We girls entered the Three-Step Tower as usual under the guards' envious gazes and stopped on the first floor. Last time, we parted here because I didn't fully trust Jiao Jiao yet. But this time, it'd be different.
"Jiao Jiao, come with us to the third floor." I extended my hand to her.
"Finally, I'll see how you get up there. TuTu always clammed up like a fish when I asked." She squeezed my hand with an anticipatory smile.
"You'll see everything now." With a mysterious smile, I scooped both onto my arms and bounded upward.
Since we started dating, besides what I told her—that Tang Yue doesn't actually supply me with resources and I don't sleep with her for money—Jiao Jiao hadn't learned anything new about me.
I'm still not telling the girls about traveling to parallel worlds, but something simpler? Sure. Jiao Jiao just hadn't asked directly before, and no chance had arisen. But this moment fits perfectly.
Reaching the third-floor transition, I covered both girls with a spirit element barrier and ran on. Protecting two people instead of just TuTu made my magic energy deplete faster.
But by the time we reached the third floor, I still had enough reserve for another such run. Enhancing the soul stars with Commander souls was really paying off.
"So, you have an extra spirit element? And it's trained enough to lift us all to the third floor without looking drained. Honestly, I had more realistic theories." Jiao Jiao fixed her hair. After all, I carried them not princess-style, but like potato sacks.
"What kind?" I was genuinely curious.
"Well, like the director opened a special passage for you, or you have a special artifact to overcome spiritual pressure. By the way, we have such artifacts—why carry us?" She suddenly realized she could've gone up herself.
"Well, why not? No need to waste artifacts. And with your tact, you wouldn't ask about my secrets, but I already feel awkward around you." I poked her forehead, making her blush. TuTu giggled beside us, hand over mouth, watching our banter.
"Anyway, let's start cultivating. Ling Ling's spamming the chat about the next wilderness training. She really hates school." I said, taking one corner of the platform. The girls took two more.
Since I raised my time element stars three steps, I could now use the sixth-step Initial-level spell—"Sevenfold Acceleration." That compresses a week of cultivation into one day, saving time nicely.
Last time, I broke through in three elements, but my pendant only accelerated x3 then. Now it's x7, and I want to try six breakthroughs in a row. Not sure if it'll work, but worth trying.
At that moment, looking at my Totem Vessel and realizing how many breakthroughs I planned, I grasped another key advantage. Regular cultivation accelerators can only be used by people matching their level—Initial-level mages can't use Intermediate-level ones, for example.
I didn't delve deep, but it's due to the huge energy quality gap between the monster soul in the artifact and what the mage can absorb. Totem Vessels lack this flaw—they accelerate via different principles. At least, no soul channels energy inside them. Another reason to study them later.
First, I cast Sevenfold Acceleration on myself and directed energy flow to the healing element. Today, all my elements get their share, so no need to pick carefully where to break through.
In just one real hour, my healing element broke through to the third step of Intermediate level, and I redirected to spirit. A bit over an hour later, it too hit the third step.
Over the next twenty-two hours, I cultivated, breaking through in all my past-life elements: healing, spirit, time, space, light. Each got one breakthrough.
Sadly, my light element was only at the first Intermediate step, so after breaking to the second and covering ~80% to the third, my accelerated cultivation time ended. Five breakthroughs in a row, almost six—but short on time.
Oh well, the next three months, breaking to third step on my own will be easy. Next Three-Step Tower visit, I'll become a High-level mage! The girls too, depending on their results today. But I fully believe in them and the resources I poured into their growth. A mountain of resources...
Watching the girls, who needed six more days to cultivate, I realized I had nothing much to do. Found them cultivation vessels, boosted all my elements with souls, updated combat experience recently—no rust yet. So, just sit and cultivate waiting for the girls.
Sigh, too bad I can't stockpile parallel-world souls ahead. I can already imagine the time to raise all my element stars to sixth step after High-level breakthrough. Oh, idea: try separating souls from other mages' stars, like I wanted? No quick results, but gotta start somewhere?
With a task, I shifted to the parallel world where I got my Spiritual Seed. Wiped out a local Ice Dragon Horse pack, got some souls, then flew on magic wings to the nearest city for experiments. As payment for participants, I'd leave enhanced stars in their inner worlds. If only I knew how a couple boosted stars would help...
These six days, I ran experiments, occasionally returning home to rest. The girls didn't notice my absence, diligently cultivating.
Finally, time to end: good and bad news on my idea. Good—souls can be separated from stars that absorbed them, yielding pure magical energy without spirit that can enhance others' stars post-transplant. Tested.
Bad—it's extremely tedious, painstaking work needing practice. In six days, I couldn't detach a full soul from a star, just a fragment. But that let me test transplanting to another or my world. The star with the soul shard strengthened slightly. That's the basis for good news.
I think I even grasped the path to fusing monster soul shards into whole pseudo-souls like the Big Four's Totem Vessels produce after absorbing the undead Emperor's tomb lotus. But that's like China doggy-style. Though I'm already in China... never mind.
Six days passed, and my sleeping beauties finally opened their lovely eyes. First thing they saw: me, brain-fried and fed up. Experiments beat fights and cultivation, but moderation is key.
Fine, shelve experiment thoughts for now. Time to check how much my girls' cultivation improved.