It took Ning Fengzhi half a day to finally understand what Chen Ming meant.
"So what you're saying is… the greater the restrictions, the fewer the limitations? And the fewer the limitations, the greater the restrictions?"
It sounded somewhat absurd at first, but in reality, that really was the case.
Just as different Martial Souls had different cultivation methods and required different Spirit Rings, Martial Souls themselves inherently came with restrictions from the very beginning. Spirit Masters of different categories would hunt Spirit Beasts according to their own specialization and tendencies.
It was like how, in theory, a Spirit Master could absorb nine ten-year Spirit Rings to advance through the levels, yet in reality everyone constantly pursued Spirit Rings with higher age and better quality. Spirit Masters naturally imposed standards upon themselves.
The faster the cultivation speed, the narrower the range of compatibility.
The only restriction of the cultivation method most suitable for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul was that it only suited the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
But that was actually a good thing, because it practically came with built-in anti-theft protection. Even if it leaked out, the threat would remain limited.
It was like a divine weapon with extremely harsh equipment requirements, except the only requirement was a specific game ID—and that ID just happened to be yours.
Was there a restriction?
Yes, there was.
But the fewer the limitations, the greater the restriction. Limiting it exclusively to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was both a good thing and not a good thing.
Because the true combat strength of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect came from Spirit Masters who did not possess the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul. And those Spirit Masters did not possess merely one or two types of Martial Souls, but all sorts of different kinds. As the sect continued to expand, their numbers would only grow larger.
A cultivation method suited for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul would not suit those people. Furthermore, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda itself possessed a hard limit at Level 79. Those without sufficient talent could not even reach the Spirit Saint realm, while those talented enough to reach it would still become stuck there, unable to progress further.
That was what it meant for fewer limitations to become greater restrictions.
At first, Ning Fengzhi had wanted a cultivation method with both broad compatibility and high cultivation speed.
But after hearing Chen Ming's explanation and realizing how logical it actually was, Ning Fengzhi instead felt as though his own thoughts had become muddled and difficult to process.
"Could you perhaps… provide some guidance?" Ning Fengzhi finally asked tentatively after a long silence.
"I also require some resources and external assistance during my own cultivation process. So as long as sufficient resources are provided, I can help the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect carry out customized development."
"But if it is to be specially tailored, then I will require cooperation from Spirit Masters of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. I will also need access to certain records and information regarding the sect in order to create a truly customized method. Senior Ning should consider carefully whether these conditions are acceptable."
"Cooperation… records…"
Ning Fengzhi frowned slightly. Although the Spirit Abilities of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda were no longer secret, allowing outsiders to thoroughly research the sect's inherited Martial Soul was still a taboo matter.
Yet after a moment, Ning Fengzhi instead sighed and shook his head with a bitter smile.
Damn it. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda had been stuck at Level 79 for thousands of years. Aside from the founding ancestor, no one had ever broken through that limitation. The sect had researched the issue for millennia and invited countless Titled Douluo to study it, yet still failed to understand how to overcome the restriction.
So what exactly did he need to worry about now? That the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda might be fully understood?
No.
What he truly needed to worry about was the exact opposite.
It would actually be best if the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda could be fully understood.
At the very least, that way the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda might finally gain a chance to break through its upper limit.
If Chen Ming truly managed to completely understand and unravel the secrets of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, then Ning Fengzhi would actually feel delighted.
If even someone with Chen Ming's level of talent could not figure anything out about the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, then the Martial Soul truly had no hope left.
"May I ask how Elder Chen charges for such services?" Ning Fengzhi asked warmly.
"For now, I'm not sure yet. You can first send Spirit Masters to me for examination, and I'll offer some suggestions. After that, we can negotiate based on the degree of improvement in cultivation and the difficulty of the research involved."
"Generally speaking, larger orders receive better terms. Early-stage improvements are cheaper, while later-stage improvements become increasingly expensive. The exact details will depend on the actual circumstances."
"For the early stages, payment in gold soul coins is acceptable. By the middle stages, however, payment must be made with various materials. Of course, the most important thing is support. I may require extensive cooperation from Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Spirit Masters in order to specially design the most suitable method for them."
"Good. Then I'll trouble Elder Chen with this matter."
Ning Fengzhi nodded, feeling that Chen Ming was a straightforward person.
"My daughter Ning Rongrong is around Elder Chen's age and possesses innate Level 9 Spirit Power. She is a genius rarely seen in a hundred years within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. If there is anyone of this generation with the greatest potential for growth, then it is certainly Rongrong."
"When the time comes, I hope Elder Chen can help research and guide my daughter's cultivation as well."
"I wonder whether Elder Chen has any understanding of my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda? Our Martial Soul has always been trapped by the limit of Level 79. Does Elder Chen perhaps have any thoughts on the matter?"
"I'm also very interested in the continent's number one support-type Martial Soul." Chen Ming nodded before asking a question. "Sect Master Ning, may I take a look at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul?"
Ning Fengzhi did not hesitate and directly summoned his Martial Soul. Two yellow, two purple, and three black Spirit Rings floated around him as the aura of a Level 79 Spirit Sage spread outward. A delicate and translucent pagoda appeared in his hand.
Chen Ming carefully observed the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda before glancing at Ning Fengzhi's Spirit Rings.
The Spirit Rings of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda did not greatly affect the strength of its Spirit Abilities. Instead, they mainly influenced Spirit Power consumption. Theoretically, even absorbing seven ten-year Spirit Rings would not reduce the effectiveness of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's abilities—it would merely cause the consumption to become absurdly high.
Furthermore, because tool-type Spirit Masters generally possessed weaker physiques than beast-type Spirit Masters, and support-type Spirit Masters possessed even weaker physiques than ordinary tool-type Spirit Masters, Ning Fengzhi's Spirit Ring configuration, while still considered optimal, was actually somewhat low overall.
It was just like Ning Rongrong in the original story. Even after all her Spirit Rings gained an additional eight hundred years in age, her first Spirit Ring still remained yellow. That alone proved that, as the young lady of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, her first Spirit Ring had originally been less than two hundred years old.
If anyone truly believed Yu Xiaogang's so-called maximum Spirit Ring absorption limits and followed those standards when absorbing Spirit Rings, then at least nine out of ten people would probably explode on the spot.
Chen Ming analyzed Ning Fengzhi's Spirit Rings according to the records he had compiled comparing Spirit Ring age and coloration. He discovered that aside from the third and fifth rings, the ages of Ning Fengzhi's remaining Spirit Rings were generally lower than those of ordinary Spirit Masters.
Even the seventh ring appeared to be only around twenty thousand years old, not exceeding twenty-two thousand years at most.
Chen Ming reached out and touched the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, discovering that its material was not ordinary glazed crystal in the normal sense. Instead, it resembled a special composite substance, as though several different metals had been layered together to create a glazed appearance.
In terms of durability, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda was actually not very strong. It could even be described as somewhat fragile. Ideas like turning it from a support-type Martial Soul into a control-type or assault-type Martial Soul by cultivating some kind of demon-subduing pagoda were simply impossible.
But after only a preliminary analysis of the material, Chen Ming could already determine that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda absolutely belonged to the category of top-tier magical staves. It could amplify the effects of Spirit Power and Spirit Abilities many times over.
Although Martial Souls were extraordinarily special existences, tool Martial Souls also possessed differences in material quality. An ordinary iron blade could not compare to a cold iron blade. A wooden staff could not compare to an iron staff. Blue Silver Grass could not compare to ivy.
Some tool Martial Souls were based on ordinary common materials, but others were themselves extremely special composite substances. Since the material science of the Douluo world itself was fundamentally unscientific, analyzing them could allow one to roughly recreate similar materials.
For example, in the fourth Douluo series, a large portion of the spaceship technology's material science originated from reverse engineering tool Martial Souls.
If he could fully understand the material composition of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, then creating high-energy equipment in the future would save an enormous amount of effort.
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