In Yan's cultivation of essence, energy, and spirit, the meditation method was a given. With Yan's displayed talent and the resources of the Spirit Hall, he naturally received the most suitable high-level meditation method for his Flame Lord martial spirit.
Even with You Chen's extensive knowledge and insights beyond this world, improving upon it was challenging.
However, when it came to physical training, things were different.
In his youth, You Chen pursued every possible avenue for even the slightest chance of martial spirit evolution, striving for perfection in all aspects.
Early on, he adapted scientific training methods from his previous life to this world, making modifications based on the physiology of soul masters and the characteristics of their martial spirits.
This scientific training method, while not as advanced as physical cultivation techniques from martial arts worlds, was far superior to the knowledge level of this world.
And it was leagues beyond Yu Xiao Gang's running training method.
You Chen also modified this scientific training regimen to suit Yan's martial spirit characteristics before teaching it to him.
Given Yan's inherent talent and years of consistent training, he naturally mastered it perfectly.
The only regret was that Yan's mental strength was average, and You Chen's "Spirit Dividing Refinement Art" was a mental technique developed entirely for his own talent, which wasn't entirely suitable for Yan.
Even after You Chen made some adjustments to the technique, drawing from the Spirit Hall's archives to better fit Yan, it only slightly improved the training efficiency.
In a world where methods to enhance mental strength through training were virtually nonexistent, Yan's progress in mental strength was already remarkably fortunate and rapid. Were it not for this, he wouldn't have been able to keep pace with Xie Yue in soul power growth despite his divided focus.
However, compared to the improvements in the other two areas, it was indeed lacking.
"You need to continue practicing the 'Spirit Dividing Refinement Art' to achieve the ultimate form I've described, the 'Mobile Flying Artillery.' Currently, you can barely maintain the Vulcan Cannon while stationary due to my attacks disrupting its form. In the future, you'll need to move while maintaining precise artillery fire... I hope you can at least reach the level of dividing your mind into three parts."
In terms of effectiveness, the "Spirit Dividing Refinement Art" surpasses the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's "Divided Heart Control" technique.
However, this mental training method requires a natural talent for multitasking, which others cannot practice—perhaps the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could, but the barrier between them and the Spirit Hall makes this unlikely.
Yan's ability to practice it is thanks to the "grandfather" behind him, You Chen, serving as his "cheat."
Through the trust between master and disciple and Yan's near-innocent mindset, You Chen employed hypnotic techniques to achieve an effect akin to "enlightenment," forcibly guiding Yan into the basics.
Was this significant effort justified?
The answer is a resounding yes. The "Spirit Dividing Refinement Art" holds immense value.
You Chen's talent is undoubtedly high; he is a genius in his own right.
Due to the physical aspect of his transmigration, You Chen, not being a native of the Douluo world, had his soul power talent gradually emerge through postnatal assimilation, which was lacking.
The "Spirit Dividing Refinement Art" is the perfect manifestation of his innate talent.
If fully developed, it could be a foundational technique worthy of establishing a sect.
Unlike the Seven Treasure's divided heart control, which involves performing different tasks simultaneously without the ability to handle multiple or conflicting thoughts.
For example, You Chen can use different soul skills with each hand and seamlessly coordinate them in battle.
In contrast, if Ning Rongrong uses different soul skills with each hand, she cannot change the direction of the skills once activated, as performing any skill requires full concentration, let alone dividing focus.
Divided heart control is akin to ambidexterity, while the Spirit Dividing Refinement Art is like having an entirely separate thought process. They are two distinct concepts.
Currently, You Chen can divide his mind into four parts.
After years of practice, Yan has barely reached the stage of dividing his mind into two parts.
He can simultaneously contemplate complex strategies while perfectly executing the Vulcan Cannon. Alternatively, he can maintain the offensive and defensive capabilities of a typical assault-type soul master while deploying the Vulcan Cannon.
Yan's Vulcan Cannon has not yet become an instinctive operation and still requires significant mental focus to control and maintain. Combined with Yan's unstable dual-mind stage, this was the source of his earlier lapses.
This technique becomes increasingly challenging in the later stages. With You Chen's assistance, Yan took about three years to reach the dual-mind stage. You Chen's goal for him is to attain the triple-mind stage by the Soul Sage phase, enabling the "Flying Artillery" mode.
Feeling his progress had disappointed his teacher, Yan looked down, dejected yet determined, "Teacher, I'll work even harder!"
"No, I never expected you to make any leaps and bounds in this area."
"Uh."
You Chen glanced at the stunned Yan, speaking calmly, "Properly assessing a disciple's capabilities is a quality of a competent teacher."
He paused, then continued, "In another year, two at most, you'll need to absorb your fourth ring. If your mental strength is insufficient, no matter how strong-willed you are, the soul masters leading your group to hunt spirit beasts won't allow you to absorb a ten-thousand-year ring."
Though Hu Liena is the least talented among your trio, she's benefiting from the current system.
Thanks to her Enchantress Fox martial spirit's affinity for mental attributes, she can withstand the mental impact of a ten-thousand-year ring even with lower mental strength.
With the benefits from a ten-thousand-year ring, her overall strength as a Soul Elder might even surpass the neglected Xie Yue and your yet-to-be-fully-formed system.
Not to mention you might not be able to accept this situation. For your growth, it's crucial to excel at every stage.
So, irrespective of your progress with the 'Spirit Dividing Refinement Art,' you must elevate your mental strength to the Spiritual Sea level before absorbing the fourth ring. For this, I have two strategies."
Under Yan's anxious yet hopeful gaze, You Chen slowly raised two fingers.
Yan swallowed nervously, unsure of what strategies You Chen would propose, but he knew his teacher had never let him down before.
Even when many disparaged him as a mediocre teacher years ago, he had proven them wrong and validated his methods with results.
"The first strategy: I have a head spirit bone over ten thousand years old. Absorbing it will undoubtedly elevate your mental strength to the Spiritual Sea level."