There were two types of pills. One could grant a Spirit Master an increase in Spirit Power equivalent to advancing from Level 30 to 31; the other provided the equivalent of rising from Level 20 to 21. Because they were essentially the same as the Spirit Ascension Pills developed ten thousand years later, they were named the Major and Minor Spirit Ascension Pills.
However, thanks to Chen Ming's refinements, combined with the abundant medicinal resources within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, these two types of pills far surpassed the Spirit Ascension Pills from the era of Peerless Tang Sect.
After consumption, the medicinal effects of both pills would not erupt all at once. Instead, they would sink deep into the body, allowing the user to refine them gradually. Over the course of about a week, they would steadily release an amount of Spirit Power equivalent to the intended breakthrough, enabling smooth absorption by the Spirit Master.
Because of the superior ingredients and more advanced techniques, both types of Spirit Ascension Pills could be taken repeatedly. The only requirement was a metabolic interval between doses, allowing the body to expel accumulated impurities.
After careful calculation, Chen Ming determined that the optimal interval was roughly 3.25 times the time required to fully refine a pill. Allowing for a margin of safety, he rounded it up to 3.5 times.
Currently, after consuming three Major Spirit Ascension Pills—though the energy from the third had yet to be fully refined—Chen Ming's cultivation had already reached Level 29. Once he completely absorbed the remaining energy, he would naturally break through to Level 30.
If one had to point out a drawback of these Major and Minor Spirit Ascension Pills, it would be their cost. The Major Spirit Ascension Pill required ten-thousand-year medicinal herbs as its primary ingredient, supplemented by several thousand-year herbs. The Minor Spirit Ascension Pill was slightly less demanding, but still relied on a combination of thousand-year medicinal materials.
If repeated consumption by a single individual were not a concern, Chen Ming could reduce the quality of the ingredients. By using ten-thousand-year herbs as a catalyst, pairing them with thousand-year materials, and supplementing the formula with a larger quantity of ordinary hundred-year herbs, he could maintain the medicinal potency of the Major Spirit Ascension Pill.
As for the Minor Spirit Ascension Pill, its requirements could be lowered to a thousand-year herb as the catalyst, combined with herbs in the hundred-year range.
However, doing so would make the Major Spirit Ascension Pill no different from the version seen in Douluo Dalu II, where a person could only consume a single pill in their lifetime without hindering future cultivation. Due to its milder properties and different formula, the Minor Spirit Ascension Pill could be taken at most twice.
For ordinary individuals, exceeding this limit would severely hinder their future cultivation speed—unless they found a way to cleanse the accumulated impurities from their bodies.
In any other world, a pill of this caliber should never have been limited to benefiting only cultivators at the third or fourth tier. But within the Douluo World, reaching this level was already the extent of Chen Ming's abilities.
As for pills like the Mystic Water Pill, which required materials from Spirit Beasts, Chen Ming currently lacked sufficient test subjects, so he had not attempted to produce them yet. Still, if he could obtain enough materials, he believed refining them would not be particularly difficult.
That said, even if he succeeded in creating a Mystic Water Pill with undiminished potency, it would be of no real use to him personally.
Aside from these, Chen Ming was also researching another pill known as the Three-Treasure Dragon Transformation Pill.
Its purpose was to stimulate the innate instincts of a Martial Soul through both medicinal effects and secret techniques, temporarily granting it abilities akin to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's natural dragon transformation. In the future, he hoped to explore whether this innate transformation could be permanently mastered—much like how beast Martial Souls could be fully weaponized through development.
The only problem was that Chen Ming lacked sufficient dragon-type Spirit Beast blood essence. The blood of a thousand-year Heavy Armored Earth Dragon simply wasn't potent enough for such a pill. He would have to seek out ten-thousand-year sub-dragon species in the future to obtain suitable materials.
With his current cultivation at Levl 29, combined with extensive tempering and enhancements, Chen Ming could already move freely within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.
As for Dugu Bo, he wished to go out and check on his granddaughter, Dugu Yan—and perhaps show off his current condition while he was at it. Seeing this, Chen Ming simply handed him two Major Spirit Ascension Pills before he left.
Chen Ming asked Dugu Bo to deliver one Major Spirit Ascension Pill to Dugu Yan as a gift, and another to Ye Lingling as a token of gratitude for Ye Renxin's assistance.
It wasn't that Chen Ming couldn't refine more pills—it was simply that others couldn't absorb and metabolize them with the same efficiency he could. The absorption rate of the Major Spirit Ascension Pill was far slower for ordinary Spirit Masters than for him. Giving out too many at once could easily lead to problems if someone consumed them improperly. Moreover, if the pills were stored for too long, their potency would gradually diminish.
After learning about the pill's effects, Dugu Bo's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He had never imagined that something the size of an egg yolk could possess such astonishing power. What shocked him even more was that Chen Ming casually handed over the written formula for the Major Spirit Ascension Pill without the slightest hesitation.
To Chen Ming, even a pill of this level was only useful during the Spirit Elder stage at most. Beyond that, its effects would become negligible. Rather than continuing to rely on it, he would be better off researching other, more advanced pills. With that in mind, there was no point in hoarding the formula.
He had never feared being overtaken by others. Chen Ming was fully confident that no one could match his rate of growth.
By the time others thoroughly studied the Major Spirit Ascension Pill formula and used it to refine pills and improve their cultivation, Chen Ming would have long since advanced beyond the stage where such pills were even necessary.
Yet Chen Ming's actions deeply moved Dugu Bo. Without hesitation, the old man pulled him into a tight embrace, then thumped his chest as he made a solemn promise.
"I'm a few years older than you, so just call me big brother. From now on, you're my sworn brother. Anyone who dares to trouble you is making an enemy of me, Dugu Bo!"
These words weren't spoken on impulse—they were sincere and deliberate.
Hearing this, Chen Ming smiled faintly. "Then I'll have to trouble you… big brother."
"Between brothers, there's no need for such politeness!" Dugu Bo replied with complete seriousness.
After bidding Chen Ming farewell, Dugu Bo left the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well to visit his granddaughter, Dugu Yan, and deliver the Major Spirit Ascension Pill to Ye Lingling.
In the days following his departure, Chen Ming found himself enjoying a rare period of peace. He spent his time in meditation, calming his mind and adjusting his state, while contemplating the interplay of yin and yang within the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Through continuous dual cultivation with the Land Dragon Golden Melon, he steadily tempered and refined his own origin.
Once his connection with the Land Dragon Golden Melon deepened further, he would be ready to consume additional immortal herbs. As for which ones he needed, Chen Ming had already made his plans.
The first was the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum—an immortal herb best suited for assault-type Spirit Masters. It could open all eight extraordinary meridians, drastically enhance physical attributes, and even forge an "Indestructible Vajra Body."
It had none of those mysterious or esoteric mechanisms, but it provided the highest possible raw improvement.
An indestructible body represented overwhelming physical strength, while fully opened meridians signified the highest level of cultivation aptitude.
The second was the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, which could enhance spiritual power. Its medicinal properties were gentle and did not conflict with other immortal herbs. However, Chen Ming suspected that consuming it directly would make it difficult to fully maximize its effects.
Because of that, he decided either to find a better method of utilizing it or to first develop a specialized ocular technique. Otherwise, simply ingesting it would fall short of unlocking its full potential.
As for the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot—these two supreme immortal herbs of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well—Chen Ming had initially not planned to include them in his path. However, as his Martial Soul continued to evolve, his perspective began to shift, and new ideas took shape.
According to legend, among the nine great dragon clans, the Mountain Dragon clan was the strongest—and also the most perfect creation of the Dragon God.
If one categorized the Silver Dragon as excelling in elements and the Golden Dragon in physique, then among the nine Dragon Kings—including the Earth Dragon King—they all fell under the "Silver Dragon" category, while the Mountain Dragon was, in a sense, the "Golden Dragon."
Among the nine dragon clans, the Mountain Dragon stood at the pinnacle. Wherever there was a Mountain Dragon, it would inevitably be king—this held true even for Martial Souls.
One either possessed a Martial Soul with Mountain Dragon lineage or the Mountain Dragon King Martial Soul itself; there was no true middle ground where one had pure Mountain Dragon blood but was not the Mountain Dragon King.
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