Chapter 19: Sun Qi's Cultivation Speed
"Uncle Ning, I say the same thing again. If you find a Soul Beast of the right age, try it. If you can't find one that's just over a thousand years old and suitable for me, then don't try it."
Armor Sun Qi said this, but Ning Fengxing's face was solemn.
He received Sun Qi's answer and couldn't help but sigh.
"Alas, your Soul Ring, you really should have let Bone Douluo take you to fuse."
Sun Qi was about to attempt a leapfrog fusion with his second Soul Ring, but it just so happened that his teacher Gu Rong had a breakthrough in seclusion at this time.
As for Sun Qi's suggestion of trying it if the age was right, it was pure nonsense.
Even with Stone Monkey Sun Qi, an outsider, Ning Fengxing could quickly find the corresponding Soul Beast distribution information based on his needs, let alone Armor Sun Qi.
When Sun Qi was still level fifteen or sixteen, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was deliberately collecting information on Soul Beasts that would be suitable targets for Sun Qi's second and third Soul Rings.
There were many Soul Beasts that were just over a thousand years old and a good match for Sun Qi, so how could they not find any?
Stone Monkey Sun Qi remained silent.
For the rest of the journey, he silently followed the group, communicating with the little stone monkey through their minds, and practicing this latest skill.
The little stone monkey's Soul Ring skill was the Phantom Spirit, but he inherited the Transparent Spirit Ape's gift of a clear mind, and overall, he had undergone a small evolution.
About five days later, the group arrived at a valley.
In the valley, there was a thorny armored dragon. This thorny armored dragon was covered in a thick layer of cuticle, with sharp spikes protruding from all joints. It was well-defended in every aspect, making it difficult to attack.
"This thorny armored dragon should have just broken through the millennium. Sun Qi, is it okay?"
Sun Qi looked at the thorny armored dragon, his eyes flickering.
If it had anti-armor, he could consider it.
Moreover, a thorny armored dragon covered in anti-thorns might provide him with a sufficiently powerful active attack Soul skill.
"Okay."
Ning Fengxing looked at Xiong Da after receiving Sun Qi's response.
Xiong Da grinned, "Leave it to me."
He transformed into a white bear once again and quickly approached the ankylosaur. Icy energy gathered in his terrifying paws, and he slammed it down hard.
Because of the counterattack, Xiong Da couldn't attack at close range, so he could only use ice to force the ankylosaur to move.
The ankylosaur was naturally furious at this sudden attack. He roared, and a faint light flashed through his cuticles. The spikes instantly grew in size, emitting a dark sheen.
The spikes unexpectedly shot out, shooting straight at Xiong Da.
Xiong Da grinned, his entire body covered in solid ice. With a single palm strike, he swatted the spikes away. Then, striding forward, he reached the ankylosaur and slammed them down where the spikes had been released. The terrifying force was simply too much for the cuticles to withstand. Even after weakening, the force penetrated deep into the dragon's body, shattering its internal organs.
"Sun Qi!"
Armor Sun Qi wasted no time. He drew a knife and pierced the cuticle of the thorny ankylosaur under Xiong Da's control. He thrust deeply into its interior, stirring it continuously.
The ankylosaur struggled for a long time before finally succumbing.
A Spirit Ring radiating a noble purple light slowly coalesced.
Sun Qi took a deep breath, sat cross-legged, and touched the purple Spirit Ring with his Soul Power, beginning the fusion.
Stone Monkey Sun Qi had undoubtedly provided him with valuable experience.
Physical fitness is crucial for leapfrogging, but when attempting to leapfrog, one must also contend with the assimilation of even greater Spirit Rings and Soul Power. If one's own Soul Power is insufficient, the effort is likely to fall short.
Having sufficient physical fitness but stumbling upon the subsequent Soul Power assimilation is a disastrous loss.
Armor Sun Qi was in peak condition, his Soul Power undiminished.
Crucially, his Spirit was of superior quality, and his ability to refine the Spirit Rings and Soul Power was superior to Stone Monkey Sun Qi's, allowing him to complete the fusion before his own Soul Power was exhausted.
"So, Soul Power assimilation is actually not that difficult to solve."
Soul Masters with good talents naturally have corresponding Spirit qualities, and they can refine Soul Rings and Soul Power quickly, so of course they don't need to worry about being assimilated by Soul Rings and Soul Power.
Looking at the two Soul Rings, one yellow and one purple, outside the body of Armor Sun Qi, Ning Fengxing breathed a sigh of relief.
The absorption of Soul Rings of higher levels went smoothly, and the burden in his heart fell.
Five days later, the group left the Star Dou Great Forest.
Ning Fengxing found a carriage for Stone Monkey Sun Qi and sent him back to Notting City. Then he took Armor Sun Qi and Xiong Da back to the sect.
Stone Monkey Sun Qi's journey back was smooth, and it was another month when he returned to Notting City.
All in all, this Soul hunting took three months.
"It's really troublesome."
Two months were wasted on the round trip.
This was a Soul hunt that went straight for the target.
If they had searched aimlessly, who knows how long they would have stayed in the Star Dou Great Forest.
Sun Qi knew that twenty thousand years from now, there would be a Soul Age, a time of true convenience, where fusing Soul Rings wouldn't require such a hassle.
"Overall, I'm very satisfied with this Soul hunt," said Stone Monkey Sun Qi, quite content.
He spent most of his time on the return journey meditating and cultivating, and could sense that his cultivation speed was much faster than before.
According to his estimate, he might be able to maintain a cultivation rate of one level for two and a half months.
This was quite exaggerated.
Logically, even someone with full innate Soul Power would find it difficult to cultivate at such a fast rate between levels eleven and twenty.
However, Sun Qi had too many advantages.
First, he and the little stone monkey were meditating simultaneously, so their efficiency, if not doubled, was at least increased by fifty to sixty percent.
Because of the Stone Monkey's technique, Sun Qi's seven main bodies resonated with the monkey, granting him a blessing, resulting in at least a 30% improvement.
So, Sun Qi's two and a half months to level one would only be a little over four months without these two bonuses.
Finally, a crucial point: the little stone monkey retained Soul Power within itself, then absorbed it into Sun Qi's body once it had fully replenished. While this didn't allow for a completely cumulative increase in Soul Power, the resulting impact significantly helped break through bottlenecks.
According to Sun Qi, his rapid breakthrough of the bottleneck period led to his seemingly unacceptable cultivation speed.
He divided Soul Power cultivation into a phase of accumulation and a phase of breaking through bottlenecks. Each level of Soul Master's cultivation has distinct layers, with a significant leap from one level to the next. Therefore, regardless of talent, there are always minor bottlenecks. For example, from just breaking through level 11 to just breaking through level 12, a normal Soul Master would undergo a four-month Soul Power accumulation period. Once their Soul Power had reached full level 11, they would then work through the bottleneck, a two-month process of grinding through the bottleneck before breaking through level 12. After four months of Soul Power accumulation, Sun Qi only needed about half a month to break through.
Calculating this, Sun Qi's two and a half months of level one Soul Power cultivation speed was actually only six months of level one.
This was significantly slower than the speed of full innate Soul Power.
Of course, it was definitely much faster than his innate Soul Power level one aptitude would indicate.
"This is what cultivation is all about,"
Sun Qi said, feeling the changes in himself, feeling extremely pleased.
[end of the chapter]