Yi Yi's Rapid Improvement

"Meditating in the Star Dou Great Forest is about ten percent faster than outside." Jing Chen had only been cultivating for a short while when he discovered the benefits of cultivating here.

The energy within the Star Dou Great Forest was far denser than in the outside world. More energy could be absorbed during cultivation, so the speed was naturally faster.

"If this area is already like this, then cultivation speed in the Core Zone could probably double," Jing Chen thought.

As soon as the thought arose, he smiled helplessly. He really was thinking too far ahead.

Numerous ferocious beasts gathered in the Core Zone of the Star Dou Great Forest. Setting his sights on that place was practically courting death.

He did not aim too high and instead focused on the present, meditating earnestly.

The energy in the forest was indeed abundant, but it was also dangerous. Soul Beasts could be encountered at any time.

Jing Chen had meditated for less than half an hour when a Soul Beast passing through the area set its sights on him.

Most Soul Beasts were quite interested in humans and would not easily let them go once they encountered one.

"Yiyi! (Damn it!)" As soon as the Soul Beast approached, Yi Yi, who had been resting with its eyes closed, woke up and glared at it with an unfriendly expression.

It would not go easy on something that disturbed its sleep and interrupted Jing Chen.

Yi Yi leaped off Jing Chen's head, its body enlarging in midair. By the time it landed, it had returned to its normal form, exuding a fierce aura.

The Thousand-Year Soul Beast had initially looked aggressive, but the instant it sensed Yi Yi's aura, it wilted and began backing away.

Yi Yi had no intention of letting the Soul Beast go. As it charged forward, it also used its wind-element ability to boost its speed.

This Soul Beast was slower than Yi Yi, and its combat strength was even less comparable. Yi Yi killed it with ease.

While Yi Yi fought, Jing Chen stopped meditating and maintained the necessary vigilance.

After the battle ended, Jing Chen stored the Soul Beast's corpse in the Time and Space Divine Tower and left with Yi Yi for another location.

The battle had spilled blood onto the ground, which might attract other Soul Beasts. It was not suitable to remain here for long.

To meditate and cultivate peacefully, Jing Chen found a patch of tall grass to stay in, making it less likely for Soul Beasts to notice him.

After hiding in the grass, they were indeed no longer disturbed by Soul Beasts. Jing Chen cultivated peacefully until dawn.

Afterward, he entered the Time and Space Divine Tower to sleep. Before long, it was the next day. After breakfast, Jing Chen allowed Yi Yi to move about freely.

He himself remained in the Time and Space Divine Tower, continuing to make Soul Tools, with no intention of coming out before Yi Yi returned.

Having done it once already, he was much more proficient the second time.

Whether it was forging or engraving the Soul Guiding Array, he was faster than yesterday.

He completed the Level 1 Soul Guiding Ray Gun in just over two hours, more than half an hour faster than yesterday.

This time, while forging, he tried infusing it with his Soul Power, but there was basically no effect.

His Soul Power neither increased the metal's hardness nor endowed it with any special abilities.

Forging was not as simple as he had imagined; there were still many intricacies involved.

Jing Chen was not discouraged. If one attempt failed, then he would simply try a few more times.

Even if repeated attempts did not necessarily lead to success, he could at least draw some experience from failure. That was enough.

After making one Soul Tool, he did not make a second. Like yesterday, he began studying theory instead.

Only when Yi Yi returned at noon did he leave the Time and Space Divine Tower and begin recovering his Soul Power.

That afternoon, Yi Yi went out to hunt Soul Beasts again, while he began making his third Soul Tool.

For the next several days, Jing Chen lived like this: making Soul Tools, studying theory, meditating to recover, cultivating, and repeating the cycle over and over.

Only after he had used up all the metal he had bought and made thirteen Soul Tools did those days come to an end.

During those days, Yi Yi devoured more than a dozen Thousand-Year Soul Beasts every day, and its cultivation rose rapidly.

Its cultivation age had surpassed four thousand years, increasing by more than a thousand years in total. Its strength had grown noticeably.

The facts proved that coming to the Star Dou Great Forest had been the right choice. This was the most suitable place for Yi Yi to increase its strength.

In just a few days, it had achieved a cultivation-age increase that would have taken years in the Nine Spirit Forest. The difference between the two forests was truly enormous.

"When we come here again in a few days, we'll have to enter the Mixed Zone. That way, your strength can improve faster."

Jing Chen spoke to Yi Yi in his arms as he walked through the forest.

As Yi Yi's cultivation age reached four thousand years, the proportion of power it received from devouring Thousand-Year Soul Beasts decreased again.

Now, devouring Soul Beasts below four thousand years old could increase its cultivation age by only a few years at most. Even devouring Soul Beasts six or seven thousand years old would only increase it by a dozen or so years.

Devouring Thousand-Year Soul Beasts was no longer particularly effective for raising its cultivation, and relying on sheer numbers was not a solution either.

They could consider devouring Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts now. That was the best choice for rapidly improving its cultivation.

"Yiyi! (Okay!)" Yi Yi nodded its little head, looking eager to give it a try.

Thousand-Year Soul Beasts were too weak, and it had already lost interest in them. It had long wanted to challenge stronger Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts.

"Even though you're strong, Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts aren't pushovers either. You still need to be careful. Don't casually provoke Soul Beasts that are thirty or forty thousand years old, or even older."

"We'll pick on the weaker ones first and bully those Soul Beasts that are ten or twenty thousand years old."

"Once your cultivation reaches ten thousand years, we'll challenge stronger Soul Beasts," Jing Chen said, rubbing Yi Yi's head.

"Yiyi (I'll listen to you)," Yi Yi replied obediently, enjoying Jing Chen's stroking.

After leaving the Star Dou Great Forest, Jing Chen ran toward Shrek City.

During the past few days in the forest, he had never lacked water thanks to his ability to control it, so he had been able to wash up normally.

He was still clean and tidy now, not having become disheveled just because he had spent several days in the forest.

After returning to Shrek City, Jing Chen headed straight for the Soul Tool shop whose location he had investigated beforehand.

Using an excuse he had prepared in advance, he briefly explained to the clerk why he was selling these thirteen Level 1 Soul Guiding Ray Guns.

After making the origin of the Soul Tools seem reasonable, he successfully sold all thirteen of them.

Level 1 Soul Tools generally sold for anywhere from a few to several dozen Gold Soul Coins. Since his Level 1 Soul Tools were of relatively high quality and were powerful ray guns, the owner offered him a fairly high purchase price—sixty Gold Soul Coins apiece. The thirteen items sold for a total of seven hundred and eighty Gold Soul Coins.

After deducting the more than two hundred Gold Soul Coins he had spent on metal, he had made a net profit of over five hundred Gold Soul Coins. His hard work over the past few days had not been in vain.

After selling the Soul Tools, Jing Chen went straight to a metal shop and bought more than six hundred Gold Soul Coins' worth of metal.

Besides the metal, he also purchased several special items, intending to put his plan to mechanize Soul Tool production on the agenda.