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The quality of divine power was incredibly high, and its effect on body tempering naturally far exceeded that of soul power or any other energy found on the Douluo Continent.
However, as the Sea God conducted the tempering, he discovered that the efficiency of his divine power on Su Wen's physique was surprisingly low. He had initially estimated that three hours would be sufficient to complete the task, yet it had been dragged out for three grueling days.
Peering through the haze of faith to observe the situation on Sea God Island, the Sea God stared blankly at the figure sitting cross-legged beneath the Sea God's Light.
"Su Wen, your potential for godhood might even be greater than mine was back then," the Sea God mused with a sense of melancholy. "And I was already three hundred years old when I received the Nine Trials of the God of Time..."
Su Wen's existence made him realize that there was always someone greater.
"Perhaps talent such as yours requires better guidance."
After a moment of thought, the Sea God decided to see if he could pull in a couple more "sponsors" for the boy.
Douluo Continent, Sea God Island.
Su Wen slowly opened his eyes, golden light reflecting deep within his pupils.
"After being tempered by divine power, my physical strength has jumped at least an entire tier. Most importantly, the strength of my Body Martial Soul has reached the level of Innate Full Soul Power."
In Su Wen's eyes, the strength of a Martial Soul was directly proportional to its innate soul power, not just its category. Even within the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan, quality varied. Thus, Su Wen judged Martial Soul quality by innate soul power levels.
Even following his "Martial Soul Growth Theory," where a soul could evolve by the Spirit Ancestor stage, he still used the benchmark of innate power to evaluate quality—essentially measuring it against the standard best-fit ring configuration for a soul of that innate level.
Now, Su Wen's Body Martial Soul had successfully awakened, but it seemed different from traditional ones. At the very least, it differed from the records Su Wen had studied.
This Acquired Body Martial Soul could not be infused with spirit rings.
"Because this Body Martial Soul was awakened later in life, it lacks a 'Martial Soul Space.' It was awakened by treating my own body as a soul beast," Su Wen noted.
The inability to absorb spirit rings was a disappointment, but it didn't leave him feeling defeated.
"If it can't absorb rings, so be it. After all, the point of cultivating it as a soul beast is to facilitate the strengthening of the physical body."
Besides, Su Wen had already glimpsed the answer before.
"Spirit rings belong to the Martial Soul; Spirit bones belong to the body."
This was an insight he had gained previously, and it was the primary reason he wasn't overly frustrated by the lack of ring compatibility. If he couldn't add rings, he would utilize spirit bones to their absolute limit, linking the cultivation of the Acquired Body Martial Soul directly to spirit bones.
Su Wen recalled the data he had gathered from the War God's trials.
"Powerful soul beasts, such as 100,000-year-old ones, are guaranteed to produce spirit bones because they possess a Soul Core. Upon death, the Soul Core swallows the beast's remaining power to condense into a bone. Weak beasts lack cores, so they rely on the random, natural condensation of power—purely a matter of probability."
"The stronger the beast, the higher the quality of its soul power, which is why higher-year beasts have a greater chance of dropping bones."
"Specifically, 10,000-year beasts have significantly higher drop rates than 1,000-year ones because their intelligence and soul have matured. Their mental strength acts as a 'commander' for their energy."
Reflecting on this, Su Wen's eyes sparkled.
"Would it be viable to use spirit bones as the primary cultivation path for the Acquired Body Martial Soul?"
Before this, Su Wen had intended to publicize the method for awakening the Acquired Body Martial Soul as another major reform for the Spirit Master world, thereby harvesting more faith. However, for a reform to work, the project had to be flawless.
Otherwise, a project that occupied vast amounts of energy and time without providing extra spirit skills would surely be abandoned by Spirit Masters. It needed a "hook"—something so attractive that elite Spirit Masters would feel compelled to cultivate it to reach their peak.
"Spirit bones... Soul Cores..."
If spirit bone production was guaranteed by the presence of a Soul Core, did that mean a Soul Core could assist in condensing a spirit bone?
The essence of Su Wen's Acquired Body Martial Soul was to cultivate like a soul beast, but Spirit Masters were still human; they had six slots for spirit bones.
So, was it possible to self-condense spirit bones without dying? Could a Spirit Master with an Acquired Body Martial Soul refine the bones in their six main positions into true spirit bones?
If this vision could be realized, Spirit Masters would no longer be entirely dependent on hunting soul beasts for bone drops. It would be a new path to power, allowing Spirit Masters of the same level to stack their strength even further.
Furthermore, it was an opportunity for Su Wen's reforms to benefit a neglected group of Spirit Masters.
Su Wen had established his Academy and published many theories, the most sensational being the "Soul Ascension Method." This was a massive boon for those with growth potential, acting as a foundation for them to go further.
However, there was a class of Spirit Masters whose potential was already exhausted—for example, those stuck at Level 43. Not every Spirit Master hit a wall at a clean level like 50 or 60. Usually, unless resources were overflowing, they would stall somewhere in the middle.
A Spirit Ancestor stuck at Level 43 would find the prospect of reaching Level 50 slim, even with Su Wen's techniques. Their upper limit simply wouldn't budge.
The Acquired Body Martial Soul was different. Normally, only geniuses of the highest caliber could juggle both a standard Martial Soul and a Body Martial Soul without hindering their progress. But there was another group that could afford the time: those whose potential had already peaked.
If my Martial Soul can't advance anymore, I might as well cultivate my Body Martial Soul!
In Su Wen's vision, condensing spirit bones through the Body Martial Soul was an entirely separate path that would eventually provide feedback to the Spirit Master. This process could break through existing bottlenecks, allowing them to reach higher titles. Whenever they hit a wall, they could attempt to condense a bone to push their limits, then go back to cultivating soul power.
"Unfortunately, realizing all of this will still take a long time."
Self-condensing a spirit bone was one thing; ensuring it granted a corresponding spirit skill was another matter entirely.
Su Wen frowned. How could he ensure these self-made bones possessed skills like those dropped by soul beasts? And how could he make those skills diverse enough so that every Spirit Master had a choice?
(End of Chapter)