As the creator of the Thousand Refinements Method, Yu Qing was well-versed in guiding spirit power to temper the body. He precisely controlled the majestic energy from the eighty-thousand-year Spirit Bone, efficiently completing ten refinements for Duan Xin.
"Do you remember the route and rhythm I used to guide the spirit power?" Yu Qing withdrew his palm and asked softly.
Duan Xin opened her eyes, her face slightly red, and scratched her head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, husband... Your way of circulating spirit power is just too complex. The paths cover all the tiny meridians in the body, and the changes are incredibly subtle... I've only barely memorized less than ten percent."
Yu Qing wasn't surprised by this. The complexity of the Thousand Refinements Method was the highest among all meditation methods on the Douluo Continent, enough to make any so-called God-level meditation method pale in comparison. Its difficulty was no less than asking an ancient craftsman to hand-build a lithography machine just by looking at the blueprints.
"No matter, the days ahead are long, I will teach you slowly." Yu Qing comforted her with a few gentle words, then turned to Zi Ruyi. "Ruyi, are you ready? It's your turn."
By the time he helped Zi Ruyi complete ten spirit power body refinements, the sky outside the window had already begun to turn white.
Although most of the Spirit Bone energy was used to temper the physique, the spirit power contained within an eighty-thousand-year Spirit Bone was simply too vast. After the absorption was complete, it still increased Zi Ruyi's spirit power by one level.
After Yu Qing had The Two Women change into wear-resistant, dirt-resistant martial attire suitable for action, they prepared to set off for the Star Dou Great Forest.
The three of them arrived at the hotel lobby, only to find it empty with just a few people around. It was a stark contrast to the usual bustling scene during the day, appearing exceptionally quiet in the early morning.
Yu Qing walked to the counter to pay the room fees for the past few days. When the owner took the gold coin and looked up to see him, he was momentarily stunned. Then, his eyes instantly became incredibly complex—a strange expression mixed with shock, admiration, and a hint of envy.
Even the waiter passing by to clear the tables couldn't help but steal a glance at him, his gaze filled with profound "respect."
This lord... is simply too strong! A full ten-plus days! Aside from occasionally appearing out of nowhere to make some food in the kitchen, he was almost never seen leaving the room! The two ladies hadn't even shown their faces! What kind of earth-shattering "combat power" is this!
Facing this gaze of admiration that was almost tangible, Yu Qing was so embarrassed his toes curled, wishing he could use his Martial Soul True Body to dig a hole and crawl in right then and there. He quickly finished paying and, practically pulling Duan Xin and Zi Ruyi, fled the hotel with a "whoosh."
"A role model for our generation..." Watching the backs of the three disappear at the end of the street, the hotel owner sighed softly, his tone filled with the kind of envy only men understand... The three traveled very fast, reaching the outer region of the Star Dou Great Forest in just two hours.
Before entering the forest, Yu Qing stopped and looked seriously at The Two Women. "How many times have you been to the Star Dou Great Forest?"
"It's my first time," Zi Ruyi replied.
"Oh? Then where did you hunt for your previous spirit rings?" Yu Qing asked curiously.
"My first three spirit rings came from the Soul Hunting Forest raised by the Spirit Hall. My fourth and fifth spirit rings were hunted in the Sunset Forest," Zi Ruyi explained.
"It's about the same for me," Duan Xin added. "But I heard there are more and stronger sub-dragon Spirit Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest, so I wanted to try my luck here this time."
"I see." Yu Qing's expression turned serious. "You must remember, the Star Dou Great Forest is the most dangerous Spirit Beast habitat on the continent, bar none. Even in the outer regions, you might encounter ten thousand year Spirit Beasts. The Spirit Beasts here are far more ferocious, cunning, and aggressive than those in the captive forests or the Sunset Forest. Every year, many Spirit Emperors and Spirit Saints perish here."
His gaze swept over The Two Women. "So, after entering the forest, absolutely do not leave my side by more than three meters. Understand?"
"Yes! We understand!" The Two Women nodded solemnly.
After giving careful instructions, Yu Qing finally led them into the lush forest. Relying on his memory, he moved quickly toward the area where the Crimson-Eyed Burst Dragon might be active.
To accommodate the speed of The Two Women, he deliberately controlled the pace while spreading his powerful mental force to cover a range of a hundred yards, keenly sensing every movement.
Whenever he sensed the aura of a Spirit Beast, Yu Qing would use his overbearing mental force to briefly intimidate and pin it in place. Only after the three had passed through its territory would he withdraw the pressure.
Traveling smoothly like this, the three soon went deep into the Mixed Zone of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Here, ten thousand year Spirit Beasts were almost everywhere, and most were rare species seldom seen outside. Even the occasionally encountered thousand-year Spirit Beasts often possessed noble bloodlines, with actual combat strength far exceeding ordinary ten thousand year Spirit Beasts!
Only now did Duan Xin and Zi Ruyi truly realize the terror of the Star Dou Great Forest. With their original strength, they probably wouldn't have even reached the Mixed Zone before being "completely devoured" by the ten thousand year Spirit Beasts along the way.
After traveling another few hundred miles, Yu Qing raised his hand to signal a stop. "Let's rest for a bit and eat something to replenish our strength."
As if granted a grand pardon, The Two Women quickly sat down beside Yu Qing, nibbling on dry rations while vigilantly watching their surroundings. Towering ancient trees and dense shrubs formed a natural maze, obstructing their vision and hiding dangers. Compared to the relatively "mild" Sunset Forest, this place was simply hell-level difficulty.
Yu Qing's mental force remained active for detection. If a powerful ten thousand year Spirit Beast approached, he would knock it unconscious directly; if it was just an ordinary ten thousand year Spirit Beast, he would slightly relax his suppression and let it come—this was a perfect opportunity to hone the alertness and practical combat abilities of The Two Women.
After this period of "releasing monsters" for experience, the alertness of The Two Women had improved significantly. Yu Qing stroked his chin, considering that it was time to test their actual combat capabilities.
Soon, he made up his mind to conduct a high-intensity practical combat training session for Duan Xin and Zi Ruyi!
After some spiritual scanning and screening, he locked onto an ordinary Spirit Beast that had just entered the ten-thousand-year threshold and lured it from dozens of miles away. He planned to test the strength of The Two Women step by step, from easy to difficult.
Just as that ten thousand year Spirit Beast entered a certain range, Zi Ruyi, who had just finished a piece of dried meat, suddenly furrowed her brows. Her Purple Cloud Vine Spirit had a natural perception of the surrounding plants.
"Xin-mei, something is approaching! Prepare for battle!" She immediately stood up, her tone full of alertness.
Duan Xin's reaction was also extremely swift. She instantly completed her Martial Soul Possession, her four spirit rings flashing beneath her feet as she entered a combat state.
Soon, the figure of a Spirit Beast appeared among the trees.
It was a giant lizard nearly five meters long, covered in pale red scales with thick limbs. The spirit power fluctuations radiating from its body were pale black, clearly indicating it had recently ascended to the ten-thousand-year level. Its strength was roughly equivalent to a Rank 52 Battle Soul King, which wasn't too difficult for the current Two Women to handle.
"Husband, should we fight?" Zi Ruyi looked at Yu Qing, seeking instructions.
"Give it your all. Let me see your strength." Yu Qing stood with his hands behind his back, adopting the posture of an examiner.
"Okay!" Without thinking much, The Two Women nodded and took the initiative to meet the Red-Armored Iguana.
The Red-Armored Iguana was a fairly ordinary and common ten thousand year Spirit Beast with mediocre strength and low hunting difficulty. It was a common choice for the fifth spirit ring for many commoner Spirit Masters pursuing an optimal spirit ring configuration. Because its spirit ring had broad compatibility, most beast Spirits could absorb it, but the resulting Spirit Abilitys were usually mediocre and limited in power. Therefore, Spirit Masters with any background or ambition would basically not choose it.
Yu Qing watched calmly as The Two Women engaged in a fierce battle with the Red-Armored Iguana, without a trace of worry on his face.
The current Duan Xin and Zi Ruyi, having undergone Spirit evolution, spirit power compression and purification, and ten body refinements from the Thousand Refinements Method, had gained a massive boost from the combination of all three! Their actual combat power had long since far exceeded their current spirit power levels!
The Two Women also clearly felt this transformation. The power of their Spirit Abilitys had increased significantly, while the spirit power consumption had dropped drastically—the fourth spirit ring (fifth spirit ring) skills that used to require a large amount of spirit power now consumed less than a tenth of what they used to!
This allowed them to frequently use their strongest Spirit Abilitys without any hesitation, as if spirit power cost nothing.
One must know that ordinary Spirit Ancestors or Spirit Kings might run out of spirit power after using their fourth or fifth spirit skills three or four times in a row. Yet they could generously unleash them over a dozen times and still have energy left!
Yu Qing looked at the battlefield with satisfaction: Zi Ruyi used her evolved Purple Cloud Vine for precise crowd control, restricting the opponent's movements; Duan Xin transformed into a Power Attack Specialist, her scorching Dragon Flame repeatedly blasting the scales of the Red-Armored Iguana. The two coordinated tacitly, with very few loopholes.
Under the bold tactic of "using Spirit Abilitys as basic attacks," that poor Red-Armored Iguana was soon beaten until it had no power to fight back, its head spinning.
Yu Qing didn't let The Two Women deliver the killing blow, only signaling them to drive it away. The Red-Armored Iguana fled into the depths of the jungle as if granted a reprieve. It probably wouldn't understand for the rest of its life why the human Spirit Masters it met today were so bizarre—not only were they ridiculously strong, but they actually let it go.
Yu Qing looked at The Two Women, who weren't even panting and had minimal spirit power consumption, and his desire to test their strength grew even stronger.
The Two Women also began to exchange excited remarks.
"I feel like my strength has improved so much! Before, even with the two of us cooperating, it would have been impossible to take down a ten thousand year Spirit Beast so easily!" Duan Xin said excitedly to Zi Ruyi.
"Yes, this is all thanks to husband." Zi Ruyi nodded, looking at Yu Qing with a gentle gaze.
Seeing that they were about to start their mutual praise mode again, Yu Qing quickly interrupted: "How do you feel? Do you want to continue?"
The Two Women looked at each other and nodded without hesitation: "Yes!"
They had roughly guessed Yu Qing's intention and were more than happy to have this kind of special training that could quickly improve their practical combat abilities.
Next, Yu Qing began his "monster-releasing" training.
He carefully selected opponents, gradually moving from ordinary ten thousand year Spirit Beasts to those with rare bloodlines, and increasing the age from ten thousand years to fifteen thousand years. Each new Spirit Beast was significantly stronger, more dangerous, and had a higher bloodline than the previous one.
These rare Spirit Beasts either had powerful bloodlines or possessed special elemental abilities, making them extremely difficult to deal with. An ordinary Spirit Emperor might not even gain an advantage in a one-on-one encounter unless they were a genius Spirit Master with a top-tier Spirit.
Facing such formidable enemies, The Two Women began to taste bitterness. They suffered repeated defeats, were pushed into desperate situations multiple times, and even suffered heavy injuries.
But with Yu Qing, the mobile fountain, present, nothing was a problem. No matter how severe the injury, one purple leaf would instantly restore them to full health and vigor.
Through a cycle of failure, healing, reflection, and fighting again, the practical combat abilities of The Two Women grew at a speed visible to the naked eye. From their initial total defeat to later barely holding on, and finally being able to fight to a draw or even find opportunities to counterattack... their progress was obvious, almost mining their potential at their current levels to the limit!
To put it simply, after this half-month of high-intensity practical combat training, both Duan Xin and Zi Ruyi had acquired the ability to challenge those of a higher level and fight against an ordinary Spirit Emperor!
Seeing this, Yu Qing finally nodded in satisfaction, ending the half-month-long "hell-style" practical combat training for The Two Women.