Just how vast was a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast's total Soul Power? By the simplest calculation of blast radius, a full-force explosion could erase the entire Shrek City from the map.
Completely wipe out this Giant City with a population of over a million.
Yet in reality, despite possessing dozens of times the Soul Power of a Titled Douluo of the same rank, Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts had pitifully low efficiency when converting Soul Power into destructive force. Even their upper limit of output was extraordinarily abnormal.
In Chen Fu's memories of his previous life, there was a species of ant that could swallow food more than ten times its own size to refine sugars from it. Their bodies would eventually swell into round balls more than ten times their original size, leaving them unable to move. Other ants would then carry them into the nest and kill them for honey when needed.
"Don't you think these honey pot ants are very much like you Soul Beasts?"
Sitting cross-legged on the laboratory floor, Chen Fu looked past the tea table and stared directly at Golden Scale, his gaze dark and distant.
"In a sense, we are exactly alike."
"There is still a difference."
"Please enlighten me, sir."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion, now Golden Scale, respectfully bowed to Chen Fu. Although there had been unpleasantness between them before, Soul Beasts had always been a race that revered strength.
"That difference is you."
Chen Fu had guessed His Excellency Black Dragon's intentions, but he did not mind taking on one more apprentice.
The issue with Golden Scale did not stem from her herself. Chen Fu understood that very well, so he did not care about their previous unpleasantness.
Moreover, after conducting hundreds and thousands of review calculations together with [Youlan], he had basically figured out how he had stumbled into the game of some unknown existence.
There was some so-called god that fed on qi and essence, coveting the fortune carried by Soul Beasts.
Chen Fu's existence had merely disrupted Its script by accident, forcing It to revise the script for him. Yet Chen Fu had not played along.
"You can transform, but honey pot ants cannot."
Why could Soul Beasts transform? And why had they always taken human form throughout recorded history?
To figure out that answer, one first had to answer whether Soul Beasts came first or humans came first. If humans came first, one would also need to determine whether those humans were native humans or extraterrestrial humans.
But regardless of the circumstances, Chen Fu could deeply sense this world's malice from Youlan's calculated results.
If old gods existed in this world, then all humans were stalkers walking amid shadow and filth, fanatical believers in ignorant yellow robes.
"To some extent, humanity's ignorance was inherited from your transformations."
The man, lost in some train of thought, let out an inexplicable sigh.
"..." Golden Scale remained silent. She did not understand.
"The enormous amount of Soul Power within Soul Beasts does not vanish just because you transform. Otherwise, you would never be able to produce Self-Derived Soul Rings."
A Traditional Soul Master's Soul Ring Soul Power exceeded the Soul Power within their body. Otherwise, Soul Ring grades would not have such an obvious effect on Soul Masters.
"Are Soul Skills important to you?"
Chen Fu looked at the respectful yet restrained Golden Scale before him with a faint smile.
"They need not be important, sir."
Golden Scale's martial soul was the legendary Golden Dragon, which possessed ultimate strength. She did not have a pressing need for Soul Rings or Soul Skills. As long as her strength was sufficient, she could overwhelm ten opponents with sheer force.
Melting Ring was, in a sense, highly compatible with Golden Scale's cultivation system.
An individual of ultimate strength paired with a cultivation method that could continuously increase that strength—just thinking about it was exhilarating.
"Good."
Chen Fu was quite satisfied with that. Then he motioned for Golden Scale to follow him.
They came before the second-generation 1.2 [Divine Ring], whose programs Chen Fu had slightly adjusted. He turned to look at Golden Scale.
"I will now teach you the Melting Ring method—the ability I use to increase physical body strength."
Bang!
As he spoke, Chen Fu demonstrated it for Golden Scale. Centered on the Data Divine Ring, the Divine Wheel Disk flickered into existence behind him, alternately slowing and accelerating, producing a low hum.
"Although all three of your Soul Rings are self-derived and contain no residual souls, the first time will require the [Divine Ring] to guide you in breaking the limit valves of your Soul Rings and assist you in completing your first Soul Ring extraction."
Chen Fu directed Golden Scale to lie inside the [Divine Ring] as instructed.
[Divine Ring Operating System connected]
With a wave of his hand, he summoned a blue system interface and began making minute adjustments to the Soul Power within Golden Scale's body.
Unlike Traditional Soul Masters, who needed to slowly remove residual souls before proceeding to the next step, transformed Soul Beasts could directly enter the final Extract Ring stage.
As Golden Scale released her Soul Power and gradually raised her Soul Rings' endurance limits under the [Divine Ring]'s control, finally opening their limit valves, night had already fallen.
Golden Scale's ten-thousand-year growth in spiritual power gave her endurance far beyond that of ordinary Soul Masters. In just one day, she had opened the limit valves of all three Soul Rings and could begin extracting Soul Power to cultivate Melting Ring.
"Do you see it now?"
Watching Golden Scale extract a ring once more, surprise appearing on her face, Chen Fu spoke unhurriedly.
"The total amount of Soul Power in my Soul Rings has not decreased? Sir, what is happening?"
Golden Scale was delighted, and her respect for Chen Fu grew even deeper.
"Among the twenty-seven Soul Beast Transformations recorded in the Record of Soul Beast Transformation over tens of thousands of years, every single one had optimal Soul Ring configurations."
"What does that tell us?"
Chen Fu shifted his gaze toward Ning Tian, who was preparing to slack off in the corner.
"Ah! Teacher! It means... it means Soul Beasts configure their self-derived Soul Rings according to their own endurance limits." Ning Tian hurriedly wiped her somewhat grimy face with her hand, never expecting to be suddenly tested.
"Not bad. It seems you have not been slacking off lately."
Chen Fu nodded in approval.
"A transformed Soul Beast's Soul Rings are attached according to its own endurance limit. In other words, they distribute Soul Power."
"The foundation of Melting Ring lies in reducing the Soul Power within Soul Rings."
"And a transformed Soul Beast's total Soul Power does not decrease much because of transformation." Of course, that excluded the handling fee deducted by heaven and earth.
"So, do you understand now?"
This was an extremely feasible theory, so feasible that Chen Fu's intuition told him it did not even need verification. Yet out of rigor, before an actual case appeared, Chen Fu would remain conservatively reserved.
Thud!
Golden Scale respectfully lowered her head and bowed to the man before her. At this very moment, she understood clearly that the Imperial Auspicious Beast was not comparable to this man in the slightest.
She had even begun to believe without the slightest doubt that the one ability she could still take pride in—her ability to increase Soul Beasts' cultivation speed—would eventually be cracked by this man.
This combination of Soul Beast Transformation and Melting Ring would give many Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts another option. She, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion—no, she, Golden Scale—was merely the first witness. There would definitely be more to come.
Compared with painstakingly extracting Soul Power bit by bit from the outside world, directly absorbing the Soul Ring Soul Power within one's own body would increase cultivation speed by at least tenfold.
Although extracting rings this way would lower the quality of subsequently self-derived Soul Rings, now that she cultivated Melting Ring, would she still care about Soul Ring quality?
Thus, regarding Chen Fu's earlier statement that she could cultivate to Soul Emperor within a year, the only thing Golden Scale could do was express her admiration through action.
Helping Golden Scale to her feet, Chen Fu felt somewhat conflicted. After his repeated deductions, the only force in this world capable of fully supporting his scientific research was the Soul Beasts.
Hopefully, it was only an illusion.
Chen Fu did not like bullying honest Soul Beasts.
What was more, according to Youlan's comprehensive deduction data, if more than eighty percent of humanity was traced back without end, their origins mostly led to Soul Beasts.
This world seemed rotten to the core.
Thanks to Po Bing for the monthly ticket, and thanks to all my good brothers for your voting support (ω｀)
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