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Su Yu didn't have any objections to the spread of his rune method.
After all, some cultivation techniques are created for others to practice.
However, it was still important for the creator to first establish a clear advantage for themselves.
Su Yu wasn't a saint.
While he didn't mind the wide distribution of his rune method, he first had to secure his own position.
Now was clearly not the right time for such widespread dissemination.
Furthermore, once the rune method spread widely, it would be impossible to keep it a secret.
With a method for cultivating spiritual power in place, Shrek Academy would likely benefit the most.
The rise of spiritual power cultivation across the Douluo Continent would be a massive variable.
The unification of the Sun Moon Empire was already a prevailing trend, and introducing such a variable at this time could be problematic.
Besides, there was no obligation to popularize a cultivation method that he created. How many unique and secretive inheritances are there on this continent?
In fact, Jing Hongchen had no intention of spreading Su Yu's rune method either.
Why rush to share something so valuable?
Cultivating it themselves first, to widen the gap between them and others, was the most important thing.
Jing Hongchen believed that it was enough for Su Yu, Kong Deming, himself, and his grandchildren to cultivate the rune method.
In fact, if he hadn't known about the rune method, it would've been perfectly natural for just Su Yu and Kong Deming to practice it.
Su Yu also stated that it wasn't suitable for large-scale dissemination.
Jing Hongchen understood the underlying message.
And it aligned with his thoughts perfectly.
"Meng, after the Soul Dueling Tournament, both you and Xiao will take the Awakening Pill to try to open your Spiritual Sea. Once that's done, you can start practicing the rune method."
The Awakening Pill was an exclusive pill of the Hongchen family, capable of assisting soul masters in opening their Spiritual Sea.
However, this pill only had a stimulating effect, allowing the Spiritual Sea to open early, and had little actual effect on increasing spiritual power. The required ingredients were extremely rare, so unless it was a special case, the Awakening Pill was rarely used.
But things were different now—the value of the Awakening Pill had increased, and Jing Hongchen planned to refine two for the siblings.
"Alright," Meng Hongchen nodded in agreement.
In between searching for soul beasts, Su Yu and Jing Hongchen continued to discuss the rune method, while Meng Hongchen began practicing the Void Inscription technique.
This was considered a prerequisite skill for the rune method.
With Jing Hongchen's guidance, Meng Hongchen quickly grasped the basics.
The dangers of the Extreme North far exceeded those of any other soul beast forest, and they couldn't afford to be careless.
It was said that there were even more hundred-thousand-year soul beasts here than in the Star Dou Forest.
Jing Hongchen's expression grew serious as he reminded Su Yu and Meng, "We're in trouble."
For Jing Hongchen to be this cautious, it had to be a hundred-thousand-year soul beast or higher.
In fact, even an ordinary hundred-thousand-year soul beast wouldn't warrant such concern.
"Damn it, this is just the outskirts of the Extreme North! Why is the Titan Snow Demon King here?"
Su Yu was startled by Jing Hongchen's words.
He knew exactly what kind of existence the Titan Snow Demon King was.
One of the three kings of the Extreme North, even though it ranked the lowest among them, it had cultivated for 200,000 years and possessed terrifying power.
The Titan Snow Demon King had the bloodline of the Ice God and combined it with the innate talents of its Titan Giant race. Not only did it possess near-ultimate ice attributes, but its massive size granted it incredible strength.
The Titan Snow Demon King's ice powers had surpassed the limits of its race, reaching the pinnacle of mastery.
In the Extreme North's environment, its combat abilities were further enhanced.
Even Jing Hongchen, in a one-on-one fight, couldn't defeat the Titan Snow Demon King.
And the Titan Snow Demon King also possessed spiritual attributes!
The moment Jing Hongchen sensed its presence, the Titan Snow Demon King had already detected Su Yu and the others.
"Respected King of the Extreme North, we accidentally trespassed into your territory and mean no harm. We will leave immediately," Jing Hongchen called out respectfully.
"Humans, trespassing in the Extreme North... must die!" the Titan Snow Demon King roared.
The Titan Snow Demon King's voice was filled with anger. The already suffocating soul power pressure, now laced with furious spiritual energy, made Su Yu's face turn pale.
What he couldn't understand was why the Titan Snow Demon King had ventured this far to the outskirts.
If he was going to die, he at least wanted to know why, right? Of course, Su Yu was confident he wouldn't die. With the Divine Shield that Kong Deming had given him, along with Elder Yi's undead demi-plane, survival was pretty much assured.
Strictly speaking, he was more curious than fearful.
"Crimson-Eyed Ice Toad!" Jing Hongchen suddenly exclaimed, his spiritual power fully unleashed, scanning the area and detecting the presence of other soul beasts in the distance.
Sensing their agitation and seeing the chaotic scene, he realized what was going on.
"Humans must die!" The Titan Snow Demon King roared as terrifying ice-attributed soul power gathered in its enormous hands.
"If you make a move, I can guarantee that none of those Crimson-Eyed Ice Toads will survive!" Jing Hongchen's martial spirit flared up as he activated his true form, with the first seven soul rings radiating brightly, while the eighth and ninth rings were poised to activate.
The Titan Snow Demon King hesitated.
Even he could sense a threat from Jing Hongchen at this moment.
"Is that... a combination-type soul cannon?" Su Yu wondered as he observed the arrangement of the soul cannons on Jing Hongchen's body. It was completely different from the ones used during their soul beast hunt in the Jingyang Mountain Range.
It seemed that Jing Hongchen's limit for instant deployment of soul cannons was at the sixth level. However, by combining sixteen sixth-level fixed soul cannons, he could unleash the power of an eighth-level soul cannon.
This setup clearly required his eighth and ninth soul skills to work in conjunction.
It likely only had the power for a single strike, but the deterrent effect was undeniable.
In terms of raw numbers, a ninth-level fixed soul cannon had the destructive power of an all-out strike from an Ultimate Douluo.
An eighth-level fixed soul cannon, if taken head-on, would severely injure even the Titan Snow Demon King.
But that wasn't the most crucial point.
The Titan Snow Demon King didn't face a lethal threat.
What truly caused his hesitation was the strength Jing Hongchen could unleash, combined with the threat in his words.
If even the Titan Snow Demon King would be gravely wounded, there was no chance those Crimson-Eyed Ice Toads behind him would survive.
There were thirteen Crimson-Eyed Ice Toads behind the Titan Snow Demon King, with the strongest of them having a cultivation of 50,000 years. Yet, even they couldn't withstand such an attack.
Not even a seventh-level fixed soul cannon blast would spare them.
The Titan Snow Demon King was furious.
Already irritated from being interrupted while venting, now he was being threatened.
Who in the Extreme North didn't know that the Crimson-Eyed Ice Toads in this area were under his protection?
If they were wiped out in a single night, where would his reputation go?
The Titan Snow Demon King was apprehensive, but he had no intention of letting Jing Hongchen and the others go.
His stance remained firm.
Anyone who trespasses in the Extreme North... must die!
As one of the three kings of the Extreme North, he had a duty to protect it.
Between his pride and his responsibility, he had to choose one.
It was obvious that Jing Hongchen and his companions had come to the Extreme North to hunt soul beasts and acquire soul rings.
They must be eliminated.
The Extreme North was isolated from the rest of the world.
The outside knew very little about the Extreme North, and similarly, the Extreme North had limited knowledge of the outside world.
This moment of hesitation from the Titan Snow Demon King gave Jing Hongchen the leverage he needed.
Terrifying metallic energy began to converge. Surrounding Jing Hongchen's massive toad-like true form, metal started to grow rapidly.
In no time, a fortress had taken shape around him.
(End of chapter)