How Long Was I in Seclusion? (Please Follow!!!)

Su Ming walked out of the Cultivation Room he had rented.

Inside the Spirit Pagoda, there were dedicated Cultivation Rooms available for rent. Not only did they contain Spirit Gathering Arrays to aid meditation, but they also featured the Spirit Pagoda's latest Guided Mimetic Environment Construction Array. They could also be equipped with a room for practicing a secondary profession, whether a Forging Room, Design Room, or Manufacturing Room. But for Su Ming, it was an all-purpose room. He had rearranged it and divided it into three areas: forging, design, and manufacturing.

He trained in all three secondary professions at once!

The Contribution Points required to rent such a Cultivation Room long-term were extremely high. Combined with Su Ming's cultivation expenses, the startup funds Zhang Tianyang had given him had already been used up. Fortunately, Su Ming had constantly been finding new sources of income. Whenever he practiced the three secondary professions, he also accepted related tasks. As long as he succeeded, he could recover some of his costs. Furthermore, having mastered Thousand Forgings in forging allowed him to steadily support his current cultivation expenses.

At the top floor of the Spirit Pagoda.

Zhang Tianyang was already waiting there, a smile on his face.

A knock sounded at the door.

"Come in."

Su Ming opened the door and walked in.

"Teacher."

When Zhang Tianyang saw Su Ming, his eyes lit up. He felt that his disciple had changed enormously. That frail feeling had vanished, replaced by a sense of strength and an unusual vigor.

Before awakening his Martial Soul, Su Ming had been an orphan raised in an orphanage. He hadn't eaten particularly well, so he had looked rather skinny.

Now, though, his whole body brimmed with power. From afar, he looked like a miniature humanoid tyrannosaur.

"A year has brought quite a lot of changes."

He walked over and gestured above Su Ming's head.

"You've grown quite a bit taller, and you've gotten stronger too."

After gesturing, he placed a hand on Su Ming's shoulder and quietly felt out Su Ming's strength.

"Not bad!"

"Teacher, you were in seclusion for quite a long time this time. Did something go wrong?" Su Ming asked.

Zhang Tianyang gave a bitter smile. "Your teacher misjudged things this time, but I still made the breakthrough I was supposed to."

As soon as he mentioned the breakthrough, his bitter smile turned into confidence.

"Your teacher is now a Level 97 Super Douluo!"

Although he had miscalculated the duration of this seclusion, nothing had gone wrong. Rather, he had gained new insights and further refined his Three-word Battle Armor, slightly improving its amplification.

With his current strength while equipped with Battle Armor, he would have unquestionably been a Limit Douluo during the eras of Dou Yi and Dou Er.

The common understanding in the Soul Master World was that a One-word Battle Armor Master was equivalent to a seven-ring Soul Saint. By that logic, a Two-word Battle Armor Master was equivalent to an eight-ring Soul Douluo, while a Three-word Battle Armor Master was equivalent to a nine-ring Titled Douluo.

In reality, though, that was merely the lower limit.

A Soul King equipped with One-word Battle Armor was comparable to a Soul Saint. But while a Soul Emperor equipped with One-word Battle Armor was also considered a Soul Saint, they would absolutely be among the strongest Soul Saints.

Likewise, Soul Saint was the minimum cultivation level for Three-word Battle Armor. It allowed one to directly cross two major stages and possess Titled Douluo-level strength. But if that Three-word Battle Armor Master was already a Titled Douluo, then the Battle Armor's amplification would be even more terrifying.

Perhaps the proportional increase would decrease, but the Battle Armor's technology could also improve.

Battle Armor had to perfectly adapt to its Soul Master. Its Core Array needed constant adjustments alongside the Soul Master's cultivation, adapting to their abilities and Soul Power. Thus, the Core Arrays within the Battle Armor of a newly promoted Three-word Battle Armor Master and an experienced Three-word Battle Armor Master could be worlds apart.

The ones who completed such upgrades were Mecha repair technicians.

Zhang Tianyang was a Mecha repair technician.

His Three-word Battle Armor had already been synchronized to a level capable of amplifying his Level 97 self. It was enough to elevate his strength to that of an ordinary Limit Douluo.

"Let your teacher inspect you and see whether you've been slacking off this past year."

Though he said that, Zhang Tianyang didn't actually doubt Su Ming. From Su Ming's Essence, Qi, and Spirit alone when he had first seen him today, he could sense Su Ming's improvement.

Perhaps this past year had not only been a fruitful one for himself. It had also been a perfect start to his disciple's journey of Soul Master cultivation.

He headed outside toward the private Cultivation Room next to his office. "Come with me."

The corners of Su Ming's lips unconsciously lifted.

He was extremely confident in his progress over the past year.

He followed Zhang Tianyang into Zhang Tianyang's Cultivation Room.

Zhang Tianyang's private Cultivation Room was far larger than those the Spirit Pagoda rented out. Upon entering, Su Ming couldn't help but marvel.

The walls seemed to be made entirely of Spirit Forged Metal. Complex Core Arrays were inscribed across every inch of them. One could imagine that the cost of this Cultivation Room was absolutely astronomical.

"Come on, report them to me one at a time." Zhang Tianyang turned around and asked, "What level is your Soul Power now?"

"Level 17."

Hiss—

Zhang Tianyang sucked in a breath of heaven and earth essence.

He remembered that Su Ming had been Level 11 before he entered seclusion. In other words, Su Ming had broken through six levels in one year and two months!

"How did you cultivate?" he couldn't help asking.

"Teacher, I've spent the hundred thousand Contribution Points you gave me."

At first, Zhang Tianyang didn't understand what Su Ming meant. Then he realized it, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

What a spendthrift disciple.

A hundred thousand Contribution Points, all spent in just one year?

"Then it's normal." He stepped forward and placed a hand on Su Ming's shoulder, his expression serious. "Don't resist."

Su Ming allowed Zhang Tianyang's Soul Power to circulate through his body once.

"Not bad. Your foundation is extremely solid, with no issues whatsoever. Not only are there no issues, the results are even better than ordinary cultivation!" Zhang Tianyang breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let your teacher examine you. Your physical fitness is very high, so let's test it."

Zhang Tianyang only had a strength tester here, so he only had Su Ming test his strength.

Su Ming obediently walked before the tester and assumed his stance. He didn't use Soul Power, relying solely on his body to exert force.

Bang!

It was an exceptionally powerful punch.

Zhang Tianyang inwardly approved.

He looked at the number on the tester and couldn't help taking a deep breath.

One hundred kilograms.

For a seven-year-old body to unleash one hundred kilograms of force was already utterly outrageous.

Worth every point!

Even if the hundred thousand Contribution Points had all been spent, it was worth it in exchange for such an excellent foundation for his disciple.

"Now try a Soul Power burst."

Su Ming nodded and circulated his Soul Power, exerting force with both his body and Soul Power at once.

Bang!

When this punch struck the tester, the sound became dull and heavy.

One hundred eighty kilograms!

"Use a Soul Skill."

Su Ming borrowed the strength of the two past Su Mings to the lowest degree, entering the form of the Trinity Martial Soul Fusion Skill. He even secretly invoked Vajra Power.

This punch produced a sound like an explosion.

Zhang Tianyang stared at the tester's display and couldn't help taking a deep breath.

Four hundred kilograms!

This was already the data of a pure strength-type two-ring battle Soul Master.

Zhang Tianyang already felt as though he were dreaming. Su Ming had cultivated for only a little over a year, yet he had achieved such an exaggerated improvement.

"Any other progress?" he asked.

Su Ming nodded and didn't hide anything. "Teacher, I've also trained in secondary professions."

Zhang Tianyang looked at his disciple in confusion.

He hadn't expected his disciple to have already begun dabbling in secondary professions.

"Secondary professions consume a great deal of energy. Since you've started exploring them early, that's fine." Zhang Tianyang slowly nodded. "So? Have you decided which secondary profession to pursue?"

"Teacher, I've been learning them all together. I've now mastered Thousand Forgings and become a Level 3 blacksmith. My Mecha manufacturing and Mecha design have both reached Level 2. As for Mecha repair, I haven't focused on it specifically, but since my Mecha manufacturing and Mecha design are both Level 2, Mecha repair should count as Level 2 as well, right?"

Zhang Tianyang: ...

Zhang Tianyang: ???

Zhang Tianyang: !!!

He stared at Su Ming, unable to stop himself from asking inwardly, How long was I in seclusion?