The Soft Bone Rabbits were hopping around in their cage, munching on delicious Blue Silver Grass, unaware of what lay in store for them.
Qian Xunqian had finished assembling the Soul Power cultivation device.
She wrapped a mixture of ten-year Ice Marrow and snow powder in a specially made edible membrane, then connected it to the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's mouth.
Next, she attached a tiny centrifuge to the Ice Silkworm's abdomen to process its silk, spinning the silk that humans couldn't absorb into fine particles,
then connected it to an edible Soul Power conduit. At the end of the conduit was a small sphere, where Innate Soul Power would be stored.
The sphere was specially made, too. It was pierced with some incredibly tiny holes, allowing the finest Soul Power particles to slowly seep out and enter the body.
Only these especially tiny Soul Power particles could be digested by the human body and converted into Soul Power. Anything larger wouldn't work.
Finally, she wrapped the entire device in a specially made capsule.
The capsule would cling tightly to the stomach wall without slipping off.
The finished device was three centimeters long and 1.5 centimeters wide. Children over three shouldn't have any trouble swallowing it.
The entire device was made from food-grade materials. The outer capsule would be slowly corroded by stomach acid over roughly two to three years, by which time the cultivation of Innate Soul Power would be more or less complete.
The capsule would disappear and be digested along with the entire device, so there would be no need for anyone to remove it. It was very convenient.
"Wait, what would happen if a genius with Innate Full Soul Power used this device? Would the excess Soul Power make them burst?"
Shui Xiaoer asked doubtfully. By now, she had completely joined Qian Xunqian as her research assistant.
Skywater Academy and the Water Element Family behind it had also read the room and announced that they were joining Spirit Hall.
After Skywater Academy joined, Blazing Fire Academy and Godwind Academy began to stir. Only after the Heaven Dou Imperial Family reluctantly ceded a piece of land to the two academies did the two factions agree to stay.
"No. The meridians in the human body are in constant motion. The Innate Soul Power in the dantian isn't stagnant; it can circulate through the meridians."
"The dantian's capacity is indeed limited, but together with the meridians, it can withstand more than ten levels of Innate Soul Power! In theory, my device can provide at most three levels of Soul Power, so it won't make the meridians burst."
"This excess Soul Power will be released once the Soul Master obtains a Soul Ring, raising their level! It's like having a reserve of Soul Power."
"Unless..."
"Unless what?" Shui Xiaoer asked curiously.
"Unless the person is exceptionally frail. That's why they need a physical examination before using this device. Only those who meet the physical requirements can take it!"
Thanks to the Ice Marrow in the Ten-Thousand-Year Profound Ice Cave, which could be fed to the Sky Dream Ice Silkworms to greatly increase their age, Qian Xunqian had bred dozens of century-old Ice Silkworms and five or six thousand-year-old ones in just two months.
She didn't care about ethics when experimenting on Soul Beasts. She used a thousand-year-old Sky Dream Ice Silkworm directly. The thousand-year-old Ice Silkworms absorbed Soul Power extremely quickly, converting the snow inside the device into Soul Power in just one week.
The capsule dissolved over the next two days. Qian Xunqian also observed that the ten-year-old Soft Bone Rabbit had grown just a little bigger.
Over the next two months, after obtaining her Second Soul Ring, Qian Xunqian began experimenting on Wind Baboons. As expected, those experiments were a complete success, too.
At last, it was time for human trials. Qian Xunqian selected ten children whose families had no Innate Soul Power for three generations, signed agreements with their parents, and paid each child a trial fee of 100 Gold Soul Coins upfront.
If the experiment harmed a child, she would pay another 10,000 Gold Soul Coins in compensation. If it resulted in death, the compensation would be 100,000 Gold Soul Coins.
Over the next two years, while waiting for the results of the experiments, Qian Xunqian also began crossbreeding Star Dou Silkworms with Sky Dream Ice Silkworms, producing several kinds of silkworms.
Type A Ice Silkworms inherited the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's juicy, plump build and weren't picky about their environment, making them extremely easy to raise. Their cultivation talent was a little poor, though, so they could be used as food.
Once they had been bred, Spirit Hall established a dedicated silkworm farm. From then on, Type A Ice Silkworms would become regulars on noble dining tables.
Type B Ice Silkworms had slightly better cultivation talent. They perfectly inherited the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's laziness and the Star Dou Silkworm's ability to thrive in any environment, making them suitable materials for the Soul Power cultivation device.
Type C...
At the same time, her Soul Power had reached level thirty-three, and she had just obtained a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring.
A great deal had indeed happened over those two years. First, Qian Xunji took part in the Angel God's trials, ultimately receiving the Black Level Four Trials.
The Angel Family had passed down its legacy for generations, and no one had ever received fewer than five trials. Yet Qian Xunji had set a record in the opposite direction. Qian Daoliu felt conflicted, but still managed an encouraging smile.
Qian Xunji saw his father smiling and encouraging him as always, but he felt wretched. He knew his father was humoring him, protecting his pride, yet being treated with such consideration only made him feel more and more inferior.
Just like Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang: when his talent fell short, he turned to studying theory to prove himself.
Qian Xunji's thinking was much the same. Knowing his talent was lacking, he shifted his efforts in another direction: he wanted to be a good Pope and was desperate to prove his abilities.
So, during his first five years in office, he issued all kinds of policies to benefit the people and built ties with forces from every quarter, helping Spirit Hall grow stronger.
But the inferiority gnawing at him never went away. He increasingly felt that he had wasted his first few years on meaningless tasks. He believed the best way to prove his great achievements was to unite the Douluo Continent!
Over time, he grew more and more obsessive and sinister. He even resorted to assassinations, invaded Heaven Dou Empire territory without provocation, and forced civilians whose Martial Souls had awakened to join Spirit Hall, holding their families hostage.
The key that deepened Qian Xunji's warped state of mind was—his cousin, Qian Xunqian.
Qian Xunqian: Uh-oh. Am I about to get locked in a secret chamber, too?
Back then, he had been the only one of his generation in the Angel Family whose name included the character "Xun." His talent wasn't great, but at least there was no one to compare him to.
As the saying went, comparison only brought pain.
But then his dear uncle and aunt suddenly had a daughter, and she was so talented. They were both of the "Xun" generation, so it was inevitable that people would compare them, even unintentionally.
Qian Xunji had heard some of the rumors, too. He was desperate to prove his political talent, while his attitude toward his cousin grew increasingly complicated.
"That's how the struggle for the heir's position has always been."
Long years of pent-up pressure would eventually crush a person, and Qian Xunji was no exception. At last, one day, he could no longer hold back.
He grabbed a maid and locked her in a secret chamber...
Afterward, Qian Xunji threatened the maid, forbidding her from telling anyone what had happened.
But there was no keeping it under wraps. The maid soon became pregnant, and Qian Xunji had no choice but to acknowledge her status. Qian Daoliu, the old man who had always encouraged his son, looked at Qian Xunji with disappointment for the first time.
Qian Renxue: Children, I finally won the race to be born!