Soul Power Surges, Trade, and Stance Training

"Strange. The introduction to the Golden Flame Fruit never mentioned that it could help a Soul Master increase their Soul Power, did it? Why had my Soul Power Level risen? And by two levels, no less."

After finishing his cultivation, Wang Qi looked at his hands in confusion while recalling everything he knew about the Golden Flame Fruit.

The Golden Flame Fruit enhanced the power of a fire-attribute Soul Master's flames and slightly, temporarily improved a Soul Master's cultivation talent. It did not seem to possess any ability to directly raise Soul Power.

Yet after absorbing the Golden Flame Fruit, Wang Qi's Soul Power Level had gone directly from early Rank 14 to mid-Rank 16.

With Wang Qi's aptitude of 5.9 ranks of Innate Soul Power, advancing a single rank during the Soul Grandmaster stage would take at least half a year. Otherwise, he would not have set his goal on breaking through to Soul Grandmaster before the age of twelve.

One Golden Flame Fruit had directly raised Wang Qi's Soul Power by more than two ranks, invisibly saving him an entire year of cultivation.

When he sat down to meditate, Wang Qi found that the Golden Flame Fruit had not accelerated his Soul Power cultivation. It was not much different from before.

After releasing his martial soul, the flames of the Blazing Humanoid Martial Soul had grown hotter. After some testing, Wang Qi also discovered that his control over flames was gradually improving.

Wang Qi vaguely formed a guess. He summoned the damaged Medicine Refining Furnace martial soul and looked at the furnace, which was on the verge of being fully repaired. He could roughly guess that this was the Medicine Refining Furnace martial soul's ability.

"It looks like I completely absorbed the Golden Flame Fruit's medicinal power. I absorbed all the medicinal power that should have remained dormant in my body and slowly fused with it over time. Otherwise, my Soul Power Level shouldn't have increased so quickly."

"That works too. It'll make it easier for me to judge my cultivation speed more accurately. If both Golden Flame Fruits had been mine back then, my Soul Power Level could have risen by at least another rank. In that case, even without the Mimic Environment Training Room, I'd be confident of breaking through to Rank 20 before turning eleven."

As Wang Qi thought this, the office door sounded. Lin Yan, the man who had organized the Soul Fighting competition earlier, came over to Wang Qi and clasped his fists. "Lin Yan, manager of the Blazing Fire City Great Soul Arena, greets the Third Young Master."

"Stop calling me Third Young Master. Others may not understand my situation, but you should know it. I took the initiative to reveal my identity this time not to ask you for favors, but to give you an opening."

"I came to Blazing Fire City for two reasons. First, to find medicinal herbs that could assist fire-attribute Soul Masters in cultivation. That has already been accomplished. Second, to head to Blazing Fire Canyon and find a soul beast suitable for my Second Soul Ring. I didn't expect to encounter someone from the Great Soul Arena here."

"I'll pay to hire the Great Soul Arena to take me into Blazing Fire Canyon. If we find a suitable soul beast, I hope the Great Soul Arena can help me capture and raise it. Once my Soul Power Level breaks through, I'll return to absorb its soul ring."

"I'll settle this cooperation at a price thirty percent above market value. What do you think, Manager Lin?"

Wang Qi had no intention of hiding anything from Lin Yan. Since Lin Yan came from the Great Soul Arena, Wang Qi knew the Great Soul Arena's rules.

"The Third Young Master truly is the Third Young Master. This composure and wealth are beyond what ordinary people can compare with. Since the Third Young Master is so sincere, naturally I won't turn down this deal."

"When does the Third Young Master plan to depart? It would be best to wait a while longer. The Great Soul Arena has only just been established in Blazing Fire City, and we're short on manpower. I can't spare anyone to help you for the time being."

With their intention to cooperate confirmed, Wang Qi was in no hurry.

"One month from now. Before I leave Blazing Fire City, I'll make a trip to Blazing Fire Canyon."

With that, Wang Qi left the Great Soul Arena's temporary offices and headed toward the Mimic Environment Training Room. Huo Wushuang had secured him access to an intermediate training room for an entire month. Wouldn't it be a huge loss not to use it?

After returning to the training room and trading a few barbs with Huo Miao, he headed straight for the intermediate training rooms on the second floor.

"So this is an intermediate training room? The concentration of fire-attribute energy really is exceptionally high. I'm getting more and more curious about the environment in the advanced training rooms."

Thinking this to himself, he stopped wasting time, sat cross-legged on a cushion, and entered meditation.

Over the next month, Wang Qi practically lived in the Mimic Environment Training Room. Whenever his Soul Power meditation reached its limit for the day, he began stance training.

When Wang Qi had been young in his previous life, he had practiced martial arts for a time under an elderly neighbor who had fought on the battlefield. Later, unable to endure the hardship, he gave it up.

He had never expected that the hardship he could not bear in his previous life would become something he willingly embraced in this one. After all, once Soul Masters absorbed soul rings, their physical qualities rapidly improved and they entered a period of accelerated growth. That was the best time to practice martial arts and build a foundation.

What? Martial arts training needed medicinal baths? Little did they know that Soul Power was the finest medicinal bath. Soul Power nourished the flesh, and the moment any hidden injury appeared within the body, Soul Power would immediately repair it.

Hidden injuries? They did not exist.

"What kind of boxing did the old man teach me? Why does it work so well with Soul Power? I've only just begun the first stance exercise, yet I can already feel my physical strength increasing greatly."

"If I keep training at this rate, my Second Soul Ring might be able to absorb a thousand-year soul ring even without relying on heavenly treasures."

The boxing art the old man had taught Wang Qi in his previous life was divided into training methods and combat techniques. The training methods included a fixed routine and three stance exercises: the Yin-Yang Stake, the Five Elements Stake, and the Chaos Origin Stake.

As for its name? The old man had never explained it clearly. To keep Wang Qi from boasting about it outside, he had even deliberately given it an extremely unpleasant fake name: Turtle Boxing Random Barrage.

Later, Wang Qi had neglected the boxing art, so he no longer obsessed over its name.

Previously, his body had not developed enough to meet the requirements for stance training. Even the most basic of the three stance exercises, the Yin-Yang Stake, could not be practiced, which was why he had delayed until now.

If his age before and after absorbing a soul ring were compared to the ages in his previous life, then before absorbing a soul ring, Wang Qi at eight was truly eight. But after absorbing one, Wang Qi's eight was equivalent to ten.

After two months of arduous travel, and after consuming the Golden Flame Fruit, Wang Qi had finally reached the minimum requirement for practicing the Yin-Yang Stake.

Huo Miao, sitting behind the counter and painting her nails, glanced at Wang Qi. Seeing him return his number tag, she said disdainfully, "So the little ice cube finally isn't planning to keep cultivating? Tsk, tsk, how rare."

"I've cultivated enough for now. Next, I'm planning to take a look around Blazing Fire Canyon, then prepare to leave Blazing Fire City."

"Going to Blazing Fire Canyon? Leaving Blazing Fire City? You're still some distance away from Rank 20, aren't you?"

"Forget it. Who cares where you're going? The beast tide in Blazing Fire Canyon ended recently, so now is exactly the safe time to enter. Want to hire your big sister to protect you, little ice cube?"

"This brat really is strange. He's obviously a fire-attribute Soul Master, yet his temperament is as cold as ice. Whatever."

Watching Wang Qi's departing back, Huo Miao muttered to herself. She heated the nail polish with Fire Attribute Soul Power, scraped it off, then continued mixing nail polish and painting her nails.

Wang Qi also arrived at the Great Soul Arena, which had begun to take shape.

"Manager Lin, I'm ready to head to Blazing Fire Canyon."