Chapter 26: Dai Mubai Sneaks Across the Border
(Golden Cudgel) Sun Qi looked at the crater he'd created with his iron rod, his expression calm.
"It's still too slow. The charge time is a bit long."
He had no complaints about the power of his first Soul skill, but it was just too long to charge.
"If I could just stab it out with a burst, that would save a lot of time," Jin Sun Qi pondered.
He'd had this idea for a long time, but couldn't put it into practice because the extra burst of energy required to rapidly lengthen the Golden Cudgel would significantly reduce its power, making it a waste of effort.
Furthermore, the accuracy of a stab would be much lower than with a cudgel, and Sun Qi had no means of locking onto his enemy.
"In any case, it's time to consider a second Spirit Ring."
After verifying his abilities with the Stone Monkey and the Armor, Sun Qi had a more complete plan for absorbing Spirit Rings at higher levels.
It would still be some time before Jin Sun Qi reached level 20, but that didn't stop him from considering the configuration of his second Spirit Ring.
The key is that he has to consider the possibility of the second ring taking a thousand years.
His cultivation speed has always been fast, not slower than the two original bodies with full innate Soul Power, and basically the level difference has always been maintained within three levels.
In his understanding, all the original bodies are practicing stick techniques, which is also a disguised mimicry, which makes his cultivation speed faster. In addition, the Star Luo Junior Soul Master Academy can also provide a mimicry environment, and the conditions are not behind Armor Sun Qi and Twin Sun Qi, so the cultivation speed is naturally caught up.
After Armor Sun Qi finished hunting Souls, he was already level nineteen.
Now, with the perfect Stone Monkey technique, he feels that it will not be too difficult for him to break through the bottleneck of level twenty, and he will probably be able to break through in four months.
"Seal's original body has just broken through, and he also needs to hunt Souls. I wonder if there is a chance to absorb Spirit Rings above his level."
Jin Sun Qi pondered for a while and continued to practice hard.
"Just wait patiently."
Jin Sun Qi's calculations were correct. He reached level 20 around the same time Seal Sun Qi reached level 13, just four months later.
"For my second Spirit Ring, I have the opportunity to bypass the level limit and absorb a Spirit Ring, but bypassing the level limit would delay cultivation and waste considerable energy."
After careful consideration, Jin Sun Qi chose to bypass the level limit.
Every bypass represents a development of one's Spirit.
According to his understanding of Soul Master cultivation, Soul Masters must consider expanding their Spirit abilities in the later stages of their cultivation.
Each bypass can be a preemptive step in developing one's Spirit, laying a solid foundation. By bypassing the level limit early on, bypassing the level limit may allow for smoother increases in Soul Power in later stages.
And it's not just for the latter stages.
Absorbing Spirit Rings at bypassing the level limit is also of great significance to a Soul Master's early training and combat. Each bypassed level limit grants a Soul skill far beyond the current level and the lifespan of that Spirit Ring. Sun Qi has experienced this numerous times.
"If I'm going to absorb Spirit Rings of higher levels, my physical fitness must be high."
Since he'd decided to skip levels, he had to strive for a thousand years for the second Spirit Ring.
The average Soul Master's maximum absorption time for a second ring was over seven hundred years. Jumping from over seven hundred years to a thousand years was a leap Sun Qi had never attempted before.
"Fortunately, whale glue in this era is still just an aphrodisiac, with many alternatives, so the price isn't outrageous."
A piece of thousand-year-old whale glue would fetch tens of thousands of gold Soul coins in ten thousand years, but now it wouldn't even cost a hundred.
If word got out that whale glue could improve physical fitness and be used to absorb Spirit Rings of higher levels, the price would instantly increase tenfold. Over time, as whale glue became less used, the price would slowly increase until it reached a ten-thousand-gold level in ten thousand years.
Sun Qi prepared to obtain a piece of thousand-year-old whale glue to improve his physical fitness.
"Whale glue also contains abundant energy. Consuming it will also boost my Soul Power, saving me the time of accumulating more Soul Power."
Sun Qi acted immediately, wasting no time.
He didn't openly tell anyone about the benefits of whale glue, but instead explored its availability and purchased a single piece.
As for the side effects of whale glue, Sun Qi forcibly endured them.
With his seven-in-one body, he possessed six other bodies to distribute his energy. Even when consumed by lust, he wouldn't lose his mind. And while he maintained his sanity, he could leverage this to control his own bodies and force his way through.
A month later.
"Relying on the teachers at the Academy isn't safe; there's so much to explain. Joining the Soul Hunting Group isn't a sure thing either; I'll have to do it myself when the chips are down," Sun Qi thought, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
Armor Sun Qi, at the second level, could have directly asked Ning Fengxing to lead the hunt for the Millennium Soul Beast. This was because the direct descendants of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect were intelligent and receptive to his advice. Furthermore, Stone Monkey Sun Qi's successful leapfrogging provided a foundation, which ultimately led Ning Fengxing to agree to help him hunt the Millennium Soul Beast.
But Jin Sun Qi's conditions were far worse.
Coming from a humble background, he was fortunate to be able to train at the Junior Soul Master Academy.
He had no close teachers within the Academy. This was the capital, and even though the Star Luo Empire was less corrupt than the Heaven Dou Empire, class was still highly valued.
In fact, the class system in Star Luo City was even more pronounced than in Heaven Dou City, though the abuse of power by the nobility was less prevalent there.
Naturally, Sun Qi, a commoner, wouldn't receive a particularly good training at the Academy.
"Hmm, let's choose the Iron-Blooded Soul Hunters."
After carefully studying the Soul Hunters, Sun Qi made his decision.
The Iron-Blooded Soul Hunters' target was the Star Dou Great Forest, and they planned to circle at least halfway around the forest. This would allow them to cross directly from the Star Luo Empire to the Heaven Dou Empire through the Star Dou Great Forest.
This was also the most convenient route for smuggling between the two empires.
Of course, it was also fraught with risk.
Jin Sun Qi, born alone in Star Luo City, planned to seize the opportunity to sneak into the Heaven Dou Empire.
To his surprise, he discovered someone in the Iron-Blooded Soul Hunters who also had the same idea of sneaking across.
This person, with blond hair and wicked eyes, looked about twelve years old, yet possessed the Soul Power of a Great Soul Master. Clearly, this was the Star Luo Empire's prince, Dai Mubai.
This was a large-scale Soul hunt, involving a large number of Soul Masters. Each hunt would capture Souls for a full seventeen Soul Masters, including Sun Qi and the smuggled prince.
"Did Dai Mubai sneak across during this time?"
Sun Qi wondered.
He didn't reveal the man's identity, pretending he hadn't noticed him.
"I wonder if I'll get lucky and encounter a suitable thousand-year-old Soul Beast along the way, and then have the Soul Hunters severely injure him."
If that wasn't possible, he would have to sneak across and then link up with other bodies within Heaven Dou to try and hunt the thousand-year-old Soul Beast.
Read 80+ Advanced Chapters At PA Treon....
patreon.com/FicTonic1
[end of the chapter]