Time slowly passed.
Jin Jiuxiao's aura grew stronger bit by bit.
He finally broke through to level forty, needing only one more Soul Ring to advance to Soul Ancestor.
Meanwhile, Bi Ji had returned all the Blue Silver Emperor's origin essence contained within the Soul Bone, infusing it back into her.
Jin Jiuxiao came over to Bi Ji. "At this rate... the Blue Silver Emperor should recover to around forty or fifty thousand years of cultivation?"
"More or less, but to reclaim her throne, she'll have to regain a hundred thousand years of cultivation," Bi Ji said. She estimated that the Blue Silver Emperor would recover to a little over forty thousand years.
The restoration of her origin essence greatly accelerated the Blue Silver Emperor's recovery.
With the Blue Silver clan pouring life energy into her as well, recovering to this extent was hardly surprising.
"That should only take a few years."
Jin Jiuxiao seemed to remember something. "Then once she recovers her cultivation, will she follow the human cultivation path or the Soul Beast cultivation path?"
"The Soul Beast cultivation path, of course." Bi Ji gave her answer without hesitation, then explained, "'Ah Yin' is already dead. The only one who remains in this world now is the Blue Silver Emperor."
The Blue Silver Emperor's leaves trembled.
The sudden movement drew the attention of Jin Jiuxiao, Bi Ji, and the Blue Silver King to her.
An incarnation formed from Soul Power appeared, taking Ah Yin's shape.
She looked only eighteen or nineteen, and confusion still clouded her eyes.
"What... happened to me?"
"Blue Silver King?" Ah Yin noticed that the Blue Silver King was continuously guiding the clan to channel life energy into her.
She also noticed Jin Jiuxiao and Bi Ji standing nearby. "And who are these two...?"
"My emperor, it's wonderful that you've awakened!"
The Blue Silver King sounded overjoyed. "My emperor, these two are the great benefactors who saved our Blue Silver clan."
"When you ventured into the Human World to gain experience all those years ago, you were deceived by an evil human Soul Master and tragically lost your life."
"Thanks to our Blue Silver clan's unique traits, you left behind a 'seed.'"
"It was Lady Bi Ji and Lord Jin Jiuxiao who brought back your seed and the Soul Bone you left behind."
"Only then did we have a chance to awaken you again."
The Blue Silver King glossed over Ah Yin's entire past, speaking only of the outcome rather than the details of what had happened.
He felt that Lady Bi Ji was right.
'Ah Yin' was already dead.
The one brought back to life now was only the Blue Silver Emperor.
If the Blue Silver Emperor were gone, their Blue Silver clan would fall into utter decline.
"So I died at the hands of humans..." Ah Yin suddenly felt a stabbing pain in her soul, and anguish appeared on her face.
Fragments of memories of being surrounded and hunted flickered through her mind.
Yes, she vaguely remembered that she had indeed been hunted down.
"If the pain is unbearable, there's no need to delve into it." Bi Ji raised a hand to soothe Ah Yin's mind. "What you should do now is rest well and recover as soon as possible."
Ah Yin breathed deeply in and out, repeating the process until she stopped dwelling on those things.
"Thank you, Lady Bi Ji. Thank you, Lord Jiuxiao." Ah Yin bowed to them both. "I have no way to repay your great kindness..."
Jin Jiuxiao interrupted her. "Stop right there. The Blue Silver King has already given us a gift of thanks."
"If you really want to repay us, then cultivate diligently."
"In the future, I hope you can become one of the pillars of the Soul Beast Clan."
If the Blue Silver Emperor could grow into her full strength, she would indeed be a formidable fighter.
Ah Yin vaguely sensed that Jin Jiuxiao seemed to be the one taking the lead between the two of them.
"Yes, Lord Jiuxiao."
"I'll cultivate diligently and recover as soon as I can."
Jin Jiuxiao nodded slightly. "Focus on your recovery. We'll take our leave."
After leaving the Blue Silver clan's territory, Jin Jiuxiao and Bi Ji prepared to return to the Lake of Life.
"Jiuxiao, you've reached level forty now. You can break through again."
"Who are you planning to form a contract with?"
Jin Jiuxiao recalled the cultivation levels of the remaining three.
The Scarlet King currently had two hundred and eighty thousand years of cultivation.
The Myriad Demon King currently had five hundred thousand years of cultivation, approaching five hundred and ten thousand.
He wasn't sure of Di Tian's exact cultivation, but at this point, he probably hadn't reached eight hundred and ninety thousand years yet.
In other words, the Myriad Demon King and Di Tian wouldn't face tribulation lightning anytime soon.
The Scarlet King, on the other hand, could attempt to break through to three hundred thousand years if he put in a little more effort.
"I'll go with Uncle Mastiff." Jin Jiuxiao made his decision. "Let Uncle Mastiff put in some extra effort and work toward breaking through to three hundred thousand years."
The Scarlet King's true form was a Three-Headed Scarlet Demon Mastiff, so Jin Jiuxiao called him Uncle Mastiff.
Once the Scarlet King signed a contract with him, he could avoid the heavenly tribulation and devote himself entirely to increasing his cultivation.
After returning to the Lake of Life, Jin Jiuxiao called the Scarlet King out.
"Uncle Mastiff, shall we go through the process?"
The Scarlet King chuckled. "I thought you'd sign a contract with the Myriad Demon King first."
"Well, I saw that you were close to breaking through to three hundred thousand years, Uncle Mastiff." Jin Jiuxiao summoned his Poké Ball Martial Soul and drew up a contract.
The Scarlet King signed the contract without hesitation. "Let's do it. But as your level rises, the rate at which you gain levels will gradually slow down."
After all, these were merely Soul Rings condensed from their power; they weren't sacrificing themselves to Jin Jiuxiao.
His cultivation couldn't compare to Xiong Jun's or Bi Ji's, either. It was only a little higher than Zi JI's.
Moreover, Jin Jiuxiao had already begun compressing and purifying his Soul Power, doubling or tripling the amount he needed to gain each level.
"It'll only feel a little slower compared to the earlier stages." Jin Jiuxiao smiled faintly.
He tossed out the Poké Ball, drawing the Scarlet King inside.
A scarlet Soul Ring bearing two golden markings emerged from the Poké Ball.
Jin Jiuxiao sat cross-legged and entered a cultivation state.
His Soul Power Level jumped to forty-six, and all his attributes received another comprehensive boost.
Then, with Bi Ji's help, he condensed a hundred-thousand-year fourth Soul Ring for his Rei Martial Soul.
"Whew..." After finishing his cultivation, Jin Jiuxiao summoned the Scarlet King out of the Poké Ball.
Before he could say anything, he heard Di Tian summon him. "Jiuxiao, come here for a moment."
Jin Jiuxiao greeted the other Ferocious Beasts, then plunged headfirst into the Lake of Life.
He entered the small space at the bottom of the lake and landed opposite Di Tian. "Uncle Di Tian, what did you need me for?"
Di Tian looked Jin Jiuxiao over carefully. "Are you preparing to condense a core of Soul Power?"
"Yes. The sooner I condense a Soul Core, the more I'll benefit," Jin Jiuxiao answered honestly.
There was nothing he needed to hide from Di Tian.
He was indeed planning to condense his first Soul Core at around level fifty or sixty.
"Soul Core... a good name," Di Tian murmured upon hearing Jin Jiuxiao's words.
He touched a finger to Jin Jiuxiao's forehead. "Your Soul Power's quality is sufficient, but its quantity isn't."
"Your Spiritual Power hasn't reached the standard required to condense a Soul Core, either."
"Study this Self-Visualization Method carefully."
"Raise your Spiritual Power first. You don't need to worry about your Soul Power Level failing to keep up."
Di Tian offered one instruction after another.
"Thanks, Uncle Di Tian." Jin Jiuxiao thanked him.
From what he could sense of this visualization method, Di Tian had prepared it specifically for him.
"Mm. Once you reach level fifty, you can sign a contract with the Myriad Demon King."
"Do your best to raise your Spiritual Power over the next few years."
"When the time comes, the Myriad Demon King will cooperate with you. We'll see whether you can take the opportunity to condense your first Soul Core while absorbing your fifth Soul Ring."
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