasn't broken through to the Limit.
Although his energy fluctuations suggested otherwise, who could say whether Tong Yu's subdued aura was due to his prolonged imprisonment causing weakness?
At this moment, Xu Yuan indirectly confirmed Tong Yu's state through his reactions.
He hasn't broken through yet.
It wasn't that Xu Yuan feared being unable to handle Tong Yu if he had broken through to the Limit or worried about safety.
The fact that Tong Yu hadn't broken through meant his mental knots were still unresolved.
He hadn't yet reached the point of "enlightenment" as depicted in the original storyline.
Xu Yuan, with his own plans in mind, naturally didn't want Tong Yu to follow the original path of letting go of the past and willingly accepting death.
Help him break through and harvest the Five Elements Qilin Pearl formed from his essence?
The reward would be significant, but compared to a single Five Elements Qilin Pearl, the value of having a living Tong Yu at the Limit Douluo level was far greater.
Watching the frenzied Tong Yu, Mu Ye quickly pulled Xu Yuan back, retreating upward and gradually distancing themselves from the lakebed.
Bursting out of the Five Elements Lake, Mu Ye reminded Xu Yuan.
"The guy down there is mentally unstable. What's his deal?" It was only now that Mu Ye asked about Tong Yu's background.
Xu Yuan shared the widely known public version of the Qilin Douluo's story in the Star Luo Empire with Mu Ye.
"You've really got a knack for gathering information—it's quite detailed."
Mu Ye nodded.
"So that explains why he's so emotionally volatile."
From childhood self-doubt, betrayal by his first love, attempting suicide by poisoning which led to his martial soul mutating—each factor was a blow to him, causing his life to swing wildly. His extreme personality was almost expected.
However, such an extreme personality had driven him to commit such acts.
But after committing them, he had become consumed by public opinion, forming deep obsessions.
"His mental state is unstable. Try not to interact with him in the future," Mu Ye warned.
He had brought Xu Yuan here intending for him to cultivate here in the future. The convergence of the Five Elements and the evolution of yin-yang energy were highly beneficial to Xu Yuan's cultivation.
Even with Tong Yu imprisoned in the lake, Mu Ye hadn't abandoned the idea of letting Xu Yuan train here.
Still, he had to remind Xu Yuan not to deal with someone like Tong Yu, whose mental state was so unstable.
"His strength likely rivals mine without using four-word battle armor. With such an unstable mental state, if you say something wrong and provoke him, he might kill you—and then you'd have no one to cry to."
Mu Ye knew that Tong Yu had killed indiscriminately, which left a poor impression on him.
Even now, he still didn't understand why Xu Yuan had been so polite to Tong Yu.
After giving his warnings, curiosity still got the better of him, and he couldn't help but ask Xu Yuan:
"Even if En Ci isn't blaming Tong Yu, why are you being so polite to him?"
"Teacher, don't you think his current state is crucial? I'm not talking about his mental state—I'm referring to his cultivation state."
"Cultivation state?" Mu Ye's gaze flickered.
"His soul power should already be at level ninety-eight. Once his spiritual power breaks through to the Spirit Domain realm, he'll have a chance to reach the Limit Douluo level," Xu Yuan explained.
A flash of realization appeared in Mu Ye's eyes.
"So you want to help him overcome his mental knots, break through to the Spirit Domain realm, and thereby ascend to the Limit Douluo? But what benefit does that bring you?"
"Teacher, gaining the favor of a Limit Douluo is always valuable. Moreover, he's currently conflicted, and there are many ways to resolve his knots. If we help him untangle his obsessions, we can guide him toward a direction favorable to us. Of course, I'm just planning to try. If it proves impossible, I won't force it." Xu Yuan calmly explained.
He shifted the conversation to discuss the potential benefits.
"Teacher, for our Body Sect to reemerge, having more Limit Douluos supporting us will create a much greater impact."
For the sect?
Mu Ye's gaze flickered as he looked at Xu Yuan, a trace of pride flashing in his eyes.
It could be said that Xu Yuan, as his disciple, had taken on far too many responsibilities.
As the sect leader, it should have been Mu Ye working tirelessly to restore the Body Sect's former glory. Yet, in reality, all the preparations for the sect's revival were being handled by Xu Yuan.
Whether it was the fusion techniques, persuading Hu Jie to return to the sect, or even now plotting to gain the favor of Tong Yu, a potential Limit Douluo—all of it was orchestrated by Xu Yuan.
"When our Body Sect begins recruiting disciples again, we won't need to limit ourselves to those with pure innate martial souls. With our fusion techniques, we can select beast-type martial souls or even weapon-type martial souls suitable for acting as conduits for blood essence."
"Of course, among these options, the most compatible with our fusion techniques would be cases similar to Tang Wulin's—those with a powerful bloodline coursing through their bodies. Personally, I believe this will become a major branch of our sect in the future."
"And Tong Yu, with his Qilin bloodline, could fully join the Body Sect and lead this branch."
Mu Ye looked at Xu Yuan skeptically.
You're naming the kid before even taking off your pants?
"Teacher, it's just an idea," Xu Yuan said, understanding the skepticism in Mu Ye's gaze.
But how could he possibly tell Mu Ye that he knew the truth and therefore had some confidence in guiding Tong Yu?
The general public only knew the widely circulated version of Tong Yu's brutal past. No one would dare claim confidence in helping Tong Yu untangle his mental knots. However, Xu Yuan knew the truth—he knew that Tong Yu hadn't done anything wrong. The fault lay in the cyberbullying he endured and his inability to withstand it.
"Things depend on human effort."
Seeing this, Mu Ye couldn't help but sigh.
He could tell that Xu Yuan was very determined about this idea.
He couldn't help but remind him: "Still, be careful. His temperament is extremely volatile. Even if he does break through to the Limit Douluo because of your guidance, and even if he joins the Body Sect, he might still bring trouble to the sect."
"Don't worry, Teacher. I know my limits."
Mu Ye stopped trying to dissuade him.
"You have more matches coming up. After the tournament ends, you can come back here to train."
"Mm… it might take a while," Xu Yuan sighed, taking a few deep breaths of the yin-yang infused energy, reluctant to leave.
"Let's go. You can come back after the matches are over," Mu Ye said.
Leaving the Five Elements Mountain Range and returning to Star Luo City, Xu Yuan entered a meditative state.
---
In the dreamscape
"Yao Yao, Jue."
At Xu Yuan's call, two figures quickly appeared before him.
Yao Yao's ghostly form shimmered as it hummed, asking what new tasks Xu Yuan had to make it stronger.
After repeated training, Yao Yao had fully embraced the mindset of striving to grow stronger, realizing that every task Xu Yuan assigned was aimed at enhancing its power.
Jue's spear tip flickered with light, resonating with a cluster of energy within the dreamscape.
Jue sent out a ripple of spiritual energy.
"This energy is beneficial to me."
Xu Yuan smiled and nodded.
"That's right. This energy contains the Five Elements and has evolved into yin-yang properties, offering insights for your own evolution of yin-yang attributes."
------------------------------------------------------
Thank you to our new Patrons: Diogo Frazão, Unknown, Jared Toussaint, zFuriaMz, bwuooq and Mike Foster! Your support means the world to me <3 We are up to 'Chapter 340: The Process of Plane Advancement' on Patreon!
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)
Support my writing journey: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
40+ Chapters Ahead Guaranteed.