Sky Crocodile fell silent. Just how much mental power would it take to make a Soul Beast willingly offer itself as a sacrifice?!
At that point, she might as well just kill it and absorb its Soul Ring!
Qian Xunqian thought for a moment, then continued:
"Offering a sacrifice to myself probably won't work. My mental power is only enough to Charm a Soul Beast that's at most a thousand years old. Even when I reach level 20, I won't be able to Charm a two-thousand-year-old one in a single go. Besides, a two-thousand-year-old second Soul Ring would be a little underwhelming for me. I might as well just hunt one and absorb it."
Then she shifted gears.
"But even if I can't have one sacrifice itself for me, I can help someone weaker than me get one! Once I cultivate to the Titled Douluo level, my mental power, combined with the unique attraction Aromatic Silk Beauty has for Soul Beasts, will be enough to cultivate a Soul Master with nothing but black, or even red, Soul Rings!"
Qian Renxue, who was currently winning the race to be reborn, thought: Auntie, hurry up and start pushing yourself! My future depends on you!
"Hmm... It's a good idea. You can keep researching it over time. With your talent, I'm sure you'll make progress! All right, no time to waste. Let's return to Spirit Hall, gather our people, and head to the Far North!"
"Okay!"
When they returned to Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong and Ning Fengzhi were already there. Of course, there was also a young woman around twenty, with water-blue hair and a matching long dress. Her features were delicate and gentle, and her bearing was cool and pure.
"You must be Sister Shui Xiaoer, the genius student from this year's class at Skywater Academy. Hello, I'm Qian Xunqian, the current Pope's cousin."
Shui Xiaoer nodded politely and asked:
"May I ask why Miss Qian invited me here? I assume it's not just to help me hunt for a Soul Ring."
Qian Xunqian smiled.
"You really are quick-witted, Sister. I do need your help with something important. Helping you hunt for a Soul Ring is just a small token of thanks. I'll repay you properly later!"
"Could I learn a little about it beforehand?"
"Of course. You're our partner now, so you have every right to know."
Qian Xunqian didn't hide anything. The core technology was in her hands. The Innate Spirit Power Cultivation Device wasn't just a theoretical concept; it also needed to be physically assembled. Ning Fengzhi couldn't steal it just by hearing about it.
"After three years of hard work and testing over a thousand materials, I eventually stumbled upon a ten-year-old Sky Dream Ice Silkworm. I discovered that Soul Beasts of this kind barely move at all. Their daily activity consists of lying on the snow and ice, gobbling it down."
"On top of that, they produce silk from their bellies that contains Soul Power. The moment I saw it, I thought of using it to create a Soul Power absorber for the Innate Spirit Power Cultivation Device!"
"Its advantages are that it doesn't move around and can hold the same position for a hundred years, or even tens of thousands! It absorbs Soul Power slowly, which also means it's stable! Most importantly, as a Soul Beast, it's rich in protein and food-grade material. It's incredibly easy to recycle; all you have to do is digest it in your stomach!"
"We only need to provide it with enough ice and snow, and it can convert the trace Soul Power within them into silk. The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's silk is extremely fine. With a little centrifuging, the human body can absorb it and convert it into pure Innate Soul Power!"
"At first, Innate Soul Power is contained in the human body's dantian. Only after a Martial Soul awakens does it flow through the meridians to the Martial Soul, allowing it to be cultivated. That's the first model, suitable for Soul Masters whose Martial Souls haven't awakened yet."
"As for the second model, it's suitable for Soul Masters whose Martial Souls have already awakened. I'm still researching that one."
Shui Xiaoer's mouth gaped wide enough to fit a large egg. Her voice trembled as she asked:
"R-really? Is what you're saying true? Can a Soul Master's Innate Soul Power really be cultivated after birth? Is it true?"
Qian Xunqian answered carefully:
"At the moment, we only have a model. We still need to capture a Sky Dream Ice Silkworm and assemble the device for experiments. First, we'll test it on Soul Beasts, then on humans. If the experiment succeeds on humans, we'll make some improvements and conduct the first trial, selecting dozens or even a hundred volunteers to see how often it works. After that..."
Bibi Dong's head was spinning. Why were there so many steps?! She wished they could put it to use across the entire Douluo Continent as soon as it was built!
Seeing everyone's shock and confusion, along with Sister Bi looking a little dizzy, Qian Xunqian gave a helpless little "bear shrug" and said:
"There's no helping it. This research is meant for people, so we have to be extremely cautious and test it over and over to make sure the final product is completely safe!"
Bibi Dong fell silent. So this was what a true Martial Soul research master, someone who contributed to the Douluo Continent, looked like. This much research would take at least ten years to make progress.
If it failed, they would have to spend decades exploring further, all in obscurity.
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaogang—the so-called Grandmaster—had merely spent some spare time memorizing a few books and fooling people who didn't understand the theory. Then, on the strength of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's influence, he'd claimed the title of "Grandmaster."
Alas, what kind of world was this?
That's right. Thanks to the great will of the Douluo Continent lending a hand, Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang had returned to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and used his father's authority to publish his paper, Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul.
With Yu Yuanzhen's backing, the two empires, the Clear Sky Sect, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and the other powers all had their media outlets build up the hype. That was how the Grandmaster's reputation had been manufactured!
"All right, let's go! We're off to catch silkworm babies!"
Qian Xunqian's innocent, childlike voice brought everyone back to their senses. Shui Xiaoer, Ning Fengzhi, and Bibi Dong, along with Golden Crocodile Douluo, Chrysanthemum Douluo, and Ghost Douluo, rode in carriages toward the Far North in peaceful silence.
The northern landscape stretched beneath falling snow. They hadn't even reached the Far North yet, and huge flakes had already begun drifting down from the sky.
Snow Plain City, the last human settlement before entering the Far North Plateau.
There weren't many people in the city, and everyone was bundled up in thick clothes. The temperature was fifty degrees below zero.
You had to admire the resilience of human life. Without the heating systems and air conditioners of later generations, plenty of people had still put down roots in this frozen land.
Bibi Dong and the others had all put on heavy coats. Qian Xunqian had somehow gotten hold of a penguin costume. Once she put it on, she looked exactly like a certain chibi character from later generations who loved running electrical wires.
"Goo-goo, quack-quack!"
The snow country's cuisine was a pair of smiling tiger sharks with black horns compared to Tang San's hometown of Bashu.
Scalding, numbing, fresh, fragrant, and spicy!
One bite of mutton hot pot warmed her stomach, and the cold of the northern frontier no longer seemed frightening.
"Wow! That's so spicy!"
Bibi Dong stuck out her tongue from the heat and kept panting white clouds of breath. She looked just like a mysterious species from Blue Star—Hajimi.
Qian Xunqian summoned her Fragrant Silk Martial Soul, and the fragrance wafting from it completely refreshed Bibi Dong.
But Chrysanthemum Douluo was unhappy. Since Aromatic Silk Beauty's detoxifying ability was the greatest on the Douluo Continent, a little spice was nothing; it vanished in an instant.
He hadn't even had a chance to savor it. The spicy sensation was already gone—how was he supposed to enjoy his food?!