Join my Patreon to be 30 chapters ahead of the webnovel releases:
patreon.com/ZeroMoney
I would appreciate your help if you could join my Patreon and support me because it would keep me motivated.
******
Kong Deming felt at ease.
This time, Su Yu had come along specifically to assist him.
Despite possessing the ultimate life attribute, Su Yu was only a Spirit Elder, so his abilities likely wouldn't have a major impact on the outcome. What Kong Deming truly anticipated was for Su Yu to activate his Soul Blade to assist in the absorption of his spirit ring.
With the Soul Blade's vast life energy replenishment, Kong Deming's spirit ring absorption would proceed more smoothly, and the overall effect of the absorption would reach its peak.
Not only would the feedback from the spirit ring fully benefit his body, but he would also be able to greatly improve his physical constitution by tapping into the additional life energy during the process.
"Exactly. With the life energy provided by the Soul Blade, the success rate is very high.
However, we still need to outline and cultivate the runes. After obtaining this fifth spirit ring, I'll head back to Mingdu to study this type of rune in depth."
Kong Deming was excited.
If this worked, he could get his sixth spirit ring earlier than expected.
Though reaching the seventh ring would still be a long way off, obtaining the sixth spirit ring in advance would come with its own advantages.
One of the key benefits was "stat-capping."
It was similar to how Su Yu's rune method allowed him to preemptively harness the feedback of a sixth spirit ring.
By absorbing the sixth spirit ring now, Kong Deming would be able to absorb two ten-thousand-year rings in a short period. With such high-level rings, his spirit power might advance further.
"Yes!
The feedback from the sixth spirit ring could make up for my physical energy debt, and the feedback from breaking through to level 96 would be fully realized as well.
Does this mean I can continue absorbing the seventh ring in advance?
If I absorb the seventh ring and fine-tune the method to harmonize the martial soul conflicts, wouldn't the eighth and ninth rings be within easy reach?"
Kong Deming felt greatly encouraged.
He was pleased.
Who would have thought that fully utilizing twin martial souls would feel so rewarding?
He patted his disciple's head, unable to contain his excitement.
"If I can manage to absorb three hundred-thousand-year spirit rings among the five, reaching level 98 from my current level 95 should be easily achievable!
And then there's upgrading my spirit tool…"
Kong Deming found himself lost in reverie.
Su Yu brought him back to reality.
"So, Teacher, have you come up with any ideas for constructing these runes?"
"…"
"I actually have another thought. Teacher, we may not have realized this before, but now that we know the seventh ring can automatically amplify martial souls…
Why don't we try achieving this amplification before we reach the seventh ring?"
Kong Deming was once again inspired by Su Yu's suggestion.
"Following your train of thought, we're essentially developing a secret art."
Many families' secret techniques revolve around the utilization of spirit rings.
Some involve fusion rings, some exploding rings, others combining rings.
If Su Yu's proposed approach could be realized, this technique might be considered a "linking ring" method.
"Ah, look at you. With so many ideas, which one should I begin studying when I return to Mingdu after absorbing the fifth spirit ring?"
Kong Deming couldn't help but smile broadly.
All of these ideas were feasible.
The cultivation path was so clearly laid out, and not overly difficult; he felt a genuine sense of satisfaction.
"Teacher, what type of spirit beast do you plan to choose for your fifth spirit ring?"
Once again, Su Yu pulled his teacher out of his daydreaming.
"With a martial soul as unique as yours, are you really going to settle for simply making your second martial soul all ten-thousand-year rings?"
No way, right?
"…"
Kong Deming felt as though his disciple was subtly pushing him, but he had no proof.
"Teacher, with the Soul Blade's assistance, is it possible for you to absorb a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring as your fifth ring?" Su Yu asked.
He wasn't particularly worried about any adverse effects on Kong Deming's body afterward.
Couldn't they just use immortal herbs? If Su Yu knew of the existence of these herbs, he certainly wouldn't let the opportunity pass by.
As for Tang San's influence on those plant-type spirit beasts—wouldn't an ultimate life martial soul be enough to sway them?
If the ultimate life attribute wasn't sufficient, then what about "ultimate strength"?
Surely, it would be enough to impress those plant-type spirit beasts.
The recent discussions about theories weren't without merit, either.
At the very least, by exploring these ideas, Su Yu could gain a deeper understanding of the essence of martial soul cultivation.
Elder Yi often reminded him that cultivation should be about understanding the principles and dissecting the fundamentals. Only then could one effectively overcome obstacles in the future.
Su Yu felt that perhaps he was hinting at the secrets of godhood.
With Su Yu's "encouragement," Kong Deming decided to pursue a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring for the fifth ring of his secondary martial soul.
"There's a hundred-thousand-year spirit beast in the Jingyang Mountains, but it's not compatible with my Solar Martial Soul. Let's change our destination this time."
Now that he had decided to pursue a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring, Kong Deming wasted no time.
"According to records from the Sun-Moon Empire's royal archives, the Evil Demon Forest has the highest concentration of hundred-thousand-year spirit beasts within the empire. Unfortunately, none of them are suitable for me right now.
Aside from the Evil Demon Forest, the other hundred-thousand-year spirit beasts are a bit more scattered. Only two or three are truly compatible with my needs."
Su Yu listened as his teacher analyzed their options, filled with admiration; Kong Deming seemed to know every hundred-thousand-year beast by heart.
"Let's head to the Blazing Sun Valley."
According to Kong Deming, the valley was home to a race of crimson-gold birds, one of which had awakened the bloodline of the Three-Legged Golden Crow and had reached the hundred-thousand-year level.
As they traveled, Kong Deming also explained the theories behind level-five soul tools.
With Su Yu's extraordinary comprehension, he understood everything with just a simple explanation. Kong Deming essentially just reviewed his own knowledge and experience once.
By the time they finished, Kong Deming had effectively reorganized his understanding of level-five soul tool theory, while Su Yu realized that learning this way was quicker than reading alone.
He didn't need to search for materials or solve problems on his own; with his teacher guiding him, he could grasp the main ideas swiftly.
Though both had considerable soul power, their journey on foot took seven days to reach Blazing Sun Valley.
The valley was saturated with intense fire-elemental energy, and waves of heat rolled over them as they arrived.
"You stay here and wait. I'll go in alone to take care of things and come get you afterward," said Kong Deming, deciding against bringing Su Yu along to hunt the hundred-thousand-year spirit beast.
Su Yu would only be needed when it was time to absorb the spirit ring, so it was better not to have him following closely, as it would likely cause Kong Deming to hesitate.
Su Yu waited there for four days.
On the fourth night, under the rise of a silver moon within the Blazing Sun Valley, a cool white light bathed the area.
Suddenly, fierce flames surged up, accompanied by an enraged cry as a tremendous battle erupted.
The fight was swift.
In just one minute, the powerful aura of the fire-attributed spirit beast weakened, its defiant cries echoing in the valley.
"Soul tools are indeed incredibly powerful when prepared in advance," Su Yu remarked, impressed.
A hundred-thousand-year spirit beast had been taken down so effortlessly.
A figure appeared on the horizon, swooped down to grab Su Yu, and flew toward the valley.
By the time Su Yu's head cleared, he found himself standing before the massive corpse of a crimson-gold bird.
The sight of the blood-red spirit ring was utterly mesmerizing.
(End of Chapter)