As the Soul Power brought by Ring Detonation continued pouring into Jing Hongchen's body, his Soul Power, stagnant for who knew how many years, finally rose again, allowing him to break through the Level 93 bottleneck and reach Level 94.
At that moment, Jing Hongchen's heart was filled with regret. As a veteran Level 9 Soul Engineer, he should have been the first to think of shattering Soul Rings to gain power.
Had he developed and sought out medicines on that basis, he probably would have broken through to Level 94 long ago.
Between Level 93 and Level 94 lay only a single level of Soul Power, but in the Sun Moon Empire, that difference was as vast as heaven and earth.
The Sun Moon Empire's medicines could support people with a certain degree of talent in cultivating to the rank of Titled Douluo.
But once they reached Titled Douluo, the effects of medicine fell off a cliff, and even the slightest further improvement became difficult. Thus, the Sun Moon Empire's Titled Douluos were generally Level 91, with even Level 92 considered high.
As for Level 93 Titled Douluos, even he, the master of Illustrious Virtue Hall, was only Level 93.
And at Level 94, there was only Elder Kong, the master of the Worship Hall, in the entire Sun Moon Empire.
Now, a single use of Ring Detonation had brought him another step closer to Elder Kong. His Ninth Soul Ring had not even shattered yet. If he shattered his Ninth Soul Ring in the future, he might well be able to attempt a breakthrough to the Level 95 realm of Super Douluo.
And once he became a Super Douluo, given his talent as a Soul Engineer, reaching Level 10 Soul Engineer might even be only a matter of time.
However, his body in its normal state naturally could not withstand shattering his Ninth Soul Ring as well, so Jin Hongchen turned his gaze toward the jade case Su Yun held out.
Several pills still lay quietly inside.
"What's the production rate for these pills? Or rather, how many can you give me? I can pay a high price."
"Also, are there any pills better than these? If there are, name your price. As long as I can afford it, I won't haggle."
Jing Hongchen looked at the jade case containing the Pulse-Protecting Pills, becoming even more agreeable than before. It was not merely because of the pills in the case. The fact that Su Yun could give these away, and even reveal Ring Detonation, already spoke volumes.
That Titled Douluo of the Su Clan was probably not far from becoming a Super Douluo now. Otherwise, Su Yun would not have been so casual.
"Production is low. For now, we can only supply our own clan. We could only spare these because of the care you've shown our clan, Hall Master. As for anything better, we don't have any at present."
Jing Hongchen was not angry at those words. Limited production was actually better for him.
He had risen to become master of Illustrious Virtue Hall because both his talent with Soul Tools and his cultivation ranked among the top three in the Sun Moon Empire.
If Pulse-Protecting Pills really could be mass-produced freely, the Sun Moon Empire's strength would indeed soar, but where would that leave his Hongchen Family?
Jing Hongchen wanted to nurture Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen. Once the two of them had grown, the Hongchen Family would have three Titled Douluos under one roof. Together with his sufficiently powerful network of connections, that would be the Hongchen Family's most glorious hour.
If Pulse-Protecting Pills could truly be mass-produced and, combined with the power of Ring Detonation, produce Titled Douluos in batches, his Hongchen Family's position would be in jeopardy.
Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen were only ten years old. By Jing Hongchen's estimate, it would take at least twenty years for the two of them to grow into Titled Douluos.
If the number of Titled Douluos rose now, there really would be no place left for the Hongchen Family.
"Limited production? That's a pity. But for the Su Clan to remember me even when production is limited, I'll remember this kindness."
Jing Hongchen was very doubtful about the Su Clan's claims of limited production and having no better pills, but that did not matter.
The Su Clan's eldest young lady was his disciple, and it was enough that he could bask in the Su Clan's reflected glory through that connection.
One more powerful ally was always better than one more powerful enemy.
"This is also thanks to the care you've shown our clan, Hall Master. Also, Hall Master, after detonating your rings, you need to recuperate for thirty-six days before using Ring Detonation again. Otherwise, the Soul Rings really could disappear. Please keep that in mind."
Jing Hongchen nodded, then brought up another matter.
"Speaking of which, the captain for this Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament is the Su Clan's eldest young lady, who is also my disciple. Since I happen to have nothing else on my hands, I'll personally lead the team for this Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament. Young Clan Leader Su, would you like to come along and watch?"
Having witnessed the value of the Pulse-Protecting Pills and considered the Su Clan's current strength, Jing Hongchen had already volunteered to lead the team himself before Su Yun could say anything.
Having a direct descendant of a Titled Douluo clan come to harm on his watch would be a major problem. All the more so when that Titled Douluo clan possessed something he needed. Thus, Jing Hongchen, who had originally planned only to send a few more Level 8 Soul Engineers along, changed his mind on the spot.
"Then I'm sorry for the trouble, Hall Master Hongchen."
"It's no trouble. Qingxue is my proudest disciple to begin with. When her safety is involved, it's always best to be a little more cautious."
With the Pulse-Protecting Pills and their already friendly relationship, everything proceeded smoothly.
Although the Su Clan elder had never even visited the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy before, Jing Hongchen still arranged a nominal teaching position for him, making him the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's accompanying teacher for this Continental Advanced Soul Master Tournament.
The people at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy had no objections to this. After all, unlike Shrek, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy was used to losing, and often suffered crushing defeats.
If they lost too disgracefully, it would be hard to account for it.
This year's team members were stronger than those of previous years, but after losing so many tournaments, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy still lacked confidence. Thus, the arrangement was quite easy to make.
As long as Jing Hongchen wished it, replacing the accompanying teacher-a position hardly anyone competed for anyway-required only a word from him.
After settling on the replacement for the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's accompanying teacher for this tournament, Su Yun, Jing Hongchen, the Su Clan elder, and Su Ning headed straight for the academy's training grounds.
Inside the training grounds, there was none of the fighting they had imagined. Or rather, even if there had been a fight, it was already over.
At that moment, a Soul Emperor was down on all fours on the ground. Su Qingxue sat leisurely on his back, unhurriedly toying with the purplish-black little snake in her hand.
On either side stood the other members of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's team, all wearing respectful expressions.
"Sis, what's going on here?"
Hearing Su Yun's voice, Su Qingxue slowly stood up. "Nothing much. He thought that since he'd broken through to Six-Ring Soul Emperor, he could take back the captain's position. So not only did he challenge me, he also made a bet with me. If he lost, he'd be my chair for a year. I won, and that's how things ended up like this."
"I have to say, it's rather fun."
"..."