After a long while, Muyang withdrew from cultivation, turned his head toward Shui Bing'er not far away, and said:
"Bing'er, I've almost cultivated to the critical point. What about you?"
Previously, after his spirit power skyrocketed, and following this period of training, Muyang had finally cultivated the Solar Body Refinement to the critical point corresponding to his current spirit power of level 84.
At this stage, unless he could continue increasing his spirit power — more precisely, improving the quality of his spirit power and thereby raising the critical point corresponding to his level — the benefits of further cultivating Solar Body Refinement would be extremely low. For now, there was no need to continue.
Hearing this, Shui Bing'er, who had temporarily paused her cultivation, replied:
"I'm still a bit short, but I think in another two days at most."
Her situation was similar to Muyang's. Recently, she had first received the sacrifice of the hundred-thousand-year Ice Luan soul beast, then rewards from the God Trial, and later refined four high-aged ice attribute spirit bones. Altogether, her spirit power had risen by a full ten levels. The critical point of Solar Body Refinement had been raised substantially, leaving enormous room for improvement in her physique.
Even if it was only to ensure that when she later added the god-bestowed eighth spirit ring, she could obtain greater increases in spirit power, she still had to improve her body as much as possible — to bear a higher-aged god-bestowed ring.
"That's good."
Muyang nodded.
Then, since his physical fitness could not advance any further in a short time, an ice-blue brilliance surged across his body. The Iceflame Saint Shadow Martial Soul possessed him, and he began condensing his third spirit ring.
The Ring Condensation Method activated, and the surrounding world energy rapidly gathered. Following the first and second scarlet spirit rings, a dim white ring emerged around Muyang's body.
Very quickly, the massive influx of world energy condensed into a vast funnel-shaped cloud in mid-air, pouring down into the Iceflame Saint Shadow Martial Soul behind him.
As the martial soul absorbed vast amounts of energy, the white ring on Muyang rapidly deepened in color.
In the blink of an eye, the ring completed its transformation — from ten-year white, to hundred-year yellow, to thousand-year purple, and then to ten-thousand-year black.
But the changes did not stop. In less than half an hour, the third spirit ring condensed by Muyang turned into a vivid scarlet.
The color shifting from black to red represented that this self-condensed third ring had surpassed ten-thousand-year black to the level of hundred-thousand-year red.
Yet Muyang did not stop.
Even though he already bore multiple hundred-thousand-year rings, the hundred-thousand-year mark was still far from his limit.
Compared to when he had added his god-bestowed eighth ring to advance, although he hadn't obtained another supreme spirit bone, his spirit power had risen by four levels. He had also condensed a second Yin-Yang Complementary Soul Core, resulting in a qualitative leap in the purity of his spirit power. With Solar Body Refinement forging his body, his physique had improved tremendously.
Moreover, the god-bestowed eighth ring from the Icefire Immortal Jade Essence, aged over three hundred thousand years, had not only placed great burden on him, but had also greatly enhanced his physical functions.
Now, condensing the third spirit ring for the Iceflame Saint Shadow Martial Soul — it couldn't possibly be less than three hundred thousand years, right?
Not because his maximum endurance was only three hundred thousand years — far from it. But he had to leave a margin, not play extreme games.
After all, even with the refining and compression of dual Yin-Yang Cores, a single self-condensed ring would not be enough to push his spirit power from level 84 Soul Douluo all the way to level 90 quasi-Titled Douluo.
If he maxed out his limits too early, he might be unable to condense further high-aged rings later.
Worse, when he reached level 90, if his ring load was already too heavy, he might not even be able to add a super-high-aged god-bestowed ninth ring.
From now until breaking through to level 90, he had only four ways to strengthen his body:
First, the self-condensed rings of the Iceflame Saint Shadow Martial Soul, since each ring enhanced all aspects of the body.
Second, by raising his spirit power level, the quality of spirit power would naturally improve, pushing the critical point of Solar Body Refinement higher and creating room for rapid body improvement.
Third, the Crystal Scale Armor external bone. As an external bone, its age could grow with him. Like a torso or limb bone, it enhanced his physique, and as its age increased, its strengthening effect would grow.
Fourth, obtaining a torso bone.
But torso bones had low explosion rates. The academy didn't possess any suitable ones, and Muyang had already set his sights on a specific target. Thus, before becoming a Titled Douluo, only the first three methods were available to him — and their improvements were limited.
With limited physical enhancement available, Muyang naturally wouldn't dare to push to the extreme, lest he trap himself.
Another hour passed. After absorbing vast world energy, golden patterns had appeared on his third ring — three in total.
Each golden line represented an additional hundred thousand years of age. Three lines meant a minimum of three hundred thousand years.
"Almost. I can't push further."
Sensing his body's state, Muyang thought to himself.
At this moment, he realized his remaining endurance for rings wasn't much — at most another ten to twenty thousand years.
But with the Iceflame Saint Shadow having already condensed a three-hundred-thousand-year third ring, his physique would improve again. His margin would increase from ten-to-twenty-thousand to significantly more.
If nothing went wrong, when he condensed a fourth ring of three hundred thousand years, his margin would likely be no less than now.
With this nesting-doll style of ring condensation, just two — at most three — such rings would be enough to raise his spirit power to level 90 and reach nine-ring Titled Douluo.
At that point, he would still have at least five slots left. As long as those rings were not low-aged, when all were filled, his spirit power could climb from level 90 to rank 99 peak without issue.
Once the age of the self-condensed ring stopped rising, Muyang calmed his mind and began engraving a secret art into the not-yet-solidified ring, transforming it into a spirit ability.
Before long, the engraving was complete, and the self-condensed ring was perfected.
The next step was the same as with hunting a soul beast — refining the energy within the ring.
At once, as the ring's energy refined into him, the spirit power aura radiating from Muyang steadily rose.
For additional chapters
Versatile mage {40 chapters}
Douluo Dalu:This Soul Master is to Weird {30 Chapters}
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