Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Chapter 990: The Soul Technique

Li Yu returned to the quiet solitude of his dark wood pagoda at the center of the Five Star Lakes. The night air was cool as he sat cross-legged on his woven meditation mat and retrieved the polished gray stone token from his ring. He held the artifact in his palm and channeled his Qi while gently coaxing his soul energy into the stone. It was finally time to see what was left behind for him by his would have been master.The gray token hummed warmly against his skin as a stream of information flowed directly into his mind. The intricacies of the Yin-Yang Origin Mantra unfolded before his consciousness like an ancient scroll but the information was vast and complex. He spent the next few hours studying the flow of the technique and breaking down its core requirements.

Li Yu quickly learned that the mantra was highly unique to the Anti-Duplex race and was deeply tied to their specific biology. The core principle of the technique relied on two souls acting as a mirrored pair to one another and from there the foundations of the technique was built upon.

The souls needed to naturally resonate with one another and share a nearly identical nature to function like binary stars orbiting a shared center. This was a seamless and natural state for the Anti-Duplex people since they were born with intertwined souls of light and shadow. The technique was clearly developed for their people and it was no wonder it was a foundational technique of their people.

For Li Yu, the situation was fundamentally different. He looked inward at his own expansive soul space and observed his collection of spirits. He possessed a diverse group rather than a mirrored pair.

The Koi soul swam actively through his inner Qi reserves with a greedy appetite for energy and stability. The whale soul rested deep within his Ocean of Qi and carried a heavy weight to it. The only two things that those two shared in common was their appetite and their aquatic background.

The water buffalo soul he called Muddy stood strong and steadfast on the island. It normally did very little but was a helpful fighter, something that none of his other souls could do. The enigmatic fisherman soul waited patiently along the shores of his consciousness while his human soul was often spending more time with Elysia than anyone else. When asked about it, he received no answers outside of, ‘they enjoyed each other’s company.’

With all of that in mind, he decided to attempt the initial steps of the mantra anyway to see what would happen. Even though he didn’t have their natural biology, he at least had several souls. Li Yu gathered his focus and tried to push the Koi soul and the whale soul together to force a basic resonance.

The result was immediate and jarring. The two aquatic spirits instantly repelled each other instantly, as if they were too prideful to be with one another. The greedy energy of the Koi clashed violently with the heavy depth of the whale. There was no harmony between them, instead they seem to possess distinct and stubborn natures. The technique failed to activate and a sharp ache pulsed behind his eyes instead.

Li Yu let out a long breath and felt a wave of disappointment wash over him. A supreme technique sat right in the palm of his hands but his unique composition acted as a locked door. It would have been great since the elder said the achieved power was stronger than the sum of its parts. With his already monstrous soul, this would have taken him to another level that he desperately needed.

Li Yu refused to give up on the legacy so easily and focused his mind once more. He sent a deeper and much more forceful probe into the gray stone using his soul energy. His energy brushed against a hidden seal buried deep within the artifact and seemingly reacted to his specific soul energy. The token vibrated with a sudden intensity and a second burst of light shot directly into his head.

This new light carried the personal thoughts and hidden messages from the fallen guardian. A fragmented intent echoed within Li Yu's mind. The guardian explained that the Yin-Yang Origin Mantra was strictly meant for his own race but he firmly believed the foundational principles could be utilized by others who possessed more than one soul.

The message revealed that the guardian had found inspiration for this idea after meeting Li Yu in that realm. Watching Li Yu's fisherman soul steal energy had proven that a multi soul entity could exist outside of their bloodline. After checking Li Yu’s body and foundation that day, the guardian started developing the ancient technique in a new direction based on that brief encounter. He had become obsessed with it.

The ancient protector feared his race was facing inevitable extinction amidst the endless cosmic wars and their race’s lack of unity. He wanted to ensure their legacy and their crowning technique did not die off if their people faded into history. Having another person or perhaps even other races be able to carry on their legacy was an idea he couldn’t let go. The secondary information hidden in the token contained all his theoretical work on how to adapt the mantra for a foreign host.

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It was a vast collection of complex ideas and unproven methods because the guardian never had anyone with multiple souls to actually try them on. However, the message ended with a lingering sense of sorrow. The guardian had been working on these formulas for years while waiting for Li Yu to become strong enough to take on as his disciple and test his theories but that fateful day never came.

A solemn respect settled over Li Yu as the light faded from his mind. He was holding the final life's work of a fallen hero who had protected his home and probably countless others as well. Their own people had, yet here they were now, shattered to the winds and barely holding on. Time and fate are ultimately cruel to all beings.

Li Yu spent the next few days in deep seclusion going through all the complex theories left behind. He tested the guardian's formulas one by one with careful precision so as to not harm himself in the process. If something looked too dangerous to try, he set it aside for perhaps another time.

He tried aligning the Fisherman Soul with Muddy using a suggested bridging method but the energies fizzled out before a connection could form. He attempted to link the whale and the fisherman using a dominance theory but the result was another harsh rejection and a mild headache.

None of the guardian's unproven theories worked in practical application, at least not with his constitution. Li Yu did not feel discouraged by the constant failures because he knew they were just theories drafted by a man who could not test them. Instead, going through the intricate notes sparked his own inspirations and he began branching off on his own as well, using what he felt during his experiments.

He understood the quirks of his unique souls better than anyone else. Li Yu started mixing the guardian's theoretical concepts with his own ideas and initiated fresh attempts. The new adjustments did not lead to immediate success but the harsh friction between his souls began to soften by just that tiny bit. He felt a subtle shift and knew he was making actual progress.

Zhan Tian returned to the Five Star Lakes a few days later to check on his grandson. The Worldkeeper landed near the rocky edge of the valley and Li Yu walked out of his pagoda to greet him. They sat by the shimmering water as Li Yu brewed a pot of tea and explained the roadblocks he was facing with the soul technique.

Li Yu asked for some guidance but Zhan Tian listened intently and then shook his head with a rueful smile.

"I cannot help you much with this specific problem," Zhan Tian admitted while taking a sip of his tea. "My path is built on physical force and a single soul. I have no experience juggling multiple spirits within one vessel. Your foundation is an anomaly even for the one of the races best known for the soul. If only their people had not fallen apart. Perhaps they could be helping in the battles we are facing and you could be learning from him more."

Zhan Tian set his cup down and looked at Li Yu with fierce encouragement. "But do not give up on this path. If you can force those souls to harmonize and multiply their output, it could be a truly powerful technique. Like a single sword has one edge but a formation of swords would have many. Just keep trying."

Li Yu committed the advice to memory and thanked his grandfather before Zhan Tian departed to handle his own affairs.

Half a month passed as Li Yu dedicated himself to the mantra alongside his normal physical training. He spent his days sitting by the tranquil lakes while refining his approach. He kept thinking about Zhan Tian's advice regarding array formations

He decided to shift his strategy away from forcing the beast souls to interact with each other or souls he would think would work together. He looked inward and brought his Koi soul forward. Instead of trying to pair it with the whale or Muddy, he gently aligned it directly with his core human soul.

He applied his modified version of the Yin-Yang Origin Mantra and held his breath as a soft vibration echoed through his inner space. The Koi soul did not instantly repel his human soul. The energy smoothed out and a faint but undeniable resonance formed between them as they began to synchronize a tiny bit at first but then more as time went on.

Li Yu opened his eyes with a bright smile of triumph. He stabilized the delicate connection and quickly moved to test his new theory further. He brought Muddy forward and coaxed the sturdy water buffalo soul to align with his human soul using the exact same method.

Another gentle vibration hummed within his chest. Muddy did not resist the connection and established a budding resonance with the human soul but like with the Koi Soul, it was incredibly weak. However, the important thing was that it was there.

The overarching puzzle finally began to click into place. Li Yu found that the key to the entire technique was his human soul. The other specialized souls possessed natures that refused to harmonize with one another. The Koi and the whale or Muddy and the fisherman did not resonate at all and showed no signs of doing so even a little bit.

His human soul acted as the versatile link between them and for his entire being. It was the original vessel and possessed the innate capacity to bridge the gaps. The specialized souls could not connect to each other but they all showed clear signs of resonating with his human soul. He finally had a viable path forward to master the ancient legacy even if it was taking the first step.

Li Yu would have to continue working out the theories and methods to increase their resonance to a level that was similar to the originators of the technique. It wasn’t going to be an easy room as he felt completely drained of soul strength from just his tiny experiment just now.

The path ahead looked to be a long and exhausting one but if he was successful, he could have a new ace card up his sleeves.